A photography revolution in your pocket, but does the rest of the phone keep up?
The year 2025 is already packed with incredible smartphones, each vying for your attention with bigger screens, faster processors, and smarter AI. But every so often, a phone arrives that doesn’t just aim to compete—it aims to change the game entirely. The vivo X300 Pro is that phone.
After months of leaks and hype, vivo’s latest flagship is here, and it brings one massive promise: to deliver the most powerful and versatile camera system ever put into a smartphone. With a headline-grabbing 200MP periscope telephoto lens co-engineered with ZEISS, this device is built for one person above all: the mobile photographer who refuses to compromise. But in a market dominated by all-rounders like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro, can a camera-focused specialist truly win the crown? Let’s find out.
Design & Build Quality
The moment you pick up the vivo X300 Pro, you know it’s a premium device. It feels substantial and dense without being overly heavy, striking a careful balance that many rivals miss. The matte-textured back glass is a standout feature; it’s wonderfully resistant to fingerprints and provides a confident, velvety grip. Our review unit in ‘Wilderness Brown’ looks exceptionally classy and understated.
The dominant feature, of course, is the large, circular camera housing on the back. It’s bold, and it makes no apologies for its size. This design choice screams “I’m a camera,” and while it might be polarizing for some, it’s also a statement of intent. The housing is surrounded by a finely knurled metal ring, a tactile detail reminiscent of high-end camera lenses, further reinforcing its photographic DNA.
The frame is crafted from a smooth, matte-finished aluminum that blends seamlessly into the front and back panels. With an IP68 and even an IP69 rating, the X300 Pro is built to withstand more than just a splash. This dual rating means it can handle dust, full water submersion, and even high-pressure, high-temperature water jets, offering a level of durability that provides genuine peace of mind.
Display & Visuals
The screen on the X300 Pro is, in a word, spectacular. Vivo has equipped it with a 6.78-inch 8T LTPO AMOLED panel that is a feast for the eyes. The 1.5K resolution (2800 x 1260 pixels) is incredibly sharp, making text and images pop with clarity. It’s the perfect canvas for viewing the ultra-detailed photos you’ll be taking.
The 120Hz refresh rate is as smooth as you’d expect from a 2025 flagship, making scrolling through social media or navigating the UI feel fluid and instantaneous. Thanks to the LTPO technology, the display can intelligently drop its refresh rate down to as low as 1Hz for static content, which is a huge benefit for battery conservation.
Where this screen truly shines is its brightness. With a peak brightness that reportedly hits 3,000 nits, outdoor visibility is a non-issue. Even under the harsh afternoon sun, the display remains perfectly legible, a crucial feature for framing photos and videos on the go. Colors are vibrant and accurate, thanks to ZEISS Natural Color calibration, ensuring that what you see on the screen is a true representation of the final image.
Performance & Hardware
At the heart of the vivo X300 Pro is MediaTek’s latest and greatest flagship chipset, the Dimensity 9500. Built on a cutting-edge 3nm process, this processor uses an “All Big Core” architecture that delivers staggering performance. In day-to-day use, the phone is flawlessly fast. Apps open in a blink, multitasking with a dozen apps is effortless, and the entire system feels incredibly responsive.
When it comes to more demanding tasks, the Dimensity 9500 doesn’t break a sweat.
Gaming and Sustained Performance
We threw graphically intensive titles like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile at the X300 Pro, and it handled them with ease. Games ran at max settings with consistently high frame rates, and the device managed its heat surprisingly well thanks to a large vapor chamber cooling system. While it got warm during extended sessions, it never became uncomfortably hot, and we didn’t notice any significant thermal throttling.
This raw power is supported by vivo’s dedicated V3+ imaging chip. While its primary job is to accelerate complex camera processing, it also assists the main GPU in tasks like frame rate interpolation for gaming, making motion appear even smoother. Paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, this phone is a performance beast through and through.
Camera & Imaging
This is the main event. The vivo X300 Pro was built to be a camera champion, and it absolutely delivers. The triple-camera array, coated with ZEISS’s T* lens coating to reduce glare, is the most exciting and versatile system we’ve tested in 2025.
The Groundbreaking 200MP Telephoto Lens
Let’s start with the star: the 200MP periscope telephoto camera. This is not a gimmick. Using a massive sensor and a clever lens design, it provides a native 4.3x optical zoom. But the magic happens when you start cropping into that 200MP canvas. The detail it can resolve at 10x is simply astonishing, far surpassing what most competitors can achieve with digital or even hybrid zoom.
In our tests, we could read signs and see details from hundreds of feet away that were a blurry mess on other flagships. It’s a game-changer for concert photography, wildlife shots, or any situation where you can’t get physically closer to your subject. The ZEISS APO certification ensures that there is minimal chromatic aberration (color fringing), keeping images sharp and clean from edge to edge.
The Superb 50MP Main Camera
The primary shooter uses Sony’s new 1-inch type LYT-828 sensor, which is a powerhouse in its own right. The large sensor size pulls in a tremendous amount of light, producing bright, clean, and detailed images, especially in challenging lighting. The gimbal-level stabilization is phenomenal, allowing for sharp handheld shots at slow shutter speeds and incredibly smooth video.
Colors are rendered beautifully, with the option to choose between a punchy, vibrant look or the more realistic ZEISS Natural Color profile. Dynamic range is excellent, capturing a wide range of shadows and highlights in a single frame without blowing out the sky or crushing the blacks.
Ultrawide and Video Capabilities
The 50MP ultrawide camera is no slouch either, offering a wide field of view without significant distortion at the edges. It maintains impressive color consistency with the main lens, a detail that many other brands overlook. It also doubles as an excellent macro camera.
For video, the X300 Pro can shoot in up to 8K resolution. However, the 4K footage is the sweet spot, offering incredible stabilization, fantastic detail, and great color. The cinematic portrait mode, powered by the V3+ chip, creates a beautiful and surprisingly accurate bokeh effect that looks like it came from a much larger camera.
Battery & Charging
Vivo has managed to pack a colossal 6,510mAh battery into the X300 Pro, one of the largest capacities in any flagship phone today. This translates to truly outstanding real-world endurance. Even on days with heavy camera use, GPS navigation, and gaming, we consistently ended the day with 30-40% battery left. Lighter users could easily push this phone to two full days on a single charge.
When you do need to top up, the 90W wired charging is impressively fast. In our testing, it took the phone from 1% to 100% in just under 35 minutes. A quick 10-minute charge is enough to get you nearly 40% battery, which is perfect for a quick boost before heading out. The addition of 40W wireless charging adds a layer of convenience that rounds out an exceptional battery experience.
Software & Features
The X300 Pro runs OriginOS 6, which is based on the latest Android 16. Vivo’s software has matured significantly over the years, and OriginOS 6 is a clean, feature-rich, and highly customizable interface. There’s very little bloatware, and the system is filled with useful AI-powered tools.
Some of the standout features include an advanced AI object remover in the photo gallery, real-time translation tools, and AI-generated summaries for articles and meetings. Vivo is also promising five years of security updates and four major Android OS upgrades, putting it on par with the best in the industry for software support.
Audio & Connectivity
The phone is equipped with a powerful stereo speaker setup that delivers loud, clear, and surprisingly full-bodied audio. There’s a decent amount of bass, and the soundstage is wide enough to make watching movies or playing games an immersive experience.
Call quality is excellent, with clear voice transmission from the microphone array. On the connectivity front, the X300 Pro is fully future-proof. It supports Wi-Fi 7 for blazing-fast wireless speeds on compatible networks, Bluetooth 5.4 for stable connections to accessories, and a full suite of global 5G bands.
Price & Availability
The vivo X300 Pro launched in China with a starting price of ¥5,499. This directly converts to approximately $745 USD, which is roughly ₹64,000 INR or PKR 115,000. It is important to remember that these are direct currency conversions. The official retail price in Pakistan and India will likely be higher after factoring in import duties, local taxes, and distribution costs.
A wider global release, including in South Asian markets, is expected in the coming months. This positions the X300 Pro as a premium flagship, but it strategically undercuts the top-tier models from Apple and Samsung. For the photographic hardware on offer, this price point represents a remarkable value proposition, making it an incredibly tempting option for serious photographers.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Revolutionary 200MP periscope telephoto camera with incredible zoom | The large camera module design might not be for everyone |
| Outstanding main camera performance with gimbal stabilization | Software still has a few regional quirks outside of Asia |
| Exceptional battery life from the massive 6,510mAh cell | Availability is limited to certain markets at launch |
| Blazing-fast performance from the Dimensity 9500 chipset | Premium price, although competitive for its feature set |
| Bright, smooth, and beautiful 120Hz AMOLED display |
The Verdict
The vivo X300 Pro set out with a singular, ambitious goal: to be the undisputed king of smartphone photography in 2025. After extensive testing, it’s safe to say it has emphatically achieved that goal. The 200MP telephoto lens isn’t just a spec—it’s a transformative feature that unlocks creative possibilities no other phone can offer.
This is more than just a camera with a phone attached. The brilliant display, top-tier performance, and marathon battery life make it a fantastic all-round flagship. While the design may be bold and its software may have a few minor quirks, these are small trade-offs for the sheer photographic power you get.
So, who should buy the vivo X300 Pro? If you are a parent who wants to capture your kids’ sports games from the stands, a travel enthusiast who loves shooting architecture and landscapes, or simply anyone who wants the most powerful and versatile camera in their pocket, this is the phone for you. It’s a specialized tool that also happens to be a phenomenal daily driver. For photographers, the vivo X300 Pro isn’t just worth it; it’s the new standard.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is the vivo X300 Pro worth buying in 2025?
Absolutely. If your top priority in a smartphone is camera performance, especially zoom capabilities, the vivo X300 Pro is arguably the best phone you can buy this year. It combines its revolutionary camera with excellent performance, a great display, and outstanding battery life, making it a complete and compelling flagship package.
How does the vivo X300 Pro camera compare to the iPhone 17 Pro?
The vivo X300 Pro’s primary advantage is its telephoto lens. The 200MP periscope system offers vastly superior detail at long zoom ranges (10x and beyond) compared to the iPhone 17 Pro. While the iPhone may offer a more consistent and user-friendly video recording experience, for still photography, especially at a distance, the vivo X300 Pro is in a class of its own. The main cameras are competitive, but vivo’s larger sensor gives it an edge in low light.
Does the vivo X300 Pro have good gaming performance?
Yes, it’s an excellent gaming phone. The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 processor is a top-tier flagship chip that can handle any game on the Google Play Store at maximum settings with high frame rates. The large, bright 120Hz display and effective cooling system make for a fantastic and smooth gaming experience.
What is the real-world battery life of the vivo X300 Pro?
The real-world battery life is one of its strongest features. Thanks to the massive 6,510mAh battery and efficient processor, most users will comfortably get through a full day of heavy use with plenty of charge to spare. Lighter users can easily expect two days of use between charges, making it one of the longest-lasting flagships on the market.
Is the vivo X300 Pro waterproof?
Yes, it is highly water and dust resistant. It has an IP68 and IP69 rating. The IP68 rating means it can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for 30 minutes. The IP69 rating provides additional protection against close-range, high-pressure, and high-temperature water jets, making it exceptionally durable against the elements.