Vivo X300 Pro camera review: a telephoto-first flagship that mostly delivers

If you shoot a lot, including travel, portraits, concerts, street, or food, the Vivo X300 Pro feels designed by people who actually use different focal lengths. The headline feature is clear. The 3.7x Zeiss APO telephoto is the star, and it performs well in the zoom range where most phones begin to struggle. Add reliable low-light performance, convincing background blur, and steady video, and the result is one of the more balanced camera systems I have used recently. The limitations are predictable. The ultra-wide view is narrower than some rivals, and processing artifacts can appear in extreme conditions.

Camera Hardware at a Glance

Vivo’s co-engineering with Zeiss is more than surface-level branding. The camera setup prioritizes optical performance first, followed by software processing:

• Main: 50 MP, 24 mm, f/1.6, 1/1.28-inch sensor, OIS
• Ultra-wide: 50 MP, 15 mm, f/2.0, 1/2.76-inch sensor, autofocus
• Telephoto: 200 MP, 85 mm periscope, f/2.7, 1/1.4-inch sensor, OIS, 3.7x optical zoom, tele-macro
• Optics: Zeiss T* coating and APO correction on the telephoto lens

What stands out is the size of the telephoto sensor. It is not treated as a secondary add-on, and that choice shapes the overall camera experience.

Real-World Results from My Samples

 Telephoto Changes How You Frame Shots

The difference between wide and telephoto shooting is immediately obvious. In one sample, a wide desert view looks empty and flat, while switching to the telephoto turns it into a usable composition with clear subject separation, natural compression, and solid detail without obvious AI artifacts.

A similar effect appears in street scenes. The telephoto lens works as a practical composition tool, letting cluttered environments be simplified without moving closer. Fine textures, such as stone or signage, remain intact without aggressive sharpening.

In this Vivo X300 Pro camera review, we are trying to find out how a strong telephoto lens can change the way you shoot everyday scenes.

Zoom Quality Where It Actually Matters

Zoom performance at 1x, 10x, 20x, and 50x behaves as expected given the sensor choices:

• 10x and 20x remain genuinely usable for casual sharing and documentation.
• 50x shows visible smoothing and artifacts, although subjects remain recognizable.

The camera’s real strength lies between 3.7x and 20x. That range covers most real-world use cases, and it is where the X300 Pro clearly stands out. Among current options, it competes closely with contenders for the Best telephoto camera phone 2026.

Macro Looks Natural, Not Forced

Tele-macro proves more useful than ultra-wide macro modes. Background blur looks natural, focus is reliable, and colors stay consistent with the main camera. The longer working distance also helps avoid shadows cast by the phone itself.

Low Light Stays Controlled

Low-light shots show stable exposure and controlled highlights. The camera usually preserves the atmosphere of a scene instead of pushing brightness too far. In very dark conditions, some fine textures can look processed, but noise remains well managed overall.

For those comparing the Vivo X300 Pro low light camera test with other flagships, results are often favorable without artificial overprocessing.

Independent Test Results for Context

In our testing, we found the Vivo X300 Pro among the stronger camera phones of its generation, which broadly reflects my experience using it in daily shooting. Areas such as exposure consistency, telephoto detail, bokeh quality, and video stabilization align well with real-world use.

When pushed into extreme lighting or heavy zoom, the same familiar limits appear, but they do not define how the camera performs most of the time.

Video Performance

Video stabilization is one of the camera’s most dependable strengths. Handheld footage looks steady without appearing overly processed, and motion remains controlled while walking or panning. Exposure changes are smooth, and color stays consistent as lighting shifts.

While some competitors still offer broader codec options or slightly better consistency at the extremes, the X300 Pro feels well-suited for everyday video capture and does not feel like a compromise for most users.

The Weaknesses That Matter

The ultra-wide camera delivers good image quality but offers a tighter field of view than some rivals. HDR and texture artifacts can appear in harsh backlight or very low light, and deep skin tones may occasionally look slightly bright depending on the scene. Extreme zoom continues to rely heavily on processing, which is expected on any phone, and reinforces that the camera’s real strength lies in its optical telephoto range.

This is especially noticeable when comparing Vivo X300 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro camera performance in telephoto scenarios.

Final Verdict

The Vivo X300 Pro is a camera phone built around the idea that telephoto performance matters as much as the main camera. For portraits, travel, street photography, stage shots, and clean low-light work, it delivers consistently strong results. The ultra-wide lens is less expansive than some competitors, and edge cases can expose processing limits, but in daily use the camera system feels reliable and often impressive.

If your shooting style values framing flexibility and meaningful optical reach, the Vivo X300 Pro stands as one of the most capable camera phones available right now. It’s also a standout choice among 200MP periscope zoom smartphones currently on the market. For those curious about the Vivo X300 Pro price in India, it sits firmly in the premium flagship segment, offering a camera experience that reflects that positioning.

If you're searching for a detailed Zeiss APO camera phone review, the Vivo X300 Pro easily earns its place as a leading example of what this optical collaboration can deliver.

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