Is this still a phone? vivo X300 Ultra makes smartphone shooting feel new, serious in the best way

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June 29, 2026 | 8:56pm

MANILA, Philippines — There’s no denying that smartphone cameras have massively improved over the years, with bigger sensors, more lenses and increasingly aggressive computational photography. But for all the hardware upgrades, the day-to-day experience of shooting often feels familiar: open the app, frame, tap and move on.

The vivo X300 Ultra, paired with its Photography Kit, tries to shift that familiarity, not by reinventing mobile photography entirely, but by changing how it feels to shoot with a phone and what can be captured with it.

Flagship imaging system, expanded with a kit

At the heart of the vivo X300 Ultra is an ambitious camera setup that makes its intentions around image-making clear.

It combines a 200MP 35mm ZEISS Documentary camera, a focal length often associated with everyday photography and street shooting; a 200MP 85mm ZEISS Gimbal-Grade APO Telephoto camera built for portraits, compression, and longer-range capture; and a 50MP 14mm ZEISS Ultra Wide-Angle lens for wider scenes and environmental shots.

On its own, it already covers most situations a casual shooter—or even a more photography-minded user—would realistically encounter. But what turns the X300 Ultra from a very capable camera phone into something more distinct is the optional Photographer Kit.

The kit includes 200mm and 400mm equivalent ZEISS Telephoto Extenders, opening up focal lengths that would normally feel excessive—or simply unavailable—on a smartphone. While not every scene calls for that kind of reach, having it changes how you approach framing. Suddenly, details that usually feel too far become viable compositions.

Then there’s the imaging grip, which ended up changing the experience more than expected. With a dedicated shutter button, exposure control dial, video button, zoom lever, and a more camera-like hold, the setup feels intentionally designed around the act of shooting rather than simply capturing.

Seeing farther, shooting differently

The easiest way to understand what the vivo X300 Ultra and Photographer Kit add to smartphone photography is through distance.

I’ve brought it in UP Diliman and in Bonifacio Global City, both day and night, to snap photos and instead of walking into the scene, the longer focal lengths allowed moments to be pulled forward—turning everyday movement into tighter, more intentional compositions.

A lot of the images I ended up keeping were taken from the exact same spot. Using the 200mm and 400mm equivalent ZEISS Telephoto Extenders, the phone made scenes feel more flexible without requiring me to physically move around. Standing in one place, I could shift from a wider view of a public space to isolating individual details within it.

The same idea carried over into portraits. Rather than changing where I stood, the focal lengths changed the image itself—tightening composition, altering perspective and creating noticeably different results from the same scene.

Paired with Portrait mode, the longer focal lengths produced images with convincing subject separation and a more natural sense of depth. Moving from a wider frame to tighter compositions encouraged more experimentation: isolating details, layering foreground and background elements, and paying more attention to framing before pressing the shutter.

Beyond reach, the camera system remained consistently strong in the fundamentals. Colors leaned controlled. Detail retention remained great, while autofocus responded quickly enough that shifting from static subjects to moving scenes rarely felt frustrating.

That said, the Photographer Kit does introduce a small adjustment period. With the imaging grip attached and telephoto extenders mounted, the setup becomes noticeably heavier than a typical smartphone experience.

Switching focal lengths and changing shooting styles can feel less immediate at first. But once the rhythm settles in, the added controls and reach begin to feel purposeful rather than excessive.

The same extends to video. The added focal range and physical controls made video capture feel more deliberate. Being able to frame from farther away and compress scenes differently gave clips a more cinematic look—not necessarily through effects, but through perspective and composition.

The 35mm ZEISS Documentary camera remained the easiest to return to for everyday use, but the telephoto setup was what made the X300 Ultra feel distinct. It turned distance into a creative tool rather than a limitation.

And that, more than megapixels or zoom numbers, was what made the X300 Ultra feel less like a typical smartphone camera and more like a system built around the experience of shooting.

Built to shoot and ready for everything else

For all the attention the cameras and Photographer Kit attract, the vivo X300 Ultra still succeeds at being a flagship smartphone first. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and running OriginOS 6 on Android 16, everyday use felt consistently smooth, from switching camera modes and reviewing photos to editing and multitasking.

The 6.82-inch AMOLED display also makes previewing and working through images feel especially satisfying, while the 6600mAh battery held up comfortably through extended shooting sessions.

And maybe that’s what makes the X300 Ultra interesting. Despite the imaging grip, telephoto extenders, and camera-first approach, this never stops feeling like a phone. You still use it the way you use any flagship.

But when it’s time to shoot, it feels different.

The vivo X300 Ultra paired with the Photographer Kit does not replace a dedicated camera system—and it probably does not need to. What it does is make photography feel more intentional and more flexible than most smartphones encourage.

And that is where the X300 Ultra shines: not because it stops being a phone, but because it reminds you how much further a camera phone can still go.

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Editor's note: This BrandSpace article is produced by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.

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