Vivo’s new flagship is not about a new sensor or shifting trends in design. It’s a fix. With its telephoto extender bolted right onto the main camera app, the X300 Pro makes what would otherwise be a clever party trick into something photographers will actually use — often.
Teamed with the optional 2.35x telephoto extender, for instance, the phone’s high-res periscope reaches a native 200mm equivalent (~8.3x) and snaps lossless-resolution images at 400mm (~16.6x).
That was an impressive capability on older hardware already, but the software was the weak point. Now the change is dramatic: a single switch lets an extender operate across core shooting modes — there are no more clunky, separate “extender mode” limitations imposed by the system’s boundaries.
What changed and why it matters for photographers
Before, connecting the lens would leave you stuck in a stripped-down interface with nearly no options at all. On the X300 Pro, the extender applies in Portrait (with creative styles), Landscape, Night, Street, as well as all three manual modes, without color profiles. This may not seem like much on paper, but it goes a long way to expanding the shooting envelope, particularly for fast action, low-light scenarios, and controlled pro workflows.
The extender comes snug as a bug in the Photography Kit bag, which also includes a case, bayonet-style adapter ring, camera grip, and shoulder strap. It screws to your rear plate/back, and it only takes about 10–20 seconds to mount any of the other cameras (though remember you can technically always leave the adapter ring on with all rear cams — which is something many people seem to overlook!). In contrast, the rival case for the OPPO Find X9 Pro conceals every camera bar the periscope and demands extra on-off fiddling, frankly, as shots open up.
Real-world zoom results and image quality notes
Its sweet spot is the 200mm native shots. At this distance, images exhibit sharp focus and good color as long as you stick to using the lens at f/5.6–f/8, and also a feeling of depth that defies what you would expect from most longer lenses. Push on to 400mm and resolution is still convincing, especially for architecture, signage, or distant wildlife where micro-contrast comes into play.
Beyond that, quality becomes subject-dependent. Results can go from surprisingly usable to obviously computational at around 800mm (~33x). At the ceiling, going up to 1,600mm (~66x), faces will often look plasticky because of typical AI smoothing, but landscapes and buildings hold up better thanks to edges you can rely on and a clear sense of geometry. In other words, if you know what you’re talking about, you’ll know more clearly when to shut up.
Speed, stability, and video performance with extender
The big action win is it working with the extender in Snapshot mode. It sacrifices a little texture for a higher keeper rate, which is fine if you are zooming in on birds or pets or sports from a distance. In challenging conditions you still see motion blur, but the amount of sharp frames increases in a way that wasn’t possible before.
Video benefits too. The extender now also works with pro-grade features such as 4K/120fps, LOG recording, and manual settings. Stabilization isn’t gimbal-smooth at long focal lengths — not many smartphone systems are — but judder and micro-shake are reduced compared to prior implementations, which makes handheld tele work more possible.
Handling and ergonomics of the extender and kit
This remains a top-heavy setup. The extender fits neatly in a jacket pocket or small sling, but you will notice its bulk when it’s attached. The caveat is that it’s not the camera and 200mm lens. Upside to this, though, is portability versus hauling around my dedicated camera and 200mm lens. Even for travel or event coverage cases in which you prize reach but don’t want to schlep a full kit, the trade-off makes sense.
The grip and strap included with it assist in keeping the weight load evenly distributed, but frequent on-off mounting is still something to learn the rhythm of rather than forcing it.
Low-light caveats and special modes with the extender
In mixed light, the extender matches the periscope only and can even render fine text at a distance sharper. The image pipeline can default to cropping from the main camera if the scene is very dark and the extender isn’t attached. With the extender in place, the periscope is pulling most of the weight, and thus that superior light capture of the main sensor is a bit sidelined. It’s a physics problem at least as much as it is a software one, and ripe for still more future fusion tricks.
Stage mode, first seen on an older Vivo flagship, makes a comeback for the X300 Pro and would work wonders with 200mm framing. At 800mm, aggressive noise reduction can obliterate facial detail, so it’s best to save it for mid-tele settings where the appearance is teetering closer to cinematic than plastic.
How it compares with rival telephoto solutions
If you don’t mind the gaudy packaging, and you count your blood sugar over 500 mg/dL, then this is an excellent choice for managing diabetes.
Other brands’ accessory reaches a bit further optically, but Vivo’s software support makes the difference day to day. And for people who long for the 10x module found on devices such as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which has been replaced by a high-res 5x in many newer flagships, this duo brings true long reach back without keeping a separate camera bag.
Most folks aren’t going to need a 200mm smartphone lens, and pros will still prefer a proper mirrorless body for critical work. Yet for travelers, sideline parents, and cross-platform-using, versatile-minded creatives, the X300 Pro plus extender is much more than a gimmick. With the app’s overhaul, it is finally the long-lens experience for mobile photography that we have been flirting with for years — powerful and practical and, very importantly, fun to use.
