We have some great news. The much-anticipated vivo X300 Ultra has just arrived for review. We’re fans of vivo’s Ultra, because it always pushes the envelope when it comes to imaging innovation.
As usual, we’re doing the unboxing first. Like its predecessors, this year’s vivo Ultra comes with a color-matching case, a charger, and a USB cable.
What’s new with the X300 Ultra is the charger. It’s now a 100W USB-C unit, up from the 90W USB-A unit of the X200 Ultra.
We also received vivo’s new Photography Kit, which has grown substantially in terms of accessories. Priced at €599 (but 50% off with an X300 Ultra pre-order), the kit features a lot of kit. Our collection contains the two new teleconverter lenses – the 400mm and 200mm, though the price we mentioned only has the 400mm.
There’s also the case, the detachable grip with a shutter button and camera controls, a few filter rings, a few lens caps, and a new leather strap with quick-release attachments for the phone itself.
The new photo kit
Here’s a look at the 200mm-equivalent teleconverter lens next to last year’s 200mm for the vivo X200 Ultra. The new unit is considerably smaller. This could be due to the reduction in lens aperture on the X300 Ultra’s 85mm zoom camera – it’s back to an f/2.7 lens, whereas the X200 Ultra uses an 85mm f/2.3 lens. The sensor size is the same at 1/1.4-inch (though the sensor is a different unit, more on that in a bit).
The new 200mm lens is much smaller than the previous one
Here’s the vivo X300 Ultra next to its predecessor. The two are virtually identical in height and width, but there are subtle differences between them.
For starters, the X300 Ultra is flat on both its front and back, whereas the X200 Ultra has a subtle curve at the edge of its glass panels. Practically speaking, flat glass is better for drop endurance, screen protectors, etc. But some of us here feel the gentle curve gives a feel of elegance to a phone. It’s all subjective, of course.
The vivo X300 Ultra on the left, X200 Ultra on the right
The X300 Ultra has a wider frame, though on paper, it’s the X200 Ultra that’s the thicker phone. However, in the hands, the new X300 Ultra definitely feels thicker and heavier than the X200 Ultra.
Another difference is the omission of a dedicated camera button on the vivo X300 Ultra, something its predecessor premiered.
The new Ultra is a bit thicker and lacks a camera button
In terms of cameras, the X300 Ultra premieres a larger 200MP sensor under its main camera. The lens itself retains its classic, reportage 35mm focal length, but the optic is an f/1.9 unit, a bit dimmer than the f/1.7 of the X200 Ultra’s 35mm camera.
The 85mm zoom also got a sensor bump to the latest HP0 200MP imager. It’s the same size but brings technological improvements, the biggest of which is faster autofocus (twice as fast, vivo says). The lens, on the other hand, is back to an 85mm f/2.7, a notable step back from the X200 Ultra’s f/2.3 lens. Perhaps it’s a matter of space restraints in this year’s phone.
Impressively, the vivo X300 Ultra increased the battery by 10% to 6,600mAh, despite being practically the same size on paper. The European X300 Ultra will reportedly drop that number to 6,395mAh, which is still more than last year’s 6,000mAh, so there’s that.
Speaking as a long-term vivo X200 Ultra user, I can say that the X300 Ultra feels very similar in the hand, but there are subtle differences. The slightly wider frame and the flat glass panels make a difference. The phone feels more secure in the hand, if a little more blunt and less refined.
Those small physical differences aside, the X300 Ultra feels familiar to an X200 Ultra user. Upgrading will be equivalent to coming home to the same apartment but with a fresh set of drapes (white, as the case may be). And that’s no bad thing!
