The vivo X300 Ultra has been available in the Philippines for several weeks now. If you’ve been following our coverage, you may remember that we’ve already taken a closer look at the camera capabilities of the vivo X300 FE.
This time, we’re shifting our focus to its bigger sibling, the vivo X300 Ultra.
The question is, does flagship camera hardware automatically offer great photos and videos? Let’s find out.
First, let’s talk about the vivo X300 Ultra’s video capabilities.
We tested the device while riding a moving boat to check its video stabilization with the feature turned both on and off. One thing we immediately noticed was that, despite the rough and bumpy ride, the footage remained surprisingly usable even with stabilization disabled.
Considering that the boat was constantly moving up and down due to the waves, the phone still managed to produce stable-looking videos with only minor shakes.
With stabilization enabled, the improvement became even more noticeable. The footage appeared smoother, with fewer unwanted movements. While the vertical motion caused by the waves could not be completely eliminated, the stabilization system did a great job of minimizing it.
We also tested the ZEISS Telephoto Extender Gen 2 by recording a parasailing activity at Patong Beach. Even though the subjects were quite far from our location, the vivo X300 Ultra was able to capture close-up footage where their faces and clothing remained distinguishable.
At this level of zoom, a small amount of image noise is expected. However, it never became excessive to the point where subjects were unrecognizable or big details were lost.
Overall, the telephoto video performance remained impressive and highly usable, even when recording distant subjects.
For users who want greater creative control over their footage, the vivo X300 Ultra includes several professional-grade recording features. All three rear cameras support Pro-grade Log recording with consistent 10-bit color depth, making it easier to preserve highlight, shadow, and color information for post-production color grading.
It also supports APV 422 professional video encoding, is compatible with ACES color workflows, and allows users to import custom 3D LUTs for on-set monitoring or even bake them directly into the exported footage.
Aside from Log recording, the vivo X300 Ultra also supports multi-focal 4K Dolby Vision recording at up to 60 fps across all rear cameras. This allows users to capture HDR videos with improved highlight and shadow detail.
One of the best things about the vivo X300 Ultra is having several focal lengths to choose from. Instead of using digital zoom, you can switch between different perspectives depending on what you’re shooting.
Street and Architectural Photography
The difference between each focal length is easy to see.
The 14 mm ZEISS Ultra Wide-Angle Camera captures more of the scene, making it useful for landscapes, architecture, and street photography. Despite the wider field of view, image quality remains close to the main camera.
The 35 mm ZEISS Documentary Camera offers a more natural perspective. I can say that it’s a good choice for travel photos. The images come out sharp with plenty of detail, while exposure stays well balanced. Highlights are controlled nicely too.
The 50mm gives a tighter composition than the 35mm while still keeping enough of the surroundings in the frame. If you want a more focused look for architecture, like the photo below, it’s a good option. It naturally draws more attention to the subject without requiring you to move much closer.
With the 85 mm ZEISS Gimbal-Grade APO Telephoto Camera the camera isolates smaller parts of the scene and brings subjects closer.
What I do like here is that no matter how much you zoom in, the colors, like the blue sky and the teal window frames from the sample photos above, stay exactly the same. On a lot of phones, if you zoom in, the colors suddenly change, right? Fortunately, with the vivo X300 Ultra, the colors stay locked in.
Portrait Photography
The different focal lengths also give you more flexibility when taking portraits.
The 35 mm ZEISS Documentary Camera works well if you want to include more of the surroundings, while the 50mm offers a tighter composition without cropping too much of the background.
Let’s take a closer look at the hair and clothing. Even with the wind blowing the hair slightly, the phone does an amazing job on the focus, yet still able to blur the background. What came to my mind too was that it doesn’t look like a cheap digital cutout.
Moving to the 85 mm ZEISS Gimbal-Grade APO Telephoto Camera, it gives portraits a more compressed look. At 170mm, the background appears even more compressed, which creates a stronger subject separation.
Just like our street and architectural photos, the skin tones remain consistent across all focal lengths with the vivo X300 Ultra, and the background blur looks natural without appearing overly processed.
Low-Light Photography
Now, let’s also talk about how the vivo X300 Ultra performs at night.
Taking photos at night could be hard, especially at deep zooms in the dark, since it causes grain and noise when zoomed in.
Let’s see the photos below, the streetlights look crisp, and they glow nicely. What I do like is that they didn’t turn into big streaks of light, which is my usual problem with taking photos at night.
Also, if you take a closer look at the 170mm shot, you can still clearly see the plate number. The phone uses great stabilization to keep the cars, signs, and people looking sharp, even when zooming in from far away.
Meanwhile, in the 230mm shot, you can perfectly read the small “Money Exchange” sign in the background.
Exposure remains balanced across all focal lengths. It creates a really cool, cinematic depth that makes the street look lively.
The vivo X300 Ultra is priced at Php 109,999. It is available through vivo concept stores nationwide as well as the vivo e-store.
Meanwhile, the vivo ZEISS Telephoto Extender Gen 2, a 200mm equivalent optical accessory, is sold separately for Php 13,999.
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