I thought the Vivo X300 Ultra’s extender lenses were a gimmick. Now I’m hooked.
Upgrading your phone with a camera grip attachment is one thing. But doll-sized telephoto lenses that you mount on top of the rear camera? C’mon.
I wrote the Vivo X300 off as a gimmick, a funny concept designed to generate attention rather than actual sales. But then I spent a weekend carrying the phone and its elaborate kit of goofy little lenses around — and I had way too much fun.
The Vivo X300 Ultra is an update to one of the very best phone cameras out there. It’s only available in China at the moment, with a global launch that will almost certainly exclude the US. Its rear cameras are no joke: a 200-megapixel main, 200-megapixel 3.7x telephoto, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide. Vivo sells a pro camera grip separately to add a physical shutter button. And if you want to really go for it there are those two telephoto extender lenses, each of which mounts to a special plate putting it in front of the telephoto camera. This year’s edition features a more compact version of last year’s 2.35x adapter, adding up to a 200mm equivalent, as well as a new 400mm option.
If you’re going to carry a phone like the X300 Ultra, you might as well go all in. I stopped short of using the dedicated bag that Vivo sent alongside my review unit — partially because it smells weird, but also because I needed something bigger for a full day out at the spring fair. But I attached the special camera kit case to the phone, along with the pro camera grip, the telephoto lens adapter plate, and a crossbody strap ripped straight out of Apple’s fall 2025 catalog. I stepped out of the family SUV with 150mg of non-drowsy Allegra coursing through my veins, camera slung across my chest and a suitably ergonomic backpack on my shoulders. Peak parent mode.
