The €1,399 Beast: Vivo X300 Pro Review – Camera King or Gaming Contender?
In the hyper-competitive world of mobile hardware, €1,399 is not merely a price tag; it is a declaration of intent. It signifies that a device must not only outperform the current generation of flagships but also introduce meaningful, innovative technology that justifies the premium over general-purpose contenders. The Vivo X300 Pro, arriving armed with a bleeding-edge Mediatek Dimensity 9500 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and, most aggressively, a 200MP periscope telephoto lens, is Vivo’s attempt to claim the throne of the ultimate “non-gaming” flagship.
This device is designed for the consumer who demands the raw graphical power found in our recent RedMagic reviews, but refuses to compromise on photographic excellence, software polish, and industrial design. The question Preview Games must answer is whether the X300 Pro is a genuinely balanced powerhouse, or simply a collection of extremely expensive components that fail to integrate seamlessly into a cohesive, valuable user experience.
Design: Luxury, Weight, and Physics-Defying Brightness
The X300 Pro immediately broadcasts its premium status through its physical construction. At 161.2 x 75.5 x 8 mm, it is surprisingly slender for a device housing a massive 5440 mAh battery and a sophisticated camera stack. It carries a significant weight—226g—just shy of our recently reviewed gaming specialists, but the heft contributes to a feeling of undeniable quality.
The build relies on Armor Glass on the front for protection (rated Mohs level 4 for robust scratch resistance) and a standard glass back, all held together by a sturdy aluminum alloy frame. Crucially, the X300 Pro carries an IP68/IP69 rating, providing superior dust and water resistance compared to many specialist devices, a necessary feature for a phone positioned at the pinnacle of the generalist market. This is a phone built to withstand daily life while maintaining a luxurious feel.
The display panel itself is arguably the best aspect of the device’s physical design. The 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED boasts a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate and a crisp 1260 x 2800 resolution. The standout specification, however, is the utterly absurd 4500 nits of peak brightness. While this number is only achievable in specific, small-area HDR scenarios, it fundamentally ensures unparalleled visibility and HDR impact—far surpassing any competitor for outdoor use or intense media consumption. This panel is technically sublime, offering everything a mobile power user could require.
Performance: The Raw Power Index
For hardware enthusiasts, the benchmark scores of the Vivo X300 Pro speak volumes. Powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 9500 (a 3 nm chip) and paired with a sprawling 16GB of RAM, the device posts numbers that place it firmly in the highest tier of mobile processing capability:
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AnTuTu (v11): 3,533,222
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GeekBench (v6) Multi-Core: 10,264
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3DMark Wild Life Extreme: 7,263
The AnTuTu and GeekBench scores represent extraordinary peak computational power, essential for rapidly handling complex calculations, app loading, and heavy multitasking. Furthermore, the storage subsystem is top-tier: 1TB of Dual UFS 4.1 storage ensures application installation, load times, and large file transfers happen at maximum speed, preventing the storage controller from becoming a bottleneck during intense sessions.
The 3DMark Wild Life Extreme score of 7,263 is the critical indicator of its gaming potential. This number proves the Arm G1-Ultra GPU inside the Dimensity 9500 is capable of rendering intense graphics with extreme efficiency.
However, a critical distinction must be made against specialist devices like the RedMagic. While the Vivo X300 Pro delivers exceptional peak performance, its passive cooling solution must necessarily introduce thermal throttling under sustained load to protect the chassis and internal components. While it will run any modern mobile game effortlessly at max settings, players engaging in two-hour competitive sessions may see clock speeds slowly dip—a compromise avoided by the actively cooled, louder, and bulkier gaming specialists. The X300 Pro is a powerhouse, but its performance curve is focused on general stability and efficiency, not continuous maximum output.
The Camera System: Where €1,399 is Justified
The true heart of the Vivo X300 Pro, and the component that dictates its premium price, is its photographic engineering, executed in collaboration with Zeiss optics and featuring the T* coating for reduced glare and superior contrast.
The main 50 MP, f/1.6 sensor with OIS provides the high-quality, reliable backbone expected of a 2024 flagship. The Ultrawide is equally impressive at 50 MP, f/2.0, ensuring parity across the primary focal lengths.
However, the headline feature is the 200 MP Periscope Telephoto lens offering 3.7x optical zoom and integrated OIS. A 200MP sensor at this focal length is a phenomenal amount of resolution, offering unprecedented digital crop flexibility and detail retention at distance. Where other flagships top out with highly interpolated 10x digital zoom, the X300 Pro starts with massive optical data, pushing the boundaries of what consumers can expect from a telephoto module. For users who prioritize landscape, travel, or surveillance photography, this lens alone is a compelling argument for the device’s valuation.
The video capability further cements its status as a content creation tool. The ability to capture 8K video at 30 frames per second is future-proofing, but the real utility comes from the 4K capture modes: 4K@120fps and a dedicated 4K@120fps 10-bit Log mode, supported by robust gyro-EIS. The inclusion of a 10-bit Log profile instantly elevates the X300 Pro beyond general consumer recording and into the domain of semi-professional content creation, allowing for superior dynamic range retention and flexibility in post-production grading. This feature firmly targets creators who seek an extremely portable, high-fidelity alternative to dedicated cinema cameras.
The Gaming and Content Creation Experience
While not a dedicated gaming phone like the RedMagic, the X300 Pro’s performance profile translates into an exceptional gaming experience. The high 3DMark score proves the GPU can handle the most demanding mobile assets with ease. Gamers benefit from the immersive, bright 120Hz LTPO display and the dedicated stereo speakers that deliver 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res audio, an often-overlooked feature that significantly enhances auditory immersion over standard mobile codecs.
More uniquely, the X300 Pro serves a dual role: it is a mobile gaming platform and a powerful content capturing device. The 4K@120fps capability is fantastic not just for cinematic slow-motion capture, but also for rapidly recording gaming highlights or clips with maximum resolution and fluid movement.
For daily maintenance, the 5440 mAh (EU variant) battery provides an impressive active use score of 12 hours and 45 minutes, ensuring that even a heavy day of gaming, recording, and productivity won’t leave the user searching for an outlet before the evening. When charging is necessary, the 90W wired and 40W wireless charging speeds are competitive, minimizing downtime.
The primary friction point for the daily driver remains the software. The device runs Android 16 skinned with Vivo’s proprietary OriginOS 6. While functional, custom manufacturer skins often sacrifice the clean efficiency of stock Android for proprietary features, sometimes leading to UI inconsistencies and unnecessary bloat—a common complaint among performance-focused enthusiasts accustomed to the leaner software on devices like the Pixel or specialized gaming ROMs.
Is it Worth It? The Verdict
The Vivo X300 Pro is an unapologetic, top-tier generalist flagship. It delivers power that rivals dedicated gaming hardware, housed within a sophisticated, slim, and durable chassis. The performance benchmarks are stellar, and the quality-of-life features—the enormous 4500 nit display, Hi-Res audio, and rapid charging—are excellent.
However, the €1,399 price tag forces buyers to ask if they truly need the camera technology.
If you are a gamer purely focused on maximizing FPS and minimizing thermal throttling for sustained, competitive play, the cheaper, actively cooled specialized gaming devices (like the RedMagic) offer better value.
But if you are a creator, a tech enthusiast who values photographic innovation, or simply a power user who refuses to compromise on either processing horsepower or optical engineering, the Vivo X300 Pro is currently unmatched. The combination of the market-leading Dimensity 9500 performance, the 1TB Dual UFS 4.1 storage, and the genuinely revolutionary 200MP periscope telephoto lens with 4K@120fps Log video capability justifies the expense.
The X300 Pro is not just a phone; it is a portable media powerhouse. If you can leverage the groundbreaking telephoto lens and the professional video tools, the cost is validated. If those features are superfluous to your needs, opt for a cheaper, performance-focused alternative.
