I took the Vivo X300 Ultra to Hong Kong, and it proved teleconverter lenses aren't just a gimmick

Date:
Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Description:
I spent a day with the Vivo X300 Ultra to see if its incredible photography kit is worth the money.

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Vivo has proven its mobile photography prowess time and again over the years. It set the bar with the X100 Pro s 1-inch-type main sensor in 2024 and has kept raising it ever since. The new Vivo X300 Ultra is no different.

The phone adds two 200MP sensors to the camera system and brings an all-new 400mm teleconverter lens, as well as an upgraded second-gen 200mm lens. Many might argue, "Whats the point of adding an external lens to a phone?" After all, phone cameras are meant to be more pocketable than dedicated cameras. So I took the Vivo X300 Ultra and its camera kit to Hong Kong to find out. I forced myself to carry the phone through Ocean Park like a camera hanging
over my neck with a lanyard (its part of the camera kit). And Im glad I did. Article continues below You may like Vivo launches the X300 Ultra and its eye-popping 400mm telephoto attachment Vivo teases the most powerful camera phone ever with a 400mm telephoto lens Xiaomi 17 Ultra hands-on: 3 upgrades I love and 2 things it's missing

I wouldnt have gotten the same panda shots with digital processing or stabilized footage without the camera grip. After shooting hundreds of photos and videos, Im left impressed. I dont want to travel without these lenses and a camera grip anymore. The hardware: more polished and more capable (Image credit: Prakhar Khanna/Future) Vivo is building an accessories ecosystem for its Ultra phone. Last year, it announced a 200mm teleconverter add-on lens
for the X200 series , and this year, it's taking things to the next level
with a dedicated camera kit. It consists of: A case to mount external lenses
A lanyard Two televonvertor lenses (200mm and 400mm) with protective lens
caps A protective filter for the phones camera lens in two colors A camera grip with a built-in battery to double as a power bank Two-piece tripod collars, including an Arca-Swiss tripod mounting plate (Image credit: Prakhar Khanna/Future) Starting with the camera grip, it has more controls than its predecessor. You get a video record button, a scroll wheel, a zoom lever, a flash button, a shutter button, and an additional customizable function button. It's more grippy, and you can further fine-tune your experience using software. For instance, you can make it so a double-press on the shutter button opens the Street Photography mode and takes the shot instantly.

I found myself using this grip all the time because it allows for more stabilized video footage. I have a neurological condition where my hands tremble 24x7, so Im not fond of taking videos without turning on the Action mode. But this camera grip allowed me to shoot some wonderful videos with better stability. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. First gen. 200mm lens (left), 400mm and 2nd-gen 200mm lenses (right). (Image
credit: Prakhar Khanna/Future) As for the lenses, the new Vivo X300 Ultra is backwards compatible with the last-gen 200mm add-on lens. However, the
2nd-gen version of this 2.35x 200mm lens is smaller and slimmer.

Vivo says it has re-engineered the glass and lens structure inside to allow for a smaller form factor without losing image quality. It attaches to the 85mm focal length telephoto sensor and converts it to 200mm. On the other hand, the new 400mm add-on lens is comparatively big and hefty. It can go up to (a very capable) 3200mm with digital zoom.

Of course, you will need to carry a sling bag if you want to take these
lenses with you all day long. They fit securely and safely in my Orbitkey sling bag. What to read next Leica Leitzphone vs a $3,000 mirrorless camera can you tell which photo is which? I've tried the Oppo Find X9 Ultra its the most stunning smartphone of 2026 This impressive camera accessory brings 10x zoom to your iPhone The output: pleasing bokeh, rich details, and new compositions

A post shared by Prakhar Khanna (@parkyprakhar)

A photo posted by on The two lenses mount easily on the Vivo X300 Ultra with
a rotate-and-lock system. Once attached, you need to toggle the Telephoto Extender mode in the Camera app. Itll show a pop-up for you to select the
lens youre using (200mm or 400mm). Select one, and youre ready to shoot!

I used the new 400mm lens to zoom in on a playful panda (see slide 6 in the above image gallery). It helped me get natural-looking bokeh and more details than youd expect from a regular phone camera for a subject that far away. You can see individual hair strands on this pandas fur as he bites his food!

I switched to the 200mm lens when the panda was moving. It was hard for me to focus at first, but the shutter buttons 'half-press to lock focus and exposure' feature helped make things easier.

For reference, here's what you can expect to get out of the 400mm add-on
lens: Image 1 of 4 This was my PoV, standing at the subway. The 400mm lens zoomed in on that red rectangle. (Image credit: Prakhar Khanna/Future) 400mm (Image credit: Prakhar Khanna/Future) 800mm (Image credit: Prakhar Khanna/Future) 1600mm (Image credit: Prakhar Khanna/Future)

The details on all of these shots remain unmatched and can't be achieved by a phone camera alone. Vivo has also improved LOG video recording with a higher bitrate. Even without the add-on teleconvertor lenses, you can shoot 10-bit LOG across all three lenses with smoother lens switching. You also get
one-tap access to color-grading with two built-in filters and a new pro video mode with a camera UI that resembles a cinema camera. All of this makes editing your footage easier than before.

Check out more video samples below: I am loving shooting more videos on the new Vivo X300 Ultra2nd and 3rd shot using the 400mm teleconvertor lens pic.twitter.com/Op5CkszwVn April 16, 2026 You cant get this level of quality out of a phone camera without an add-on lens, nor from AI-based artificial processing. All the photos I took have a more natural look because of Vivos new image processing pipeline, which reduces digital oversharpening.

I thought itd be tedious to carry two teleconvertor lenses on my day out, but they were totally worth it. I had a lot of fun, thanks to Vivos mindful implementation on both the hardware and software fronts.

I used to limit myself to photography with the best cameras , but after
seeing the output achieved by the Vivo X300 Ultra, I now want to go out and shoot more videos with this amazing camera phone.

Right now, the Vivo X300 Ultra is only available in China, but it just goes
to show how far Chinese-made flagship phones have come in recent years. Thankfully, the similarly-specced Oppo Find X9 Ultra is being released 'globally' on April 21 , so here's hoping we'll be able to put the two phones through a proper camera shootout in the coming months. Today's best camera phone deals Contract Deals Sim Free Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go LTE (64GB Silver) Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 50 upfront 57 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices gift Oppo Find X9 Pro 24 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 400GB data 9 upfront 37.99 /mth View at Mobiles.co.uk See all prices Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 50 upfront 54.75 /mth View at
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/i-took-the-vivo-x300-ultra-to-hong-kong-and-i t-proved-teleconverter-lenses-arent-just-a-gimmick


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