Updated 9 January 2026 at 16:43 IST
Vivo X300 Review: Compact Flagship With Cameras That Mean Business
The Vivo X300 is easy to recommend to anyone looking for a high-end Android, but at ₹75,999, does it make sense for you?
Vivo’s premium flagships have improved to a point where they are now serious competition to stalwarts like the iPhone, Pixel, and Galaxy S series. The Vivo X300 is the entry point to the latest phase of the company’s long-standing partnership with ZEISS. It is easy to recommend this phone to anyone looking for a high-end Android, especially now with OriginOS 6, which feels like a drastic step up from Funtouch OS. But at ₹75,999, does the Vivo X300 make sense for you?
What’s Good
Compact, Premium, and Easy to Live With
The Vivo X300 is a compact phone, even though Vivo does not explicitly pitch it that way. It packs top-of-the-line specifications into a body that is pocketable and genuinely handy. At 190g and just 7.9mm thick, it never feels heavy, even during long gaming sessions. The Elite Black variant looks appropriately elite, with a brushed finish that seems nearly immune to scratches. Summit Red and Mist Blue add more personality if black feels too safe.
A Display That Finds the Sweet Spot
Compact phones struggle to appeal to people who want big screens. But Vivo X300 is a sweet spot between both worlds. The 6.31-inch LTPO AMOLED display strikes a rare balance. It is tall enough to enjoy movies, sports, and games, yet small enough to slip easily into jeans pockets. The panel produces inky blacks and rich colours. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Stranger Things Season 5 on it. Adaptive refresh rate keeps animations and scrolling smooth while conserving battery life. Outdoor readability is good, although the pre-installed screen film feels cheap and slightly holds the display back.
Flagship Performance, Mostly Without Fuss
Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500, the same chipset used in the Oppo Find X9, the Vivo X300 flies through daily tasks. Multitasking using OriginOS 6’s multi-window interface feels natural. I could reply to emails, chat with my friends on WhatsApp, and do calculations all at once. Apps open instantly, and the experience comes close to what you expect from an iPhone. Gaming performance is strong, too. I played Call of Duty Mobile at high graphics with 90FPS enabled without frame drops, at least for the first 15 to 20 minutes. I did not feel any frame drops or lag in high graphics till that point. The phone also does a fine job of managing heat, but after about 20 minutes, you will start feeling the heat. That is when thermal throttling kicks in.
Cameras That Define the Phone
Cameras are the USP of Vivo’s X-series, and the X300 stays true to that reputation. The 200MP main camera, a first in a Vivo phone, retains excellent details and dynamic range. Photos ed using the 200MP mode capture nuances that are genuinely print-friendly. Colours are mostly natural, but reds look slightly oversaturated in some shots. The 50MP periscope telephoto camera is no match for the 200MP periscope telephoto sensor on the more expensive Vivo X300 Pro. However, it delivers natural-looking shots without aggressive processing, while ZEISS-backed filters add creative flexibility. The 50MP ultrawide camera is better than most of its counterparts in this price range, ideal for group shots and landscapes that you will love to post on social media. Low-light photos are impressive across sensors, and selfies finally look closer to real skin tones rather than overly processed versions. If you are a content creator, the Vivo X300's video recording capabilities will impress you. It is still short of the finesse you get on an iPhone, but the company's focus on improving colour accuracy and stabilisation in videos is appreciable.
Reliable Battery Life With Fast Top-Ups
The 6040mAh battery may not sound exceptional on paper, but it easily lasts a full day. After gaming, photography, video watching, and hours of Instagram scrolling, I still had around 25 to 30 per cent left by night. The company's new Silicon Anode battery technology clearly helps boost performance without stressing the cells. 90W wired and 40W wireless charging ensure quick refills.
What’s Bad
Speakers Fall Short
The stereo speakers are average at best. They lack bass and are not particularly loud, which is disappointing at this price. Watching content without earbuds feels underwhelming.
Gaming Performance Drops With Heat
While gaming performance starts strong, thermal throttling kicks in after about 20 minutes. The phone warms up, and frame rates dip, reminding you that this is not a dedicated gaming phone.
Zoom Extremes and AI Tricks
The 100x zoom is largely unusable. Shots, especially of the moon, are clearly AI-assisted and lack authenticity. This feels like a feature added more for marketing than real-world use.
Verdict
Rating: 4/5
The Vivo X300 is a compact flagship done right. It offers excellent cameras, strong performance, a refined software experience, and dependable battery life in a body that is genuinely comfortable to use. Its shortcomings lie in audio quality and sustained gaming performance, not in everyday usability.
If cameras, size, and overall polish matter more to you than raw gaming endurance, the Vivo X300, priced at ₹75,999, is one of the most sensible premium Android phones you can buy right now. If you want a slightly more polished software experience, but cannot compromise on the camera performance, you can consider the Oppo Find X9, which starts at ₹74,999.
Published By : Shubham Verma
Published On: 9 January 2026 at 16:43 IST