- Vivo unveiled its new X300 Ultra phone at MWC
- The unit comes with a 400mm telephoto lens attachment
- But the leaked Oppo Find X9 Ultra may soon become a strong rival
When people talk about the best camera phones, they usually have something like Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max or Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra in mind — you know, a normal-looking phone with an advanced yet discreet camera system on the back. Well, the Vivo X300 Ultra is about to blow away all those expectations.
Unveiled at MWC 2026, Vivo says this device is equipped with a 200-megapixel lens, matching last year’s X200 Ultra. But what really catches the eye is the optional 400mm-equivalent Telephoto Extender Gen2 Ultra. This is a clip-on lens made by Zeiss that adds serious zoom capabilities to the phone.
That should give you some pretty incredible power when it comes to long-range photography, especially for a smartphone. With a bit of digital cropping, it can apparently even function as a 1600mm super telephoto lens (albeit with some image quality compromises).
The obvious compromise is portability – it’s not exactly like you can safely get the phone in your pocket with the lens attached. And the image processing is something we’ll be keen to see in action before passing judgment – this really pushes the boundaries of smartphone photography.
Vivo has been tight-lipped about the X300 Ultra’s specs, leaving us to guess what else it could come up with. But if you’re a fan of smartphone photography and want advanced zoom power without resorting to one of the best DSLRs, Vivo is excited for your attention.
In addition to the Telephoto Extender Gen2 Ultra, Vivo also revealed a “pro-grade” camera cage to hold its new phone. Designed to complement video recording, this puts “a variety of cold-shoe mounts and quick-release ports” at your fingertips, says Vivo. There are two grips for added stability, physical buttons to adjust the shutter and zoom, and even an active cooling fan to keep your device performing at its best. The Camera Cage is also compatible with Vivo’s lens extender.
These releases suggest that Vivo is aiming to appeal to the professional market – or at least targeting ‘pro-adjacent’ users with high ambitions. This kind of setup is beyond what most casual consumers need, but could be just the ticket for photographers and videographers.
An unreleased accessory
While these MWC teasers are out in the open, a leak from Weibo suggests that Vivo might have something else up its sleeve.
According to leaky Chinese social media site Digital Chat Station (via Gizmochina), Vivo’s X300 Ultra will come with a 6.82-inch display equipped with a 2K resolution and a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. This display will have very slim bezels and rounded corners, while the Ultra’s battery will be slightly larger than the one found in the X300 Pro.
In addition, Digital Chat Station hinted at an unreleased “teleconverter” that has yet to be revealed. Interestingly, they followed it up with the phrase, “It’s more suitable for general photography enthusiasts.” This suggests that this accessory will have wider uses than the Telephoto Extender Gen2 Ultra attachment, which is very niche. However, we have to wait for more information about it.
Meanwhile, new rivals appear almost every day, it seems. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra recently landed with an impressive camera setup, and now the Oppo Find X9 Ultra has entered the arena with a surprise global release and a 200MP periscope telephoto sensor that could combine a large 1/1.28-inch sensor size and f/2.2 aperture. That would be quite a combination, and could give it strong safari credentials – if not quite on par with Vivo’s 400mm-equivalent telephoto accessory.
Vivo says the X300 Ultra will launch later this year and will be its first Ultra phone available globally outside of China. However, given Vivo’s past releases, it’s unlikely to be sold in the US, while availability in Europe is also uncertain. There’s also no word yet on pricing or an exact release date, so stay tuned for more information on that front.
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