Vivo X300 & X300 Pro Hands-On Review: Flagship Power Meets Sleek Design

Introduction

Vivo is celebrating its 30th anniversary in style with the launch of its brand-new X300 series — introducing not just the powerhouse X300 Pro, but also a more compact flagship, the Vivo X300. This time, Vivo has taken a more balanced approach, giving users both the “Pro” performance and a smaller yet equally premium option.

Both phones run on the all-new MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip — a 3nm “All Big Core” beast that promises Antutu 11 scores of over 4 million. That’s serious flagship territory.

Last year’s Vivo X200 struggled to stand out beside the X200 Pro, but things are different now. The Vivo X300, with its 6.31-inch display, finally feels like a complete, compact flagship. It matches the Pro in design, display, and power, though it takes a slight back seat in camera performance. During the launch event in China, Vivo even called it the “X300 Pro mini”, which perfectly sums up its positioning.

Interestingly, the X300 uses the same 200MP ISOCELL HPB sensor (1/1.4-inch) as the Pro’s telephoto camera — a big step up from last year’s 50MP main sensor on the X200. The selfie camera also gets an upgrade to 50MP, matching the Pro model.

Design: Elegant, Flatter, and Fingerprint-Free

Vivo’s X300 series design feels more refined this year. The difference between the Pro and non-Pro versions is now mostly size — and that’s a good thing. The 6.31-inch X300 complements the 6.78-inch X300 Pro perfectly.

Both devices feature Vivo’s new Coral Velvet Glass Technique, giving the glass back a truly velvety matte finish that feels luxurious and resists fingerprints.

The biggest physical change? The slightly curved glass panels are now much subtler than before. The previous X200 series had aggressive curves, while the X300 models strike a balance between the older contour style and the modern flat-edge design seen on iPhones and Galaxy devices.

Vivo has also widened the frame slightly and given it a matte finish to match the back, making it smudge-resistant. The X300 Pro comes in four colors — Black, Brown, Blue, and White — with the Brown variant standing out as a classy, unique option.

Software: OriginOS 6 Goes Global

Here’s the big news for software fans — OriginOS is going global. Until now, international Vivo phones ran on FuntouchOS, while the Chinese versions got the more advanced OriginOS. That’s changing with OriginOS 6, which now unifies both branches worldwide.

This move eliminates the old issues with China-specific apps and restrictions, giving global users a cleaner, faster, and more feature-rich experience. Vivo says this reengineered OS focuses on “balance, clarity, and comfort,” while optimizing performance and battery efficiency.

The X300 series will be the first to ship with OriginOS 6 out of the box. It’s not just a visual refresh — Vivo has redesigned Android’s core experience for smoother performance and better resource management.

Performance: MediaTek and Vivo Join Forces

At the heart of both phones lies the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 — MediaTek’s latest 3nm flagship chip and arguably one of its most powerful yet. Built on an “All Big Core” CPU design, it features:

• 1x Arm C1 Ultra core at 4.21GHz
• 3x C1-Premium cores at 3.5GHz
• 4x C1 Pro cores at 2.7GHz

The GPU, Arm G1-Ultra, delivers faster performance, improved ray tracing, and lower power consumption.

Vivo worked closely with MediaTek to co-develop this chipset, integrating its own V3+ image processing chip directly into the Dimensity 9500 — a move that improves imaging speed and efficiency.

Another innovation is Vivo’s dual UFS 4.1 storage setup, a first in any smartphone. This RAID 0-like system uses two storage chips to deliver up to 70% faster file transfers, which should make app loading and video exports blazing fast.

Camera: Subtle Tweaks, Major Gains

The Vivo X300 Pro builds on last year’s already excellent X200 Pro camera system with subtle but meaningful upgrades. While the X200 Ultra remains Vivo’s ultimate camera phone, the X300 Pro delivers serious imaging power.

The main camera is a 50MP Sony LYT-828 sensor co-developed with Sony, featuring Vivo’s VCS 3.0 color system for more natural tones. It also comes with improved ±1.5° optical stabilization, giving it gimbal-grade steadiness — something the regular X300 lacks.

The 3.7x periscope telephoto camera uses a Zeiss T*-coated, APO-certified 85mm f/2.7 lens with fluorite glass elements for sharper results. Vivo says this ISOCELL HPB sensor was developed with Samsung over two years for better dynamic range and color accuracy.

Under the hood, image processing is handled by a trio of chips — the VS1, VS imaging chip, and the Dimensity 9500’s NPU, ensuring faster, smarter photo processing.

Verdict: The Most Refined Vivo Flagships Yet

The Vivo X300 series is now official in China, though there’s no confirmation yet on a global release. However, with OriginOS 6 rolling out globally soon, an international launch seems very likely.

After spending time with both phones, one thing’s clear — Vivo has nailed the balance this time. The X300 and X300 Pro feel premium, polished, and more cohesive as a series. The new flatter design, velvety finish, and unified software make them feel like truly next-gen flagships.

The Vivo X300 Pro starts at CNY 5,299 (~$745) for the 12GB/256GB model, CNY 5,999 (~$845) for the 16GB/512GB version, and CNY 6,699 (~$945) for the top-end 1TB model.

With better ergonomics, improved stability, and Vivo’s class-leading cameras, the X300 Pro could easily be one of the most well-rounded Android flagships of 2025 — even without a global release date just yet.