The vivo X300 Series Has A Clip-On Lens Attachment That Changes What A Phone Camera Can Do

Here’s a quick overview of what stood out to us about the new X300 series.

(vivo Malaysia)

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vivo Malaysia just dropped two new phones—the flagship X300 Ultra and the more wallet-friendly X300 FE—and together they make a compelling case for vivo as the go-to brand for camera-obsessed Malaysians.

Design & Build

The X300 Ultra is a serious-looking phone. It draws inspiration from classic camera design—a metal biscuit-style camera module, knurled texture around the bump, and engraved lettering on the sides.

It comes in Volcano Black and Steppe Green, with the black model built from a unibody 3D glass fibre design that keeps the weight at 232g despite housing a massive camera system.

At 8.49mm thin, it shouldn’t feel like the chunky camera phone you might expect. It’s slim, solid, and looks well-finished.

The X300 FE goes in a cleaner, more compact direction. At just 191g and 7.99mm thin, it should be great to carry around all day.

The 6.31-inch flat display has ultra-narrow bezels, and the metallic AG glass back with matte texture resists fingerprints well. It comes in three colours: Mist Purple, Glow White, and Luxe Black.

Both phones are rated IP68 and IP69, the latter being the less common high-pressure water resistance rating—so rain and the occasional splash won’t be an issue.

The Cameras — This Is The Main Event

The X300 Ultra’s camera system is genuinely unlike anything else in its class.

vivo partnered with ZEISS to build what they’re calling a Triple Prime Lens Collection with three dedicated lenses covering the most important focal lengths in photography:

14mm ZEISS Ultra Wide-Angle Camera — A main-camera-grade ultra-wide with a 1/1.28″ sensor and f/2.0 aperture. Ideal for landscapes and wide environmental shots.
35mm ZEISS Documentary Camera — The everyday lens, using Sony’s LYTIA 901 sensor (1/1.12″ size). Supports 200MP direct output. Closest to how the human eye naturally sees.
85mm ZEISS Gimbal-Grade APO Telephoto — 200MP sensor, 3° gimbal-level OIS, 60fps AF tracking. Engineered to ZEISS APO colour standards for flare-free, accurate shots.

The X300 FE has a more conventional but still impressive setup and comes with a 50MP ZEISS main camera, 50MP super telephoto, and a 110° ultra-wide.

What makes it stand out is its AI True Clarity Engine, combining NICE 3.0 and MAGIC 2.0 algorithms for real-time detail reconstruction.

The FE also comes with Stage Mode that is tuned for concert lighting, rendering performer skin tones and facial detail accurately even under coloured stage lights.

Video Capabilities

The X300 Ultra is clearly built with creators in mind. It supports 4K 120fps 10-bit Log recording across all rear cameras—including the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses.

The Clip-On Camera Attachments

One of the most unique things about the X300 series is that both phones support physical clip-on telephoto extenders.

These are standalone lens accessories made by vivo and co-engineered with ZEISS that attach directly onto the phone’s camera module.

Think of them like interchangeable lenses for a mirrorless camera, except they clip on in seconds and the phone recognises them automatically.

Both phones also come with add-on options to expand their mobile photography capabilities.

On the X300 Ultra, this becomes a full professional toolkit with a camera cage that includes cold shoe mounts and quick-release ports for easy accessory use, plus dual grips for better stability.

It also has physical shutter and zoom controls for more precise shooting, and a cooling fan to support longer, high-intensity recording.

vivo ZEISS Telephoto Extender Gen 2 (200mm) — For Both Ultra & FE

The Gen 2 extender is compatible with both the X300 Ultra and the X300 FE, making it the first time an FE-series phone has supported this kind of optical add-on. It gives you a 200mm equivalent focal length, ideal for:

Shooting performers clearly from mid-crowd at concerts
Capturing wildlife or birds without getting too close
Compressing backgrounds for more dramatic street or travel portraits
Sports photography from the stands

This generation has also been redesigned to be lighter (down from 210g to just 153g) without any loss in optical quality.

It’s small enough to toss in a bag alongside your phone without thinking twice about it.

vivo ZEISS Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra (400mm) — Ultra Only

This one is a genuine world first. No phone attachment has ever reached 400mm equivalent focal length before, and vivo built it to meet ZEISS APO imaging standards (the same optical benchmark used in high-end professional glass).

What that means in practice:

200MP optical output — not digital upscaling, actual full-resolution optical capture at 400mm
Kepler-inspired optical design with 15 high-transmittance glass elements in 2 groups for exceptional sharpness at extreme range
Gimbal-grade OIS — keeps your shot stable even at this focal length, where even a slight tremor becomes very visible
60fps AF tracking — locks onto moving subjects and keeps up with them at full zoom

Performance & Specs

Both phones come with top-shelf chips. The X300 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 paired with vivo’s own Pro Imaging Chip VS1+, with the latter handling the heavy photography workloads so the main processor can focus on everything else.

It also has a large liquid cooling vapour chamber that keeps temperatures in check during long 4K sessions.

The X300 FE uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, also a flagship-tier chip, with an Efficient VC Liquid Cooling System covering 4005mm² of surface area.