This small Android flagship could put the iPhone 17’s dual cameras to shame

The news about Samsung’s expected rejig of the S series with the upcoming Galaxy S26 is already influencing manufacturing decisions in China. Vivo is the first phone brand to announce a similar move, announcing a change to its forthcoming X300 series.

The Vivo X200 series last year had four models in China: the standard X200, X200 Pro, X200 Ultra, and an X200 Pro Mini. Out of these devices, the X200 and the X200 Pro were launched in parts of Asia and Europe, while the other two remained exclusive to China. This year, however, Vivo is looking to limit the series to just three models.

According to a Weibo post (in Chinese) by Han Boxiao, product manager at Vivo, the X300 is the spiritual successor to the smaller Vivo X200 Pro Mini. Unlike the standard Vivo X200, which comes with a large 6.67-inch display, the X300 will feature a smaller 6.31-inch LTPO panel.

Boxiao had also hinted at this design change last week by comparing the bezels on the Vivo X300 to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro rather the Pro Max.

Meanwhile, the display is confirmed to be manufactured by Chinese display maker BOE, which also supplies displays to OnePlus and OPPO. The display will also receive a special eye protection mode, reaching a low brightness of just 1 nit. The screen is also set to feature 2,160Hz high-frequency PWM dimming for reduced eye strain.

Along with these specifications, Boxiao also confirmed the Vivo X300 would feature an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner — an upgrade from the optical scanner seen on the Vivo X200 and the X200 Pro Mini.

Besides confirming the screen size, Boxiao says the Vivo X300 will feature an APO (apochromatic) periscopic telephoto lens and a telephoto macro lens. The latter function is likely to be facilitated by the same telephoto camera.

Meanwhile, Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, in a separate post, claimed that the periscope telephoto would utilize a 50MP Sony LYT602 sensor underneath. These specs easily dwarf the iPhone 17’s camera setup, which still lacks a dedicated telephoto sensor.

Finally, the representative says Vivo X300 “retains all of its core DNA, including pro-level performance,” indicating an upgrade to the upcoming MediaTek Dimensity 9500, which is expected to be unveiled later this month.

Recently, Boxiao also confirmed the cameras to be found on the Vivo X300 Pro, including its 200MP telephoto camera identical to the one used on X200 Pro and the Ultra from last year — but only in resolution. The X300 Pro gets a new underlying sensor specially crafted for Vivo, along with improvements to optical stabilization, color algorithms, and focus tracking.