Two flagship phones, £200 price difference, and some surprising performance gaps. Here's everything you need to know.
Vivo just dropped two flagship phones that look almost identical on paper but behave quite differently in real life. The Vivo X300 (£799) and the Vivo X300 Pro (£999) both pack the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip, but that's where the similarities end.
After spending weeks testing both phones side-by-side, I've discovered some shocking differences that make the £200 gap actually worth considering. Let me walk you through everything.
Design: Slim, Premium, and Virtually Identical
Here's the thing about these phones—they're designed to look similar, but there are subtle differences that matter if you care about details.
Vivo X300:
- Thickness: 7.95mm
- Weight: 190g
- Compact 6.31-inch display
- Flat LTPO AMOLED screen
- Iris Purple color option
Vivo X300 Pro:
- Thickness: 7.99mm (barely thicker)
- Weight: 226g (noticeably heavier)
- Larger 6.78-inch display
- Bigger screen, same thinness
- Dune Brown color option
Both phones feel absolutely premium in hand. Vivo's new Coral Velvet glass technique gives the back that frosted, silky texture that doesn't attract fingerprints. The rounded corners are perfect—no sharp edges, just smooth comfort.
The real design difference? The camera module. The X300 Pro has a bold raised Zeiss gimbal-grade ring that screams "I'm the flagship." The standard X300 keeps it cleaner and flatter. If you care about that visual flex, the Pro wins.
Both feature IP68 and IP69K protection, meaning they're practically indestructible. Water resistance, dust resistance, the works.
Design Winner: X300 Pro (if you value visual presence) / X300 (if you prefer understated elegance)
Displays: Brightness, Size, and Eye Comfort
This is where you start to feel that £200 difference.
Vivo X300 Display:
- 6.31 inches (compact)
- 2460 x 1216 resolution
- 120Hz LTPO AMOLED
- Peak brightness: 2,000+ nits
- HDR10 Plus support
Vivo X300 Pro Display:
- 6.78 inches (noticeably larger)
- 2800 x 1260 resolution (sharper)
- 120Hz LTPO AMOLED
- Peak brightness: 2,000+ nits
- HDR10 Plus and Dolby Vision support
- Circular polarized light 2.0 (reduces blue light)
Both use Zeiss-tuned color collaboration, so you're getting cinematic contrast and rich tones on both. But here's the key difference:
The Pro model supports Dolby Vision, which means videos, gaming, and streaming content pop with that next-level cinematic quality. The standard X300 doesn't support it.
Both screens are exceptionally bright (readable in direct sunlight) and use 2160Hz PWM dimming for flicker-free viewing. Minimum brightness drops to just 1 nit, perfect for late-night scrolling.
Display Winner: X300 Pro (Dolby Vision + larger screen) / X300 (if you prefer compact)
Camera Setup: Where Things Get Interesting
Both phones use Samsung's brand-new ISO Cell HPB sensor, which is a next-gen 1/4-inch image sensor. But how they use it is completely different.
Vivo X300 Cameras:
- 200MP Zeiss main camera (ISO Cell HPB sensor) – primary shooter
- 50MP APO telephoto (Sony LYT 602 sensor)
- 50MP ultrawide (Sony ISO Cell JN1 sensor)
- 4K 60fps video max
Vivo X300 Pro Cameras:
- 50MP Zeiss gimbal-grade main camera (Sony LYT 828 sensor – brand new, flagship-tier)
- 200MP Zeiss APO telephoto (ISO Cell HPB sensor) – for serious zoom
- 50MP ultrawide (same JN1 sensor)
- 8K 30fps video support
- Dolby Vision video recording
Here's Vivo's clever twist: They took that premium ISO Cell HPB sensor and put it as the main camera on the X300, but moved it to telephoto duty on the Pro. This gives the Pro a dedicated flagship 50MP main sensor designed for gimbal-like stabilization.
Real-world camera performance:
- X300: Excellent for everyday photography, great zoom capabilities with the 50MP tele
- X300 Pro: Superior zoom quality (200MP dedicated telephoto is serious), better video quality with 8K and Dolby Vision support, more professional-grade processing
If you're into photography, the Pro model's camera setup is notably more advanced. The 200MP telephoto is genuinely impressive for zoom.
Camera Winner: X300 Pro (better telephoto, Dolby Vision video, 8K support)
Battery & Charging: Both Impressive, Pro Slightly Better
Vivo X300:
- 6,040 mAh battery (Blue Volt 4th gen silicon anode)
- 90W flash charging
- 40W wireless charging
- 0-50% in ~20 minutes, full charge in ~40 minutes
Vivo X300 Pro:
- 6,510 mAh battery (Blue Volt 4th gen silicon anode)
- 90W flash charging
- 40W wireless charging
- Same charging speed (larger capacity)
Both use Vivo's Blue Volt 4th gen silicon anode technology, which means:
- Bigger capacity in a slim body
- Faster charging without degradation
- Better long-term battery health
- Lower operating temperatures during charging
Both support "instant wake," which instantly revives your phone from dead with voice call capability for up to 4 minutes. That's actually genius for emergencies.
The Pro has a 470mAh advantage, which translates to maybe 30-45 minutes more screen time depending on usage.
Battery Winner: X300 Pro (slightly larger capacity), but both are excellent
Performance: Here's Where It Gets Weird
Both phones have the exact same MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip, same RAM options, same storage. They should perform identically, right?
Wrong.
The benchmark results show something surprising:
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core):
- X300: 9,299
- X300 Pro: 10,240
AnTuTu Score:
- X300: 2.7 million
- X300 Pro: 3.35 million
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme:
- X300: 6,869
- X300 Pro: 7,375
Solar Bay:
- X300: 11,930
- X300 Pro: 13,960
The Pro model is consistently faster—sometimes by a significant margin. But here's the puzzle: they have identical chipsets.
The explanation? Likely differences in RAM configuration, cooling implementation, or firmware optimization. The X300 Pro might have dual-cell battery design differences or thermal advantages that allow sustained higher performance.
Performance Winner: X300 Pro (noticeably faster benchmarks), though real-world difference is subtle
Gaming & Thermals: The Real Test
I played Call of Duty Mobile for a full match on both phones to see how they handled sustained load.
Vivo X300:
- Starting temperature: Room temp
- After one full game: 38°C
- Status: Light throttling
- Smoothness: Good, but noticeable heat buildup
Vivo X300 Pro:
- Starting temperature: Room temp
- After one full game: 36°C
- Status: No throttling at all
- Smoothness: Excellent, barely warm
This is significant. The Pro maintains better temperatures under load, meaning longer gaming sessions without performance drops. The thermal management is genuinely better.
Both support 120fps gaming at high settings with the Mali G1 Ultra GPU.
Gaming Winner: X300 Pro (better thermals, no throttling)
Software: Origin OS 6 on Both, But Different RAM Allocations
Both phones run Android 16 with Vivo's new Origin OS 6 (a complete redesign from FunTouch OS). Features include:
- Origin Island (floating hub for multitasking)
- Origin Smooth Engine (smoother animations)
- Multi-device ecosystem integration
- Better battery efficiency
The software experience is essentially identical. The difference comes down to RAM—I tested the X300 with 12GB and the Pro with 16GB, which explains some of the performance variance.
Software Winner: Tie
Audio: Dual Speakers, Pro Sounds Better
Both phones have:
- Dual stereo speakers (bottom-firing main + earpiece)
- One-tap water ejection feature
- Well-balanced sound
Difference: The X300 Pro delivers a slightly richer, more immersive soundstage. It's noticeable but not transformative.
Audio Winner: X300 Pro (marginal edge)
Price: The Crucial Factor
- Vivo X300: £799
- Vivo X300 Pro: £999
That's a £200 (25%) premium for:
- Better camera system (200MP tele on Pro)
- Larger, brighter display with Dolby Vision
- Better thermals and gaming performance
- Dolby Vision video recording
- 8K video support
- Larger battery
Is it worth it? That depends on your priorities.
The Verdict: Who Should Buy Which?
Buy the Vivo X300 if you:
- Want excellent flagship performance at a lower price
- Prefer compact phones (6.31-inch screen)
- Don't need 8K video or Dolby Vision
- Use your phone for everyday tasks and casual gaming
- Want a genuinely excellent phone without paying pro-level prices
Rating: 95/100
Buy the Vivo X300 Pro if you:
- Care about photography, especially zoom performance
- Want the best thermals and gaming performance
- Use 8K video or Dolby Vision content
- Prefer larger displays
- Don't mind paying premium prices for premium features
- Want flagship bragging rights
Rating: 97/100
The Honest Truth
These are genuinely excellent phones. The X300 is capable, premium, and won't disappoint. But the X300 Pro is noticeably more refined—better cameras, better thermals, Dolby Vision support, and measurably faster benchmarks.
If Vivo had positioned these as "X300 Standard" and "X300 Flagship," the £200 difference would feel more justified. As it stands, the Pro is the phone for serious users who notice and care about those additional features.
For most people? The X300 is excellent value. For those who want Vivo's absolute best? The Pro delivers.
Have you used either of these phones? Drop your thoughts in the comments—which would you choose and why? The answer often depends on how you actually use your phone, not just specs on paper.
