Vivo teases the most powerful camera phone ever with a 400mm telephoto lens accessory, but it is just a gimmick? | Tech Radar

Overview

Vivo teases the most powerful camera phone ever with a 400mm telephoto lens accessory, but it is just a gimmick?

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Details

The device comes with a 400mm telephoto lens accessory

But the leaked Oppo Find X9 Ultra could soon be a strong rival

When people talk about the best camera phones, they usually have something like Apple’s i Phone 17 Pro Max or Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra in mind — you know, a normal-looking phone with an advanced-yet-unobtrusive camera system on the back. Well, the Vivo X300 Ultra is about to blow all of those expectations away.

Revealed at MWC 2026, Vivo says this device is equipped with a 200-megapixel lens, matching that of last year’s X200 Ultra. But what really catches the eye is the optional 400mm-equivalent Telephoto Extender Gen 2 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 little digital cropping, it can even apparently act as 1600mm super-telephoto lens (albeit with some image quality compromises).

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The obvious compromise is portability — it’s not exactly like you’ll be able to safely fit the phone in your pocket when the lens is attached. And the image processing is something we'll be keen to see in action before passing judgement — this really is pushing the limits of smartphone photography.

Vivo has been reticent with the X300 Ultra’s specs, leaving us guessing at what else it might come with. But if you’re a smartphone photography buff and want high-end zoom power without resorting to one of the best DSLRs, Vivo is gunning for your attention.

As well as the Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra, Vivo also revealed a “pro-grade” Camera Cage to hold its new phone. This is designed to complement video recording and puts “an array of cold shoe mounts and quick-release ports” at your fingertips, Vivo says. There are two hand grips for added stability, physical buttons for shutter and zoom adjustment, and even an active cooling fan to keep your device performing optimally. The Camera Cage is compatible with Vivo’s lens extender, too.

These releases suggest that Vivo is aiming to appeal to the professional market — or is at least targeting ‘pro-adjacent’ users with lofty ambitions. This kind of setup is beyond what most casual consumers will need but could be just the ticket for photographers and videographers.

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 leaker Digital Chat Station on the Chinese social media site (via Gizmochina), Vivo’s X300 Ultra will come with a 6.82-inch display equipped with a 2K resolution and a dynamic 120 Hz refresh rate. This screen will feature very slim bezels and rounded corners, while the Ultra’s battery will be slightly larger than the one found in the X300 Pro.

As well as that, Digital Chat Station alluded to an unreleased “teleconverter” that hasn’t yet been revealed. Interestingly, they then followed that up with the phrase, “It’s more suitable for general photography enthusiasts.” That suggests that this accessory will have broader use cases than the Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra addon, which is very niche. We’ll have to wait for more information on that, though.

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In the meantime, new rivals are popping up almost by the 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 a quite a combo, and could give it strong safari credentials — if not quite on the level of Vivo's 400mm-equivalent telephoto accessory.

Vivo says the X300 Ultra will launch later this year and will be its first Ultra phone available on a global scale outside of China. Given Vivo’s past releases, though, it’s unlikely to be sold in the US, while European availability is uncertain too. There’s also no word yet on the price or exact release date, so stay tuned for more information on that front.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as Tech Radar, Alex writes for i More, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at Mac Format magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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Key Takeaways

• Vivo teases the most powerful camera phone ever with a 400mm telephoto lens accessory, but it is just a gimmick

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• The device comes with a 400mm telephoto lens accessory

• But the leaked Oppo Find X9 Ultra could soon be a strong rival

• When people talk about the best camera phones, they usually have something like Apple’s i Phone 17 Pro Max or Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra in mind — you know, a normal-looking phone with an advanced-yet-unobtrusive camera system on the back