Samsung has a larger market share, which is probably why Vivo’s products are usually overlooked and underappreciated. But reviewers often regard Vivo’s mobile cameras as equal or better than Samsung’s. It’s the same deal with Vivo X300 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. They both perform neck-in-neck on a flagship scale. We have a multi-category comparison here to help you decide which device is better.
Camera Performance
Vivo X300 Pro is in a much better place when it comes to the camera hardware. This newcomer has a 200MP ZEISS APO Telephoto sensor, which is a 1/1.4” outsole at 3.7x optical zoom. Then there’s a Vivo ZEISS Telephoto Extender Kit that adds an extra 2.35x zoom on top for distance shots.
They even have the gimbal-style stabilization for the main 50MP 1/1.28” LYT 828 camera. It’s not as aggressive as S26 Ultra’s horizon lock, but X300 Pro’s OIS is more practical. They have another 50MP (Samsung JN5) camera for Ultrawide shots, and a third 50MP lens for selfies.
The portrait performance is by far the best on Vivo X300 Ultra. And let’s not forget their ZEISS T* lens coating and Custom LUTs. This newcomer even has a spectrum sensor, so the video and photo color accuracy is always on point. The special sauce is Vivo's image processing pipeline and all the AI magic crammed into the software.
They especially mention the Vivo VS1 pre-processes chip and a V3+ chip 5 for post-processing. The potential is limitless. Vivo X300 Pro is more of a camera than a phone. You get 4K 120 fps 10-Bit Log video and 4K 60 fps portrait video if you are more concerned about recording. And yes, it has dual video mode. So the clips can be grabbed from the rear and front simultaneously.
And these three AI tools are a must-try on the X300 Pro. They have a Live AI Eraser that removes background objects in real-time from the Viewport. It’s a post-shot feature, but the X300 Pro can remake landscape photos. Make them cleaner with AI. One-shot Multicrop tool uses AI to help you grab multiple stills from a single shot. The optical setup on Vivo X300 Ultra, at least on paper, is a clear winner.
Samsung’s stuck in the past, as they keep using the same optics generation after generation. Sadly, the S26 Ultra is no different. There’s a 200MP main camera, which is now upgraded with horizon lock, but it’s essentially the same sensor as last year. The 10MP 3x and 50MP 5x telephoto pair joined the setup again. We have a 50MP Ultrawide here, and the selfie camera is only 12MP.
They’ve made changes to the image processing pipeline, essentially squeezing more juice out of old hardware. But without major features, apart from the AI gimmicks they introduced this year, all the excitement for the S26 Ultra’s cameras has waned.
Hardware and Performance
Vivo handset does have a good processor apropos to its position and price. Do keep in mind that it’s nowhere near as expensive as the S26 Ultra. Vivo threw in a Dimensity 9500 octacore 4.21 GHz chip inside the X300 Pro, so it’s almost as fast as the 8 Elite Gen 5. You won’t be able to tell the difference in day-to-day, though.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra does take the processing lead with its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy 4.74 GHz SoC version). AnTuTu V11 scores come out to average 3.5 million on the X300 Pro and 3.8 million on the Galaxy S26 Ultra (ref. GSMArena), which is not a huge gap. Both phones have UFS 4 storage and LPDDR5X RAM.
Battery Endurance & Charging
Vivo X300 Pro grabs a 6,510 mAh battery. That’s at least 25% more physical capacity than the S26 Ultra. Plus, the charging speed is much faster here: 90W wired + 40W wireless on the X300 Pro vs. 60W wired + 25W wireless on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Vivo X300 Pro is the clear winner in both metrics.
To be fair, Samsung did better than we thought in initial endurance tests against 7,000 mAh phones, but software optimizations can only take you so far. Yes, the light tasks are handled much more efficiently. The battery timing falls apart under heavy loads. Samsung last upgraded the battery on the S20 Ultra, and it’s stuck at 5,000 mAh ever since.
Design, Display, and Build Quality
Vivo X300 Pro is a bit on the smaller side. But it does have a metal frame (aluminum alloy) and a glass back. The X300 Pro is also rated IP69, so it’s equal to or better than the Samsung Ultra model, at least in design. Vivo X300 Pro is heavier. On the other hand, it is more natural and ergonomic around the corners.
Vivo X300 Pro has an Armor Glass screen guard. It’s designed around a 6.78” 1.4K AMOLED screen. It bears an LTPO 120Hz refresh rate and a brighter 4,500-nits peak brightness. But there is no anti-reflective coating of any kind. And sadly, the Samsung Privacy Display tech is exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
A proprietary Privacy Display tech has been introduced on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. That protects anything you watch in public from strangers’ eyes. It’s a 6.9” Dynamic 2X super AMOLED with 1-120Hz LTPO refresh rate and 2K resolution. It has Gorilla Glass Armor 2 and DX Anti-Reflective coating. The Privacy Display is not perfect, but it’s handy and innovative.
Galaxy S26 Ultra also has an Armor Aluminum 2 chassis and a glass back. But it’s only IP68 rated, so high-pressure water jets can still cause damage. Thickness measures around the same on each phone at ~8mm.
Software and Essentials
Vivo X300 Pro has its own custom Origin OS 6 UI on Android 16. They’ve packaged their own AI tools and features here and baked in the Origin Island to track activities and live notifications. Vivo will drop 5 years of OS updates and 7 years of security patches on this device.
Essential features on the X300 Pro include WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 with Stereo Speakers, and an Ultrasonic fingerprint ID. Origin OS 6 also has a built-in NFC feature to One-Tap-Transfer files over to iPhones. There is no headphone jack on either handset.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is promised 7 years of OS updates, and it boots to One UI 8.5 Android 16 from the get-go. You have the entire Galaxy AI suite at your disposal here. The device has access to DEX and outputs a display from the USB-C 3.2 port. S Pen support is a cool bonus on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
It also has the Ultrasonic fingerprint reader in essentials, and the same WiFi 7. Stereo speakers are here, and so is the NFC and high-bit Audio DAC. Vivo X300 Pro’s official base price in Pakistan is Rs 349,999. And that’s much cheaper than the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s price of Rs 424,999.
Vivo X300 Pro is still lower on the scale than the prospective Vivo X300 Ultra, but it somehow keeps up with Samsung’s much more expensive S26 Ultra, especially on the battery and camera. Yes, there are some better features on the Samsung phone. But Vivo sneaks in more value to the X300 Pro by making it cheaper. These are flagship devices at the end of the day. The user experience will be top-notch no matter the choice.