Vivo X300 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Vivo’s Flagship Beats Samsung in Real-World Camera Test

In a surprising turn of events, Vivo’s new flagship the X300 Pro has outperformed Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra in real-world camera testing, proving that Vivo continues to be one of the most underrated camera brands in the smartphone industry. Despite Samsung’s dominance in the premium smartphone market, the results of this latest camera shootout by leaker IceUniverse have shown that Vivo’s camera innovation is now rivaling and even surpassing the best in the business.

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Vivo X300 Pro’s Advantage: A New 200MP ISOCELL HPB Sensor

Vivo has equipped the X300 Pro with an incredibly powerful 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HPB (HP10) sensor, which sits under a periscope telephoto lens system optimized by ZEISS. This collaboration with ZEISS has once again proven successful, delivering exceptional optical clarity, improved zoom performance, and natural color accuracy that’s hard to match.

The leaker focused primarily on zoom photography, an area where both phones are known to shine. But this time, the Vivo X300 Pro had the clear upper hand. The new ISOCELL HPB sensor handles long-distance zoom and low-light performance with impressive detail retention and reduced noise something that even Samsung’s premium flagship struggled with.

Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Setup: Still Great, But Not Enough

The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto lens and a 10MP 3x optical zoom camera. While the setup looks solid on paper, the results show otherwise. In several side-by-side comparisons, especially in low-light and high-zoom conditions, the X300 Pro consistently produced sharper, cleaner, and more color-accurate photos.

Images taken at 10x and 35x zoom reveal where the Galaxy starts to falter. The Vivo X300 Pro maintains excellent texture detail and subject sharpness even at extreme zoom levels, while Samsung’s flagship struggles with image noise and texture loss, despite relying heavily on its software image processing algorithms.

Software vs. Hardware Why Vivo Wins This Round

Samsung has long been known for its AI-based photo enhancement, often using computational photography to boost detail and color. However, there are clear limitations to software correction when the hardware isn’t as advanced. The Vivo X300 Pro, on the other hand, leverages its superior camera sensor and ZEISS optics, allowing it to deliver a more authentic and detailed photo output.

According to IceUniverse, the difference in quality at 35x zoom is “day and night.” The X300 Pro’s photos were cleaner and more balanced, with noticeably better noise control and texture preservation. Samsung’s S25 Ultra images, while still strong, appeared softer and more processed, highlighting the clear gap in optical hardware quality.

Value for Money: Vivo Outperforms at Nearly Half the Price

What makes this comparison even more interesting is the price difference. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is priced at around $1,200, while the Vivo X300 Pro retails for roughly $750 in China. Despite this major cost gap, the Vivo flagship managed to outperform Samsung’s ultra-premium model in critical photography areas.

This has sparked debate among tech enthusiasts about value vs. branding, with many now recognizing that Vivo’s X-series has evolved into a serious challenger for flagship dominance. The X300 Pro’s competitive pricing and camera excellence make it one of the most promising flagship phones of 2025.

ZEISS Partnership Continues to Shine

Vivo’s ongoing collaboration with ZEISS has been instrumental in its rise in the smartphone photography scene. The color science, lens calibration, and image optimization jointly developed by the two companies continue to give Vivo’s flagships a unique edge. Whether it’s portrait mode accuracy, low-light performance, or long-range zoom, the results consistently speak for themselves.

What’s Next for Samsung?

While Samsung remains a leader in smartphone innovation, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s performance gap in this comparison raises questions about its future camera strategy. With competitors like Vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor stepping up their camera game, Samsung’s next big release the Galaxy S26 Ultra will need significant upgrades to reclaim its title as the best camera phone.

Rumors already suggest that Samsung is testing next-generation ISOCELL sensors and enhanced AI image processors for its 2026 lineup, which could help bridge the gap. But for now, it’s safe to say that Vivo’s X300 Pro is setting the standard for mobile photography excellence.

Conclusion

The Vivo X300 Pro vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra shootout proves that innovation isn’t always about who sells more phones, it’s about who delivers better technology. Vivo’s combination of advanced optics, powerful hardware, and ZEISS collaboration has made the X300 Pro a true photography powerhouse.

For smartphone enthusiasts, photographers, and anyone who values real-world performance over brand hype, the Vivo X300 Pro is undoubtedly the camera phone to watch in 2025.