Vivo has big camera ambitions for its next flagship phone – far beyond the S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro

If you're a fan of photography or videography, you might find yourself dismayed with the quality available on most phones. There's no denying just how far they've come in recent years, but when compared to a proper camera rig, you're still likely to notice the difference.

Now, it seems that Vivo is making an attempt to bridge that gap. Showcasing at MWC 2026, the brand has been teasing its next flagship phone – the Vivo X300 Ultra.

It's not yet ready for release, so there are quite a few missing specs, but you're likely to be wowed by the look of the thing alone. See, this handset is very clearly designed to appease those looking to get more from their phone photography.

For starters, we see a second generation of the Telephoto Extender, which was present on the previous X200 Ultra model. This one is slightly larger – though still not a patch on what those kinds of lenses look like on proper cameras – and the Zeiss engineered optics should ensure decent image quality.

Notably, it's said to also come with a "pro-grade" camera cage, courtesy of a collaboration with SmallRig. That's a really interesting prospect – cages are fairly commonplace for anyone with a videography setup, but I've never come across one as an out-of-the-box accessory.

Clearly, this is being marketed to a very specific clientele. Only time will tell whether or not that proves to be the right move – I could imagine a lot of 'regular' users being put off by the extraneous scaffolding the device is marketed with – but it's certainly an intriguing one.

For many years now, we've seen phones trying desperately to be all things to all people. Now, Vivo is pitching itself firmly within one camp – appealing to a niche in order to better serve the needs of that group. We'll have to wait and see if the spec sheet can match the hype, but I'm certainly excited to watch this one unfold.