Learn more about the vivo X300 Ultra: the top-end Android smartphone that is also a portable creative tool for immersive filmmaking
Sponsored. Dream of travelling lighter than with a full camera kit? The vivo X300 Ultra smartphone is a portable, practical companion – and already inspiring filmmakers to some of their best work.
The best way to be creative is to try something new, that forces you to think outside of the box. Renowned film maker Sam Kolder did just that.
Inspired to try a different approach to filmmaking, he left behind his usual bulky cameras and opted for the vivo X300 Ultra to shoot cinematic short ‘The Garden Route’ in South Africa.
The film showcases what mobile filmmaking can be, documenting a place where thousands of plant species have learned to make space for each other, growing in harmony through the turn of the seasons.
‘I thought leaving my cameras behind would make the job harder. It ended up being a liberation,’ he enthuses. The X300 Ultra’s portability, as well as pro-grade specification – complete with ZEISS optics and co-engineered imaging system – allowed him to be fully immersed in the chosen environment.
The result feels less like it was ‘produced’ – and more like it was lived. The locations truly put the smartphone through its paces, as the intent was not to explain but ‘inhabit’ the ancient cliff faces, crashing coastlines, turquoise water and kelp forests.
Watch ‘The Garden Route’ below
A new approach to filmmaking
With every bend in the road that runs the 300km stretch of the Garden Route described as ‘unforgettable’, Sam describes the X300 Ultra as ‘the best phone we ever shot on for video. For the first time, I’ve felt that a phone has really been designed with a working filmmaker in mind and is genuinely ready for serious production.’
Multi-Focal 4K 120fps 10-bit Log Video provides the expansive dynamic range and deep colour depth suitable for pro-style colour grading in post-production. It’s complemented by vivo Colour Science, with ZEISS co-engineered imaging helping recreate the feel of classic optics and delivering a rich, film-like performance. ZEISS optics on the X300 Ultra bring a familiar, cinematic rendering of light and shadow into a mobile context, giving creators a visual character that feels aligned with the tools they use on set. Pro Video mode offers an interface inspired by dedicated camera systems and supports real-time 3D LUT monitoring.
An advanced gimbal-level OIS allows for steady hand-held shooting, while the X300 Ultra performs strongly in low light. Sam notes image noise is so well controlled he was confident pushing ISO to the limit.
Great for video – just as good for photography
And it’s not just video where this device excels; it’s equally impressive for photographers, Sam confirming that he captured a lot of ‘genuinely beautiful stills’.
Delivering fast and reliable auto focus, ZEISS triple prime 14mm, 35mm and 85mm lenses are strong performers, with the 35mm and 85mm producing pronounced background separation and ‘bokeh’ well‑suited to cinematic storytelling, in a way that reminded Kolder of what he usually achieves with his DSLR setups.
These are in addition to a 50MP front camera, with consistent quality delivered across all focal lengths.
As a device that can cope with challenging conditions, the X300 Ultra helps ensure technology no longer comes between creator and subject. ‘Stripping away the technical barriers let me be fully present with the raw beauty of the place,’ says filmmaker Kolder of his South Africa shoot. ‘1TB of storage meant there was zero time spent managing or deleting footage on location’.
Its 6600 mAH battery exceeds expectation, while durability is such that, when equipped with a strong phone case, ‘the phone survived two fifty metre falls from the sky!’
His conclusion? ‘In my experience, nothing else in this category is currently operating at this level for working filmmakers.’
When filming natural beauty, it’s the natural choice.
As Sam Kolder says: ‘The best camera is one that lets you live in the moment’.
