OPPO Find X9s vs Vivo X300 FE comparison: sub-flagships with identical pricing, but not the same

• By Ashish Kumar
Published On: 23 May 2026 | 10:00 IST

The OPPO Find X9s and Vivo X300 FE (review) are two similarly priced sub-flagships that both prioritise cameras, along with smooth performance and strong battery life. However, they take noticeably different approaches: the Vivo X300 FE leans towards a compact form factor while still packing near-flagship features, whereas the OPPO Find X9s focuses on a larger battery and more capable camera hardware, trading off some convenience and display efficiency in the process.

Here’s a quick, spec- and experience-based comparison of the two phones to help you decide which better suits your needs.

OPPO Find X9s vs Vivo X300 FE specifications

OPPO Find X9s vs Vivo X300 FE variants and their prices

Both OPPO Find X9s and Vivo X300 FE come in a couple of storage options, and their pricing remains identical.

The handsets are on sale across the country via e-commerce platforms, including Amazon.in and Flipkart, as well as partnered offline retail stores. The OPPO Find X9s comes in three colourways: Midnight Grey, Lavender Sky, and Sunset Orange, whereas the Vivo X300 FE is available in Urban Olive, Lilac Purple, and Noir Black colours.

OPPO Find X9s vs Vivo X300 FE: design

The OPPO Find X9s and Vivo X300 FE take noticeably different design directions. OPPO sticks closely to its siblings, the Find X9 and Find X9 Pro, retaining a familiar design language, form factor, and durability. In contrast, the X300 FE stands out with a more compact build aimed at easier one-handed use. The handset also introduces a distinctive visor-style camera module positioned closer to the top edge. While the layout may evoke comparisons with the iPhone Air, Vivo differentiates itself with a more versatile camera system and Zeiss branding integrated into the design.

I admire the OPPO Find X9s for its consistent design language, offering squarish camera deco and flat edges, but I would have liked it to experiment with a slightly more compact form factor. Personally, I like the Vivo X300 FE design, but I wish it were available in the Sunset Orange colour of the OPPO Find X9s.

OPPO Find X9s vs Vivo X300 FE: display

Due to its relatively bigger form factor, you get more screen real estate on the OPPO Find X9s but that’s only marginal. The handset sports a 6.59-inch AMOLED display as opposed to the 6.31-inch one on the Vivo X300 FE. Since both are AMOLED types, you can expect an identical viewing experience on the smartphone with punchy visuals, good dynamic range, and deep blacks.

However, the Vivo X300 FE appears sharper due to its marginally higher pixel density, thanks to a 1.5K resolution display compared to the OPPO’s FHD+ panel. It also benefits from an LTPO screen that can dynamically switch between 1Hz and 120Hz, helping improve power efficiency. The OPPO Find X9s, on the other hand, features an adaptive refresh rate that only scales down to 60Hz. All that doesn’t change the fact that both displays remain equally bright, responsive, and smooth in everyday use.

OPPO Find X9s vs Vivo X300 FE: performance and software

At the core of the OPPO Find X9s and Vivo X300 FE lies a sub-flagship chipset. OPPO has gone with the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s SoC, whereas the X300 FE rocks the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. There is only a minor difference in the memory supporting the chipsets. The Vivo smartphone sports top-of-the-line LPDDR5X Ultra RAM, which offers slightly higher peak speed rates compared to the standard LPDDR5X on the OPPO Find X9s.

However, that wasn’t the case in AnTuTu, where the OPPO Find X9s pulled ahead of the Vivo X300 FE in the MEM test, which focuses on RAM performance. That said, Vivo’s stronger CPU and UX scores helped it edge past OPPO in the overall AnTuTu score. The difference, however, is marginal and largely imperceptible in real-world use. Both smartphones handle everyday tasks, multitasking, and gaming with ease, without breaking a sweat.

The two handsets are also closely matched in terms of thermal efficiency. However, our Burnout CPU throttle tests indicate that the OPPO Find X9s handles sustained heavy workloads more effectively over extended periods. If you are someone who pushes their smartphone usage to extremes, Find X9s could be a better choice.

The OPPO smartphone is also better when it comes to the software experience. The handset runs ColorOS 16 out of the box, which feels much more feature-rich and optimised, even though it remained more bloated than the X300 FE’s OriginOS 6. At the time of writing this article, the Find X9s was up to date with its security patch, running the May 2026 version, while the X300 FE had the April 2026 version. The latest update for the Vivo smartphone might be on its way.

Now, OPPO has promised five years of major upgrades and six years of security updates for the smartphone. Vivo, meanwhile, has gone a step further with seven years of security updates, while the software upgrades remain identical to the Find X9s.

OPPO Find X9s vs Vivo X300 FE: cameras

The OPPO Find X9s and Vivo X300 FE cameras aren’t so identical. True, they both sport a 50MP primary and a 50MP 3x telephoto lens, with similar capabilities, but the ultrawide lens on the OPPO smartphone is a 50MP shooter, while the X300 FE sports an 8MP. Furthermore, the Vivo smartphone offers a superior 50MP front-facing camera instead of 32MP on the OPPO Find X9s.

The other difference, which seems to be the most important one, between the two phones is their camera partnerships with major photography brands. OPPO sports Hasselblad-tuned cameras, whereas the Vivo X300 FE is Zeiss-backed. As a result, you will find different results from the two smartphones, along with modes such as Zeiss multifocal portraits on the X300 FE and XPan mode on the Find X9s.

Vivo X300 FE camera samples

The Vivo X300 FE’s cameras are more feature-rich, offering a wide range of filters, AI-powered photography tools, and other enhancements that may appeal to content creators. Its image processing takes a more stylised approach, with strong contrast and boosted colours. The device also delivers promising portrait performance, with effective subject separation, natural bokeh, and ample facial detail. Selfies appear equally bright and visually appealing. There is an added support for the telephoto extender kit, sold separately, to further boost its zooming capabilities.

However, the ultrawide camera is underwhelming, producing softer images with reduced detail. More broadly, the X300 FE struggles with exposure control in both bright highlights and shadow-heavy scenes, especially when compared to the OPPO Find X9s.

The OPPO Find X9s offers handy but relatively limited shooting modes such as XPan and Master Mode, which aim to deliver more DSLR-like results. The overall camera experience of the smartphone also remains pretty straightforward and easy to use. As for the results, the Find X9s follows a more natural and technically balanced imaging pipeline, and it outperforms the Vivo X300 FE in terms of dynamic range and detail, particularly in daylight conditions.

OPPO Find X9s camera samples

Portrait and selfie performance is respectable, though images can occasionally appear slightly soft. In low light, it does struggle with light flaring after sunset, which can affect colour accuracy, but overall output remains cleaner. Notably, the OPPO Find X9s also supports 4K video recording across all cameras, ensuring more consistent results regardless of the lens used. I wish it also had the dual capture mode, like the Vivo X300 FE, which would have appealed to vloggers.

OPPO Find X9s vs Vivo X300 FE: battery and charging

The OPPO Find X9s sports a 7,025mAh battery with 80W fast charging, whereas the Vivo X300 FE houses a 6,500mAh battery with 90W wired and 40W wireless charging. Both come with the latest silicon-carbon batteries; however, when it comes to optimisation, the Vivo smartphone feels more mature. The handset even held up well against the OnePlus 15, which packs a 7,300mAh battery, in our comparison.

The OPPO Find X9s also does well to handle day-to-day usage for all day long, but lacks reliable endurance with heavy usage. The missing LTPO panel could be hurting the smartphone. Furthermore, the handset takes marginally longer to recharge. It juices up from 20 to 100 percent in approximately 55 minutes, while the Vivo X300 FE can do the same in about 47 minutes.

Additionally, the Vivo X300 FE supports wireless charging, adding extra convenience to the overall experience. It allows you to top up the device in more flexible ways, such as using a wireless charging pad in your car during your commute.

Verdict

The OPPO Find X9s and Vivo X300 FE both position themselves as well-rounded sub-flagships that put camera performance, smooth everyday usage, and strong battery life at the centre of their appeal. However, they are not a one-size-fits-all proposition.

The Vivo X300 FE feels more compact and modern in hand, with a sharper 1.5K LTPO display, faster wired charging, and the added convenience of wireless charging. Its camera system is more expressive, delivering punchy, contrast-heavy images, excellent portraits, and standout selfies. However, it is held back by a weaker ultrawide camera and less consistent exposure handling in challenging lighting conditions.

The OPPO Find X9s, on the other hand, is the more balanced and technically consistent package, offering stronger cameras. It also shows better sustained performance under heavy workloads. That said, its design feels less compact, its display refresh rate handling is less efficient, and its portraits and selfies can occasionally appear softer than Vivo’s output.

To sum it up for you: