Vivo announces support for Samsung’s APV codec on new Ultra phone

Last week, Samsung announced the Galaxy S26 Ultra as the world’s first smartphone capable of recording videos using the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec. Now, Vivo has confirmed support for Samsung’s professional-grade video codec on its upcoming flagship, the Vivo X300 Ultra.

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, Vivo offered a first look at the X300 Ultra. The phone features powerful camera hardware and supports video recording at up to 4K resolution at 120 frames per second with 10-bit color and Dolby Vision. It is also the first non-Samsung smartphone to support the APV codec.

Samsung developed the APV codec to deliver perceptually lossless video quality while keeping file sizes efficient. According to the company, APV files can be up to 20% smaller than those recorded using other modern codecs such as HEVC. The format is also designed to preserve image quality even after multiple editing and export cycles.

Another advantage of APV is its intra-frame encoding structure. Each frame is encoded independently, which makes footage easier to edit and reduces latency during playback and scrubbing in editing software.

Google added native support for this codec in Android 16, and Qualcomm integrated hardware support for APV into the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. This chip powers both the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Vivo X300 Ultra. Several professional video editing apps already support the format, including CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, and LumaFusion.

The Vivo X300 Ultra features a powerful camera system that combines sensors from Sony and Samsung. It includes a 200MP primary camera from Sony, a 200MP telephoto camera from Samsung, a 50MP ultrawide camera from Sony, and a 50MP front-facing camera. Vivo also offers an optional Teleconverter accessory that can extend the primary camera’s zoom capability.

Vivo has confirmed that the X300 Ultra will launch in global markets, including select Asian countries outside China and several European markets. This will mark the first time Vivo is releasing one of its Ultra models more broadly, which could create stronger competition for Samsung and potentially impact Galaxy S26 Ultra sales.

Image Credits: Vivo/PR Newswire, Samsung