Vivo Foresees Foldables, Flagships For South Africa Soon
Hypertext attended the launch of the Vivo V27e and V27 5G smartphones in the South African market at Rosebank in Johannesburg on Tuesday evening. The Chinese manufacturer spared no expense and hired the luxury gallery Circa for the launch, inviting influencers, models, creatives and workers for an evening of glitz, glamor and finger-licking.
Of course, in the dark corner next to the camera, the media we associate with hides away. The purpose of the event was to showcase the camera capabilities of the Vivo V27 series by showcasing morning and evening photos professionally captured by smartphones.
We picked up both smartphones and were immediately impressed by the low-light shooting mode, which was immediately noticeable. Also, the company explained that the V27 series uses Sony's unique IMX766V image stabilization sensor.
After the Keynote launch, Colin Hazell (above left), key account manager for Vivo South Africa, said the V27 series would serve as a "flagship" device in the local market, where the company had previously released only entry-level devices. and mid-range devices.
Officially, the V27 series is listed as a "premium mid-range" with 5G variant and is priced at 16,999 RB and the V27e at 11,999 RB. Overseas, in India and China, Vivo sells the official flagship device of the Vivo X90 series.
The foldable Vivo X Fold device has also been launched in this market. None of the company's top devices are available in South Africa. Hazel told us that Vivo devices suffer from local awareness issues.
"Our biggest challenge is awareness in the local market," Hazel said. "So we are trying to reach out to more communities through events like this and our partnership with Miss South Africa."
Hazel announced that Vivo will be the official partner of the Miss South Africa 2023 pageant and launch the V27 series.
“But once people get their hands on our devices, they fall in love with them. They won't get rid of him," he enthused. Especially since local rival OPPO recently launched the Find N2 Flip in South Africa, we asked if the company would bring more devices to the local market.
"We're not looking at what others are doing," Hazel explained, adding the V27 series for Vivo to test the local appetite for more expensive premium devices. He said that Vivo has a lot of faith in the V27 series and if sales are good, the company will aim to release flagship-level devices, especially the X Fold series.
We get the feeling Hazel is giving away more spoilers than hype here, and he lists Q1 2024 as a possible launch window for the Vivo X Fold in South Africa, alongside other premium models like the X90 series.
Finally, Hazel added that when the devices are launched in the local market, the prices will be similar to OPPO's foldable devices. OPPO Find N2 Flip is priced at Rs 28,999.