Chinese smartphone maker Vivo plans to bring two of the three newly-unveiled X500 series handsets to the South African market, as it looks to take a lead role in mobile imaging.
As part of its fourth generation of flagship smartphones, Vivo earlier this week introduced its X500 series smartphones − the X500, X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max − at a global launch event in Shanghai, China.
The event also saw the smartphone maker unveil smart devices like the Vivo Watch 6 with a built-in eSIM; the Buds Clip, Vivo’s first earbuds; as well as accessories to turn a smartphone into a professional camera.
The launch event attracted over 2 000 attendees, including Vivo partners and clients, journalists from several regions, social media influencers and bloggers, as well MTN and Vodacom franchisee owners.
Speaking at the launch event, Huang Tao, Vivo vice-president and vice-president of product, said the X500 series signals the company’s next imaging decade, adding that the new devices “capture cinematic footage at the touch of a button”.
Vivo has a global imaging strategic partnership with Germany’s Zeiss Group. Both companies have focused on bringing more professional and user-friendly mobile imaging products to global consumers, popularising professional imaging optical technology to more consumers.
Vivo has also partnered with international semiconductor company MediaTek to provide chips for its handsets.
The X500 handsets come with features such as Zeiss high motion photography, 8k Native Live, Zeiss APO super telephoto and large sensor with gimbal-level stabilisation, including add-ons like the Zeiss extender G2 and instant shooting screen.
Founded in 1995, Vivo has a global footprint of over 500 million users across 60 countries and regions. The brand first entered South Africa’s smartphone market in December 2019, looking to compete with well-established brands like Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, Honor and Tecno, to name a few.
Since then, it has continued adding more choice to its device portfolio for the local market.
ITWeb understands that the Vivo has a “relatively low” out of box failure rate across its smartphone handsets in South Africa.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch event in Shanghai, Lizelle Pretorius, EHOD operations at Cellularbar Group: Vodacom, said: “What stands out about the X500 series is the battery life, the different colours the phones are available in and the camera features.
“The other main thing is the after-service. If repairs need to be done on a device, they don’t source the parts, they send out a new sealed unit when the device is still under warranty.”
According to an official, Vivo will add the standard X500 and X500 Pro Max to its device line-up in South Africa. Local availability and pricing are expected to be revealed at a local launch around November.
Click here for the X500 Pro Max specifications and here for the X500.
Share
