vivo launched two new smartphone models in China: X Fold and X Note are the two premium devices in the spotlight. The X Fold is the Chinese manufacturer’s first foldable device, while the X Note is a smartphone with a large 7-inch display. vivo foldable smartphone

Their launch price ranges between RMB 8999 to RMB 9999 (USD 1413 – USD 1570) and RMB 5999 – RMB 6999 (USD 942 – USD 1099), respectively.

These are the vendor’s latest efforts to attack the lucrative smartphone segment (wholesale ASP above USD 600), which accounted for over 50% of value share in the global smartphone market in 2021 and is currently dominated by Apple and Samsung.

• X Fold is Vivo’s first foldable device. Its unfolded size is 162 x 144.9 x 6.3 mm and its weight is 311g, making it among the largest and heaviest foldable devices available in China. X Fold is equipped with top displays from Samsung, and it has Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on both screens. It is powered by Qualcomm Gen 1 chipset with customized Secure Processing Unit and features 4600mAh battery with fast charging capability. X Fold is clearly targets to techno-driven customers who are the early adopters of new technologies.

• X Note is basically vivo’s new “NEX” series. Different from X Number series which competes mainly via imaging capability, X Note differentiate via its large and high-quality display with productivity as a key selling point. It is powered by Qualcomm Gen 1 SoC with the vendor’s inhouse V1 chipset. It comes with Zeiss quad-camera setup, 5000Ah battery, and ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. X Note has impressive hardware specifications, targeting to status seekers.

X Fold will be available in China from April 22^nd, 2022, while X Note will be available a week earlier. In addition to the offline channel – vivo’s sweet point, the vendor is putting increasing efforts on the online channel this time. The most eye-catching one is the collaboration with JD.com – the leading B2C e-commerce platform in China which signed a strategic partnership with vivo last December. JD.com offers X Note buyers with extra services including the JD Upgrade Program, strengthened warranty program, etc.. We expect such cooperation will help vivo to expand the online premium segment.

vivo topped the Chinese market in 2021, and the launch of X Fold and X Note has strengthened the vendor’s portfolio above USD 600+. vivo has the potential to fill the vacuum in the lucrative premium segment that is left by Huawei in China. But the competition is clearly intensified, as all the top 4 Chinese Android vendors are eyeing the segment. Launching a competitive product is the first step. To win the competition, vivo needs to invest heavily to strengthen its brand equity in the premium segment, and to enhance its omni-channel strategy, especially in the shadow of rising COVID cases in the country. vivo foldable smartphone