If for a moment you thought that we have more than enough smartphone brands in Kenya, well, think again. Vivo Mobile, OPPO’s sister smartphone brand is officially in Kenya. Registered as Vivo Mobile Telecommunications (Kenya) Company Limited, the world’s fifth largest smartphone manufacturer by sales has made a bold step by entering the Kenyan market.
The Kenyan smartphone market that is dominated by Transsion’s TECNO and Infinix brands and it seems that BBK Electronics is looking to have a piece of Transsion’s cake by bringing the fight into Africa. Vivo Mobile, like Infinix and TECNO, is known for quality and affordable smartphones whose camera prowess sets it apart from the competition.
Vivo make smartphones under three categories; X-series, V-series and Y-Series. The X-Series is the flagship model, with the V-series taking up the midrange segment and the Y-series are budget smartphones. Word has it that Vivo Mobile will be selling the Vivo X20 and V7 locally, there’s no word on the Y-series yet.
The Vivo X20 comes with the following specs:
- 6.01″ Full HD Super AMOLED display (18:9)
- Snapdragon 660
- 4GB RAM, 64GB Internal Storage
- Dual 12MP and 5MP cameras on the back
- 12MP selfie camera
- Fingerprint reader
- 3250mAh battery
- Android 7.1.1 Nougat (Funtouch OS 3.2 on top)
The Vivo V7 comes with the following specs:
- 5.7″ HD IPS display (18:9)
- Snapdragon 450
- 4GB RAM, 32GB Internal Storage
- 16MP camera on the back
- 24MP selfie camera
- Fingerprint reader
- 3000mAh battery
- Android 7.1.2 Nougat (Funtouch OS 3.2 on top)
The best part about the Vivo smartphones is that unlike their Chinese counterparts, they run on a Snapdragon processor instead of MediaTek. The specs on these phones do not sound exciting, but all that could change if Vivo price them right. We’re also hoping that when the company launches their new smartphone with an under-the-display fingerprint reader, the device will make it to Kenya.
If Vivo is to replicate what OPPO has done locally and hype its camera capabilities but offer lower prices to undercut the rest of its competitors, then Vivo’s success is imminent, but if they come with absurd pricing, then we’ll just sit back and read about Vivo from our TECNOs and Infinixes.
Read More: OPPO and Vivo Face Backlash From Indian Distributors after Trade Margin Cuts
“but if they come with absurd pricing, then we’ll just sit back and read about Vivo from our TECNOs and Infinixes.” Every smartphone brand looking to get into the Kenyan market should read that sentence every day.
[…] the smartphone market in Kenya getting interesting by the day and companies like Vivo Mobile trying to have a piece of the cake, it will be an interesting year to watch how things turn out and whether we will have any […]
[…] their bags, Vivo didn’t even make it to the shelves. Vivo, a company affiliated with OPPO, was preparing to enter the Kenyan market when they realized that this game is not for the faint-hearted. A source close to the company told […]
[…] their bags, Vivo didn’t even make it to the shelves. Vivo, a company affiliated with OPPO, was preparing to enter the Kenyan market when they realized that this game is not for the faint-hearted. A source close to the company told […]
[…] Then there’s Vivo. At least they were smart enough not to bother launching in Kenya after their preliminary research revealed that they could not compete effectively without bleeding cash. […]
[…] Then there’s Vivo. At least they were smart enough not to bother launching in Kenya after their preliminary research revealed that they could not compete effectively without bleeding cash. […]