Mobile phonemaker Vivo to enter PHL market

Chinese company Vivo has officially joined the mobile phone competition in the Philippines. Though earlier Vivo models have been seen in stores in the past, the Y51 is their first official foray into the Philippine market.

The Y51 first appeared on shelves in Manila, Cebu and Davao on March 21 of this year.

Though mostly unknown in the Philippines, Vivo phones have been available in other Asian markets for over a year. With the launch of their latest models, the Chinese phone company hopes to make a bigger splash among Filipino consumers.

Vivo has manufacturing facilities in India, China and Indonesia.

On April 5, in Mumbai, India, Vivo unveiled their newest smartphones: the V3 and the V3Max.

The V3 measures 5 inches, with a metallic body and an HD screen using 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass. With 3GB RAM and 32GB memory, it runs on a Snapdragon 616 Octa-core processor. Its introductory price is 17,980 Rupees (approximately Php 12,509.77)

The V3Max appears to be the higher-end version, featuring the same metallic body but with a full HD 5.5-inch screen, 4GB RAM and 32 GB memory. This model uses a Snapdragon 652 Octa-core processor and a 3000 mAh battery. The V3Max is also equipped with the fast-charging QuickCharge 2.0 feature. Vivo boasts that five minutes of charging is enough to power two hours of music playback.

Prior Vivo phone models feature high quality sound using the HiFi chipset. The V3Max does not disappoint in this category, with the AK 4375 HiFi Chipset providing impressive sound. The V3Max is priced at 23,980 rupees (approximately Php 16,684.33).

Both the V3 and the V3Max run on Android 5.1, using their own FunTouch 2.5 OS. They also feature the same cameras: a 13-megapixel back camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Both phones are scheduled to appear in Philippine stores within April 2016.

Special features

With every new smartphone comes the claim of being the fastest, best, thinnest, smartest, or some other hyperbole. Within months, yet another new model makes the same claim. To stay ahead, manufacturers attempt to keep consumer attention with interesting apps and functions aimed at specific markets or demographics.

One such feature is Screen Recording. Once you start recording, everything that appears onscreen is recorded, from the apps that are opened to the numbers that are dialed and the keys that are pressed. The video is saved in mp4 format.

Another interesting feature is the Long Screenshot, which allows you to scroll down while capturing a screen, resulting in a very long vertical image. This feature allows you to save up to 15 pages in a single screenshot.

Both V3 and V3Max models also feature the Fingerprint Sensor, allowing you to unlock your phone with your fingerprint instead of a PIN or a pattern, which can easily be forgotten. You can also use different fingers to unlock different apps. According to the product presentation, the phone takes only 0.5 seconds to wake up from Sleep mode.

Like most newer Android phones, the V3 and the V3Max have the KnockOn feature, which lets you wake your device by tapping on the screen. On top of this is the gesture unlocking, which allows you to open specific apps when you unlock your phone. For example, draw an M on the locked screen to go straight to messaging, E for email, or F for Facebook.

Is it right for the Filipino user?

These special attractions hint at an interesting user experience, but the question remains: how often are you actually going to use these features? The Long Screenshot is useful for keeping tracking of conversations and preserving them for future reference. The fingerprint sensor is incredibly convenient, as a mere tap allows you to unlock your device or open apps. But the gesture unlocking may prove tedious, as some users might have difficulty remembering which gesture opens which app. The screen recording is useful for demonstrating functions, but is not subtle enough to be a security measure when lending your phone to a friend.

Will these features be enough to launch Vivo in the Philippine market? If Philippine prices are not too different from India, then Vivo will be in the same price range as Asus and Huawei, more affordable than a Samsung or Apple, but still more expensive than a Cherry Mobile or a MyPhone. At that price point, perhaps Filipino consumers will give it a try. — TJD, GMA News