Original story (published on June 25, 2020) follows: Vivo might not be a well-known brand here in Kenya. However, the company accounted for 7% of total global smartphone sales in Q1 of 2020. For context, Apple’s sales accounted for 14% so Vivo is doing pretty well. The company has been trying to make inroads into the African market and the Kenyan market by extension. Late last year, the company unveiled the Vivo V17 Pro in Kenya. The company is today seeking to further bolster its presence in the country by unveiling yet another device, this time the Vivo V19. The Vivo V19 comes to succeed the Vivo V17 line of devices and for the price, this device packs quite a bit. It spots the very capable mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G, an impressive array of cameras and a massive 4500mAh battery to keep things going. The rest of the device’s specifications are highlighted in the specsheet below. With such internals, the Vivo V19 is squarely aimed at the bustling upper mid-range device segment of the market with devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A71, OPPO A92 in its crosshairs. In the press release statement, Vivo Kenya CEO, Arthur Xian had this to say about the Vivo V19, The vivo V19 is set to appeal to the photography nerds in Kenya, thanks to its array of 4 cameras. The AI Quad Camera on the rear, comprises of a 48MP main camera, 8MP super wide-angle camera, 2MP macro camera, and 2MP Bokeh camera. This should offer camera versatility in various shooting situations. Currently, the Vivo V19 is available on pre-order and should be available in various outlets and stores across the country in due course. The recommended retail price for the Vivo V19 in Kenya is KES 40,999. It’ll be intersting to see how Vivo fairs in the Kenyan, and the African market by extension, seeing as Transsion though its brands, Infinix, Tecno and iTel have a strong foothold in the entry to mid-range segment of the market.
Update 1: July 14
The Vivo V19 has officially gone on sale and is no longer on preorder. The device can be bought from all Vivo branded stores across Kenya for KES 41,000.
