On Tuesday evening, Hypertext attended the South African launch of the Vivo V27e and V27 5G smartphones in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The Chinese manufacturer spared no expense and hired out the lavish Circa Gallery for the launch, inviting influencers, models, creatives and staffers to a night of glitz, glamour and tiny finger foods.

Of course, in a dark corner near the camera setup lurked the media, among whom we counted. The event was aimed at showcasing the Vivo V27 series’ camera capabilities, displaying professionally shot photographs taken during the early morning and evenings with the smartphones.

We got our hands on both smartphones and were impressed with the immediately noticeable low-light shooting mode. Additionally, the company explained that the V27 series leverages an exclusive image stabilisation sensor supplied by Sony – the IMX766V.

After the main presentation, Vivo’s Key Account Manager for South Africa Collin Hazel (pictured above in the far left) told us that the V27 series will serve as “flagship” devices in the local market, which the company has previously only released entry-level and mid-range devices in.

Officially the V27 series is listed as “premium mid-range” with the 5G edition carrying a R16 999 price tag, and the V27e going for R11 999. Overseas in India and China Vivo sells its official flagship devices in the Vivo X90 series.

It also launched a foldable device, the Vivo X Fold in these markets. South Africa has been excluded from receiving any of the devices in the company’s top tier. Hazel told us that Vivo’s devices still suffer from local awareness challenges.

“Our biggest challenge is awareness in the local market,” Hazel said. “Which is why we have been trying to reach more communities with events like this and our partnership with Miss South Africa.”

Hazel announced that Vivo would be the official device partner for the 2023 edition of the Miss South Africa pageant at the V27 series launch.

“But once people get our devices in hand, they love them. They won’t get rid of them,” he enthused. We asked if the firm was looking to bring other devices to the local market, especially as local rival OPPO recently launched its Find N2 Flip device in South Africa.

“We don’t look at what the others are doing,” Hazel explained, adding that the V27 series serves as a way to test the waters for a local appetite for Vivo’s more expensive, more premium devices. He continued that Vivo is very confident with the V27 series and if sales go well, the company would look to launch devices in its flagship tier, with the X Fold series being highlighted here specifically.

It seemed to us that Hazel was giving more of a spoiler here than a nebulous rumour and even outlined the first quarter of 2024 as a possible launch window for the Vivo X Fold in South Africa, alongside other premium models like those in the X90 series.

Finally, Hazel added that the pricing, if the devices launch locally, would be similar to what OPPO is doing with its foldable. The OPPO Find N2 Flip retails for R28 999.