Vivo May Launch New Smartphone Sub-Brand After iQOO

Vivo appears to be planning to launch a new sub-brand years after it introduced iQOO. The Chinese company has already registered at least three smartphones under ‘Jovi’ – a name that Vivo phones use to offer AI and other tailored services. Since Vivo phone users are familiar with the name, BBK Electronics, the parent company of Vivo and other smartphone brands such as iQOO, Oppo, Realme, and OnePlus, is reportedly planning to spin it off into a sub-brand to boost sales of its smartphones and take on rivals such as Xiaomi, which sells phones under Redmi and POCO brands.

Smartprix has reported, citing three listings on the GSMA database, that BBK is preparing to launch the Jovi V50, Jovi V50 Lite, and Jovi Y39 5G. However, all these phones may just be rebadged versions of existing Vivo phones. For instance, the Jovi V50 could be a rebranded Vivo V50 as they both share the V2427 model number. The Jovi V50 Lite 5G’s model number V2440 is also Vivo V50 Lite 5G’s model number. So, if the upcoming Jovi phones are nothing but renewed Vivo phones, then who or what market is BBK likely targeting? Well, that is unclear, but the report said the Chinese conglomerate seeks to cater to a specific consumer segment in the same way as Xiaomi’s POCO.

Jovi could allow Vivo and its parent company “focus on unique features, price points, or markets” and help them avoid the competition among other brands under BBK’s roof. The listed Jovi smartphones appear to belong to the low- and mid-end price categories, where the demand for affordable 5G connectivity has risen dramatically over the past few months, especially in countries like India and China. The listings on GSMA’s website represent China-specific variants, meaning Jovi could debut in the homeland, but may expand to other countries. However, these listings do not necessarily mean a guaranteed launch. It is quite possible that the Jovi sub-brand stays just on documents and never makes it to the market.