Highlights:
- Vivo has just released the Vivo S2 in the Indian market.
- Priced at Rs 39,999 onwards, the Vivo S2 marks the return of the design-oriented Vivo S series, which was last seen in India in 2019, with the Vivo S1.
- Here’s a quick look at seven notable features of the Vivo S2.
We have got our hands on the just-launched Vivo S2. The device marks the return of the style and design-forward S series, and comes with a price tag of Rs 40,999, which puts it on the premium side of the mid-segment at a time of rising prices. Here are seven points about the new phone which caught our attention:
Sleek, Pixel-like looks with premium feels
At first glance, some might think that the Vivo S2 comes from Google’s Pixel family – it has a similar horizontal “camera bar” on the top of its back. It definitely makes the phone stand out from the regular crowd.
That’s not all. Even as most brands today have gone for flatter, straight looks, the Vivo S2 brings back a more curved form factor back to the market. We have got the Regal Bronze shade (there’s also Sapphire Blue and Silk White) and it will turn heads with its golden shine. Fortunately, it has a matte finish, so will not pick up too many smudges.
The back and the frame of the device are carbonate and not metal or glass, but this is not really noticeable. The S2 radiates premium looks and has excellent hand feel. It is pretty tough too – it comes with IP68 and IP69 Dust and Water Resistance, as well as Military Grade Durability.
A tall, slim and surprisingly light phone
The Vivo S2 is one of the tallest phones around at 164.4 mm – the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 163.4 mm in comparison. It is, however, relatively slim at 7.9 mm and surprisingly light at 197 grams. You will need two hands to use it, but it won’t seem like a burden.
Curved displays are back
The Vivo S2 brings back the curved display. Its front is dominated by a bright, 6.83 inch curved 3D AMOLED display which tapers over the sides, and has a 2800 x 1260 resolution with 120 Hz refresh rate. We have sound it to be very bright and vivid thus far. It is again a feature that makes the phone stand out as most devices now sport flat displays.
Solid, mid-segment specs
Beneath its very premium design, the Vivo S2 has a very mid-segment spec sheet. The 6.83 inch display is bright and vivid, and the phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity-7360 Turbo processor. This is paired with 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and storage options of 128 GB and 356 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. One also gets an in-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers and an infra-red port.
This is not a gaming beast but will comfortably handle every day tasks and even a spot of heavy work from time to time. Like all Vivo phones, it runs on Origin OS6 on top of Android 16. It comes with an assurance of three years of Android updates and five years of security updates. As is common in the mid-segment, there is some bloatware (Facebook, ShareChat, Candy Crush Saga., etc) on the phone, but this can be uninstalled. The phone also comes with a number of AI tools.
Main camera star, and sorry, no Zeiss optics
The Vivo S2 comes with a 50 megapixel Sony IMX852 main sensor with OIS. However, this is paired with a rather nominal seeming 2 megapixel secondary camera. Selfies are handled by a 32 megapixel selfie camera. Both the main camera and the front camera support 4K, but there is no autofocus on the selfie camera, which might disappoint those expecting V series level selfies. On the other hand, there are stacks of shooting options and AI tools onboard, although there are no Zeiss optics (those are restricted to the V series and X series at the moment).
Big battery, middling charging
The Vivo S2 comes with a large 7050 mAh lithium ion battery with support for 44W FlashCharge. There is a 44W charger in the box too. There are phones with larger and faster charging batteries out there, but these are still very good numbers, and in our experience so far, the battery is easily lasting a day of mid to heavy use.
Price for the style, not the specs
The Vivo S2 is available at Rs 39,999 for its 8 GB/ 128 GB variant and Rs 49,999 for the 8 GB/ 256 GB variant. The price differential is unusually large between the two storage variants (it is generally in the range of Rs 3,000 – Rs 5,000). While there are devices with more powerful processors and more RAM at this price, the Vivo S2 is really all about style and for those who like to flaunt their phone.
