Chinese smartphone makers have the habit of creating sub-brands for different areas of the market. This was quite a trend back in 2019 with the rise of multiple sub-brands. Realme, for example, was born as a lineup from Oppo but quickly evolved to become a sub-brand. With the success of Realme, we saw Xiaomi kicking Redmi out of its wings for a separate venture in the mid-range and cost-effective flagship market. Vivo later brought iQOO as its subsidiary which has a great focus on raw power and hardware. Now, it seems that the latter is aiming to introduce a new sub-brand.
Vivo Y-series and V-series to become Jovi in some regions
According to the report, Vivo’s new sub-brand will be called Jovi. The name will sound familiar to Vivo fans because the company has been using the name for its AI assistant and some system apps. Now, it seems that Jovi is ready to become a smartphone brand.
The information was acquired by Smartprix after digging into the records of the GSMA database. These show three upcoming Vivo smartphones using the Jovi brand. There will be a Jovi V50 with model number V2427, and Jovi V50 Lite 5G with module number V2440. Another device is the Jovi Y39 5G with the model number V2444. apparently, we will see Vivo reusing the usual V and Y found on some of its own smartphones.
One intriguing fact might suggest that the brand has big plans for the Jovi smartphones. After all, the Jovi V50 and the Vivo V50 share the same model number. The same happens with the Jovi V50 Lite 5G and the Vivo V50 Lite 5G. Jovi will start with simple rebrands of existing Vivo smartphones. Some brands like Xiaomi’s POCO have adopted a similar strategy. Redmi launches its K-series flagships only in China, then POCO rebrands them under its F and X series.
While the deployment of Vivo’s new sub-brand seems to be imminent, nothing is official before Vivo’s confirmation. GSMA database is reliable, but Vivo can still change its mind before an official announcement. For now, we will need to wait. Interestingly, there were reports about a new JoviOS two months ago. Will the new brand come with new software skin for Android that replaces FuntouchOS? Time will tell.