The Vivo V9 received an early spring release date in India as the Chinese phone maker is now planning to unveil it on March 27, Indo-Asian News Service reported earlier this week, citing industry sources familiar with the company’s plans. Vivo has already been teasing its next selfie-focused device for over a week now, having previously revealed the handset will boast a 24-megapixel front camera which is also expected to support a beautification mode and other such processing features. The device will have a largely bezel-free display with an elongated display panel using an aspect ratio of 18:9, i.e. 2:1, according to the new report, with sources adding Vivo is planning to retail the V9 for approximately Rs. 25,000, or just over $380 going by today’s currency exchange rates.
The Vivo V9 is also expected to debut with a display notch and a thin bottom bezel which doesn’t leave enough room for a physical Home key which could double as a fingerprint reader. Instead, such a scanner is expected to be mounted on the rear plate of the upcoming handset. By most accounts, the Vivo V9 will be seeking to compete in the upper mid-range segment of the smartphone market and run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, enhanced with the tech giant’s proprietary mobile software suite. Besides India, the device is likely to be available in Vivo’s home country of China, whereas prospective international buyers should be able to order it through resellers like GearBest this spring.
March 27 is also expected to be the day when Huawei unveils its P20 series consisting of the P20 Lite, P20, P20 Pro, and the P20 Porsche Design, though the lineup is likely to be released in India at least several weeks after the Vivo V9 already becomes commercially available. India‘s growing demand for smartphones is presently the main reason why global shipments aren’t declining at a faster rate, with all other major markets already showing signs of severe saturation.