Vivo has recently filed two new trademark listings with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), likely indicating the development of upcoming clamshell foldable smartphones named the Vivo V Flip and Vivo S Flip.
Presently, the company offers two lineups of foldable smartphones, the Vivo X Fold 2, and a vertically folding device named the vivo X Flip, both of which are flagship models. Vivo’s X series typically indicates flagship status, which could mean that the V Flip and S Flip models are meant to be mid-rangers.
There is no word on the specifications for these two phones and it’s too early to talk about a launch date yet. For now, we only have evidence that Vivo is working on new phones and we will have to wait for a teaser campaign to hear official information.
Motorola recently introduced its Razr 40 series, with the base model being a budget-friendly foldable. There are also rumors circulating about Samsung exploring more affordable foldable options. Honor is also rumored to be working on a budget vertical foldable dubbed the Magic Vs, possibly an affordable version of the Magic V2.
Consequently, the idea of two budget-friendly flip smartphones from Vivo doesn’t seem far-fetched. It’s possible that other smartphone manufacturers are also considering entering the untapped budget foldable segment. Tecno recently did it with the Phantom V Fold.
As the foldable market continues to mature and foldable screen technology becomes more accessible, the emergence of budget-friendly foldable smartphones is expected to increase, meaning more accessible folding phones for the masses.