Earlier this week, Vivo unveiled the Vivo S19 series of smartphones in China. The lineup has two phones, such as the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3-powered Vivo S19 and the S19 Pro, which features the Dimensity 9200+ chip. The S18 and S18 Pro, which debuted in December 2023 in China, were also equipped with the same chipsets. Nevertheless, S19 offers changes in other departments like design, display, camera, battery, and more. This post mainly focuses on all the upgrades that the S19 offers over the S18.
1. Design
The Vivo S19 offers several improvements in design as compared to the Vivo S18. The predecessor model has a curved-edge OLED panel, a rectangular camera module featuring a square-shaped LED studio-light LED, and an IP54-rated chassis. It has a thickness of 7.5mm and weighs 185 grams.
On the other hand, the Vivo S19 adopts a flat display, an oval camera module with a small ring LED flash, and an IP64 rating for better durability. The S19 measures only 7.2mm in thickness and weighs 193 grams.
2. Improved display
Both the Vivo S18 and S19 come with a 6.78-inch display. However, while the former has a curved-edge screen, the S19 gets a flat panel. Both support a 1.5K resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and 2160Hz PWM dimming. While the predecessor offers up to 2800 nits of peak brightness, the S19 offers up to 4500 nits of peak brightness.
3. New primary camera
The Vivo S18 and S19 have an autofocus-enabled 50-megapixel Samsung S5KJN1 front-facing camera. Both phones have a pair of soft-light LEDs on the front for flash.
Both phones have a 50-megapixel + 8-megapixel (OmniVision OV08D10) dual-camera system on the back. The S18 has an OIS-enabled OmniVision OV50E 50-megapixel main camera, whereas the S19 has an OIS-assisted 50-megapixel Samsung S5KGNJ. Instead of a square-shaped studio-level LED flash available on the S18, the S19 uses a circular type of LED flash.
4. Bigger battery, slight improvement in performance
The Vivo S18 houses a 5,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging, whereas the S19 packs a bigger 6,000mAh high-density battery with the same charging capabilities. Despite packing a larger battery, the S19 (7.2mm) is thinner than the S18 (7.5mm). In terms of weight, the S19 is slightly heavier by 8 grams as compared to the S18, which weighs 185 grams.
The Vivo S18 came in LPDDR4x + UFS 2.2 combinations, such as 8GB+256GB, 12GB+256GB, 12GB+512GB, and 16GB+512GB. The S19 is available in the same configurations, but there are a few changes, as follows:
- LPDDR4x + UFS 2.2: 8GB+256GB | 12GB+256GB | 12GB+512GB
- LPDDR5 + UFS 3.1: 16GB+256GB
Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset.
5. Vivo S19 gets an IR blaster
The Vivo S18 and S19 both lack a dual speaker system for stereo output. However, a new addition to the S19 is an IR blaster, which allows it to be used as a remote control for a variety of home appliances.
In terms of pricing, the Vivo S18 was priced between 2,299 Yuan (~$325) and 2,999 Yuan (~$420). In comparison, the S19 costs between 2,499 Yuan (~$350) and 3,299 Yuan (~$465).
6. What to expect from Vivo V40?
The Vivo S18 and Vivo V30 are similar phones with identical designs and almost the same specifications. While the S18 has a 50-megapixel + 8-megapixel dual-camera system, the Vivo V30, which is available in global markets, has a 50-megapixel (main) + 50-megapixel (ultra-wide) dual-camera system.
The Vivo V40 has already been spotted with the V2348 model number on certification platforms, such as the GCF and Bluetooth SIG. There is a possibility that the Vivo V40 could be a tweaked version of the S19 with an identical design and better cameras.
The Vivo V30 series was announced in February of this year. Hence, it is likely that the Vivo V40 lineup may debut in the third quarter of this year.
