Vivo may be preparing to bring back its S-series smartphones to India after several years. According to a new leak, the company is reportedly planning to launch a new Vivo S2 lineup in the country, targeting the mid-range smartphone segment.
The Vivo S-series was originally introduced in India in 2019 with the Vivo S1 before gradually disappearing from the market during the pandemic years as Vivo shifted more focus toward its V-series lineup and iQOO-branded smartphones. At the moment, specifications, chipset details, and launch timelines for the upcoming Vivo S2 series remain unknown. However, the reported return of the S lineup suggests Vivo may be looking to strengthen its position in the increasingly competitive Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 25,000 smartphone category. The original Vivo S1 launched in India at Rs. 17,990 and stood out at the time for offering features such as an AMOLED display, in-display fingerprint scanner, and a 32-megapixel selfie camera in the mid-range segment. The company later expanded the lineup with the Vivo S1 Pro and Vivo S1 Prime before discontinuing the series.
Why Vivo May Be Reviving the S-Series
The possible return of the S-series comes at a time when Vivo's smartphone portfolio has shifted significantly compared to 2019. Over the last few years, the company's V-series devices have gradually moved into higher price brackets, while iQOO has increasingly focused on online performance-oriented smartphones. At the same time, pricing across the broader smartphone market has also increased. Even segments that were previously considered budget-focused now regularly cross the Rs. 20,000 mark.
This has created a noticeable gap in Vivo's lineup, particularly in the online-focused mid-range category where brands such as Redmi, POCO, and Lava have become more aggressive with features including AMOLED displays, high-refresh-rate panels, larger batteries, and faster charging support. If the Vivo S2 series is positioned competitively, the lineup could help Vivo re-enter a segment where buyers are increasingly prioritising value-focused hardware alongside premium design and camera features.
For now, Vivo has not officially confirmed the return of the S-series in India. The return of the S-series could make strategic sense for Vivo because the company currently lacks a strong online-first mid-range lineup between its Y-series and increasingly premium V-series devices. However, the smartphone market has changed significantly since the original Vivo S1 launched in 2019, and the new S2 series will likely need far more aggressive specifications and pricing to stand out in today's crowded mid-range segment.
