Vivo has introduced a new device line in an event that took place today (March 19, 2019). It consists of the X27, which has been anticipated for some time as a result of several leaks. This phone is now joined by its Pro counterpart, which serves to confirm some less plausible-looking renders.
The Vivo X27 will have a feature more or less familiar to fans of the 2018 Nex series: a module that rises up out of a little silo in the top of the body of the phone. It houses a 16MP front-facing camera, which leaves the phone's screen with a screen-to-body ratio of about 87%. For this new launch, Vivo has added a new detail, however: vertical lighting strips on either side of the module that can be set to one of 6 colors.
In accordance with its previously-leaked specs, it is a mid-range phone; however, it turns out that the actual X27 has 2 variants: one with a Snapdragon (SD) 675 and one with an SD 710 SoC. Both of these pack 8GB of RAM, although the SD 675 has 128GB of internal storage, leaving a 256GB capacity for the remaining model.
The equally SD 710-powered X27 Pro bumps this phone's screen size to 6.7 inches. It is an AMOLED display with a 20.5:9 aspect ratio and a screen-to-body ratio of 92.12%. Its selfie camera is of a different conformation: it is longer, is placed centrally along the top of the phone and houses a dedicated LED flash along with a 32MP sensor. Vivo claims that it has developed a novel U-shaped, 10-layer PCB to accomodate this component.
The Pro also has the 48+13+5MP rear triple camera found in the X27, of which the main sensor is a Sony IMX586. Both phones also run the odd-sounding FunTouch OS 9 based on Android 9 (Pie) out of the box. The Vivo X27 starts at 3198 yuan (about $476) for the SD 675 version, which increases to 3598 yuan (~$536) for the SD 710 variant. The Pro version is to be sold for 3998 yuan (~$595), but won't be available for sale until April 2019. The X27s, on the other hand, will be released for sale on March 23, 2019.