We have to say that the journey between the leaks and the actual launch of the Vivo S16 series was quite fast. In a short period of time, we went from rumors and leaks to an official release. Without much of a mystery, Vivo has discontinued the Vivo S16 series in China. As always, the lineup focuses on style with an attractive design in the camera department. Performance is also a strong point of these smartphones. In fact, these phones have a huge variety of processors. Vivo S16 packs Snapdragon 870, S16e Exynos 1080 and S16 Pro packs MediaTek Dimensity 8200.
Vivo S16, S16 Pro and S16e – Display and selfie camera
The Vivo S16 and S16 Pro are very similar in terms of design and some specs. Both the phones have 6.78-inch AMOLED screens with 120 Hz refresh rate. Both have curved displays with a top-center punch-hole cutout. The aperture serves as a home for a powerful 50-megapixel shooter. The selfie snapper has autofocus and dual LED flash on the top bezel. Vivo S16e, the budget option, has a smaller flat AMOLED screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 16 MP selfie shooter.
Main camera section
The rear camera setup on the Vivo S16 Pro features a 50-megapixel main camera that uses a Sony IMX766V sensor and optical image stabilization. Moreover, it brings an 8 MP ultrawide shooter as well as a 2 MP macro camera. The vanilla phone has a 64-megapixel main camera. The vanilla Vivo S15 has the same camera. It also features 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel macro units with PDAF and OIS. Vivo S16e has a main 50-megapixel camera with f/1.8 aperture. However, its secondary cameras are simple – 2 MP depth and 2 MP macro module.
Performance and other specs
One notable feature of these phones is that each phone comes with a different processor from a different manufacturer. Vivo S16 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC. S16 Pro has MediaTek Dimensity 8200 and Vivo S16e has Samsung Exynos 1080 SoC. The Dimensity 8200 has some advantages when we look at specs, however, some will still prefer the Snapdragon 870. At the end of the day, Qualcomm’s processor can deliver better performance on games. The Exynos 1080 is the least powerful of the trio, but it’s still one of the best in the mid-range spectrum.
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All the phones come with a 4,600 mAh battery with the lights on. Moreover, they have the same 66W wired charging. In terms of software, the Vivo S16 and S16 Pro have Android 13 with OriginOS 3. However, Vivo brings the dated Android 12 with OriginOS Ocean on the S16e.
Vivo S16 Series – Price and Availability
Vivo sells the S16 in Black, Jade, Green and Gradient colors. The base model comes with 8 GB of RAM and 12 GB of storage. It is priced at CNY 2,499. There is a higher model with 12 GB RAM and 512 GB storage. However, it will set you back by CNY 3,299 ($472).
Vivo sells the S16 Pro in Jade and Black colors. It starts at CNY 3,299 ($472) with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Furthermore, there is a higher model that has 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage and sells for CNY 3,599 ($515).
Finally, we have the Vivo S16e. The low-end model is sold in jade, black and purple colors. It retails for CNY 2,099 ($300) for the 8GB/128GB variant. Furthermore, there is a 12GB/256GB trim priced at CNY 2,499 ($357).
The Vivo S16 series will go on sale in China on December 30. No word on international availability. However, we assume these phones will be rebranded to Vivo V26, V26 Pro, and V26e upon international release. The Vivo V-series is mostly based on the Chinese Vivo S-series. That said, we expect phones to get the same treatment.