Vivo S2 Evaluate: A Acquainted Title Returns With a Curved Display

The falling smartphone shipments globally have compelled all OEMs to rethink their product methods. With some persevering with to give attention to finances handsets, with the introduction of latest entry-level fashions, like Realme, others like OnePlus have taken a really completely different strategy by launching completely new inexpensive lineups. In the midst of all of the commotion, one model has taken a very completely different route. With the launch of the brand new Vivo S2 in India, the corporate has not determined to reinvent the wheel however revive an older, well-known model identify, a method that automakers have employed for generations.

Arriving as a sub-Rs. 50,000 smartphone, the Vivo S2 has a considerably larger price ticket, making it a non secular successor within the truest sense of the expression. It capitalises on the recall worth of the Vivo S sequence, which was launched in 2019. With its modern design, a robust MediaTek chipset, and a big sufficient battery, is it in a position to sustain with the realities of 2026?

Vivo S2 Design: An Eye Candy

• Dimensions – 164.42 x 75.25 x 8.1mm
• Weight – 199g
• Ingress safety – IP68 + IP69 scores for mud and water resistance
• Colours – Regal Bronze, Sapphire Blue, and Silk White

Vivo has clearly paid loads of consideration to the way it needs the brand new Vivo S2 to look. The result’s true eye sweet, which clearly stands out on this value vary. We have seen corporations try the horizontal pill-shaped digicam module prior to now; probably the most iconic in current reminiscence is the iPhone Air within the premium vary and the Realme 16 within the mass market section. However, with its squircle-shaped digicam lenses and an efficient ring LED flash, the Vivo S2 makes it its personal.

Vivo S2 includes a plastic rear panel

 

The rear of the Vivo S2 stands proud like a sore thumb in public. However, it nonetheless catches eyes simply. The smartphone appears to be like premium, because of its marble-like end on the again with a wavy sample seen when the sunshine falls straight on it. The waves present hues of colors, one thing much like how silver appears to be like at larger temperatures.

Apart from this, the contemporary curved rear panel and the curved 3D glass on the entrance carry a novelty issue on this specific value vary in India, quite than simply providing ergonomic consolation. In phrases of in-hand really feel, the Vivo S2 does really feel a bit low cost, reiterating the truth that appears to be like could be deceiving. This is primarily due to the plastic composite sheet used on the again.

Vivo S2 is likely one of the thinnest telephones in its section

 

Interestingly, regardless of its tapering edges, the center body of the Vivo S2 provides nice grip. Throughout my utilization, I by no means felt that the telephone would slip out of my hand, one thing I’ve discovered to be the case with a number of of its opponents. Apart from including to Vivo S2’s visible look, the curved front and back additionally make the smartphone simple to carry for hours. Your fingers wrap round its physique comfortably, providing immense confidence.

Measuring 75.25mm in width, the Vivo S2 is just not the narrowest among the many lot. However, regardless of its broad physique, the curved design enables you to simply seize the telephone even when you have comparatively small arms. An necessary a part of a handset’s design is ergonomics. While it does properly by way of in-hand consolation, the location of the buttons might have been barely higher.

Vivo S2 includes a distinctive rear digicam island

 

The energy button and quantity controls are positioned on the fitting facet of the telephone. My thumb naturally rests on the decrease a part of the quantity controls, which suggests I’ve to bend my thumb each time I wish to press the ability button. However, it does make reaching the quantity up button a lot simpler, requiring virtually no effort. Similarly, the in-display energy button has been positioned barely decrease than what I might have most well-liked. But you may positively study to stay with this stuff.

On the opposite hand, the twin audio system have been positioned completely on the Vivo S2. I by no means discovered myself blocking both of the 2 whereas watching movies or enjoying video games in panorama mode. The handset is obtainable in three color choices, particularly Regal Bronze, Sapphire Blue, and Silk White. I received to make use of the Silk White choice, which for my part appears to be like probably the most premium among the many three.

Overall, the Vivo S2 has all the weather that objectively make it look premium. With its 199g weight and eight.1mm thickness, the smartphone will enchantment to a big section of customers.

Vivo S2 Display: Its Strongest Suit

• Screen dimension – 6.83-inch Full-HD+ (1,260 x 2,800 pixels) AMOLED show
• Refresh fee – Up to 120Hz

The show of the Vivo S2 might be its greatest characteristic. Boasting a 6.83-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED show, the Vivo S2 brings the right recipe for lengthy content material watching periods. The 3D curved glass on the smartphone not solely appears to be like distinctive from the entrance, but in addition considerably minimises the bezels, providing a extra immersive expertise. The show Full-HD+ panel, with 1,260 pixels laid horizontally and a couple of,800 pixels laid vertically, is extraordinarily crisp.

Vivo S2 sports activities a 3D curved glass show

 

Watching movies and studying textual content feels nice, with spectacular readability round character edges. On prime of this, the viewing angles of the display screen are a lot better than the competitors, permitting you to view it even from a 75-degree slant. The 449 ppi pixel density is likely one of the greatest within the section, and it interprets properly in real-world utilization, too. I learn a couple of chapters of Neerja Chowdhury’s ‘How Prime Ministers Decide’ utilizing the Kindle app on the Vivo S2.

The alphabet by no means appeared distorted or out of focus, sustaining its sharpness all through. Performance was constant while you switched to studying articles on web sites. Another praiseworthy facet is that the show reproduces pure white shades, in contrast to a couple of handsets on this value vary, which both reproduce a yellow or a blue tint. However, it does get a devoted Eye Comfort mode, which permits the telephone to shift to hotter tones.

Watching motion pictures and reveals is as enjoyable as studying. I watched season 2 of the Ravi Kishan-starrer ‘Mamla Legal Hai’ and season 6 of the ‘Big Bang Theory’ on Netflix. The show reproduced vivid visuals with spectacular readability. The expertise was related on YouTube, if not higher, whereas watching Samay Raina’s ‘India’s Got Latent’ season 2, significantly the episode that includes Karan Aujla.

Vivo S2 is nice for content material consumption

 

The adaptive 120Hz refresh fee provides a easy scrolling and navigation expertise. However, in comparison with opponents, some telephones have moved on to a 144Hz refresh fee. But the distinction between the 2 requirements stays indistinguishable throughout informal use.

I might additionally wish to level out that the in-display fingerprint sensor takes a big period of time to register the contact. However, the general contact response of the display screen stays snappy.

Vivo S2 Software: Like a Hot Knife Through Butter

• Software – Android 16
• Version – OriginOS 6

One of probably the most vital transitions from Vivo in recent times has been by way of software program. The transfer from FuntouchOS to ColorOS has been arguably the perfect transfer the corporate has made, providing Indian customers the identical premium expertise it provides in its dwelling market. The new Vivo S2 ships with the most recent Android 16-based OriginOS 6, providing the identical stutter-free expertise as discovered on higher-end telephones.

Vivo S2 ships with the most recent OriginOS 6

 

Vivo’s OriginOS 6 provides adequate customisation choices to actually make the Vivo S2 your individual. The software program itself is extraordinarily easy, and the swift animations add to the entire expertise. If you might be already an Android consumer, it is possible for you to to regulate to OriginOS 6 in hours, owing to its extraordinarily intuitive format. However, like most mid-range smartphones, the software program of the Vivo S2 is just not bloatware-free.

The ‘Block Blast!’ recreation is current right here as properly, together with the V-Appstore and the Booking.com app. However, the sport and most different apps could be uninstalled simply in case you want to take away them.

Vivo S2 Performance: No Complaints, But…

• Chipset – MediaTek Dimensity 7360-Turbo (4nm)
• RAM – 8GB (LPDDR4x)
• Storage – Up to 256GB (UFS 3.1)

The Vivo S2 is certainly a succesful smartphone. In day-to-day utilization, the smartphone by no means throws up any points that may put you off. However, by way of price-to-performance ratio, the competitors has positively surpassed the smartphone. With the octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7360-Turbo chipset, the height clock velocity of two.50GHz does really feel a bit underwhelming. However, the identical doesn’t translate into real-world eventualities.

Vivo S2 will get barely hotter across the digicam module

 

I used to be in a position to run over 10 apps concurrently, and Vivo’s RAM optimisation by no means disenchanted me. To additional push the telephone’s limits, I performed a YouTube video in pop-up mode and began enhancing pictures, which the handset dealt with with ease.

However, the Vivo S2 suffers from heating points that present up at surprising moments. After enjoying a video for quarter-hour on YouTube, with out the case on, the Vivo S2 began heating up, particularly across the digicam module. However, this was transient, and it returned to regular temperature after about 5 minutes. An identical scenario arose whereas utilizing Google Maps, the place the handset grew to become weirdly heat.

However, these overheating points by no means affected the Vivo S2’s efficiency, which implies that there might have been solely negligible or no CPU throttling. I ran the same old set of benchmark exams to place its efficiency in numbers and evaluate it with different smartphones. The outcomes have been unsurprisingly underwhelming.

Benchmark	Vivo S2	Realme 16 Pro+
Display Resolution	Full-HD+	1.5K
Chipset	MediaTek Dimensity 7360-Turbo (4nm)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4
AnTuTu v10/11	9,52,159	13,99,710
PCMark Work Performance 3.0	10,621	15,226
Geekbench 6 CPU Single Core	1027	1352
Geekbench 6 CPU Multi Core	2888	3976
Geekbench AI CPU (Quantized)	1992	3063
Geekbench AI GPU (Quantized)	615	1233
3DM Wild Life	3164	7728
3DM Wild Life Unlimited	3148	7778
3DM Steel Nomad Light	345	NA

To take a look at its gaming efficiency, I began with lighter titles like Temple Run and Subway Surfers, which the Vivo S2 ran with ease. However, shifting on to Asphalt Legends and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), the handset offered its limitations. I performed each the video games in default mid presets. There have been notable body drops whereas enjoying each the video games. I performed the 2 titles back-to-back for 35 to 40 minutes every. After a complete gaming session of 1 hour half-hour, the Vivo S2 grew to become fairly heat, however by no means too sizzling to carry.

Vivo S2 Cameras: Vivo Has Done Better In the Past

• Rear digicam – 50-Megapixel (Main, f/1.8) + 2-Megapixel (Secondary, f/2.4)
• Selfie digicam – 32-Megapixel (f/2.0)

The solely division by which the Vivo S2 barely disappoints is the digicam efficiency. It will get a twin rear digicam unit, led by a 50-megapixel major shooter, providing as much as 10x digital zoom capabilities. The inconsistent digicam efficiency actually creates a “day and night” distinction, pun not meant, at completely different occasions of the day.

Vivo S2 daytime digicam efficiency

 

During the daytime, the Vivo S2 captures considerably softer pictures. The pictures appear as if an oil portray. Surprisingly, the photographs should not low on element, which suggests it might probably produce higher outcomes. However, the color copy doesn’t do justice to the sensor’s capabilities.

Vivo S2 digicam efficiency in portrait mode

 

The lack of devoted ultrawide and telephoto cameras can also be felt. The major digicam digitally zooms into scenes, in different phrases, crops into the present picture. In the method, the outcomes seem pixelated past 2.5x zoom.

Vivo S2 digicam zoom efficiency

 

However, indoors issues take a flip for the higher. The succesful 50-megapixel shooter captures shadows properly, one thing that even higher-end telephones fail to do. The reflections of sunshine on shiny surfaces additionally look good.

Vivo S2 indoor digicam efficiency

 

In portrait mode, the Vivo S2 additionally delivers inconsistent outcomes. The digicam can shortly recognise the topic that ought to be in focus. It additionally manages to create a transparent separation between the topic and the background, with well-defined edges. However, the photographs nonetheless seem comfortable.

Vivo S2 night-time digicam efficiency

 

However, the story modifications at night time. The 50-megapixel shooter on the Vivo S2 performs its greatest at night time beneath synthetic lighting. However, for higher color copy, customers need to commerce within the picture particulars. I counsel towards pixel peeping to keep away from being left disenchanted.

The 32-megapixel selfie digicam of the Vivo S2 is actually higher. It will get the pores and skin tones excellent, with out both overexposing or oversaturating pictures. However, the post-processing does take away the blemishes and irregularities from the topic’s face, which makes it seem somewhat synthetic.

To conclude, Vivo has finished higher with its V sequence and X lineup smartphones, that are actually higher for pictures.

Vivo S2 Battery: Delivers When You Least Expect It To

• Capacity – 7,050mAh
• Fast charging – 44W (wired)
• Charging Adapter – Included

The 7,050mAh battery of the Vivo S2 simply lasts a full day, involving a couple of hours of scrolling Reels on Instagram, navigating on Google Maps, a few video recordings, and a number of YouTube movies. However, regardless of a big battery, the handset solely managed to final 16 hours 58 minutes throughout PCMark’s Work 3.1 battery life take a look at, which is actually decrease than its opponents. However, I wish to spotlight that the smartphone can final a considerable period of time on 1 p.c battery whereas enjoying a video on YouTube.

Vivo S2’s battery can final a full day

 

On prime of this, the Vivo S2 delivers spectacular standby battery life. I seen a drop of 1 p.c battery in 8 hours with out a SIM card and Wi-Fi connection, whereas dropping by 3 p.c in the identical period of time with a 5G SIM card and a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection. The charging occasions are sufficient however somewhat underwhelming when in comparison with the competitors. In half-hour, the telephone charged from 0 to 34 p.c, going to 68 p.c in an hour. However, it took 1 hour and 36 minutes for the telephone to cost absolutely.

Vivo S2 Verdict

The Vivo S2 depends closely on its modern design, consumer expertise, and recall worth, quite than uncooked efficiency numbers. While you would possibly discover it to be a blended bag, the Vivo S2’s no-nonsense strategy seems to be probably the most sensible in in the present day’s occasions, taking the RAM-flation into consideration. It is ideal for individuals who need their telephone to supply dependable efficiency, first rate images and movies, and look good whereas doing all of it.

However, in case you prioritise pure benchmark numbers, there are a couple of handsets priced decrease than the Vivo S2 which supply highly effective chipsets and bigger batteries. You can think about the Redmi Turbo 5, the OnePlus Nord 6, or the Motorola Edge 70 Pro+, which supply higher efficiency, battery life, and digicam efficiency, respectively.