Smartphones in central position as Vivo expands into IoT market

Vivo, the third biggest mobile phone vendor in China, announced a new IoT strategy on Friday that will better connect smartphones with home appliances and other smart devices.

The brand, which will release a new IoT (the Internet of Things) application on September 30, also announced IoT partnerships with giants like Midea, Skyworth and TCL, as well as other firms including NVC Lighting and smart projector maker XGimi.

“It is going to be an all-connected world soon," Zhou Wei, Vivo’s global director of AI (artificial intelligence) said. "Smartphones will become the connecting center of all devices."

With its strategy called Jovi IoT, Vivo is looking for more home appliance partners in the initial stage.

By 2025, China will lead in the global IoT market, with more smart devices and industrial applications, industry alliance GSMA predicts.

Besides the new IoT strategy, Vivo kicked off a new model X23 targeting "young and fashionable" people, with features including improved photography in dark environments, on-screen fingerprint identification and various colors.

In the second quarter, Vivo sold 19.9 million smartphones in China, 19 percent growth from a year ago. It ranked No. 3 behind Huawei and Oppo, researcher IDC said.