NEW DELHI: vivo's new S2 FE packs a 10,000 mAh battery and costs Rs 38,999 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage model. The 8GB plus 128GB version costs Rs 42,999, according to vivo's India launch release (price as of 7 October 2026, 1:25 AM IST).

It goes on sale on 20 October, a week after the V80 and X Fold6, through partner retail stores, the vivo India website, Flipkart and Amazon. Colours are Stellar Green, Zen White and Titan Black.

Battery size is the whole story here. vivo is selling a 10,000 mAh phone as a slim, style-led S-series model in the upper mid-range, not as a chunky rugged handset.

What the 10,000 mAh figure means

The fine print on the vivo S2 FE product page says the rated capacity is 9,800 mAh, with 10,000 mAh as the typical value. That gap between typical and rated numbers is normal across the industry, but it is worth knowing.

vivo says the cell uses fourth-generation silicon anode and semi-solid-state battery technology, and that it keeps at least 80 percent of its capacity after 1,400 full charge cycles in its lab tests. The company rates it for up to 68 hours of calls and 30 hours of video streaming.

The phone can also charge other devices by reverse charging, and a Battery Life Extender mode keeps basic connectivity going when charge is very low. vivo also used the phone for a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the longest electronic product testing livestream, at 32 hours and 37 minutes.

One figure is missing from both the release and the product page we read: charging speed. A battery this big takes a while to fill, so check the wattage on the box or retailer page before buying.

vivo's own lab figures give a sense of scale. It says 12 hours of intensive use still left 33 percent battery, and that eight hours of hotspot sharing used 14 percent. These are company tests under set conditions, so real numbers will vary with signal, brightness and apps, but they explain who the phone is for: commuters, travellers and anyone who runs a hotspot for a laptop all day.

The rest of the phone

The S2 FE runs on MediaTek's Dimensity 7300e with a vapour chamber cooling area of 3,800 square mm. The display is a 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel at 120Hz with 2,000 nits of high brightness mode, plus dual stereo speakers.

Cameras are a 50MP Sony main sensor and a 32MP wide-angle selfie camera, with AI Erase for removing unwanted objects. vivo lists IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance and military grade drop certification. It is made at vivo's Greater Noida plant.

Software is the catch. The S2 FE ships with OriginOS 6 based on Android 16, not the new OriginOS 7 that the V80 and X Fold6 get. vivo's rollout chart puts the S2 FE in the end of January 2027 batch for OriginOS 7.

Offers and how it compares

vivo lists up to 10 percent instant cashback on listed cards and UPI, or a 10 percent exchange bonus, or up to 15 months of zero down payment through select partners. A one-year free extended warranty is offered between 19 and 26 October, and six months of 100GB Google One storage is bundled. Jio users on the Rs 1,199 prepaid plan get six months of premium access to 10 OTT apps, vivo says. Offers depend on each platform's terms.

The obvious rival is OPPO's F35 5G, which is also listed at Rs 38,999 for 6GB plus 128GB and opens for sale on 11 October with an 8,000 mAh battery. We covered that phone in our OPPO F35 series price report. If you are weighing an upgrade before Diwali, our Diwali phone upgrade guide by budget may help you set a ceiling first.

The S2 FE's sale opens on 20 October. We will report if vivo shares its charging speed or adds a higher memory variant.