“Vivi” phone disappears on Pinduoduo platform after review criticises product description as misleading

Social commerce platform Pinduoduo, whose recent IPO made its chief executive Colin Huang Zheng one of China’s richest people, has blocked key word searches for “Vivi” after a low-priced copycat smartphone bearing that name was criticised by an online media publication for having misleading product information.

The Vivi phone, which looks and sounds similar to the popular Vivo X brand of smartphones, did not offer a number of features offered in its product description, including a curved retina screen and dual camera, according to the product review by TMTPost, a China online technology publication.

One camera on the Vivi phone was not usable and just there as decoration. Its overall operating speed was also found to be very slow, as it uses an older version of the Android operating system, according to the review.

“According to relevant rules, the search results of ‘Vivi’ will not be displayed,” appeared on the screen after searching for the Vivi phone on the Pinduoduo platform on Wednesday.

Vivi phones are produced by Shenzhen Youpintong Electronic Technology, which has sold 300,000 units of the model, according to the official website. The Shenzhen company owns a branch office in Hong Kong and an office in the Middle East with its products sold in more than 60 countries and regions, according to the website.

Pinduoduo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate response to an emailed request for comment from the makers of Vivi.