Vivo will launch their new budget phone in the Philippines, the Vivo y16. It is their latest best smartphone recommendation for those who are looking for a budget phone.
It is powered by a Mediatek Helio P35 chipset with a 6.5-inch HD IPS display. The handset is the upgraded version of the Vivo Y15, now has a 5MP selfie camera and 13MP main, 2MP macro at the back.
UNBOXING. Opening the box you will have the Vivo Y16 unit itself with a pre-pre-applied screen protector, a set of documentation and warranty papers, the charging brick with the USB type C cable lastly the ejector pin.
The unit we have comes in the color of drizzling gold which equips 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The Vivo y16 is available also in a stellar black color option.
DESIGN. The unit has a 2.5D boxy trendy design, it looks sleek then feels compact when holding and comfortable to grip. On the right side of the device, there you find the power button that has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and the volume control while nothing is on the left side. Below are the single speaker grille, the USB type C port for charging and data transferring, a microphone hole, and yes it has a 3.5mm audio jack port for connecting your wired headset.
Flipping on the back, there is the dual camera setup and you can already see the beautiful color of drizzling gold, basking in the warmth of glorious golden rays that brighten up your mood and the stylish flair effect. The cover is made with a glass-like texture that can withstand fingerprint smudges and scratches while still keeping the colors bright and elegant.
DISPLAY. The Vivo Y16 has a 6.51-inch halo full view IPS LCD with an HD resolution, and the display quality and color reproduction are decent. No high refresh rate is supported. It has a water drop notch design on the front. The side bezels are decent with a thicker chin.
The display automatically adjusts the brightness based on ambient light conditions and filters out harmful blue light to prevent eye strain. It also has color temperature adjustment on the settings where you can modify the screen color temperature and adjust it to your needs.
PERFORMANCE. The unit equips with a MediaTek Helio P35 octa-core processor. It is the chipset intended for budget phones that focuses on the right speed and power. With 4GB of memory, there will be no lack of power for heavy use. All your favorite videos, photos, and movies will all have enough space with 128GB of storage.
For connectivity, it has WIFI that supports 5GHZ bandwidth and mobile data with 4G only.
Opening apps and multitasking is convenient though it has a minor glitch when switching to many apps open. Thankfully the unit has an extended RAM 2.0 feature that adds extra memory when needed, you can use more apps at the same time and switch between without a hitch.
There is no problem playing lite games, the device can handle it well, playing mobile legends feels good, there are some minor glitches or hiccups when playing but no lag when it comes to the animations and movement, especially when you set it to high graphic settings.
There is a fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button, it is fast and secure access when you need it. You can unlock your phone in one fluent motion, and scan your finger while turning on your phone. With a side-mounted super fast fingerprint scanner placed in the power button, you can access the moment when you pick up your phone.
BATTERY. The Y16 boasts a 5000mah battery capacity that keeps battery anxiety at bay, Vivo claims that you can pretty much do 18 hours of online HD video streaming, 7 hours of resource-intensive gameplay, and 22 hours of music playback. In my daily usage, I am amazed how the battery is capable of managing my daily tasks such as browsing social media feeds, watching videos, listening to music, and playing games, it can last a day and still has 15 percent left. The power brick has a 10W capacity, so charging the device may take around 2 hours from 0 to 100 percent.
CAMERA. The unit is equipped with a dual camera system with AI capabilities offering a 13MP main camera and a 2MP macro camera. It supports all the features you need for true artistic creativity.
A 13MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture means you’ll get clear and beautiful pictures every time.
The 2MP macro camera gives you a whole new perspective and lets you discover the hidden tiny worlds around you, as close as 4 cm.
Thanks to the bokeh algorithm, Vivo y16 gives you a wide range of bokeh effects that help you to express your artistic side, in a variety of ways.
For selfies, there is a 5MP front camera with an aura screen light. Whenever you are taking a selfie in a dark environment aura Screen Light turns on to help your beauty shine through. The camera has an AI algorithm, skin tone, face shape, and facial features that instantly adjust for a stunning, yet natural look of the picture.
SOFTWARE. The Vivo y16 runs on Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 12. It brings several new features such as redesigned widget system, Music Player, and Extended RAM.
FuntouchOS has a good Theming engine, you can choose and set a variety of wallpapers, fonts style, and UI colors. You can pretty customize it based on your liking.
There are notable features like Jovi Home and Shortcuts and Accessibility, where you can manage apps with different gestures and actions. Ultra Game Mode where you can access it by swiping sideways while playing games. There are lots of options to choose from, you can block notifications while playing and help you prevent accidental touch. It has a Multi-Turbo 5.5 feature where it focuses on optimizing core scenes to reduce stuttering and lag in games.
It has an iManager app that does clean up your phone and scan for issues at night so you can wake up to a phone that’s optimized for efficiency.
VERDICT. Vivo y16 is a beautiful and trendy-looking smartphone, it has a nice large screen and a very capable camera. The software is much better this time with FuntouchOS 12 with a great battery life that can last a day.
The Vivo y16 with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage is available at the price of ____, It is available through Vivo official and retail stores nationwide.
