Pros
- Impressive vibrant FHD+ AMOLED screen
- Fast and efficient performance
- Good daylight camera performance
Cons
- Slightly cluttered UI with pre-installed bloatware
- Average night photograpyhy
- Battery capacity could have been increased
Chinese OEMs have been dominating the smartphone industry in India since the last few years. Specifically, their hold has been strongest in the affordable and mid-range segments. Vivo is one of those companies which have created a large user base in the country via offline and online retail channels. The Vivo Y series is well-known for bringing in performance-oriented budget Android phones for the masses. Keeping the legacy alive, Vivo has now introduced the Y100 which is a new pocket-friendly smartphone with 5G connectivity, a powerful chipset, and a unique color changing design.
Vivo has launched the Y100 5G at Rs. 24,999 in India and is selling it via major online retail chains including Amazon and Flipkart. The sub Rs. 25,000 price category has been crucial for all smartphone giants and innovations across this segment has been massive. Vivo bids to stand out in this league with the latest Y100 5G. But does it makes the cut? Here’s what we think:
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Vivo Y100 Design: Trendy And Practical
Vivo has always paid a strong emphasis on smartphone design and has introduced some futuristic phones in the last few years. The Vivo Y100 hits the sweet spot with its color-changing back panel and flat-frame thin profile. At first glance, it might look like any standard smartphone. It’s when the light rays hit the back panel that you see the magic. The color-changing pattern is what we are speaking of here. Vivo has shipped the Pacific Blue color variant to us for review which changes its skin to a different shade of aqua blue when exposed to sun rays or light.
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The back panel has a shimmering surface but offers a matte finish when touched. During our usage, the back panel did pick up fingerprints and smudges frequently. Using a case or back cover is the only way to keep fingerprint impressions and dust at bay. Talking of the grip and overall hold factor, the flat-frame thin design makes it easy to hold and also slip it into the pockets. It’s worth highlighting the device is slippery. Therefore, using a case becomes a necessity.
The remaining design aspects are standard as other popular Vivo Y series phones. You get the volume and the power key on the right spine, a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the speaker grilles at the bottom. The left panel on the Y100 5G is blank, while the hybrid SIM slot is placed on the top frame.
We had no trouble using the Vivo Y100 with a single hand. Specifically, when the tasks were basic such as internet browsing or texting. If we talk about the front profile, it’s the only design aspect that seems slightly dated. While the bezels have been trimmed on all corners, the chin is still considerably thick and the notch style is waterdrop instead of the modern day’s punch-hole camera cutout. The handset is sturdy overall. No complaints about the build quality. Summing it up, the Vivo Y100 flaunts an eye-catchy appeal and is practical for daily usage.
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Vivo Y100 Display Performance: Apt For High-Resolution Video Playback And Gaming
The Vivo Y100 packs an impressive AMOLED screen which is vivid and bright in functionality. The screen size offered by the Vivo Y100 is 6.38 inches. Now, this might be smaller than most of the available budget phones in the country, but it still is suitable for video playback and gaming. The AMOLED screen on the Y100 has a 1080p FHD+ screen resolution and supports a 90Hz refresh rate. The touch feedback while scrolling is smooth and the visual clarity is high. The panel is able to bring out vibrant colors with deeper levels of black.
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We have had a good experience with watching shows and movies. And if you are one of those users who prefer a mobile screen for entertainment, the Y100 will be a good fit. That’s also due to the fact the panel here is HDR10+ certified and has 1300 nits peak brightness, the viewing experience gets all enhanced. This caters to the demands of audiences who are always on the move and find it a hassle to use laptops or big-screen tablets for watching videos.
You won’t experience any major issues with content viewing under direct sunlight. The panel doesn’t go all black or appear dim outdoors as is the case with phones offering a lower peak brightness level. Our experience with streaming apps including Netflix, Discovery Plus, and Amazon Prime Videos has been decent throughout. While a 90Hz refresh rate is good, we have options available with up to 120Hz refresh rate. That’s one of the shortcomings of Vivo Y100’s display in our opinion.
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Vivo Y100: Processor, Battery Performance
The Vivo Y100 features the octa-core Dimensity 900 mobile chipset. This is a premium mid-range mobile chipset used by a couple of other popular mid-range handsets such as the Infinix Zero 5G, OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, and others. The performance delivery is good specifically if the tasks are basic or moderate.
With extensive tasks too, the Vivo Y100 didn’t flinch much with the power delivery and was able to perform smoothly. With the integrated Mali-G68 MC4 GPU, the Y100 further offers fluid graphics rendering speeds. That helps with lag-free gaming when the graphics settings are highest. There are slight warm-up issues with consistent gameplay sessions, but that can be avoided.
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The temperature fluctuation has been random and not frequent. Vivo has packed the Y100 5G with 8GB RAM. This is the single RAM option that is available with Y100. However, this phone also can supplement an additional 8GB RAM using the virtual RAM feature. Thanks to the high RAM capacity (both physical ad virtual), we had a good experience with multitasking.
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The handset is capable of firing up apps instantly. That’s the case even when there are several of applications running in the background. You won’t notice any lags with app launches. Furthermore, the onboard storage capacity of 128GB is sufficient for general file and data storage. You may expand the memory by using an external microSD card, but if you do so, you’ll only be able to use one single SIM. That’s because Vivo has added a hybrid SIM slot on the Y100 instead of a dedicated 3-way SIM slot.
The firmware pre-installed inside the Vivo Y100 5G is Android 13-based FunTouch OS 13. While Vivo has made several improvements to its in-house user interface, it still isn’t entirely free of bloatware. Therefore, the UI isn’t as neat as you get on stock Android phones. Keeping this factor aside, you’ll have access to all the Android 13 goodies for an overall improved user experience.
Battery capacity packed inside the Vivo Y100 5G is a 4,500 mAh unit. The battery size might have been significantly reduced compared to other budget Vivo handsets buy the performance aspects are least hampered.
The average backup that you get with the Vivo Y100’s battery is almost an entire day. But that’s when you use the handset moderately throughout the day. Expect a faster battery drain when gaming sessions are extensive and long. This handset ships with a 44W fast charger which refuels the unit from zero to 100 percent in less than an hour.
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Vivo Y100 5G: How Do The Cameras Perform?
Vivo is known for offering the best-in-class mobile camera experience with its handsets. The Vivo Y100 certainly has established this fact with its capable 64MP triple rear cameras and a 16MP selfie snapper. The primary photography hardware at the rear comprises a 64MP main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus), and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization).
Vivo is currently marketing this setup as an Anti-shake camera as the phone has a caliber of capturing clear shots despite any moving background. It’s one of the biggest advantages that the Y100’s cameras gets over the rivals. The primary 64MP snapper is paired up with a set of 2MP lenses for depth and macro photography. These dedicated sensors do an average job overall.
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The background blurs and macro shots are not super refined but decent enough considering the mid-range price point. The rear cameras on the Vivo Y100 5G produce clean and vivid pictures when the background has good lighting conditions. The daylight performance of the cameras is definitely better compared to the low-light shots. The noise levels and grains are evident in night photography.
The dedicated Night mode inside the camera app doesn’t have any major impact on improving low-light image quality. Video recording support is up to 4K@60fps. However, you can also record videos at 720 and 1080p@ 30/60 fps. You will get better results with videography once you enable the stabilization feature.
For selfie fans, the 16MP snapper upfront will be a delight. The Vivo Y100’s front camera can capture self-portraits with high clarity levels.
Also Read: Vivo X80 Long Term User Review: Worth A Buy Under Rs. 60,000?
Vivo Y100 5G Final Verdict: Packs All The Punch?
The Vivo Y100 is a complete package for users with a budget below Rs. 25,000. It not only caters to multimedia requirements but offers a great deal for mobile gaming and photography enthusiast in the country. You can place your bet on the Vivo Y100 5G if you wish for a fully-loaded premium mid-range Android phone with a unique color changing design.
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