To compete with Xiaomi, its compatriot BBK Electronics fields quite a wide line-up. While Realme takes on Redmi with a tailored approach. Its sister brand Vivo stands out as a trendy alternative. The company’s latest T1 5G smartphone looks quite exciting with its sleek looks. Moreover, it is banking on a high refresh-rate screen. Marathon battery life and 50MP camera to attract customers. So, has Vivo managed to win? Let’s find out in our Vivo T1 5G review.
Design
The Vivo T1 5G makes a great first impression thanks to its fancy paint job. Cheesy name aside, the Rainbow Fantasy color variant is sure to catch your eye. It has a gradient that goes from dominant light blue to amber. The phone shines like Robert Pattison from Twilight, which is no bad thing in this context.
The T1 5G has a plastic body, but its frosted finish provides a nice touch. The camera module sits on the top left. Compared to other smartphones, the T1 5G’s camera doesn’t stretch too far.
Taking inspiration from the iPhone 13 line-up, Vivo opted for a flat-sided design. Although it looks good in pictures, ergonomics leave a lot to be desired. The phone has a plastic frame, which is quite sturdy. If I had to nit-pick, the lock and volume buttons lack proper tactile feedback.
display
While other budget handsets, including the Redmi Note 11 and Note 11S, offer an OLED screen. The Vivo T1 5G settles for an LCD screen. So, don’t expect vivid colors or deep blacks. Another thing that is going to annoy many consumers is the water-drop notch. Seriously, most phones in this price category opt for less distracting punch-hole displays.
According to the product page, this Full HD+ screen is tuned to support up to 120 Hz refresh rate. By default, it is set to ‘Smart Switch’ mode which automatically changes. The screen refresh rate based on the usage scenario. But, I didn’t notice the UI or app scrolling to be smooth. When compared side by side, it can barely keep up with 60 Hz OLED phones.
Software
Vivo T1 5G has done a great job of delivering the latest Android 12 to the budget segment. Another positive is that Vivo’s FunTouch OS doesn’t look as stiff as it once did. It now has a uniform icon size and toned-down color.
Vivo also offers wide customization options. You can choose the screen layout. Fine-tune icon sizes and assign swipe gestures for navigation. You can change the UI color to match the wallpaper, which is neat.
Things aren’t all rosy though, as the phone comes pre-loaded with junk like Moz. MX Takatak, ShareChat and Josh. Vivo pulls its ad-esque “suggestions” into the search menu.
performance
Vivo T1 5G is based on Qualcomm’s 6nm Snapdragon 695 chipset. This chip is more than adequate to handle your regular tasks without any noticeable lag. But, if you observe carefully, you may notice a skipped frame or two.
Our 8GB review unit ran games like Call of Duty. Mobile and BGMI quite well The former can be run with ‘Very High’ graphics and ‘Very High’ frame rates. Although the phone is not a performance monster, it offers durable performance.
The phone comes with a 4GB RAM expansion option, which is snake oil. For those interested in numbers, here are the popular synthetic benchmark scores.
The device’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios worked. They should There were no anomalies to report in terms of. 4G VoLTE connectivity apart from the usual Airtel call drops. The phone is compatible with 5G n77/n78 bands, but I couldn’t test it for obvious reasons.
Cameras
The T1 5G has a triple camera on the back. Among the lot, there is a 50MP main camera along with a 2MP depth sensor. And 2MP macro The latter is pretty useless due to its low resolution.
Moving on to image quality, the 50MP snapper is capable when it comes to keeping noise under control. But, the snaps look a bit dull due to muted colors. Even with AI mode toggled, colors are a bit washed out. This problem is worsened by overexposure in auto mode. Since the phone doesn’t have an ultrawide camera, you get normal and 2x digital zoom modes.
The camera performs well in low light. AI mode captures natural colors while keeping noise under control. On the flip side, low-light snaps lack resolved detail. There’s a good chance that Vivo’s noise removal algorithm will often lead to such soft photos.
The dedicated night mode is effective. And instantly enhances the brightness of the shots. But for this you need to hold the phone still for at least a few seconds.
The main camera can record 1080p video at 60fps. Like the recently reviewed Redmi Note 11, this handset lacks a 4K video recording option. In terms of video recording, there’s nothing to write home about. As the camera lacks any form of stabilization.
Vivo gets front cameras right and the Vivo T1 5G is no exception. The 16MP front-facing snapper delivers detailed images with good colors. It can also take some great portrait shots with proper background separation.
battery
The T1 5G packs in a large 5,000mAh battery with 18W charging support. If you’re not addicted to mobile apps, the phone can last more than a day on a single charge.
While this phone wins you over with long battery life, the 18W charger is a disaster. Just when competing brands are offering a 33W charger, the Vivo T1 5G sticks to 18W. It takes about 1 hour 40 minutes to fully charge the handset from zero
judgment
The Vivo T1 5G is undoubtedly one of the most stylish 5G handsets in the mid-range segment. Despite its slim profile, it packs a 5,000mAh battery that easily lasts more than a day. Its primary camera performance is also good.
That said, the handset has its fair share of flaws. For starters, it misses out on an OLED screen and the water-drop notch looks dated in this day and age. The camera setup lacks an ultrawide camera. The charging speed of the phone is also quite slow. All in all, the phone’s flaws outweigh its strengths. Which is why we can’t recommend this device wholeheartedly.
