Part of Vivo’s “Memory is Priceless” campaign. Based on the importance of keeping and creating more memories. The new Vivo Y16 gives Filipinos access to premium smartphone features. At an affordable price point, including its massive storage capacity, long-lasting battery power. Comes in an ergonomic and trendy design.
Since we are done with the unboxing and first impressions of the vivo Y16. This review will explore its capabilities to help you decide. If this smartphone is what you are looking for.
Design and walk around
In terms of design, the vivo Y16 comes with a polycarbonate body and frame with a glass-like texture. I like this type of finish. Because it is less susceptible to fingerprint smudges and scratches.
Vivo Y16 is available in two colors: Drizzling Gold and Stellar Black. My unit comes in Drizzling Gold color which looks like it is bathed in the warmth of glorious golden rays.
On the front, the vivo Y16 is equipped with a 6.51-inch HD+ (720 x 1600) IPS display. At the top, there is a waterdrop design notch that houses the front-facing camera and earpiece. Like most smartphones in this segment, the side bezels are relatively thin. But with quite a thick chin. Also, there is a pre-installed screen protector. While the two circular camera modules are available. At the back which has a dual-camera setup with a single LED flash. The two cameras are 13MP main and 2MP macro.
On the right is your standard volume rocker button. And a side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button.
c 3-card slots for two nano-SIM cards and a dedicated slot for a microSD card. Convenient for those who want to expand the storage capacity, are located at the top.
You can find the following at the bottom. USB Type-C charging port, downward-firing speaker, microphone and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Apart from its design, the vivo Y16 weighs 183g and is 8.19mm thick. With its 2.5D curvature and right-angle frame, vivo Y16 can easily fit in one’s pocket (hand). Especially for those who are always on the move.
Display and Multimedia
Vivo Y16 comes with a 6.51-inch HD+ (720 x 1600) IPS LCD screen with an 82.5% screen-to-body ratio. It also has a smart brightness change. That filters out harmful blue light and reduces eye strain. The IPS display panel produces excellent colors. Viewing angles are also decent and the screen can be bright. But it could use a little more boost so you can still use it comfortably outdoors. At 270ppi, the display looks sharp despite the display coming with HD+ resolution.
The audio quality of the loudspeaker is like that of your typical smartphone. It can get loud but no bass. There is also some distortion when you max out the volume. I recommend using headphones or an external speaker for better audio quality.
Camera
Rear camera
On the camera front, the vivo Y16 has a dual-camera set-up. A 13MP F2.2 primary camera with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF). There is also a 2MP F2.4 macro lens with a 4cm shooting distance.
The quality of the rear cameras in bright light. Conditions is quite good with accurate colors and sharp details. Although the dynamic range could be better. But, the 2MP macro camera, as expected, produces low-quality images.
The front camera has a single 5MP F2.2 selfie camera and is powered by Aura Screen Light. A selfie soft light feature that allows users to illuminate and capture even in low light.
For selfies, it produces good pictures especially in bright conditions. Background blurring isn’t perfect for portrait selfies but it’s already good enough.
Video
For videos, the vivo Y16 captures videos up to 1080p@30fps with its main and front cameras. But, there is no 4K mode, slo-mo and electronic image stabilization (EIS).
FunTouch OS, Apps and Security
Vivo Y16 runs on Funtouch OS 12, based on Android 12 out of the box. Funtouch OS 12 is a seamless, clean and beautiful UI. That is easy to navigate with pre-installed standard. Vivo and Google Suite apps as well as some bloatware apps.
In terms of security, the vivo Y16 is equipped with a side-mounted. Fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button. It is also equipped with facial recognition to unlock the device.
Both work well—the side-mounted sensor is quite fast and with high accuracy. But, the Face Unlock feature can be slow in low light.
Hardware and performance
Vivo Y16 comes with a Mediatek Helio P35 (MT6765) octa-core processor. This processor is manufactured using a 12nm process. And is equipped with four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 2.35GHz. And four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 1.8GHz with PowerVR GE8320 GPU.
Vivo Y16 also comes with Ultra Game Mode and Multi-Turbo 5.5 which prevents lag. And stuttering in games through smart allocation. And prioritization of CPU and memory even when many applications are running.
The vivo Y16’s performance isn’t the slickest or the most responsive. There is a slight delay when interacting with the phone. The gaming experience in graphics-intensive games is playable. And tolerable with little stuttering and lag. Even using the lowest available settings. Keep in mind that this is not a gaming-centric smartphone so don’t expect too much.
Vivo Y16 also supports Extended RAM 2.0 technology. That allows you to virtually expand your phone’s RAM using. The phone’s internal storage. The Vivo Y16 can use 1GB of internal storage, giving it a total of 5GB of RAM.
The Vivo Y16 is available in the Philippines in two variants – 4GB RAM plus 64GB or 128GB storage. If you need more storage, you can expand the storage up to 1TB via its dedicated microSD card slot.
Below are the benchmark scores from this device:
AnTuTu v9.4.4 – 121,610
AnTuTu Storage Test v9.4.4 – 9,857 (286.6 MB/s Seq. Read, 217.2 MB/s Seq. Write)
Geekbench 5.4.4 – 175 (single-core), 943 (multi-core)
PCMark – 4,647 (Work 3.0)
3DMark – 352 (SSE – OpenGL ES 3.1), 656 (SSE – Vulkan)
Battery life, charging and connectivity
Apart from its massive storage, the vivo Y16 has a 5,000mAh battery capacity. That can easily last you through the day without an extra charge. The vivo Y16 will last you up to 18 hours of HD YouTube streaming. 7 hours of heavy gaming and 22 hours of non-stop music playback. In the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test, the unit scored around 14 hours and 51 minutes.
The vivo Y16 comes with 18W fast charging and has a 5V/1A reverse charging feature. That enables the device to act as a power bank.
Apart from the battery and charger. The vivo Y16 has your usual connectivity features including dual SIM. (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), 4G LTE, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack and USB type. -C.
vivo Y16 specifications
6.51-inch HD+ (720 x 1600) IPS display, 270ppi
MediaTek Helio P35 (MT6765) processor, 12nm
PowerVR GE8320 GPU
4GB of RAM
64GB/ 128GB internal storage (eMMC)
microSD up to 1TB (dedicated slot)
Dual-rear camera (13MP F2.2 main + 2MP F2.4 macro)
5MP F2.2 front camera
Dual-SIM (Nano) / 4G LTE
WiFi 5 / Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BDS
USB Type-C / 3.5mm audio jack
Fingerprint Scanner (Side Mounted)
Funtouch OS 12 (Android 12)
5,000mAh battery w/ 18W fast charging
163.95 × 75.55 × 8.19 mm (Dimensions)
183 grams (weight)
Colors: Drizzling Gold and Stellar Black
If you haven’t seen the unboxing of vivo Y16 yet. The box contains vivo Y16, SIM card ejector tool, quick start guide. Important information (including warranty card), 18W USB power adapter. And USB Type-C. USB-A charging cable.
Price and Availability
The vivo Y16 is now officially available for Php8,499 for the 4GB+128GB variant. And Php7,999 for the 4GB+64GB variant. The vivo Y16 will be available for buy on vivo’s official website. Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop. And through Vivo’s offline stores and kiosks nationwide from September 17, 2022.
judgment
Is this the smartphone you are looking for? It’s a tough sell because of its price and various competition. But if you are a casual user looking for a smartphone as your daily grind, you can shortlist it.
Vivo Y16 is a good and reliable smartphone with huge internal storage. And 5,000mAh battery capacity. Which comes with 18W fast charging feature. But, it lacks the following key features: a powerful processor, a 1080p display and a good camera
