Vivo Nepal is on the spree of doing back-to-back launches. And we have a new budget midrange phone from Vivo popping up in the sub-20K segment. It features a Unisoc T612 SoC, a hole-punch cutout screen, and a good-looking design. I have been using this phone for a week already, and I’ll be sharing everything I have witnessed and found about it in my Vivo Y19s review. But before heading to the review, let’s take a look at the specifications of the Vivo Y19s, shall we?
Vivo Y19s Specifications:
- Display: 6.68″ LCD Panel, 1,000 nits peak brightness in HBM, 90Hz refresh rate, HD+ resolution
- Chipset: Unisoc T612 (12nm)
- RAM: 6GB LPDDR4x
- ROM: 128GB eMMC 5.1, expandable via microSD card (Hybrid slot)
- OS & UI: Android 14 with FuntouchOS 14
- Rear Camera: Dual Camera (50MP Primary + 0.08MP Depth Sensor)
- Front Camera: 5 MP Camera (Punch hole cutout)
- Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
- Battery: 5,150 mAh Li-ion cell with 15W charging
- Connectivity: Dual SIM Dual Standby, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Audio: Stereo speakers with up to 300% volume capability
- Durability: IP64 (dust-tight and basic water resistance), MIL-STD-810H compliant
- Color Options: Pearl Silver, Diamond Black
- Price in Nepal: NPR 18,499 (6/128GB)
- Buy Vivo Y19s here
Vivo Y19s Review
Beautiful Design with a Durable Punch
I think I don’t really need to speak about the design of a Vivo phone. It has always been quite an emphasized part when it comes to a smartphone from Vivo. And the Vivo Y19s stands as no exception and continues providing a good-looking design for the price. I have this Diamond Black shade but I bet, the Pearl Silver option would look even more beautiful. Anyways, what’s even better is the MIL-810H standard and SGS 5-Star Drop resistance. which takes care of the durability aspect. Plus, the four corners of the phones are said to be shock-absorbing.
So, despite boasting an all-plastic build, the Y19s should be able to take some drops from a minor height, without any sort of damage. I haven’t tried dropping this guy tho’ but as per the claims, it should be strong enough! On top of that the IP64 rating is there for worry-free dust and water resistance. Durability and Design-wise, this guy deserves a solid 4.8/5 rating.
Display
Getting to the display side, the Vivo Y19s features a 6.68-inch IPS LCD panel with an HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. I can’t really expect an AMOLED display in this price range. For your information, the Vivo Y28 which starts at NPR 23,999 (8/128GB) even ships with the same 90Hz HD+ 6.68-inch IPS LCD panel. So, it is not the norm with Vivo phones, I guess. But, Vivo deserves some praise for bringing a modern hole-punch panel for a sub 20K phone.
Anyways, the display works well for the price, I won’t lie. The visuals are decent enough for your reels and Tiktok scrolling needs. You just need to select the 90Hz-only option and voila! you get a 90Hz refresh rate experience across the system and social media apps. Otherwise, the default option will set it back and forth between 60 and 90Hz, which is good for saving some battery juice. So, the choice is all yours!
Unisoc T612 SoC
Running the things from the core is a 12nm Unisoc T612 processor with two Cortex-A75 cores at 1.8GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores at 1.8GHz. Well, I had some mixed feelings seeing, a Unisoc chip at NPR 18,499. Vivo could have gone for a MediaTek Helio G91 SoC instead, like what Redmi 13 did. But once again, the aforementioned Vivo Y28 boasts a Helio G85 SoC, and again, I have to accept this norm!
Talking of the day to day usage, the Unisoc T612 caters decently to those moderate users, who don’t need fast performance. With 6 gigs of RAM on board, multitasking is fine but, you’ll notice slight lags here and there while switching apps. After all, the sub-20K segment obviously suits a basic user, without a doubt. Funtouch OS 14 is what you get over here, and it works fine with some customization options. Thankfully, there are no ads here but a few uninstallable bloatware is present though! Talking of some gaming, you can do some casual PUBG gaming at up to 40fps. But do not expect smooth gameplay as the chip is not that powerful.
And this phone has one peculiar feature which is rare for a budget midrange phone. On the rear side, you get an Aura light-like thing that doesn’t work for cameras but lights up for notifications and phone calls. And it does look cool, Not Gonna Lie!
Camera
Now, let’s talk about the optics. You get a dual camera setup here with a 50MP primary sensor and a useless 0.08MP depth sensor. In contrast, the selfie camera is a 5MP unit. And here’s what I have found.
Daylight
The main camera can click decent-looking images when the sun is up. Although, I really wish the outputs were a bit more punchier for my liking.
Portraits
The portrait samples are good-looking while the edge detection and dynamic range are a bit on the wee side. But it’s understandable for a phone of this caliber.
Selfie
The 5MP selfie camera is what you get here. If you happen to take a snap and take a look at the phone’s screen, the selfies might look a bit underwhelming. While it looks fine on a laptop screen. Either way, the 5MP resolution doesn’t retain many details.
Lowlight
When the sun goes down, the Y19s takes below-average photos via the normal mode. Thankfully, there is a dedicated night mode that controls overall exposure and provides you with usable samples.
Videos
And as with every other budget midrange phone, you have to settle with 1080p 30fps resolution on both front and back cameras with no EIS. I’d say, it goes just fine for casual usage.
Battery and Charging
Moving on, the Vivo Y19s gets its fuel from a 5150mAh battery. But for some reason, the global version packs a bigger 5500mAh cell. Anyways, the Y19s can last you for a day easily on moderate usage. To top it up, you get a 15W charger in the box that takes around 2 hours and 10 minutes. Here, I wish the charging speed was quicker.
Vivo Y19s Review: Conclusion
Okay so, coming to the conclusion, the Vivo Y19s stands as a decent choice for the sub 20K segment, if not the best! The design and build deserve praise with a solid MIL-STD-810H standard and SGS 5-Star Drop resistance. Likewise, the display is also on the decent side with a 90Hz refresh rate while the 50MP main camera is also fine for the price! But I really wished for a higher-resolution front camera and a bit more powerful chip like Helio G91 Ultra!
Vivo Y19s Review: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Tough Build with MIL-STD-810H
- Decent 90Hz display with a hole-punch cutout
- Decent main camera
Cons
- Low-res 5MP selfie camera
- Average performance
