Vivo Y28 4G review: Elegant design on a budget!

Hello everyone, you might know that Vivo is doing back-to-back launches in Nepal. And today I'm here with a review of its latest launch in the midrange segment: the Vivo Y28 4G. Well to give you a glimpse, it's a typical Vivo phone with an eye-catching design but what about the other aspects? Let's find that out in my Vivo Y28 4G review. Before moving in, let's have a look at the specifications of the Vivo Y28 4G.

Vivo Y28 4G Specifications:

• Dimension: 163.8 x 75.7 x 8.4 mm
• Weight: 185 grams
• Display: 6.68″ IPS Display with 90Hz refresh rate
• Resolution: 720 x 1612 pixels, 1000 nits (HBM)
• Chipset: Mediatek Helio G85 SoC
• OS/UI: Android 14/ FuntouchOS 14
• RAM/ Storage: 8GB of RAM/256GB of storage
• Rear Camera: 50MP main camera + 2MP depth camera
• Front Camera: 8MP
• Battery and Charging: 6000mAh with 44W
• Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, dual stereo speaker
• Price in Nepal: NPR 24,999 (8/128GB), NPR 26,999 (8/256GB)
• Buy Vivo Y28 4G here

Vivo Y28 4G Review

It's a beautiful design

• Glass Front, Plastic Back
• Plastic Middle Frame

I would be lying If I said the design is not appealing on a Vivo phone. The Y28 stands no exception and it boasts an eye-catching look without a doubt. I mean, if you were someone whose preference is a gorgeous design, you would definitely grab this phone out of the bunch. I have the Gleaming Orange variant while you can also opt for an Agate Green shade.   Talking of the build, there is a plastic frame in between, that has a metallic gloss finish, matching the color. You get an IP64 rating here for added dust resistance with the "6" while the "4" denotes a basic splash resistance.

But it's an LCD panel

• 6.72-inches IPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate
• 20 x 1612 pixels, 1000 nits (HBM)

I understand there is no compromise on the design front but the display side is not that appealing. We all know, how AMOLED panels have become quite a norm in this segment with every other brand. But Vivo has decided to stick with an IPS LCD panel, that too at 90Hz. So, I definitely missed the 120Hz vibe here. Speaking of the actual display quality, it is just decent, not that sharp to be precise, as it's got an HD+ resolution only. You still can enjoy movies and reels as you'll become used to with this resolution. And to contemplate that, you get a stereo speaker setup, which sounds sharp at full volume. So a moderate level sounds just fine! Meanwhile, the sunlight readability is pretty good with 1000 nits of HBM while the typical brightness stays at 750 nits. Either way, it's good to go for a sunny day.

Performance

• Mediatek Helio G85 4G SoC (12nm)
• 8GB RAM, 128/256GB eMMC 5.1
• FuntouchOS 14 based on Android 14

Getting to the performance side of things, the Vivo Y28 4G can only cater well to those basic users. You get a Helio G85 SoC here which is surely not the best in this segment. The recently launched Realme 12X provides a Dimensity 6100+ chip, which is far better. During my usage period, I could see the phone getting slow and lagging once in a while. I know this is common in this price range but the Helio G85 just doesn't fit right for a 25K phone. So, this phone is just for mere social media usage, multimedia, and light gaming. You can play PUBG casually here at up to 40fps but it will dip down to 32fps occasionally. In short, the Y28 is only meant for basic gaming.

Camera

• Dual-camera setup at the back
• 50MP main, 2MP depth
• 8MP selfie camera

The phone sports a dual camera setup, 50MP + 2MP but I would rule out the second lens as it is practically useless. So, as a Vivo phone, I expected it to have good-for-the-buck camera quality. And it performed just decent.

Daylight

The daylighting images have a respectable amount of detail and nice colors. But I still believe, it can get better.

Portraits

Moving to the portraits, the results are quite on the average side. You can see highlights getting blown up in the background while for the edge detection, I wouldn't complain much. This is how midrange phones tend to mess up edge detection.  

Selfies

Flipping to the selfies, you get good-looking outputs with a charm. Sometimes, the skin tone can get pinkish but I bet, most of the selfies takers out there wouldn't complain about the Y28.

Lowlight

When the sun goes down, the dedicated "Night Mode" comes into play, providing sharp outputs with a bit more details. Without turning it on, the images are on the below-average side.

Videos

Talking of the videos, it can only do 1080p 30fps videos that too with no EIS stabilization. It's below average to put it in simple words.

Battery and Charging

• 6000mAh battery
• 44W fast charging (included in the box)

The Vivo Y28 4G houses a 6000mAh cell and you can rely on it for two days easily on moderate usage. On top of that, the 44W fast charger can top it off from 0 to 100% in 1 hour and 40 minutes approximately. Which doesn't sound the fastest but it's a big battery, so, I let that slide in. Plus, Vivo claims an impressive 80% battery health even after using it for 4 years (1600 charge cycles).

Vivo Y28 4G Review: Conclusion

The Vivo Y28 ticks the boxes for looks and design without a doubt. It's got all for someone who's all about going for a good-looking phone. But the phone has several bummers. Vivo's choice of continuing the Helio G85 on a 25K phone is not justifiable, and you only get a 90Hz LCD panel here which is not that great. The camera experience is also pretty basic while the selfies are on a tat bit better side. If you peek at the competition, this segment has phones like Redmi Note 13 and Galaxy A15 5G with AMOLED panels and better performance. I really believe Vivo should have made the performance game strong here or at least provided an AMOLED panel. It's not bad or anything and can cater well to a basic user but the phone surely is not the best package you can get at 25K rupees. So, the only good thing besides design is the 6000mAh battery.

Vivo Y28 4G Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Elegant design with IP64 rating
• 6000mAh battery with 44W charging
• Good Selfies

Cons

• Average performance
• HD+ LCD panel
• No stabilization in the videos