Vivo Y15
The first Vivo smartphone I ever reviewed was Vivo Y12 read its review article here. It proved itself a a fine budget option with good batter performance, good design and most importantly low cost. And now here comes its bigger brother in Vivo Y15. Y12 had its shortcomings no doubt, and all phones do.
But Vivo Y15 is came to sort of vindicate, so to speak, it because of those. In that same breath let me say that Vivo Y15 in Kenya is considered and mid range and not a budget smartphone as you will learn in a few moments. And for the best price in Kenya you will get it with us. But is it worth buying? This is the question we will answer by the end of this review. However you must realize that all smartphones are worth buying, it all depends on the buyer’s needs.
Better Camera
I use the comparative state better for Vivo Y15 in relation to Y12. This to infer that the camera performance of Vivo Y12 was, well, average, good. Here I report that there is quite noticeable improvement, not with resolution but with the end results. This especially with the selfie camera which has seen a boost to 16MP.
And for all who have taken selfies with lenses that have such a resolution as this will bear me witness when I assert that they hardly disappoint. That case is true with Vivo Y15 selfie camera too. I love its AI beauty mode which is able to capture delicate facial details and produce natural looking images.
The main camera on the other hand consists of three lenses. A 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF, and 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm which us a ultra wide shooter and a 2 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor. Alright the real catch here is with the ultra wide camera lens which is 8MP.
Imagine it will expand your view to 120° so you can so you can capture more landscape, more of your friends, and more impressive pictures. It is a cool feature, not new, just cool. Its 13 MP, f/2.2 is also a fine camera lens especially in well light scenes.
Battery
I choose to tell you about battery performance because of its immense powers. First of all, it is a huge huge 5000mAh battery. And Vivo has made sure you will remember that for the rest of your time with Vivo Y15 by writing it on the face of its package. You will also be reminded of this fact by the long hours this phone’s battery will last. It is because of battery performance the Y family exists.
A conclusion I have reached having carefully observed the trend in this family line. Make sure you read the other Vivo Y smartphone reviews on this very website. We have made it simple for you to navigate and locate whichever phone it is you desire.
Platform
Vivo Y15 is an Android powered phone running Android 9.0 (Pie) with Funtouch 9 OS skin. All smartphone brands have skins for their smartphones. Like Samsung has OneUI, and TECNO HiOS just to mention a few. Vivo’s is Funtouch and if you are familiar with Oppo’s skin then this one will looking something like it.
performance
But of importance is the fact that it is powered by Android. It is a Mediatek smartphones with a Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12 nm) chipset, an Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU and a PowerVR GE8320 GPU.
Still on performance we note that Vivo Y15, just like Y12 has a gaming mode under the tag Ultra Gaming Mode which allocates system resources to prioritize your game’s performance. It is good to see such features and optimization sticking out. Hello gamers, here is one for you all. Here is the assurance Vivo gives, “When it comes to speed, Dual-Turbo is the lightning-fast feature gamers need. By reducing frame-drop, it gives you a smoother gaming experience.”
On matters internal storage and memory we have here a 64+4GB RAM smartphone. And this is the only model available for it. I think 4GB RAM is a decent count and the fact that there is a dedicated slot for micro SD to expand internal storage up to 256 GB is a plus here. I mean 64GB is already enough to allow room for more is charity.
Display
I will attempt to speak highly of the display on Vivo Y15 despite its rather low 720 x 1544 pixels (~268 ppi density) resolution with these words; at least on a 6.35 inches, 99.6 cm2 (~81.4% screen-to-body ratio) panel you will have more viewing area to enjoy your gaming and videos.
Build
There is something going on on the back panel of Vivo Y15. The phone already has quite some nice looks going for it that the gradient on the above named panel just ices the cake. You should see it in Aqua Blue. No wait you should see it in Burgundy Red – even I am torn between which of the two colors it is available in suits my taste. Suppose you find yourself in such a dilemma, I will suggest a way out. Take them both. Such beauty on a 159.4 by 76.8 by 8.9 mm smartphone.
Main features of Vivo Y15
Launch | 2019, May |
Body | Dimensions: 159.4 x 76.8 x 8.9 mmWeight: 190.5 g
Color: Aqua Blue, Burgundy Red |
Display | Type: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colorsSize: 6.35 inches, 99.6 cm2 (~81.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution: 720 x 1544 pixels (~268 ppi density) |
Platform | OS: Android 9.0 (Pie); Funtouch 9Chipset: Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12 nm)
CPU: Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 GPU: PowerVR GE8320 |
Memory | Storage: 64GB 4GB RAMmicro SD, up to 256 GB (dedicated slot) |
Main Camera | Triple Camera: 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm (ultra wide) 2 MP, f/2.4, depth sensorFeatures: LED flash, HDR, panorama Video: 1080p@30fps |
Selfie Camera | Single Camera: 16 MP, f/2.2 |
Network | Technology: GSM / HSPA / LTE Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
Comm | WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspotBluetooth: 5.0, A2DP, LE
GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS USB: 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go FM radio micro USB 2.0, USB On-The-Go |
Battery | Capacity: Non-removable Li-Po 5000 mAh battery |
Sound | Loudspeaker: Single Speaker 3.5mm Jack: Yes
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic |
Misc | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity, compass |
Verdict
Moment of truth. Vivo Y15 is a slight improvement of Vivo Y12. It has better camera performance (selfie) and everything else seems similar to me. I will put it this way, Vivo Y15 is a slightly better Vivo Y12. The two can be told apart with cameras and of course that gradient I mentioned which is on Vivo Y15. Nevertheless, this is mid range smartphone that’s just crossed over from the budget category. East to recommend to a buyer who is really interested.
Vivo Y15 Pros
- Striking design
- Good platform performance
- Long lasting battery
- Average Cameras
- Large display estate
- Affordable budget option
- Fast unlocking – fingerprint and face
Vivo Y15 Cons
- Rather low display resolution
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