Vivo Y69 – Review

While we are all busy staring at advertisements and marketing campaigns of Vivo V7 plus, Vivo quietly pushed in a cheaper mobile into the market. The Vivo Y69 is an upgrade to the Vivo Y66, which was a cheaper alternative to Vivo V5 while it was launched, which makes the Y69 a cheaper alternative to the Vivo V5s. Does that sound like “Heera Pheri” movie to you? If you are confused as I am, just understand that the Vivo Y69 is a replacement to the Y66 which exists as a cheaper Vivo mobile for anyone who cannot afford the V5s or the V7 Plus. It is there to retain the customer base. So if you are tight on cash and need a selfie mobile, should you buy the Y69? Let’s find out!

In the Box

• Vivo Y69
• Sim ejector pin
• Wall charger
• USB to micro USB cable
• Soft TPU back case
• Quick guide
• Warranty card

Design

The Y69 is made of a plastic body but feels premium because of the good quality material used and the product finishing. The mobile has a solid construction like any other Vivo mobile. The design is boring and we have seen it in many mobiles over the past few months. The power and volume buttons are on the right. The dual sim tray with dedicated SD card slot is on the left. The bottom has the USB port, speaker grills, audio jack and a mic.

The display is 5.5 inch and the bezels are thin, but not as thin as the V7 plus. Above the display is the 16 MP camera with moonlight selfie flash. The proximity and ambient light sensors are also on the top, while the bottom has the fingerprint sensor flanked by navigation keys. The back has the 13 MP camera with a single LED flash. The mobile is quite handy to hold and operate. The design is ergonomic and it feels quite comfortable in the hand. It does not have a unique design identity, and I think Vivo must really change the design language in their mobiles.

Display

The Y69 has a 720p display on a 5.5-inch screen. The brightness and contrast levels are good. The text is crisp and the colors are vivid but the white balance is a bit cold. Eye protection mode makes the display yellowish and it is good for reading, but not for media consumption. I wish Vivo has upgraded the display to full HD. With what we have, the display does not excite, but it does the job.

Hardware and Performance

Y69 does not have impressive hardware specifications under the hood. The MediaTek 6750 processor with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage specification is getting cliched now. But the mobile can push you through your daily task. I have loaded a bunch of apps on the mobile and it shows no signs of lag so far. The UI is fast, smooth and responsive. The hardware does not score high on the benchmark tests, but the UI is a lightweight interface.

With respect to gameplay, the heavy games when pushed to max limits starts dropping frames. Keeping the graphics at medium ensures a smooth gameplay. It does not heat up easily even after 30 min of continuous gameplay. Considering that it is a mid-range mobile, the performance is satisfying.

Camera

The Y69 has a 13 MP primary camera it is a decent shooter. The images shot from it have the right amount of exposure, contrast, and saturation. The camera struggles to focus at times, especially when the light is really high or low. Also under low light, the images have a lot of noise and are not bright enough. The mobile can shoot videos at 1080p 30fps. Adjusting the exposure based on the scene brightness is really fast. The footage is smooth and pleasant to watch. But it lacks OIS or EIS, which can be forgiven, given that it is an entry-level mobile.

The front 16 MP camera with moonlight flash and can take decent selfies with good skin details and color tones. It has panoramic group selfies and portrait mode which blurs the background. The portrait mode implementation is a bit harsh and overdramatic. As the light drops, the quality of images also drops. The exposure values have been improved compared to what we saw in its predecessor the Y66.

Check out the camera samples below

Music

Vivo Y69 promises high-quality audio like any of its other mobiles. The phone’s mono speaker has an average output quality. But when connected with a headphone, the sound delivered is decent. The included headphones are of very poor quality and I suggest investing in a better pair of headphones, for a better experience. The mids and lows are separated. There is not enough bass to give you that thump, but the voice clarity and treble is distinct and rich. Vivo has re-branded themselves as “Vivo: Camera and Sound”. True to the new brand identity, y69 has noteworthy sound clarity, considering the fact that this is an entry-level mobile.

Software

Y69 runs on Android 7.0 with a proprietary shell Funtouch OS 3.2. The user experience and feature bouquet is good. It has a host of gesture-controlled features. It supports one hand operation, dual screen, scrolling screenshot, screen recording and much more special features, that add to the user experience. The UI is also lightweight. It demands less resource and it keeps the memory free for other apps. It is fast and responsive.

Battery

It is powered by a 3000 mAh battery and does not support fast charging. It charges from 0 to 100% in about 2:15 hours. On my regular usage, it lasts for more than a day and it has about 20-25% when I hit the bed. It consistently gives me a screen on-time of over 5 hours.

Verdict

It is priced at Rs 14,990 and that is the exact price at with the Y66 was launched. So it is a replacement upgrade for the Vivo Y66. Memory, Fingerprint scanner and subtle design changes have been improved over the Y66. I still wish that the Y69 had a better processor, fresh design, and display resolution. If you have no way of buying a mobile online and looking to get a selfie mobile for under Rs 15k, then you can consider the Y69. In the online world, you have options like the 10.or G, Moto G5 Plus, Redmi Note 4, Honor 8 lite, etc…