vivo Y28 Review | Geek Lifestyle

vivo recently launched the vivo Y28 in the Philippines, and here in our review, we try the phone out to see if it’s a capable daily driver for users on the lookout for a wallet-friendly device.

While vivo’s mid-range V series and flagship X series are typically the phones that get plenty of attention, the brand also has a strong line up of budget-friendly devices in its Y series. The vivo Y28 is the latest addition to this line, and its claim to fame is that it’s a long-lasting phone with a solid build.

To be exact, the phone has a large 6,000mAh battery which should make it last for well over a day on a single charge. On top of this, the phone also has an IP64 dust and water resistance rating — an uncommon feature to have in the budget segment.

Of course, battery and build are not the only aspects to consider when buying a new phone. So, we explore the vivo Y28 here in our review to see if it’s a recommendation in the under PHP 10k smartphone segment.

Geek-sthetic

To kick things off, let’s take a look at the vivo Y28’s design. For this new budget phone, vivo went with a striking look as the phone’s Gleaming Orange colorway has a bright and sunny glow to it. At the back, there’s a small vivo logo on the bottom left corner while the dual camera module dominates the attention. What’s interesting is that the module seems to have two flash lights, though the upper light is what’s used for the camera flash and the flashlight.

The lower light (which looks like a tiny ring light) is instead used for the Y28’s Dynamic Light feature. When on, this light flashes when receiving notifications or playing music. While these features can be useful for some, in our experience, the Dynamic Light shines as a countdown timer when taking group photos while the phone is set on a tripod.

As for the phone’s finish, the Y28 has a glossy look complete with glitter particles. The Dual-Layer Coating also gives the phone a decent level of grip, meaning it won’t be a slippery phone to hold when rocking it caseless. For extra protection though, the Y28 comes with a clear case inside the box.

It also helps that the phone has flat edges to give the phone a better grip, whether you’re using it vertically for daily use or horizontally when gaming or watching videos.

Along with its good looks and in-hand feel, the phone having an IP64 rating is definitely a plus. Sure, it’s not entirely waterproof, but it should be able to withstand accidental splatters and spillage. Plus, the dust protection is great for those living in a dusty area, or for those who use their phones outside often (like when riding a motorcycle).

Moving to the front, we have the phone’s 6.68-inch HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Despite being a phone that’s priced at under PHP 10k, this phone still has slim bezels and a holepunch notch (instead of a waterdrop notch like other budget phones). This combo makes the phone look more like a mid-range device than an affordable option.

Binge-Watching Factor

Speaking of its display, the Y28’s 6.68-inch screen works well for binge-watching your favorite movies and TV shows. Of course, you’ll need to remember that this is a 720p screen, meaning it won’t look as sharp as more premium devices. If you’re not too particular with resolution though, the HD+ screen is still nice as it gets plenty bright and outputs fairly vibrant colors for an LCD screen.

When watching a movie or show, audio is important. With this in mind, vivo packed the Y28 with a stereo speaker setup, meaning its earpiece functions as another speaker — a surprise given that most budget devices opt only for one bottom-firing speaker. As for quality though, the speakers are okay, but as expected with a budget device, the audio quality is a bit tinny and lacking in bass at max volume. But if volume is what’s important for you, there’s a volume boost feature which noticeably increases the volume, though this does degrade audio quality a bit.

Thankfully, if you want to connect headphones or speakers, you don’t need to have a wireless option as the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack. Of course, if you do have a wireless device, you can connect it easily. What’s more, the phone supports Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity for better range and connectivity.

Gaming Performance

Now we explore the phone’s performance. Powering the vivo Y28 is a Helio G85 SoC that’s paired with 8GB of RAM. The Helio G85 chipset isn’t the newest one out there as it was introduced back in 2020, though it should still deliver decent results for gaming, especially given that the Y28 only has an HD+ screen.

As expected, the Helio G85-powered vivo Y28 delivered decent performance for today’s popular games. For instance, it ran League of Legends: Wild Rift smoothly at the Medium graphics setting and at 60 FPS. If you want to take advantage of the 90Hz screen though and play at 90 FPS, the phone can do so only by turning the graphics quality down to low.

Meanwhile, FPS games like Call of Duty Mobile ran fairly smoothly, though as with Wild Rift, putting the graphics quality to medium is recommended for a smoother experience.

As this is not billed as a gaming phone, you shouldn’t expect it to run more demanding games like Genshin Impact as the Helio G85 just isn’t built for those games. What’s more, the chipset only supports 4G connectivity, but that’s something to be expected in the sub-PHP 10k bracket.

Still, if you’re more of a casual gamer who plays popular esports titles that aren’t too demanding, the vivo Y28 does have enough power to run them fairly smoothly. Plus, the large battery will mean you can play for longer compared to other phones at this price point.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

The vivo Y28 packs a dual camera setup at the rear consisting of a 50MP main shooter and a 2MP depth sensor. Meanwhile, at the front is an 8MP selfie camera. This camera setup is to be expected for a budget phone, but how well do they do with photography? Well, the results are satisfactory given the phone’s price tag.

For outdoor photos with a lot of natural light, the vivo Y28’s main camera takes nice photos that retain a good level of detail and have fairly accurate colors. even by default, the colors don’t look unnaturally saturated.

At night, there is a dip in quality as expected, though the results are still pretty good when using the Night Mode. Take note that the Night Mode photos do tend to add a warmer look to photos, though they should still be pleasant to look at.

When taking landscape shots, remember that this phone does not have an ultrawide camera, meaning you can’t take wider photos than the main 50MP camera.

As for selfies, the 8MP main shooter surprisingly holds up decently well for photos taken in daytime. Night shots aren’t as high quality, but they’re still usable. Take note that the beautification filter is aggressive by default, so you may want to tone it down or turn it off entirely for a natural-looking shot.

Everyday Reliability

As the phone runs today’s popular games well enough, the Y28 also works as a daily driver. While it’s not the smoothest and snappiest phone when scrolling through the menu and apps, we didn’t run into major issues while using the phone.

Of course, there are some points that could be improved. For instance, the phone comes pre-installed with lots of apps which can get annoying at the beginning as you are barraged by lots of notifications. After turning them off though, the everyday experience should be a bit better.

What we loved about the Y28 though is its battery life. Thanks to the large 6,000mAh battery, the phone was able to last for around a day and a half to two days on a single charge during our time with it. You can drain it faster if you use it heavily, but it should be safe to say that this is an all-day phone with pretty much every user.

Also a nice addition is the phone’s 44W fast charger which lets the phone fill up to 100% in over an hour. Charging for a couple of minutes should also give you hours of use. Fast charging like this is typically found in more expensive phones, so having it in the Y28 is a definite plus.

vivo Y28 Review – Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

The vivo Y28 is a new budget phone that buyers may want to consider. Aside from its performance, display, and cameras which are satisfactory, the phone has an impressive battery life and fast charging, not to mention that it has an eye-catching design complete with an IP64 rating.

As such, the Y28 is worth checking out given its PHP 7,999 price tag, at least for users who prioritize a phone’s build and battery life.

vivo Y28 specs: