Vivo Y17

When it comes to the budget segment in smartphones, companies like Xiaomi, Realme, and Samsung are doing really well. And honestly, in the budget segment, Vivo is never the first choice to tech enthusiast like us. It’s primarily of two reasons: low-res display and low-end processor. So, today I have got the new Vivo phone, the Vivo Y17, and yes it has a low-res display and a low-end processor. But, it does come with triple cameras and a huge battery. So, with these two USPs at the helm, should you really choose the Vivo Y17 over other phones? Let’s find that out in this Vivo Y17 review.

Vivo Y17 Specifications

• Display: 6.35″ IPS LCD with HD+ resolution (720 x 1544 pixels), 19.3:9 aspect ratio
• Rear Camera: Triple-setup, 13 MP primary with f/2.2 aperture & PDAF + 8 MP ultra-wide with f/2.2 aperture + 2 MP depth sensor
• Front Camera: Single, 20 MP with f/2.0 aperture
• Processor: MediaTek Helio P35
• CPU: Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53)
• GPU: PowerVR GE8320
• RAM: 4 GB
• OS: Android Pie with FunTouch 9
• Storage: 128 GB internal
• Battery: 5000 mAh, 18-Watt Fast Charging
• Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity, compass
• Price: Rs. 29,390 (available for Rs. 27,000)

Design

The first thing you notice on the Y17 is the design. This dark bluish color is something I’m really a fan of, and if you look even closer, you can see the textured finish inside. It’s not as prominent as the textures on other phones, but this design has certainly made the phone shine. And speaking of shine, the golden bordering around the camera bulge really makes the design of this phone stand out from the rest.

However, Vivo has taken the route of a polycarbonate back which was expected from the Y17, because the more expensive sibling, the V15 Pro, doesn’t have a glass body.

Another thing I am not a fan of is this feel on the hand. It’s probably due to the large battery it has inside, but the phone is crude. It feels larger than it is, and maybe Vivo could have polished the phone a little more.

On the right side of the device lie the three buttons, and they are placed ergonomically, the power button is on the middle, and the volume rockers right above it. I did miss the tactility of a metallic frame though, as these plastic buttons feel quite cheap.

On the bottom, it has a little chunk of a chin, as I said before. On the bottom lies a speaker grill, a headphone jack, and a microUSB. Come on Vivo, we are in 2019, maybe its time you add in a Type-C port.

Display

The Y17 has one major compromise for the price it has and that’s the display. The display is big with a tiny notch, but it’s only an HD+ resolution. This yields in a very low pixel density of 268 PPI. And if you are someone coming from FullHD display, you will be disappointed while watching Videos. You will feel the lack of sharpness right away.

But if you are someone coming from HD display, well, you might not feel that much of a difference, because the colors on this one are actually good. But again, if you are paying upwards of $200, you should be expecting a full HD display.

Security

I know I’ve been complaining a lot, so here are some positives. The fingerprint is really fast, and its placement is good too. I have read a few comments from users complaining about having to stretch to reach it, but I haven’t really had that issue as everything is just under my fingers’ reach and this phone even received an update that improved the unlocking experience. The other security option, Face unlock is fast too just the way you expect a Vivo phone to do.   

Battery

The dual engine fast charging the charger of this device offers is great. There is a 5,000 mAh battery inside this phone, and the charger charges up 60% of the battery in an hour which is awesome! Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus do well when it comes to fast charging and the Y17 is no slouch. And this was necessary as the phone has 5000 mAh battery.

Vivo doesn’t show screen-on-time on its phones. Nonetheless, I got around one and a half to 2 days of battery life on the phone. On a day when I used the phone nearly 7-8 hours, I ended up with 50% of charge, and that’s why this phone here is a battery champ and a phone perfect for battery hungry users.

Performance

Now, do note that I said battery hungry, not power hungry users. And that’s because of the SoC this phone has. There is a MediaTek P35 chipset inside this phone, along with 4 GB of RAM. So, how good is the Helio P35 you ask? Just understand this way: It’s not a good performer for the price. It’s comparable with some 2 years old chipsets like Exynos 7870 and the Snapdragon 625. It’s not even comparable to Snapdragon 632 found on a much cheaper Redmi 7.

Whenever I receive a fresh set of review smartphone, the first thing I do is run benchmark tests to see how they fare. And the Y17, even with that pricing, scored nearly 88000 on Antutu. Yep, just 88.

And that same thing is seen when playing games. PubG loads up in low graphics setting, and there were stutters here and there. Asphalt 9 works nicely, but if there’s a lot of action happening, it lacks a bit of smoothness. However, Dream League Soccer is unplayable on this phone. The app becomes jittery and the whole thing slows down. And this is the reason why I won’t be recommending this phone to anyone because when you’re paying a lot for a phone, you can at least expect it to perform well, even if there has been a compromise in the optics aspect.

Camera

Let’s talk about the optics part now. There are triple rear cameras on the back of the Y17, each, obviously serving a different purpose. There is a primary, a wide-angle, and a depth sensor inside the gold lining.

While a couple of the previous Vivo phones I reviewed had a greenish tint on their photos, the Y17 has natural tint on its images. Even the temperature is natural in the day time. There is good saturation, and the details are decent. I would have definitely liked better colors, and dynamic range, though. And like other Vivo phones, this camera also overexposes the shots at times.