The vivo Y20s (G) is the latest smartphone from the brand's popular Y-series. It is priced at PhP 9,999, and is expected to clash in the entry-level gaming segment. With the 2020-made Helio G80 processor in its core and 5000 mAh battery, the smartphone is expected to deliver in most of the features that consumers want in this space.
vivo Y20s (G) Review
Join us in this vivo Y20s (G) review as we test this sparkling new smartphone and see if it's something you can consider for your next purchase.
Review Summary:
Pros
- Snappy hardware
- Dependable battery life
- Classy design
- Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Cons
- The microUSB port is aging
- Fingerprint magnet
What's inside the Box?
The vivo Y20s (G) is packaged in a familiar white-and-blue box. Inside, you have the main unit, the microUSB cable, the headphones, 18-watt power adapter, SIM ejector tool, and some paperworks. We are also delighted with the inclusion of the silicone case.
Design
The vivo Y20s (G) is a testament on how the company is being serious when it comes to giving the best possible design in a specific segment. Though it is in the entry level space, the vivo Y20s (G) is a stunning slab of a phone. We have the Obsidian Black variant with a classic black finish. The back panel of the smartphone reflects light from the camera bump. Speaking of the bump, it makes the smartphone wobble when you nudge the phone on a flat surface.
Related: vivo Y20s (G) now available, bundled with free TWS earphones
The backing is made of plastic but it feels premium on the hands. There’s a glossy finish here and we could tell right away that it’s a fingerprint magnet. The back is not curved so it could be a challenge to hold it with one hand (especially if you have smaller hands). However, the curved edges make up for it in giving you a solid grip with its non-slippery finish.
On the right side, there’s a very accessible side-mounted fingerprint sensor resting below the volume rocker, and it doubles as the power button. Though I prefer a back mounted sensor, but this one is fast in unlocking the smartphone. The SIM tray is on the left side while the bottom side houses the 3.5-mm audio jack, the primary microphone, speaker grill, and the micro USB port. I was instantly convinced that this phone has a USB Type-C port until I tried to charge it. Most of the smartphones in this category now have a Type-C port.
Display
The vivo Y20s (G) frames a 6.51-inch display with 720 x 1600 pixel resolution. We think that this is the right screen size for this price segment. There’s a teardrop notch which the company calls the Halo FullView display that houses the 8MP selfie camera. The receiver of the phone is flushed to the edge in this section of the front panel. The bezels are also slim with the exception of the slightly thicker chin.
For a sub PhP 10k price point, we think that the vivo Y20s (G) could have easily had an FHD display. Images look okay but not as detail-oriented as some phones in this range.
The LCD panel is bright and is good enough for outdoor use. Color accuracy is fine as well as the contrast. Watching videos and gaming with this smartphone are enjoyable experiences. All in all, the display is average for its price. If you’re looking for the best display in this class, you might look somewhere else.
Hardware and Performance
This is where the vivo Y20s (G) picks up from the rest. It is powered with a MediaTek Helio G80 processor, thus the “G” in its moniker makes sense. This chipset is developed in 12-nm process and integrates eight cores of CPU. Most of us have seen this SoC before and we think that it could definitely do some heavy lifting when it comes to CPU performance.
The vivo Y20s (G)'s SoC is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage which makes the smartphone very promising when it comes to performance. And for sure, the Y20s (G) does perform very well in dealing with our daily tasks. It is very fluid in launching and closing apps. Multitasking activities are also seamless. In our Geekbench 5 test, the handset tallied a Single-Core score of 383 and a Multi-Core score of 1306 which testifies the efficiency of the chipset.
When it comes to gaming, the vivo Y20s (G) handles light to moderate gaming flawlessly. When it comes to intensive gaming, we have experienced choke points while playing graphic intensive games like Call of Duty Mobile, Genshin Impact, and PUBG Mobile. But the whole experience is quite playable. The smartphone handles MOBA games like Mobile Legends very well with minimal frame drops. High Graphic settings in Mobile Legends registers good overall gaming.
Its loudspeaker is actually good. Though it may lack bass, it could definitely carry you through your Netflix, YouTube or Spotify sessions. However, it tends to get distorted on max volume. I think 75% volume caps its optimum sound quality. It is also excellent in calls.
If you wanted a more defined sound experience, you can always use third-party earphones with the 3.5-mm audio jack. I also had no issues with it on LTE or Wi-Fi connectivity. Calls are also clear even when you’re in a closed space or room.
Camera
The vivo Y20s (G) is equipped with triple rear camera setup. The main sensor is the 13MP f/2.2 camera. It is coupled by the 2MP f/2.4 macro sensor and another 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. The general quality of photos we took from the handset is quite okay. You'll get the best quality with photos taken in a well-lit environment. In low-light, quality significantly drops with colors being muted and noise being prevalent.
There's no night mode included in the camera app's rolodex; thus, it's not advisable to use the camera at night. The portrait mode is quite a challenge to use but once you setup a good positioning, you can get fair portrait shots.
The front camera is an 8MP affair. You can still capture great selfies for social media purposes with finer details and color saturation. The camera supports 1080p video recording at 30fps. Just like the photos, videos are okay for social media usage and family sharing. Check out our sample pictures below.
Software
Running the latest and greatest Android version would give the vivo Y20s (G) an edge over its peers. The smartphone is skinned with the company's FunTouch OS 11 which is a major improvement over the last FunTouch OS versions.
This version of FunTouch OS also feels close to Google's stock Android. Of course, you'll get instant access to Google apps and the Play Store. However, vivo's own skin may have a counterpart to every essential app - we have two browsers, app market stores, etc. More so, we can still see bloatwares that come preinstalled.
The software is very easy to use. You'll have access to Google's dashboard when you swipe all the way to the left; the app drawer makes managing the apps easier, and of course, you can access notifications and controls in the same shade. I really think that FunTouch OS 11 is one of the Android skins that I love using.
The smartphone's software is also optimized with gaming-centric features. The Ultra Game Mode comes with Esports Mode which allows high performance configurations for a more immersive and smoother game experience.
It ensures very minimal disturbance which keeps all notifications at bay, except for low battery warnings. It also optimizes controls and display settings. Plus, the software enforces adaptive frame rate and temperature which intelligently balances temperature and frame rate in order to provide the best gaming performance.
Battery Life
The vivo Y20s (G) excels in the battery department. To start, it packs 5000 mAh battery with 18-watt fast charging support. In real-time testing, with fair to moderate usage, the battery life surpasses almost two days between charges. That's pretty impressive.
Charging the vivo Y20s (G) took us about an hour and 38 minutes, which is not bad at all knowing that it has a bigger battery capacity. This smartphone is very ideal to mobile gamers who wanted to have more time away from the wall outlet.
Should You Buy The vivo Y20s (G)?
The vivo Y20s (G) is straight-up a solid smartphone that will not die on you within the day. In fact, it could stretch up to 48 hours if you're keen on using the battery. Gamers would definitely love the bigger value they'll get from its hardware. The combination of Helio G80 and 6GB RAM makes everything buttery on the processing side.
vivo Y20s (G)'s design is also something to love, and maybe in most vivo smartphones in general. On top of that, the latest Android 11 makes every aesthetics in the software front pleasing to the eyes.
The vivo Y20s (G) is a very balanced smartphone, a dependable one if you may. It's easy to recommend due to the fact that it possesses the right mix of features you'll need for a phone under PhP 10K.
Key Specifications:
- 6.51-inch HD+ Display
- MediaTek Helio G80 SoC
- 2.0GHz Octa-core processor
- 6GB RAM + 128GB Storage
- Tripe rear camera: 13MP Main + 2MP Bokeh + 2MP Macro
- 8MP Selfie Camera
- Side Fingerprint
- Android 11, Funtouch OS 11 Global
- 5000 mAh battery w/ 18W charging
- PhP 9,999 Official Price
- Get it in vivo Official Store in Shopee
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