The vivo Y22s fills the gap between the previously released Y35 and Y16. It serves as the middle child of the popular Y series lineup. The handset is very similar to the former with it having the same Snapdragon 680 processor, eye-catching design, and almost similar pricing; however, some specs are trimmed down.
The vivo Y22s starts at Php 10,999 for the 4GB version. There's also a beefier variant with 8GB RAM at Php 12,999. From the looks of it, vivo has managed to place this year's Y series in their proper places; and in its price range, the vivo Y22s is shaping up to be a strong contender. Is it really the case? Let's find out in this review.
{getToc} $title={Table of Contents} $count={Boolean} $expanded={Boolean}Design
- 2.5D curvature design
- Summer Cyan colorway
The vivo Y22s is a tad thicker with its 8.38-mm body when compared to other Y series phones that we've reviewed. It's mostly made of plastic material on the exterior but there’s a slight heft to it at 192 grams.
The smartphone features a 2.5D curvature design with rounded corners, which aesthetically appears good but also helps enhance the grip. We have the fingerprint scanner on the side; ports and buttons are also in their no nonsense placements: power button, volume rocker (right); SIM tray (top); 3.5mm jack, mic, charging port, and speaker grille (bottom).
Our unit's colorway is called the Summer Cyan. It's a mix of green and blue colors made even more captivating with waves patterns and tiny crystals effect. This design actually gives a marble-like finish. It feels just right, not aggressive but looks exquisite.
The backing's plastic material negates fingerprints which I like, although it's not the same with the camera module that tends to attract smudges. Speaking of the module, its implementation (with the accompanying big round sensors and placement of other elements) also breathes style, which complements the overall appearance of the phone's back panel.
I have to say I like the union of minimalism and style that is evident in the backing, but I could hardly say the same on the front panel. I'm not a fan of the notch, and unfortunately, it seems like this has become a constant look for the Y series phones. But we have tolerable bezels to support the screen, giving us a generous 89.67% screen-to-body ratio.
The phone also comes with IP5X dust resistance, as well as an IPX4 water resistance rating which means it will be protected from water splashes, but it must not be submerged to water. The phone is very handy; and just like others that came before it, it is designed with ergonomics in mind. Aligned with vivo's stylish appeal even in this price point, the Y22s is a good-looking phone.
Display
- 6.55-inch HD+ LCD
- 90Hz refresh rate
The vivo Y22s frames a 6.55-inch 1612 × 720p (HD+) LCD display. It has a very generous screen real estate which makes it a great companion for multimedia consumption. It's quite tall on portrait, and also quite wide on landscape which I love every time I'm streaming movies.
It also features 90Hz screen refresh rate which makes things run smoothly on your screen. Having this feature is a competitive edge when you're into gaming, like shooting or MOBA games, as this results to lower latency, giving you a smother, snappier gameplay. The downside is that it consumes more power. But the good thing is, Y22s actually has a variable refresh rate feature that can be manually activated via display settings. It allows the display to auto switch between refresh rates that is best suited on your current usage.
Colors are accurate, although contrast needs a little more punch. Blacks are not that "inky" and I also noticed that the display lacks brightness even in full settings; but it is generally legible when used outdoors.
If you're really into quality display, invest in a phone with OLED panel. Otherwise, LCD should be just fine especially when affordability is an important deciding factor in making a purchase.
Performance
- Snapdragon 680 (6nm)
- 8GB RAM + 8GB Virtual RAM
Under the hood, the vivo Y22s is powered by a midrange chipset, the Snapdragon 680 SoC. It is fabricated using a 6nm process which makes this chip power-efficient and will produce less heat. It runs on an octa-core CPU clocked on 2.4 GHz. To be exact, we have 4 cores of Kryo 265 Gold clocked on 2.4 GHz and another 4 cores of Kryo 265 Silver clocked on 1.9 GHz.
Based on our actual usage, the chipset could give just the right amount of power for the tasks this phone is intended to - mostly, it's fair to moderate usage. The 8GB RAM complements the processor very well; and should you need it, the Y22s allows you to access another 8GB of extended RAM. It also comes with 128GB for your storage needs; and if this is not enough, it's expandable up to 1TB via microSD in a dedicated slot.
In terms of gaming performance, I have no problem running Mobile Legends. In addition, ultra settings and high refresh rate are also supported with the Y22s. When it comes to Genshin Impact, the graphics settings default to medium to get a smoother experience.
The 90Hz refresh rate also complements the hardware; plus the software integrations like Multi-Turbo 5.5 and Ultra Game Mode that optimize power for a smoother and stable gameplay with minimal to no distractions, make the vivo Y22s a good smartphone for gaming in this segment.
If you're keen on synthetic benchmarks, we've tallied some scores:
- AnTuTu: 285910
- Geekbench: 377 single-core, 1512 multi-core
- PCMark Work 3.0 performance: 6542
We also tested the Y22s with the 3DMark Gamer's Benchmark: Wild Life Stress Test. It's a 20-minute test which shows how a device performs under longer periods of heavy load, the results follow:
- 456 best loop score and 454 lowest loop score;
- performance stability of 99.6% during the test;
- it's not heating up with temperature at only 34°C;
- while battery dropped from 90% to 88%.
In terms of connectivity, the vivo Y22s only has support for 4G LTE, together with 2.4GHz/5GHz WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, GPS, and OTG.
Camera
- 50MP + 2MP rear cameras
- 8MP front camera
Y22s' native camera app is easy to use with dedicated tabs for main modes like Photo, Video, Portrait, and Night. It also carries a bunch of other modes like 50MP, Pano, Live Photo, Slo-mo, Time-lapse, Pro, Documents, and Double Exposure.
The built-in camera is capable of HDR, Super Macro, up to 10x zoom, and can record videos up to 1080p@30fps. Likewise, selfie fanatics can play with different styles, filters, light effects, even adjust bokeh on portraits, and of course beautification to enhance and have fun with their selfies.
The phone's 50MP main camera shoots decent photos especially in good lighting condition. Photos come with great details, color saturation, and contrast. In low-light, the main camera is surprisingly great. It captures enough detail; and when the Night mode is activated, the sensor retrieves enough dark areas without overexposing the bright ones. The 2MP macro camera does its job well if you hit the right fixed-focus distance. Lastly, the 8MP selfie camera shoots decent social media selfies.
Check out our sample photos below.
Battery
- 5000 mAh battery
- 18W fast charging
The smartphone is equipped with 5000 mAh battery, which is expected to last longer with AI power saving technology. It also comes with reverse charging feature which enables your phone to charge other devices. According to vivo, the battery capacity powers 21.5 hours of online HD movie streaming, 9.4 hrs. of graphic-intensive games, and up to 24.7 days of standby.
In our PCMark battery life test, vivo Y22s scored a whopping 20 hours and 24 minutes.
Related: vivo V30 5G Review: Well-rounded Smartphone Performance and Portraits
We tested the Y22s in terms of charging time using its 18W charger. The battery was completely drained at the start of our test and the handset was also turned off during the entire duration; it took a total of 2 hours and 21 minutes to fully charge the battery. See below for more details.
Software
- Funtouch OS 12, based on Android 12
- Multi-Turbo 5.5
The phone runs with the company's proprietary skin, FunTouch OS 12, based on Android 12. As mentioned, certain gems like Ultra Game Mode and other enhancements are layered on top of the Android experience.
There are still a ton of bloatwares you want to uninstall; overall the software is toned down a bit compared to its earlier releases. I love the flat icons; and the familiar notification shade houses quick toggles for commonly used settings.
Verdict: Should You Buy The vivo Y22s?
The vivo Y22s is a decent phone in its Php 10,999 price standpoint; in fact it's a very appealing contender in this segment. It has several features that you'd find in its bigger brother, the Y35, like efficient processor, almost same set of cameras, and even in terms of aesthetics. If you're hard-pressed on buying this phone, I suggest you get the 8GB RAM version for you to optimize the experience. However, if you still have more cash to burn, I'd suggest to get the vivo Y35 instead; otherwise, you'd still have a decent device for everyday use.
