Samsung Galaxy A13vsvivo Y21

Samsung Galaxy A13

vivo Y21

Samsung Galaxy A13

The Samsung Galaxy A13 is a budget-friendly smartphone that aims to deliver a solid experience without breaking the bank. However, despite its affordable price, this device falls short in several areas. The phone's glossy plastic unibody feels far from premium and lacks grip. The fingerprint reader is fast and responsive, but the timeout between unlocks can be frustrating. The 6.6-inch PLS LCD display has a 1080p resolution and standard 60Hz refresh rate, making movement less smooth compared to more premium phones. Performance-wise, the Exynos 850 chipset is underwhelming, particularly in GPU-intensive tasks. The phone lags and stutters when performing basic tasks, including navigating the homescreen. The lack of an ambient light sensor results in auto brightness being unresponsive. The cameras are decent for a budget phone, with a 50MP main cam producing solid photos, especially for a low price point. However, the ultrawide camera struggles in low-light conditions, and there's no night mode to help improve image quality. Despite its shortcomings, the Galaxy A13 has some redeeming qualities, such as good battery life (114 hours endurance rating) and decent storage options (expandable via microSD cards). Unfortunately, the phone's overall performance issues make it less desirable compared to other budget-friendly alternatives.

vivo Y21

The Vivo Y21 is a budget-friendly smartphone designed to compete in the upper budget segment. Priced at KSh 16,999, this device boasts an affordable tag while packing some impressive features. Design-wise, the phone has a sleek diamond glow texture that's sure to turn heads. The well-positioned volume buttons and USB-C port are also notable features. Vivo opted for a side-mounted fingerprint sensor instead of an in-display one, which works efficiently. The 6.51-inch Halo LCD display with 1600x720 pixels resolution is not high-refresh-rate enabled, but it still provides a pleasant multimedia experience. The phone's performance is backed by a Mediatek Helio P35 processor paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, expandable to 1GB. While the device handles light to medium tasks without any issues, gaming performance takes a hit. Playing graphic-intensive games like Call of Duty requires medium settings, which might deter some users. However, the phone's battery longevity is noteworthy. The 5000mAh battery delivers up to two days of use on a single charge, with charging speeds that top off from 0-70% in just 52 minutes using an 18W charger. The camera setup features three sensors - an 8MP selfie camera and a 13MP dual main camera with a 2MP macro sensor. While not the best camera performer, it's still a commendable feature set for its price bracket. Overall, the Vivo Y21 is a solid budget offering that's worth considering, especially given its excellent battery life, satisfactory performance, and value-for-money pricing.