vivo Y31 review

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The Vivo Y31 is the latest addition to the Y series, boasting a large 6.58-inch Full HD+ LCD screen that offers crisp and sharp visuals. The device's massive 5,000mAh battery provides impressive battery life, lasting over a day with moderate use. The triple camera setup on the rear features a 48MP AI main sensor, 2MP macro lens, and 2MP depth sensor, producing vibrant daylight shots with decent low-light performance. In terms of performance, the Y31 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chip paired with 8GB of RAM, making it suitable for everyday tasks such as social media browsing and video watching. However, gaming performance is average, with occasional frame drops and lag. The device's connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 4G LTE. The Y31's design features a frosted matte finish on the back, which, although attractive, is prone to smudges and fingerprints. The phone has a relatively slim build, despite its large screen size, making it comfortable to hold. However, the chin at the front is slightly thicker than expected. With an 18W fast charger, charging time is manageable, but the provided clear case helps maintain the device's pristine appearance. Android 11 is skinned with the newer FunTouch OS 11, providing a standard interface with customization options. The Y31 also features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and face recognition for biometric security. For its price of P12,999, the Vivo Y31 offers a solid package of performance, battery life, and design, making it an attractive option for those seeking an affordable smartphone with decent specs.

Build Quality and Design

The Vivo Y31 boasts an impressive build quality, with its large screen size making it a pretty tall device. However, despite its massive battery capacity, the phone feels firm and comfortable to hold in hand. The front features a slightly thick chin, but the other bezels surrounding the screen are slim, giving it a sleek appearance. A notch at the top of the screen houses the front camera. The back of the Y31 is adorned with an attractive frosted matte finish, which gives it a premium look. However, this design also makes it prone to smudges and fingerprints. To combat this, Vivo has provided a clear case in the box, which helps keep the phone pristine. The rear cameras are situated at the back, accompanied by a LED flash. On the right side of the device, users will find the volume rockers and power button, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. There's nothing on the left side, but the top features a secondary microphone and dual SIM tray with a dedicated micro SD card slot. The bottom houses a 3.5mm headphone jack, primary microphone, USB-C port, and loudspeaker. The Vivo Y31's design is undeniably attractive, with its matte finish giving it a premium feel. While it may not be perfect in terms of build quality, the phone's comfort factor and sleek appearance make up for it. The sizeable display makes it great for video watching, and the battery life is impressive, lasting well into the next day even after heavy use. The Y31's design language is on par with other Vivo devices, offering a refreshing take on smartphone design. Overall, while there may be some minor drawbacks to the build quality, the phone's aesthetic appeal and comfort factor make it an attractive option for those in the market for a new device.

Battery Life

The Vivo Y31 boasts an impressive 5000mAh battery, making it one of the most significant talking points in its lineup. In our testing, this massive power bank delivered beyond expectations. With moderate use, which included browsing the web and playing games, we were still at 20% by the end of the day. This is a testament to the phone's efficient hardware and software optimization. To further quantify its battery prowess, we subjected it to PC Mark's Work 2.0 battery test and video loop test. The results were impressive, yielding scores of 17 hours and 19 minutes in the former, and 17 hours and 14 minutes in the latter. This translates to a phone that can easily last two days with moderate use. What's more, this massive battery supports 18 watts fast charging, allowing you to quickly top up your device when needed. This combination of long battery life and rapid charging makes it an ideal choice for users who need a reliable device on-the-go. In short, the Vivo Y31's battery life is one of its strongest suits. It offers an unbeatable balance of power and efficiency, making it perfect for users who want to enjoy their phone without worrying about running out of juice.

Display

The Vivo Y31 boasts an impressive 6.58-inch Full HD Plus LCD screen, making it ideal for video watching and delivering crisp, sharp details. The display's brightness is also noteworthy, allowing users to utilize the phone under direct sunlight at just 50% brightness. Color reproduction is accurate and vibrant, with users having the option to adjust the color temperature in settings. A notable aspect of the Y31's display is its sizeable screen, perfect for those who enjoy watching videos or browsing through social media. However, it lacks Gorilla Glass protection on top, making it prone to scratches. A pre-installed screen protector is available, which can help mitigate this issue. In terms of performance, the display delivers decent and loud sound quality through its single speaker, suitable for small rooms. Although the lows may not be prominent at times, the overall audio experience is satisfactory.

Camera

The camera is one of the most important features in any smartphone, and the Vivo Y31 delivers in this department. The phone boasts a triple-camera setup at the back, featuring a 48-megapixel AI main sensor, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. In daylight conditions, the camera takes vibrant shots with good color reproduction. The 48-megapixel sensor is particularly useful in capturing detailed images, although it's not always noticeable in everyday use. Low light shots are decent, but the dedicated night mode helps to improve image quality. However, details can become slightly muddy when using this feature. The front camera is an 8-megapixel shooter that takes modest selfies with good colors and nice details. The images are usable for social media posting, although they may not be the most impressive. Video recording on the Vivo Y31 is limited to 1080p at 30 frames per second. While stabilization needs improvement, the quality is still good enough for casual use. One notable omission is a higher frame rate or better stabilization for smoother video capture. In terms of camera features, the Vivo Y31 has all the usual suspects, including portrait mode and other creative options. However, the camera software could benefit from some tweaks to make it more intuitive and user-friendly. Overall, the camera on the Vivo Y31 is a solid offering that should satisfy most users' needs. While it may not be the best in its class, it's still a great feature for those looking for an affordable smartphone with good imaging capabilities.

Price and Value

The Vivo Y31 is a smartphone that offers great value for its price tag of PHP 12,999. Upon closer inspection, you'll find that this device packs a sizable screen, a massive 5000mAh battery, and decent performance capabilities. For its price point, the Y31's display stands out as one of its most impressive features. The 6.58-inch Full HD+ LCD screen is crisp and sharp, making it ideal for watching videos or browsing through your favorite social media apps. Additionally, the screen's brightness is noteworthy, allowing you to use the device comfortably under direct sunlight. While the Y31's performance may not be exceptional, it still manages to deliver decent results in everyday tasks such as video watching and social media browsing. However, when it comes to gaming, you may encounter some frame drops and lag, which might be a drawback for serious gamers. In terms of cameras, the Y31 boasts a triple camera setup with a 48MP AI main camera, 2MP macro camera, and 2MP depth sensor. While not exceptional, the rear cameras produce good results in daylight shots, capturing vibrant colors. The dedicated night mode can also help improve low-light shot quality. Battery life is where the Y31 truly shines, lasting an impressive day with moderate use. With support for 18W fast charging, you'll be able to top up your device's battery quickly when needed. Ultimately, the Vivo Y31 offers great value for its price tag of PHP 12,999. While it may not excel in every aspect, its performance and camera capabilities are respectable, making it a solid choice for those looking for an affordable smartphone that can handle everyday tasks with ease.

Performance

The Vivo Y31 is a solid smartphone that offers decent performance for everyday use. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chip, paired with 8GB of RAM. In our testing, we found the phone to be excellent in basic tasks such as video watching and social media browsing. However, when it comes to gaming, the Y31 did encounter some issues. We experienced a lot of lags and frame drops while playing graphic-intensive games. This is likely due to the phone's processor struggling to handle demanding games. In our benchmarking tests, the phone scored decently but not spectacularly. The device managed to score around 3500 in AnTuTu, which is a mid-range performance score. The phone also performed moderately well in Geekbench, with a single-core score of around 560 and a multi-core score of around 1700. Overall, the Vivo Y31's performance is sufficient for everyday use but may not be ideal for heavy gaming or demanding tasks. However, its processor is still capable of handling general usage such as browsing, social media, and streaming video content. The phone also features a massive 5000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. In our testing, the device managed to last the whole day primarily on web browsing and gaming, ending at around 20% by the end of the day. This is impressive considering the phone's processor and display. While the Vivo Y31 can handle casual games, it may struggle with more demanding titles. The phone's processor and RAM are sufficient for everyday use but might not be ideal for heavy gaming or graphic-intensive tasks. If you're a gamer, you might want to look elsewhere. The Vivo Y31 is a solid smartphone that offers decent performance for everyday use. While it may struggle with gaming, its battery life is impressive, and the phone's processor can handle general usage. If you're in the market for an affordable smartphone, the Y31 is worth considering.

Pros

1. Large and vibrant display

2. Long-lasting battery life

3. Expandable storage

4. Decent performance

5. Good camera capabilities

6. Comfortable design

7. Pre-installed screen protector and case

8. Latest software features

Cons

1. No Gorilla Glass protection

2. Single speaker with limited low-end performance

3. Frame drops and lag in gaming

4. Smudges and fingerprints on matte finish

5. Not ideal for low-light photography

6. No impressive video stabilization

FAQ