Vivo has kept a steady pace when it comes to launching multiple smartphones over the years. Their portfolio encapsulates the price bracket from budget and entry-level smartphones to high-end premium smartphones. The only reason for Vivo`s sheer success has been their no-compromise attitude towards manufacturing value for money smartphones.
Vivo`s Y17 is just another example of the company’s uptake towards delivering an awesome device at an awesome price point. This triple camera smartphone was unveiled back in April 2019 within a price bracket of under 20K to compete with the rivals such as Oppo, Xiaomi and Samsung. Does the Vivo have what it takes to bag the title of the best mid-range smartphone under 20K? Let’s find out
Display & Build
Vivo Y17 comes with a 6.35-inch IPS LCD display (720×1544 px) with a water drop notch elegantly housing the front-facing camera. This tiny notch is complemented by thin bezels across the body which gives it a screen-to-body ratio of 81.91%. Lack of a high res screen makes the experience a flawed one if you have the eye for it, however, vibrant colour and bright contrasts makes up for it.
The Y17 feels well built with its tactile power button, 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro-USB port at the bottom. There is a vertical camera panel with a fingerprint sensor on the back beside a Vivo branding at the bottom. The body is primarily made out of plastic with a finish that is available in Mineral Blue and Mystic Purple. These colours give a certain finesse and add a certain degree of flamboyance with its subtle texture. The back, however, is irrevocably the worst material when you hold it as it attracts a lot of smudges. We ended up cleaning the device many times to get some smudge free good images.
Performance and Software
Vivo Y17 performs flawlessly given its MediaTek Helio P35 chip clocked at 2.3GHz is based on the 12nm architecture. It slots somewhere between Snapdragon 625 and Snapdragon 636 in terms of its computational prowess. Its coupled with a 4GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to an additional 256GB. Intensive games like Asphalt 8 and PUBG ran smooth provided we ran them at medium settings which are quite expected given the price but fall short when we considered the level of performance the Poco F1 can deliver in the same price point.
The FunTouch OS based on the Android 9 is not something we are a fan of, because it has some significant flaws and has a whole lot of bloatware lying around. The OS demands a much-needed revision due to its sluggish nature, dull animations and perplexed settings menu.
Additionally, the Y17 includes a horde of applications such as Jovi smart assistant, Game Cube, Motorbike mode, One-handed mode, App Clone, Easy Touch, Smart motion, Smart mirroring, Smart split, Smart click, etc.
Camera
The camera sensors include a 13MP (f/2.2) + 8MP (f/2.2) 16mm ultrawide + 2MP (f/2.4) depth sensor unit. This contraption lets the device capture some stunning imagery with its accurate colour reproduction and right saturation levels. The edge detection in the portrait mode works well provided the lighting conditions are fare.
Indoor shots came out to be completely washed-out and inaccurate on all levels. Night shots too weren’t promising as the images look too grainy to post or use anywhere.
The 20MP (f/2.0) selfie camera also performed above average given its poor colour reproduction and low light performance.
Battery
Vivo didn’t compromise on the battery by packing this device with a massive 5000mAh unit. Without daily average use age, the phone impressed us with more than a day worth of on-screen time. However, the 18W fast charger does tend to heat up and doesn’t work as expected which might be a flawed unit.
Gizmo Verdict
Our final verdict is based on the fact that the Y17 has great design, Average camera, whole day battery life and effortless performance. This makes the device an appreciable mid-range device from the company. If you are looking for a phone which lasts you an entire day with some juice to spare, the Y17 is the unquestionable choice.
