Vivo Y28 Specs and Review

The vivo Y28 is an entry-level smartphone designed for durability, boasting one of the largest battery capacities in its segment.

In this review, we explore the phone’s features and performance. Could the newly-released Y28 be your next daily driver? Let’s dive in and find out!

Our review model is the Gleaming Orange colorway with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.

Design and Construction
The vivo Y28 offers a surprisingly premium feel, weighing 199 grams and feeling light and comfortable in hand. It features a metallic, glossy frame and back panel, with vivo branding on the lower left. The back panel resists smudges well, and a case is included in the box. Dual-rear cameras, an LED flash, and vivo’s Dynamic Light are located on the upper left of the back panel. The front has a display panel with a hole punch notch for the front camera and asymmetrical bezels. The volume rocker and power button are on the right, the dual nano-SIM tray is on the left, and the bottom has one of two speakers, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm audio port. The device has an IP64 rating for dust and splash resistance.

Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics
The vivo Y28 features a 6.68-inch LCD with HD+ resolution (1608 x 720), a 90Hz refresh rate, 264 ppi, and 1,000 nits peak brightness. While the pixel density is somewhat lacking, the display performs well outdoors, though maximum brightness is needed in sunlight. The dual stereo speakers provide loud and rich audio, and a 3.5mm audio port is available for multimedia consumption. Biometrics include a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, though it could be more responsive.

Cameras
The phone has a 50MP main sensor and a 2MP bokeh camera on the rear, and a 13MP front camera. Indoor photos suffer from saturation, and low-light shots are grainy. Selfies appear “dollified,” and overall clarity is somewhat washed out. While not the best camera performance, it’s acceptable for an entry-level device.

OS, Apps, and UI
The phone runs on Funtouch OS 14 based on Android 14, offering personalization and performance features. Users can extend virtual memory by up to 8GB, set up vivo’s Dynamic Light for alerts, and use Multi-Turbo 5.5 technology for optimized gameplay. However, Funtouch OS 14 comes with a significant amount of bloatware, though they are organized into folders.

Performance and Benchmarks
Powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset with a Mali-G52 MP2 GPU, the vivo Y28 performs decently in games, with occasional frame drops in graphics-intensive games. It doesn’t heat up significantly. Here are the benchmark scores:

Antutu: 270,973
Antutu Storage Test: 15,116
3D Mark: Wild Life: 737
Geekbench 6 CPU Single: 433
Geekbench 6 CPU Multi: 1308
Geekbench 6 OpenCL: 582
Geekbench 6 Vulkan: 1112
PC Mark Work 3.0 Performance: 7312

Battery and Connectivity
The Y28 has a 6,000mAh battery with 44W FlashCharge support. In tests, it lasted 22 hours and 5 minutes on PC Mark’s Battery Test and 27 hours and 17 minutes in a video loop test. It supports up to 12 hours and 30 minutes of gaming. The charging speed test showed 46% charge in 30 minutes and full charge in 1 hour and 10 minutes. Connectivity features include Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and 5G.

Pricing and Conclusion
The vivo Y28 is priced at PHP 7,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage version, and PHP 9,999 for the 256GB storage version. It stands out as a budget-friendly device with impressive battery life, decent performance, and a premium feel. Despite issues with cameras, biometrics, and bloatware, the overall value makes it a strong contender in the entry-level segment.

Pros: