Does Price Meet Performance?

Vivo recently launched Y36, an update to their Y series, globally on 27th May 2023. The smartphones under vivo Y series offer premium looks. Like its predecessors, the vivo Y36 blends in modern design elements in a compact mid-range package. Let’s look at the detailed review. 

Key Specifications of vivo Y36  

Design and Build Quality 

Much of the design elements of the Y36 have been carried forward from the outgoing Y35. The Y36 takes a more toned-down design approach compared to the flashy refractive back of the Y35. This design choice is purely subjective as some might prefer the minimal look over the flaunting one. The large rectangular camera housing on the back is almost becoming synonymous with the Y series design and that is probably a good thing. It’s adding a distinct design element that highlights the Y36 from the rest.

At 202 grams, the device is on the heavier side for an all-plastic device. Much of that can be attributed to the footprint of the device which comes in at 6.46 x 3.00 x 0.32 in. The front of the device houses the 6.64-inch display which with an 85.4% screen-to-body ratio, looks like an entry-level smartphone from yesteryear. 

Other than the front with its large chin, there aren’t any design loops with the Y36. Ports and buttons are all placed as usual with the 3.5 mm headphone jack staying for another iteration. There is also a dedicated micro SDXC slot on the device which will be necessary if one goes with the entry-level 4/64 GB variant. 

Overall, the device feels great in looks. The weight distribution felt even with a good balance all around. For anyone looking for a minimal yet stylish device at a mid-range budget, the Y36 can be a perfect pick.

The Display 

While the display bezels might not be all that pleasing to look at, the story is completely different from the display itself. The 6.64-inch display is an IPS LCD panel with 1080P by 2388P FHD+ resolution, 90 Hz refresh rate, and a 550 nits HBM. The 395 PPI is more than enough for an LCD panel making it a pretty solid performer. 

Being an LCD panel, the 550 HBM isn’t all that great. Even with max brightness, legibility under direct sunlight will still be a strenuous ordeal. But most people won’t be using the device in the scorching sunlight as is. 

The performance of the panel itself is satisfactory. It will not compete with the likes of AMOLED with washed-out blacks. But the display has its own perks. Unlike most LCD panels, the display on the Y36 doesn’t suffer from weird color shifts here and there. The viewing angles are good with accurate color reproduction. 

The 90 Hz refresh rate is another plus point of the device as it delivers a smooth interactive experience. Overall, the display on the Y36 isn’t the best of the lot out there. But it certainly produces passable results.

The Camera 

The camera on the Y36 is a bit confusing. The device has a triple camera setup with 50 MP main sensors, 2 MP depth, and a 2 MP macro shooter. However, the macro shooter is not available in every region. For the South Asian market, the macro sensor has not been included in the design. 

Moving on to the performance of the camera, it‍‍`s exactly what one would expect from a mid-range device. vivo has come a long way from their over-processed photo era and it honestly makes a big difference. Photos under direct sunlight look natural and crisp with great details all around. The depth sensor aids well in portrait shots though the edge detection is a hit or miss at times. 

However, the camera performance drops a bit in indoor or artificial lighting conditions. It‍‍`s not drastically different but the images overall become a bit soft. 

The story is the same with the 16 MP front camera as well, great daylight pictures and moderate low light images. 

The Y36 videography is rated at 1080P at 30 fps. With the main camera resolution and processing power, vivo could have provided 4K technology on the device. But the guess is that lack of OIS or EIS may have deterred the move. 

vivo Y36

Processor and Performance 

The processor on the vivo Y36 is Snapdragon 680 4G based on the 6 Nm architecture. The octa-core processor has a chip design of 4 2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold and 4 1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver with Adreno 610 GPU. 

The 680 from Snapdragon is a proper mid-range processor now since the 700 series has moved onto the upper mid-range segment. The performance on the device is also likewise. Day-to-day tasks like browsing the web or media consumption feel like a breeze. The updated Funtouch 12 based on Android 11 offers a smooth experience but it is still far off from a stock Android experience. 

Gaming on the Y36 provided mixed results. The device wasn’t able to push graphics-intensive games like PUBG and Genshin Impact in max settings. There were noticeable frame drops. However, in mid-settings, the experience got significantly better. Though there was some thermal throttling after about 30-odd minutes of gaming. 

To sum up, the Y36 isn’t really made for intense gaming. The device is best suited for casual day-to-day use. 

Battery and Charge Time 

The battery on the vivo Y36 is a 5000 mAh one with 44W wired fast charging. vivo claims that fast charging can take the device from 0 to 30% in just 15 minutes. Once full, users should be able to get about 6 to 7 hours of screen time with moderate use. 

Pros and Cons of vivo Y36 

Pros: 

-A large vibrant display 
-3.5 mm headphone jack 
-Above average battery 
-Funtush 13 UI on top of Android 13 OS.

Cons: 

-Lacks Corning Gorilla glass protection
-Not really made for gaming 
-Lacks stabilization in videography
-The device is a bit heavy
-Lacks wireless charging port 
-Optical zoom, and ultra-wide cameras are missing in the camera section.

Official Price of vivo Y36 in Bangladesh

The vivo Y36 is now available in Bangladesh on a pre-order basis. The 8/128 GB variant vivo Y36 is currently priced at 27,998 BDT. Only the 8/128 GB variant is officially available for pre-order in Bangladesh for the time being. 

Final Words 

The vivo Y36 with its subtle design changes feels more like an incremental update to the Y35. The design is a bit more minimal this time around with a slightly improved camera and display over the last generation. The processor is also good enough for a mid-range device. The specialty of the Y36 is that its individual features don’t stand out that much. Rather it’s the complete product that makes it a worthy option compared to others in the market.