The budget and lower mid-range price segments in India are quite competitive right now. With phones such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1, and the Realme 1, it’s difficult for other companies to undercut the established competitors in this market. With the launch of the Vivo Y81 in India, Vivo is aiming to do that, but a preliminary look at the specifications leaves us skeptical as to whether it will be able to taken on phones that have better specifications.
The Vivo Y81 was initially launched in June in a few markets, and Vivo has now launched it in India. Its noticeable features include the 12nm MediaTek Helio P22 SoC, which also powers the Xiaomi Redmi 6. It’s also the first buget Vivo phone to feature a tall 6.22-inch HD+ display with a notch. Its specifications are noted in the table below.
| Specifications | Vivo Y81 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions and weight | 155.06 x 75.0 x 7.77 mm, 146.5g |
| Software | Android 8.1 Oreo with FunTouch OS 4.0 |
| CPU | Octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 (8x 2.0GHz Arm Cortex-A53 cores); PowerVR GE8320 GPU |
| RAM and storage | 3GB of RAM with 32GB of storage; microSD card slot |
| Battery | 3,260mAh |
| Display | 6.22-inch HD+ (1520×720) IPS LCD with 19:9 aspect ratio, Gorilla Glass |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz single band), Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | microUSB port, Dual Nano SIM slots, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Rear camera | 13MP with f/2.2 aperture |
| Front-facing camera | 5MP with f/2.2 aperture, selfie flash |
The MediaTek Helio P22 SoC is manufactured on a 12nm process, giving it an efficiency advantage over the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625. In terms of performance, however, it doesn’t match even the older Snapdragon 630, to say nothing of newer SoCs such as the Snapdragon 636. MediaTek’s own higher-end Helio P60 is used by the Realme 1 at a lower price point (₹8,990), so the value proposition in terms of performance is missing in the Vivo Y81.
In terms of software, the Vivo Y81 runs Android 8.1 Oreo with FunTouch OS 4.0 on top. It has support for face detection.
Pricing and availability
The Vivo Y81 is already on sale on the Vivo online store, Amazon India, and Flipkart. It costs ₹12,999 ($186) in India, competing with phones such as the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1, Indian Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, Xiaomi Redmi Y2, Honor 9N, and the Realme 1. Consumers can buy it now with delivery time stated as early as the next day, and the phone comes in Black and Gold colors. Exchange offers are available as well on Amazon and Flipkart.
In our view, the inclusion of the 12nm Helio P22 makes this an interesting phone in terms of power efficiency, but sadly, the Y81 is overpriced just like all other Vivo budget phones. Vivo as a brand typically sells well in offline channels, where phones such as the ZenFone Max Pro M1 and the Realme 1 are not available. In terms of specifications, Vivo is still holding back. If it could have been priced at around ₹10,000, the phone would have had a better value proposition.
Source: Vivo
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