Here are the first impressions of Vivo’s new selfie-focused Y66 smartphone with Moonlight flash.
You are clicking selfies and the smartphone makers are taking note of it. From adding more megapixels, dedicated flash support, to even bringing the dual-camera setup, selfies are here to stay for some more. One of the manufacturers cashing on the selfie fad is Vivo. The China-based manufacturer has a range of smartphones, including the V5, which are aimed at selfie enthusiasts. Adding to its portfolio of selfie-focused smartphones, the company has launched the Vivo Y66 at a price of Rs 14,990.
The Vivo Y66 carries forward the same design language as seen on Vivo’s previous smartphones. It features a sleek unibody metal design with slightly rounded corners and narrow bezels. Physical buttons on the smartphone are limited to the volume rocker, and power button on the right. The antenna bands run on the top and bottom of the rear panel. The front panel houses the virtual Android controllers on the bottom while the front camera, flash, light and proximity sensor sit on the top. On the left of the smartphone is the hybrid tray for SIM/microSD card which means you can either insert a second Nano SIM or expand the storage. Overall, there is nothing noteworthy when it comes to the appearance of the Vivo Y66. However, one thing amiss here is the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor. A lot of smartphones in the affordable category today boast at least one form of biometric authentication. Not to hop on the bandwagon, but for user privacy and making even low-priced devices more secure, a fingerprint sensor on smartphones is what I personally feel is the need of the hour.
The Vivo Y66 comes with a 5.5-inch HD display and its sleekness helps make it suitable for one-handed operation even for users like me who have been used to smaller displays. The display quality is bright and adapts to the change in lighting conditions quite swiftly. The touch response was also quick and lag-free in the limited time of using the smartphone. If you are one of those who like to watch a movie on-the-go or read eBooks on a device which isn’t cumbersome to hold during commute, then the Vivo Y66 is less likely to disappoint you.
At the heart of the smartphone is a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6750 processor clocked at 1.5GHz and paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Interestingly, the version launched in China features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. The smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Vivo’s FunTouch OS 3.0 layered atop. The interface draws heavily on Apple’s proprietary iOS software. I personally find the interface as a seamless cross between Android and iOS with familiar icons and swipe gestures. Although the given configuration is decent on paper for an average lifestyle user, we will reserve our verdict on the performance till we do a thorough usage.
With the advent of social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, in addition to the good old Facebook and WhatsApp, the focus has shifted to pictures and in this, the emphasis is laid on self-captures. The better the angle, the more the number of ‘hearts’ and likes; the better your low-light selfie, the more discoverability on dating apps; and the pros go into pages about why a good selfie matters in the modern times.
The USP of the Vivo Y66 is its 16-megapixel front camera with an LED flash which the company calls ‘Moonlight’. Personally, I am not very fond of selfies or skilled enough to get the ‘right angle’, yet when I toyed with the Vivo Y66, the results did boost my false sense of self-confidence a little bit by making the skin look flawless, albeit a little too bright. There are some beautification tools within the selfie mode that will help you get an even better selfie. The smartphone features a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash that is capable of shooting videos in 1080p. There are multiple filters and modes to choose from. Even without the use of the flash, the results appear slightly bleached. Given that the conditions of testing the selfie camera were limited, we will talk more on the prowess of the ‘Moonlight’ flash in our detailed review.
The Vivo Y66 houses a 3,000mAh battery which is sufficient to last an average day out if you are clicking too many selfies. There are some battery optimization modes which could help stretch the battery life a bit more. Other features on the smartphone include 4G VoLTE and dual-SIM support.
At the given price, the Vivo Y66 competes with the current favorite in the affordable and feature-rich category — the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. The Redmi Note 4 is priced at Rs 9,999 for the base variant and goes up to Rs 12,999 for the 4GB+64GB storage model. Although it falls short on the camera capabilities with a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie shooter, it runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 octa-core SoC (eight Cortex-A53 cores) which has been proven to offer the right mix of power, performance and efficiency. Additionally, the Redmi Note 4 also houses a bigger 4,100mAh battery. ALSO READ: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Review
In all, Vivo is aiming to market its ‘Moonlight’ selfie flash smartphone to the millennials who have been obsessed with the selfie-capturing phenomenon and intend to own a smartphone that isn’t too heavy on their pockets (literally and figuratively). But is it worth spending almost Rs 15,000 on a smartphone that has no thing innovative in terms of looks or features; we will be finding it soon through our detailed review. Watch this space for more.