With the vivo Y55 5G, the Chinese firm can now claim that it sells the cheapest 5G device in Australia; it is priced at $299.
Launched in May, the device is locked to the Telstra network; were that not the case, it would be an excellent buy, with the features more than a match for the cost.
But given Telstra’s over-priced 4G and 5G plans, and the fact that one has to pay an unspecified sum for getting it unlocked, one has to probably think twice before buying the Y55 5G.
I asked Telstra how much it would cost to get the device unlocked, but a week on and the company has not bothered to respond to my query.
|
|
But that should not detract from the merits of the device. Weighing in an 187 grammes, it is more rectangular than many other models, and that makes it feel so much secure within one’s grasp.
Taken shortly after noon.
The Y55 5G was launched in January in other parts of the globe; in Europe, it sells for the equivalent of $360. There are four other devices in the market which are comparable: the Oppo A54, the Oppo A74, the Oppo A94 and the vivo Y52.
It has a 6.58″ FHD+ screen and the on-off switch, on the right-hand side, serves as the fingerprint sensor as well. This means that registering a print is a bit of a fiddly affair but unlocking is instantaneous. The volume control is located on the same side.
The Y55 5G comes with Android 12 on which is layered vivo’s own Funtouch OS; however, the latter does not mess with the stock Android features to any marked degree.
It has 128GB of storage, 4GB of memory and is built atop MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 SoC.
The main camera is 50MP and there is a macro camera (2MP) and a depth camera (also 2MP).
Photographs taken in daylight are clear and bright. At night, one needs to use the night mode to get an acceptable image.
While one can zoom in as much as 10x, anything above 5X tends to appear quite grainy and is best avoided.
vivo still offers a set of headphones with its phones; the sound is acceptable.
The Y55 5G can be bought from Telstra stores.
SPECS
Network Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
Body Dimensions 164 x 75.9 x 8.3 mm (6.46 x 2.99 x 0.33 in)
Weight 187 g (6.60 oz)
Build Glass front, plastic frame, plastic back
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
Display Type IPS LCD
Size 6.58 inches, 104.3 cm2 (~83.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2408 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~401 ppi density)
Platform OS Android 12, Funtouch 12
Chipset MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 (7 nm)
CPU Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU Mali-G57 MC2
Memory Card slot microSDXC
Internal 128GB 4GB RAM
Main Camera Triple 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), PDAF 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Features Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 1080p @ 30fps, gyro-EIS
Selfie camera Single 8 MP, f/1.8, (wide)
Video 1080p @ 30fps
Sound Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Comms WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
NFC Yes
Radio FM radio
USB USB Type-C, USB On-The-Go
Features Sensors Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Battery Type Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable
Charging Fast charging 18W
Colours Black
Price: $299
