vivo Y70 Review - precision landing in the middle of the middle class

Vivo Y70: stylish despite plastic

Vivo proves that even a plastic case can look damn good. Our vivo Y70 test device in the color Gravity Black appears particularly stylish and shows a subtle bluish-silver color gradient. At first glance, no plastic housing can be guessed at! One thinks more of glass. Alternatively, the smartphone is also available in the color Oxygen Blue, which is significantly lighter.

Vivo has placed the camera module, which protrudes almost 2mm from the back, - in the classic way - at the top left. The prints underneath (CE marking) have been skillfully laminated so that they are present, but appear less noticeable depending on the light. Only the vivo logo has been prominently displayed.

The back, which is rounded towards the edges, runs elegantly into the chrome-colored frame, which is also made of plastic. The left side of the frame is completely unoccupied. At the top is the triple SIM slot with a microphone next to it. The USB-C port, a headphone jack, the loudspeaker and another microphone are located at the bottom. On the right is the easily accessible power button with a volume rocker above it. Both buttons sit firmly in the case and have a comfortable pressure point.

The front is dominated by the 6,44-inch AMOLED display, even if the edges are not particularly narrow. In the upper display area, vivo creates space for the 16 megapixel front camera with a drop notch. The narrow receiver is let in directly above it. There is no notification LED. Instead, notifications can be displayed using the always-on function.

The processing quality is at a high level. Uncleanly processed areas or unsightly gaps are avoided. Despite the large amount of plastic and the low weight of only 171g, the vivo Y70 feels valuable. Thanks to the slim dimensions of 161,00 x 74,09 x 7,83 mm, the smartphone can be operated very easily with just one hand. There is no IP certification.

Vivo Y70: Bright AMOLED display

With a size of 6,44 inches and an aspect ratio of 20: 9, the display of the vivo Y70 offers enough space for content of any kind. Combined with the FHD + resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels) the display achieves a pixel density of 408 PPI. The representation is sharp and rich in detail. Individual pixels cannot be seen with the naked eye.

The AMOLED display type ensures particularly crisp colors, an almost infinite contrast and stable viewing angles. Black also appears as black because this type of display does not require a backlight. The individual pixels light up by themselves and simply remain switched off to display black.

With just over 550 cd / m², the display of the vivo Y70 is not one of the brightest, but the maximum brightness is sufficient to ensure that the display remains legible even in sunshine. The adaptive brightness adjustment reacts quickly. The intensity of the colors and the color temperature can be adjusted via the display settings. An eye protection mode and a dark theme are also available in the display settings.

With regard to the refresh rate of the display, you have to be satisfied with 60 Hz. Especially when scrolling quickly, the operation does not feel quite as fluid as it would be the case with a higher refresh rate. Other manufacturers are already represented in this price range with 90 Hz or even 120 Hz AMOLED displays.

Vivo Y70: A lot of memory but an older chip

The system-on-chip (SoC) built into the vivo Y70 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 2019, which was released in early 665. The SoC's CPU is divided into four fast Cortex-A73 cores that clock at up to 2 GHz and four additional Cortex-A53 cores that work at a reduced 1.8 GHz clock rate. The GPU is an Adreno 610.

Although the chip is already a few years old, the performance is sufficient for most everyday smartphone tasks. The generous 8GB of RAM also contributes to this, keeping apps in memory for a longer period of time. The internal 128GB data memory scores with a decent write (207 MB / s) and read speed (510 MB / s). The data memory can also be expanded with a microSD memory card, although the transmission speed achieved here is not quite as high at 50 MB / s.

Enjoying demanding mobile games (e.g. PUBG) in full detail and with a high number of frames is unfortunately not possible with the vivo Y70. Here and there the Snapdragon 665 reaches its limits, which is noticeable through unsightly frame drops. One or the other game can be enjoyed at a low level of detail. There is no excessive heat generation.

Vivo Y70: Funtouch OS 11 (Android 11)

The vivo Y70 is delivered with the in-house FuntouchOS user interface, the current version of which is already based on Android 11. The smartphone usually receives security patches one month after publication. An update to Android 12 is likely, but not yet officially confirmed. Vivo currently only promises the 3-year update policy for the high-end models.

The FuntouchOS user interface looks tidy and is easy to use. Compared to Stock Android, vivo has made only a few changes. Functions that have been added include dynamic effects (animations) for the fingerprint scanner, face recognition and charging, or the Ultra Game Mode, which is intended to improve the gaming experience through useful management options.

With the iManager app, the vivo Y70 has preinstalled an app that clears the memory, warns of risks, is able to clone apps and monitors app authorizations. Apart from Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, no bloatware or third-party apps are preinstalled.

The streaming of films or series via Netflix, Disney + and Co. is possible in crisp Full-HD resolution thanks to the Widevine L1 certification of the vivo Y70.

Vivo Y70: Good main camera

The rear triple camera of the vivo Y70 is composed as follows:

•  48 megapixel main camera (f / 1.8 aperture)
•  2 megapixel bokeh (f / 2.4 aperture)
•  2 megapixel super macro (f / 2.4 aperture)

The main camera of the vivo Y70 takes photos as standard in 12 megapixels. Some people will now wonder why 12 megapixels when the sensor has a resolution of 48 megapixels. The answer is what is known as “pixel binning”. Neighboring pixels are combined into one larger pixel, which in turn reduces the final resolution of the photo.

Pixel binning is now used in pretty much every modern smartphone. In a sense, it is the solution to a space problem, because large sensors are usually difficult to accommodate in smartphones.

The main advantages of pixel binning are sharper recordings, as more information is stored in the pixel, a higher light sensitivity, which means that better recordings can be achieved in poor lighting conditions, and less noise in the image.

main camera

In practice, the main camera of the vivo Y70 is on a good mid-range level. If there is enough light, the photos impress with a high level of detail and an even distribution of focus over the entire image area. Colors are held very richly. Perhaps a bit too exaggerated for some tastes, which is particularly evident with green tones.

Image errors in the form of chromatic aberration can occur here and there. The main camera copes well with high-contrast scenes. The automatic HDR mode rarely needs to intervene. Digital zooming is possible with a maximum of 10x magnification.

If the lighting conditions decrease, the level of detail and the image sharpness decrease. However, the amount of noise remains pleasantly low. The camera app of the vivo Y70 offers a night mode to improve the recording quality in poor lighting conditions.

Portrait camera

As with the I live Y20s the portrait mode caused some initial confusion in the vivo Y70 as well. There is a special recording mode for portraits, but you also have to activate the bokeh lens.

The same results are achieved in normal photo mode, which can also be used to activate the bokeh lens, which makes portrait mode seem unnecessary. The vivo Y70 manages to separate the foreground and background in most cases. With very fine structures, the background blur can blur with the foreground.

Macro camera

The macro camera is a nice gimmick, but it hardly brings any added value. In this price range, it would have been desirable if vivo had opted for an ultra-wide-angle camera instead.

video mode

The main camera of the vivo Y70 records videos with maximum 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. At a low 1080p resolution, up to 60 frames per second are possible. The pictures are a bit shaky due to the lack of image stabilization. Compared to photo mode, colors are recorded less vividly and the image sharpness is reduced. The auto focus works quickly. The sound quality is okay.

Front camera

The 16 megapixel front camera delivers good results and is suitable for selfies and video calls. The sharpness and colors are right, the level of detail is good. In poor lighting conditions, the recording quality decreases accordingly.

Vivo Y70: connectivity

Telephony, WLAN and Bluetooth

The vivo Y70 does without 5G cellular reception, but is also fast on the move in the 4G network. The following mobile radio bands are available:

•  GSM ： B2 / B3 / B5 / B8
•  WCDMA ： B1 / B2 / B5 / B8
•  LTE FDD： B1/B2/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28
•  LTE TDD ： B38 / B40 / B41

As a dual SIM smartphone, two nano SIM cards can be used at the same time. Fast LTE reception is possible on both slots. The cellular reception is strong and the call quality is excellent in both directions. Voice calls with VoLTE and VoWiFi (WiFi calling) are supported.

With WiFi 5 (Dual-AC), the vivo Y70 is also fast on the move in WiFi and has strong connections with a good range. Bluetooth 5.0 performs its services without restrictions.

GPS and sensors

In addition to the three standard sensors (acceleration, light and proximity sensors), the vivo Y70 also has a gyroscope and an e-compass. The navigation is accurate to within a few meters, both in the car and on foot, and is stable.

Vivo has hidden the fingerprint scanner under the display. In the test, the smartphone was unlocked quickly and reliably on average. Another unlocking method is face recognition, with which the smartphone could also be unlocked without any problems. Fortunately, NFC is available. Nothing stands in the way of mobile payment.

Audio

As far as the sound is concerned, you unfortunately have to do without stereo. Nevertheless, the mono loudspeaker of the vivo Y70 sounds pleasantly powerful and reaches a high volume. There is no FM radio function despite the headphone jack. The sound output via headphones sounds balanced and is interference-free.

Vivo Y70: 33 watt quick charge function

With the 33 watt quick charge function, the 4.100 mAh battery of the vivo Y70 is fully charged in just 58 minutes. Just 30 minutes on the charger are enough to charge the battery to almost 60 percent. This roughly corresponds to the daily consumption of the vivo Y70 with normal use. On average, the fully charged battery lasts 1½ to 2 days. A suitable quick charger is included in the scope of delivery.

 Reverse charging like it that I live Y20s is not available in the vivo Y70. You also have to do without wireless Qi charging, which is rarely found in this price range anyway.