The vivo Y36 is one of the latest smartphones from vivo that aims to offer a smooth and enjoyable user experience at an affordable price.
The device boasts a 6.64-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 50MP main camera with a Super Night Algorithm, a 16MP selfie camera, a Snapdragon 680 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 5000mAh battery with 44W fast charging. It also has an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and runs on Android 13 with Funtouch OS 13 on top.
In this review, we will take a closer look at the vivo Y36’s features and performance and see if it is worth buying.
Display & Design
The vivo Y36 has a sleek design with a glass front, a plastic back, and a plastic frame. It comes in two color options: Meteor Black and Glitter Aqua. The former has a fluorite AG glass finish that reflects streaks of light, while the latter has a crystal glass design that mimics the ripples of a lake. The back panel also has a fantasy frame that adds a rainbow ring around the camera module.
The display is one of the main attractions of the vivo Y36. It is a 6.64-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 2388×1080 pixels. It also supports a 90Hz refresh rate that makes scrolling and gaming smoother and more responsive. The display has thin bezels on the sides and top, but a noticeable chin at the bottom. There is also a small punch-hole cutout on the top center for the selfie camera.
The display quality is impressive for the price range, offering good brightness, contrast, and colors. It also adapts well to outdoor conditions, reaching up to 650 nits of brightness when exposed to sunlight. The viewing angles are good too, but they fall short of the excellence of an AMOLED panel.
The vivo Y36 has a flat design that makes it comfortable to hold and use. It measures 164.06 x 76.17 x 8.07 mm and weighs 202 grams, which is not too bulky or heavy for its size
It has a power button on the right side that doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which is fast and accurate. The volume buttons are on the same side, while the USB-C port, speaker grille, and 3.5mm headphone jack are on the bottom. The SIM tray is on top. It has three slots for two nano SIMs and a microSD card.
Cameras
The vivo Y36 has a dual-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 50MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, and a 2MP depth sensor with an f/2.4 aperture for portrait mode.
The main camera can capture detailed and sharp photos in good lighting conditions, with accurate colors and exposure. However, the performance is not very reliable, as some photos look great while others are mediocre and blurry. Indoor shots are acceptable, but they lack dynamic range and colors. It also has 2x zoom, which produces decent results but loses some sharpness. Still, they are sufficient for social media posts.
The main camera also supports Night Mode, which uses an algorithm to reduce noise and enhance brightness in low-light situations. The results are okay and usable, but the photos have limited dynamic range, some noise, and softness in some areas.
The vivo Y36 can record videos up to 1080p at 30fps with the main camera, which is decent but not impressive. The video quality is good in daylight, with smooth stabilization and clear audio. However, it lacks details and dynamic range in low-light or high-contrast situations.
The selfie camera is a 16MP shooter with an f/2.5 aperture that can take decent selfies in good lighting conditions, with good skin tones and exposure. It also supports beauty mode and different filters that can add various light effects to your selfies for more creativity. It goes without saying that using the beauty mode on full to smoothen your skin makes the selfies look unnatural.
Performance
The vivo Y36 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset, which is a 6nm octa-core processor with Kryo 265 CPU cores clocked at up to 2.4GHz. It also has an Adreno 610 GPU. The chipset supports 4G LTE connectivity, but not 5G.
The vivo Y36 comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, which are generous for its price range. It also has a dedicated microSD card slot. The device also has a Memory Booster feature that uses Extended RAM 3.0 technology to create virtual RAM from the storage, which can improve the multitasking performance by keeping more apps in the background. It also has a RAM Saver feature that can free up more space and prevent overcrowding of apps.
The vivo Y36 runs on Android 13 with Funtouch OS 13 on top. The interface is clean and user-friendly, with some useful features and customization options. However, it comes with some bloatware, which you can just uninstall or disable.
As a daily driver, the phone can handle most apps and tasks smoothly with minimal lag or stutters. And while it can run casual games just fine, it has problems with more demanding titles. Genshin Impact, for instance, is playable in low settings. However, it downright struggled against Mihoyo’s newer title, Honkai: Star Rail.
Battery Life
The vivo Y36 has a large 5000mAh battery that can easily last for a full day of moderate to heavy usage, or even longer with light usage. It also supports 44W fast charging that can charge the device from 0% to 100% in about one hour, which is impressive considering the size of the battery.
The vivo Y36 also has some battery-saving modes, such as Battery Saver, that can extend the battery life further by limiting some functions and apps.
Verdict
The vivo Y36 is a budget-friendly smartphone that offers decent performance for its price. It has a smooth and responsive display, a capable main camera, large RAM and storage, and a long-lasting battery with fast charging. It also has a sleek design, a reliable fingerprint scanner, and an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance.
However, it also has some drawbacks, such as the lack of 5G connectivity and inconsistent camera quality. It also has some bloatware.
Overall, the vivo Y36 is a good choice for those who are looking for a smartphone that can handle most tasks smoothly and efficiently without breaking the bank.
Price
The vivo Y36 is priced at PHP 12,999 in the Philippines. It is available where vivo devices are sold.
vivo Y36 specs
| Display | 6.64-inch FHD+ LCD display, 2388×1080, 90Hz refresh rate, 650 nits, 240Hz gaming touch sampling rate |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 |
| RAM/Storage | 8GB+256GB +8GB extended virtual RAM |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP main 2MP depth |
| Front Camera | 16MP |
| Network | 4G LTE, Dual SIM |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, GPS |
| Others | Side fingerprint scanner, USB-C, IP5X Dust Resistance, IP4X Water Resistance, 200% Volume |
| OS | Funtouch OS 13, Android 13 |
| Colors | Glitter Aqua, Meteor Black |
| Battery | 5000mAh battery, 44W FlashCharge |
