Vivo (quietly) announced the Y85 for the Philippine market in May. After several months on store shelves, the Chinese smartphone maker has decided to drop the phone’s original price of P13,999 (about $263) to a more palatable P11,999 ($226).
The Vivo Y85 offers a slight bump in memory to the Y81, with 4GB RAM, and includes dual back-facing cameras and a fingerprint reader, both of which the Y81 lacks. In the Philippines, the Vivo Y81 officially sells for P9,999 ($188).
SEE ALSO: Vivo V9 now P3,000 ($56) cheaper in the Philippines
But in terms of highlights and design, Y85 has more things in common with the Vivo V9 than its Y series cousin. Besides having two cameras on the rear and fingerprint authentication, like on Vivo’s mainstream product, the Vivo Y85 also touts a notched HD display with narrow side bezels and runs the company’s own UI based on Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box.
In other words, the phone pairs decent hardware and good usability with a design that won’t look out of place beside more expensive models.
Vivo Philippines’ price-drop announcement for the Vivo Y85. The smartphone has many things in common with the Vivo V9
The MediaTek Helio P22 inside the Vivo Y85, meanwhile, isn’t heard of as often. However, it can also be found in the Xiaomi Redmi 6, which we consider to be one of the top performers in the budget segment.
According to MediaTek, the Helio P22 uses a 12nm manufacturing process for better performance while keeping battery usage in check. Sounds promising on a device this affordable. In practice, we found that the P22 is comparable to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 and Snapdragon 625 chips.
SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Redmi 6 review: Good budget phone gets better
Additionally, the 4GB RAM is sufficient for gaming and multitasking, while the 32GB of built-in memory can be expanded using a microSD card, if you need more space for your applications and files. The battery is rated at 3,260mAh and replenishes through a microUSB port.
READ ALSO: At P6,990 ($131), OPPO A3s is PH’s most affordable notched phone and OPPO A3s vs. Xiaomi Redmi 6A
The 13-megapixel main camera is assisted by a 2-megapixel sensor for shooting portraits or photos with a shallow depth of field. For selfies, there’s an 8-megapixel camera housed in the notch at the top of the touchscreen. It has artificial intelligence or AI to help the front-facer snap photos with fewer blemishes and more brightness and detail.
Does the recent price cut appeal to you, or is the price still too high? Share your thoughts and views in the discussion box below.
Vivo Y85 specs
- 6.2-inch LCD display, 1,520 x 720 resolution (19:9)
- Octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 32GB expandable storage
- Dual 13-megapixel and 2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
- 8-megapixel front camera
- Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted)
- 3,260mAh battery
- Android 8.1 Oreo
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