If you are in the market for a sub-Kshs 30,000 smartphone then you are looking for one at the right time.
vivo’s Y53s smartphone just went on sale in Kenya the other day and, at Kshs 28,000, it should be in a position to impress.
I mean, it has a 64-megapixel camera at the back (with an additional two 2MP macro and depth lenses) and a 16-megapixel selfie snapper on the front backed by various software enhancements to make sure low-light photos shine and selfies pop, among other things.
The 6.58-inch display might be full HD but it is devoid of the high-refresh-rate craze that dominates most of the devices in this price range that we have looked at recently. Most notably, those from Tecno and Infinix which it is going head-to-head with, at least price-wise.
The device’s 5,000mAh battery comes with ready support for vivo’s proprietary FlashCharge (VOOC, rebadged) which the company says will see the device go from nothing to just over 70% in about 40 minutes when the included 33W adaptor is used.
There are other additions vivo is using to talk up the device including an “Ultra Gaming Mode” and a new “Esports Mode” and “customized audio effects to help transport users to distant worlds and immerse in realistic battlefields”.
Like other vivo smartphones we have looked at before, the Y53s has a fingerprint sensor on the side (power button).
It is powered by Android 11, obviously tuned as FunTouch OS, while a Snapdragon 480 chipset joins forces with the included 8GB RAM to assure the performance the software has been optimized to provide. For those concerned about just how many photos and games they can be able to carry on the device, there’s 128 gigabytes of internal storage. If that is not enough, it can be expanded using sd cards of up to 1 terabyte.
The device comes in Deep Sea Blue and Fantastic Rainbow colour options and can be purchased at any major mobile phone retail outlet across the country.
