In the last couple of months, we’ve been seeing a lot from vivo. Its Y-series in particular has been expanding with the addition of the Y02S, Y35, and now the more affordable Y16.

We’ve clocked in some time with vivo’s latest budget contender and while it doesn’t stray too far from the performance of other devices in its segment, we’ve come to enjoy a few great things about this phone.

Big storage provides peace of mind

I believe there are two great reasons why you’d want to pick a phone with large storage. The first and most expected reason would be the peace of mind it gives when it comes to filling up your phone too fast. It’ll take a good while to max out the vivo Y16, especially if you opt for the higher 128GB variant.

Even if you snap a lot of photos or videos, I think it would be a couple of months, maybe even a year, until you’ll eventually have to transfer your photos out of the device. Downloading apps shouldn’t pose too much of a problem either whether or not you stick to just the everyday essentials.

If you do end up maxing out your internal storage, the vivo Y16 can be expanded up to 1TB via microSD card. That should be more than enough space for most people.

The second reason would be for better performance. Keeping a couple of extra GBs free should allow the phone more wiggle room to do what it needs to do in terms of processing. This results in a better everyday experience for as long as you can the phone’s storage from being full.

Classy design

What I love about vivo is its effort to offer well-designed smartphones no matter what segment.

The vivo Y16’s design isn’t far-off from its mid-range siblings like the V25, especially in this Dazzling Gold color that we have. Though not entirely similar, we can see themed elements like the camera placement and flat edges present on this more affordable offering. vivo says the Y16 is finished with a fluorite texture that’s responsible for the shooting star-like pattern on its back. It also makes the phone fingerprint-resistant.

It has good heft, too, for a budget offering and offers a comfortable in-hand feel thanks to its 2.5D curved edges. Whether I was browsing, taking photos, or answering calls, I could easily grip the phone and, despite being flat framed, the edges didn’t dig into my palm.

The 6.51-inch display makes viewing and navigation easy and the side-mounted fingerprint sensor is a very welcome feature as it’s something I use more often than face unlock (which the Y16 also offers). vivo also hasn’t done away with the 3.5mm headphone jack so that’s good news for those who prefer wired peripherals.

The vivo Y16, in our time with it, has proven to be a well-built phone exhibiting good weight and durability while remaining pretty thin as well. It’s offered in a size that most people will feel comfortable with and you’ve got quite a unique-looking back whether you get the Dazzling Gold or Stellar Black colorway.

All-day battery

Lately, I’ve been more out and about compared to previous years when we had to remain in our homes due to the pandemic. From meetings to events or just our quick getaways, I’ve come to appreciate the vivo Y16’s large 5000mAh battery.

Starting from a full charge in the morning, the device is able to last a full day out of the house even with moderate use of more power-intensive tasks like taking photos or watching videos. Since the vivo Y16 doesn’t really have battery-devouring features (a display with high refresh rates, for example), it’s able to last longer than usual. I would think casual users would even be able to stretch the device’s battery to two days, maybe more.

Does this makeup for the 10W charging speeds, though? Maybe, maybe not. It’ll depend on the type of user you are. I personally wish we had something a little faster since it does take more than an hour to fully charge the phone. But with Y16’s battery lasting as long as it does, some users may find the once-in-a-while charging sessions forgivable.

If you’re after a fast-charging vivo phone, however, you may want to check out its mid-range offering that offers 44W quick charge. 

Final thoughts

What the vivo Y16 brings to the table is an affordable yet stylish smartphone that prioritizes users in need of large storage and a long-lasting battery. Priced at PhP 8,499 for the 4GB+128GB variant and Ph P7,999 for the 4GB+64GB variant, the Y16 is also easy on the wallet.

As mentioned earlier, the device comes in two colors, Drizzling Gold and Stellar Black, and is already available for purchase.