The affordable Vivo Y72 5G targets not only those who care about a reasonable price but also those who crave 5G, a big battery or long software support. How did the novelty perform in the test? That’s what this review will tell you.
- Vivo Y72 5G: What’s in the box
- Vivo Y72 5G: Design
- Vivo Y72 5G: Display
- Vivo Y72 5G: Missing LED notification and its substitute.
- Vivo Y72 5G: Rather disappointing sound
- Vivo Y72 5G: Good hardware performance
- Vivo Y72 5G: Battery life
- Vivo Y72 5G: Connectivity
- Vivo Y72 5G: Average Camera with wide-lens and poor macro sensor
- Vivo Y72 5G: Software with a three-year updates warranty
- Vivo Y72 5G: Final verdict, where to buy and alternatives
Vivo Y72 5G: What’s in the box
In addition to the smartphone itself, Vivo has also included a transparent protective silicone case, a power adapter, a USB-A/USB-C cable, and even wired headphones for basic use (with a 3.5mm jack) inside the package. So even the most demanding users won’t miss a thing.
Vivo Y72 5G: Design
The new Vivo Y72 5G comes in two colour variants, Graphite Black and Dream Glow. The Vivo Y72 has a good looking glossy back with a colour transition from silver to dark blue/black which also, unfortunately, attracts fingerprints a bit more than we would like to see. On the right side of the phone, you’ll find a relatively thin capacitive fingerprint reader, which positively surprises with its response and the seamless ability to recognize the attached finger. The volume control button above it then completes the list of the phone’s physical controls.
The slot for a pair of nanoSIM cards, or a combination of one nanoSIM and one microSD memory card can be found inside the top side of the phone. The slot has silicone edges to prevent dirt or moisture/water from entering the device. Despite this, the Vivo Y72 5G does not have enhanced resistance, according to the manufacturer. There is a 3.5mm jack, USB-C port, and speaker grid on the bottom of the phone.
Finally on the back of the Vivo Y72 is the camera module, which is the only element that makes the otherwise rather mundane smartphone design stand out. The camera consists of two main lenses and a macro sensor sitting next to an LED illuminator. The phone is relatively comfortable to hold, but due to the glossy finish on the back, it could slip out of your hand relatively easily. You might therefore need to use the included phone case on your Vivo Y72.
Vivo Y72 5G: Display
Vivo Y72 5G Dream Glow 
Vivo Y72 5G Graphite Black
This time, the manufacturer of Vivo Y72 5G bets on a 6.58-inch IPS LCD panel with Full HD+ resolution and quite decent 401 PPI pixel density. The display doesn’t look downright bad, although compared to high-end screens, you might notice the effect of the glare at the bottom and top bezels (not necessarily a problem, it’s just how they are made), as well as the not-so-stunning maximum luminance, which could be a problem on a sunny day – keep in mind, we are not talking about a twice/three times more expensive high-end flagship here, although it is true that other phones in the similar price range already offer better AMOLED screens.
Vivo Y72 5G: Missing LED notification and its substitute.
A disappointment might be a missing notification LED on the Vivo Y72 to some fans of this feature. It might however seem to be on purpose as there is a feature that replaces the missing notification LED which activates the backlight LED.
Even though the Vivo Y72 hasn’t got any IP protection, it at least comes with a pre-installed screen protector out of the box.
Vivo Y72 5G: Rather disappointing sound
The Vivo Y72 5G has only one loudspeaker, which won’t offer a very astounding experience as when listening at maximum volume the sound feels very “tinny”, something we would expect from phones some 5 years ago. The low frequencies and the midrange are unfortunately also quite disappointing. The only positive could perhaps be the 3.5mm jack, for those who haven’t transitioned to wireless listening yet.
Vivo Y72 5G: Good hardware performance
The Vivo Y72 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700, a 7nm processor that proved to be powerful enough to handle gaming and multitasking. The same processor has been used, for example, in phones such as Honor X20 SE, Xiaomi Redmi Note 10, or Samsung Galaxy A22. It’s accompanied by 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB storage. The operating system takes about 20GB of the total storage capacity.
The Geekbench 5.0 benchmark results reach 1773 points during the multi-core test and 564 during the single-core test.
Vivo Y72 5G: Battery life
The Vivo Y72 5G has no problem getting through a full day on a single charge thanks to its 5,000mAh battery. With a frugal usage style, the battery life can even get between one and a half to two days. It takes about an hour and a half to charge the phone from 0 to 100% using the included adapter, with the power of 18W. The wireless charging is not available here.
Vivo Y72 5G: Connectivity
The phone does very well in the connectivity section. It supports NFC, Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 5. Navigation services such as GPS, GLONASS, BDS and Galileo are also present. Thanks to its MediaTek chipset, the biggest advantage in terms of connectivity will be the 5G support.
Vivo Y72 5G: Average Camera with wide-lens and poor macro sensor
Vivo has bet on a main 64Mpx sensor accompanied by an 8Mpx ultra-wide angle lens. The main camera combines four pixels into one and thanks to the high resolution, it also offers a pretty decent double digital zoom. If you’re shooting during good light conditions, the photos are around average within phones in this price range, but there are more noticeable issues with contrast and exposure settings in low light conditions. If you’re shooting in complete darkness, the Vivo will then extend the shutter speed, but only to about one or two seconds, so the image doesn’t particularly stand out.
Although the ultra-wide-angle lens is definitely a plus, the 2MP macro camera is, however, completely useless due to its low resolution and ugly colours. The front 16MP selfie camera won’t give you the wow effect either but might be sufficient for some spontaneous selfie photos. Video can be shot in Full HD at 60 FPS at most, which just confirms that this phone simply doesn’t have much photo/video ambition.
Vivo Y72 5G: Software with a three-year updates warranty
The phone runs on Android 11 with Vivo’s custom Funtouch OS 11.1, which is pretty quick. The environment is therefore no different from the Chinese manufacturer’s newer models you could see earlier.
Gamers will be pleased with the presence of a game mode where they can set notifications behaviour, activate “e-sports” mode, lock brightness or take a screenshot. Among the pre-installed applications, the minimum amount of pre-installed software will make you happy when you turn your phone on for the first time.
The volume down button can also be programmed to do things like turn on the camera, flashlight or a specific app when held down. The biggest advantage, however, in our opinion, is the manufacturer’s guarantee to offer regular system updates, including security ones, over the course of three years. In that case, this model could receive (at least) Android 14.
Vivo Y72 5G: Final verdict, where to buy and alternatives
The recommended price for the UK is £299, although it is currently possible to buy the phone on Amazon with a £30 discount for £269.99.
The strengths of this model certainly include the promise of three years of software support, long battery life, or decent performance. Less pleasing are the low-quality loudspeaker, the mundane appearance, or the mediocre camera at best.
Even though the new Vivo Y72 5G will certainly find some customers who will be happy with the product, there are, however, better-equipped phones in this price range on the market such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro with a 6,67″ 120Hz AMOLED Full HD+ screen, Snapdragon 732G chipset, IP53 dust and water resistance and faster 33W charging of its 5 020mAh battery. The Redmi Note 10 Pro currently costs £259.99 on Amazon.
A good alternative to the Vivo Y72 5G might also be the Realme 7 Pro with a 6,4″ AMOLED screen, 8 GB RAM a Snapdragon 720G chipset, and 65W fast charging (4500mAh battery) for £249.99.
