Author: Shweta Srivastava

Pros

• AMOLED display
• Decent battery life
• Lightweight

Cons

• Bloatware
• Single speaker

Vivo is targeting budget-conscious people in the country with its T Series smartphones. In 2022, Vivo introduced the T1 Series which received a positive response. Now, after a year, the brand has introduced the T2 Series, and we will be reviewing the T2 5G model today. Despite using the same chipset as its predecessor, the Vivo T2 5G features significant design changes and several upgraded specifications. So, we will be reviewing whether the Vivo T2 5G is a valuable upgrade over the T1 Series or not. Let’s find out in this review. Also Read | Vivo T1X Review: Good Design, Decent Cameras

What’s Inside The Box?

• Vivo T2 5G handset
• 44W fast charging adapter
• USB Cable
• SIM eject tool
• Protective case
• Quick start guide
• Warranty card

Design

Vivo has a reputation for creating smartphones that immediately capture the attention of potential buyers. This holds true for the Vivo T2 5G which has an eye-catching appearance. It is available in two color options: Nitro Blaze and Velocity Wave. We received the Nitro Blaze variant, which has a glossy finish and a matte texture that looks premium. Diagonal lines run across the back panel, providing a lovely touch.

The Vivo T2 5G has a polycarbonate body that makes it lightweight, and the sides are made of plastic, which is reasonable given the phone’s price range. The flat frame design and curved corners offer a comfortable in-hand experience. The rear panel features a gradient finish with shades of sunset colors, which is visible when light hits it at certain angles. However, some users may find it too flashy.

A rectangular camera module with two huge camera cutouts is located on the back. The primary lens is in one cut-out, and the secondary lens, LED flash, is in the other. There is Vivo branding at the bottom. At the top is a waterdrop notch design for the selfie camera, which looks outdated and could have been avoided. There is an in-display fingerprint scanner and face recognition support.

At the bottom of the phone, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack that works perfectly. The buttons on the right side have a satisfying tactile feel, and on the top, there is a hybrid SIM slot that can accommodate dual SIM cards or a single SIM with a microSD card. Unfortunately, the single speaker at the bottom is disappointing as it sounds tinny and distorts at high volumes. On the plus side, there’s a USB Type-C port at the bottom.

Display

The Vivo T2 5G features a 6.38-inch AMOLED full-HD+ display with a resolution of 2408 x 1080 pixels, providing good quality visuals that are sharp and rich. While the viewing angles are acceptable, the 90Hz refresh rate may feel less smooth compared to a 120Hz panel.

The display’s responsiveness is aided by its 360Hz touch sampling rate, and the 1300 nits peak brightness ensures that the screen remains clearly visible even under direct sunlight. Although the display is decent overall, it falls short of being the best that Vivo has used.

Performance

The Vivo T2 5G smartphone operates smoothly and quickly thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset. It boasts up to 8GB of RAM which allows for the quick loading of apps and seamless background operation of multiple apps. The review unit we got had 6GB RAM and it seemed to have worked fine. The device also has 128GB of onboard storage for ample storage space. With the chipset and RAM working together, the device experiences no crashes or lags.

For casual gamers, the Vivo T2 5G is suitable and can even handle heavy games on medium graphic settings. The device may heat up during long gaming sessions, but there are no issues with the animation or loading of the gaming session. The device’s overall performance also seemed to be on par with my expectations. It was smooth in daily usage.

The device runs FunTouch OS 13, which is based on Android 13 OS. It has a simple, colorful appearance and is convenient for users. However, the only issue is tons of bloatware that comes with the device. Applications like Snapchat, PhonePe, Moj, Amazon, Spotify, Share Chat, Linked In, and more come pre-installed. These applications need to be removed based on the user’s preference.

An optical fingerprint sensor is provided for biometric purposes, and it functions as it should. It is accurate but a bit slow, though. Connectivity options include 5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and more. The calling experience is good, and the single speaker works moderately well.

Camera

A 64MP primary camera with OIS capability and a 2MP depth sensor make up the dual camera configuration on the rear of the Vivo T2 5G. On the front, there is a 16MP lens for selfies and video calls.

Under bright daylight, the 64MP primary camera captures detailed and sharp shots with good dynamic range and natural colors. However, photos taken under artificial light have noise, and the details are not prominent. Low-light shots also produce the same results with a hit on dynamic range despite the fine colors.

The device performs well for portraits, with good colors, details, and overall tone. However, the 2MP depth sensor, which is expected to provide an accurate bokeh effect, sometimes fails to detect edges properly, which takes away from the fun of the portrait photo.

The front-facing 16MP sensor captures impressive selfies with high detail and close-to-accurate skin tones. However, night shots are below average with no significant details, and turning on the night mode doesn’t improve the situation.

Battery

The Vivo T2 5G packs a 4500mAh battery under the hood. During my review period of the Vivo T2 5G, the device easily lasted me a day and sometimes more if I wasn’t doing any resource-heavy tasks for extended periods.

The smartphone comes with a 44W fast charging adapter inside the box. It took about 27 minutes to charge from 0 to 50 percent and about an hour to get to 100 percent, which is decent considering the under 20k price point of the device.

Final Verdict

The Vivo T2 5G is priced fairly at under 20k and serves as the successor to the Vivo T1. However, it doesn’t upgrade the chipset and maintains the same one. Despite this, it has several features that make it appealing, such as an AMOLED display, 64MP camera, 44W fast charging, and Android 13 OS, which make for a good combination of specs in this segment.

Although there are some drawbacks, such as an abundance of bloatware, a 2MP lens that is of no use, and an underwhelming speaker, these can be overlooked if you are looking for a budget device for everyday use.

Also Read | Vivo V27 Smartphone Review: A Shutterbug’s Delight