The vivo Y36 5G has been making waves in the mid-range smartphone market since it was released in June of 2023—and for good reason. This phone is packing some serious power under its hood with its MediaTek Dimensity 6020 Octa-core chipset, clocked at 2.2 GHz dual-core and 2 GHz hexa-core. It comes with a generous 8GB of RAM and a whopping 256GB of internal storage, giving you ample room for all your apps, games, and media. Plus, it runs on Android 13 with Funtouch 13, offering a smooth and user-friendly interface.
Phone Design
The design and aesthetic of the Y36 is fairly consistent with previous phones from vivo’s Y-series. The vivo Y36 5G is a sleekly designed device that feels good in the hands, which will be very important considering its best use case. Weighing just 190g, the phone strikes a great balance between heft and comfort. vivo did a fantastic job with the 2.5D plastic used in the handset’s body by adding a nice, glossy finish that’s more commonly found in phones above its class. The vivo Y36 5G comes with a free case so there’s no need to worry about leaving fingerprint marks while also protecting your phone.
Camera and Display Quality
The vivo Y36 5G flaunts an LCD IPS screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2388 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate, and a pixel density of ~395 ppi. It is clear and vibrant, and offers excellent color reproduction. Whether you’re scrolling through social media or watching your favorite shows on Netflix, this display won’t disappoint.
The camera is another area where the vivo Y36 5G performs admirably. It comes with a dual-camera setup on the rear, featuring a 50 MP wide lens and a 2 MP depth sensor. The front camera is a 16 MP shooter, perfect for those crisp selfies. The rear camera’s scene modes include Photo and Night, among others, offering versatility for all your photography needs. With an aperture of f/1.8 for the 50 MP lens and f/2.4 for the 2 MP lens, you can expect well-lit and detailed photos, even in low-light conditions.
Gaming Performance
This is where the Y36 really shines. The phone is a highly capable device when it comes to playing casual and mobile esports games, largely thanks to its MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset and 8GB RAM combination. Mobile gamers can enjoy smooth gameplay without any stutters or lag. Plus, the fairly large screen enhances the gaming experience, providing ample space for controls and a bigger view of what’s happening in-game.
In Mobile Legends, the phone is more than capable of keeping up with the action, even when set to high refresh rate and high graphics. Controls feel responsive and snappy, exhibiting no lag or stuttering. Simply put, the experience is well optimized and the phone has no trouble playing the game at all, perfect for climbing up the ranked ladder.
In Call of Duty Mobile, regular multiplayer is incredibly smooth and has no problems running on high graphics. To better enjoy Battle Royale mode, players may want to drop the graphics setting to medium to account for the larger number of players.
For non-esports games, mileage may vary. The device will have no problems running most casual games. The Y36 is also capable of running more demanding titles like Genshin Impact by adjusting the graphic settings to achieve smoother gameplay.
Overall, the vivo Y36 5G is an incredible gaming partner, especially if your primary games are of the esports variety.
Specs Summary
- Size: 6.64 inches / 16.8 centimeters
- Dimensions: 6.46 x 3.00 x 0.32 inches
- Weight: 190 grams
- Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 6020 (7 nm)
- Memory: 256GB Storage / 8GB RAM
- SIM: Dual Nano-SIM
- Display Panel: IPS LCD, 90Hz, 650 nits
- Resolution: 1080 x 2388 pixels (395 ppi density)
- Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8 (wide) main camera; 2 MP, f/2.4 (depth) second camera
- Battery: Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable
The Verdict
The vivo Y36 5G is a powerful device that offers excellent performance, a stunning display, impressive camera capabilities, and a sleek design. The high points of the device, however, lies in its price-to-performance rating in the gaming department, making it the ideal choice for mobile gamers looking for a budget-friendly powerhouse.
If you’re in the market for a new phone, consider getting the vivo Y36 5G when you subscribe to Smart’s Signature Plan 999. You can choose to pay a one-time cashout fee of PHP 3,600 or a downpayment of PHP 1,400 with 23 monthly installment fees of PHP 100.
