2022 has been around for over a month now, and with rumours of 5G roll out in India, it seems like the perfect time to invest in a 5G device. As luck would have it, we have with us the Vivo T1 5G, the brand's latest phone that launches it's new series T devices.
Display & Design
Now Vivo has always been a brand that likes to focus on the design of a phone, and the X70 series, X60 series and even the V20 devices are good examples of that.
Also watch: Vivo V23 Pro Review: this phone changes colours!
This new T1 5G has tried to follow in those footsteps, with this Rainbow Fantasy colour variant, that changes colour depending on how you hold the phone. The sides are flat, that make it look more modern, and reduce the bulky feeling that usually comes with devices at this price point. Moreover, Vivo says it's the thinnest 5G smartphone in the segment, measuring 8.25mm, and it isn't all that heavy at 187g.
The entire phone is made of plastic, but it still feels durable in the hand, and the back is finished in matte, so it doesn't pick up fingerprint marks and smudges.
The display on the T1 5G is a 6.58-inch FHD+ IPS LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support. We like that you can toggle the refresh rate between 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz, or leave it at Smart Switch and let the phone decide, based on what you're doing.
There's a waterdrop-style notch here which is starting to look a bit outdated in 2022, and the bezels and chin are also quite chunky.
Colours are vibrant enough on this screen, even though viewing angles aren't great, due to it being an LCD panel. It gets adequately bright at max brightness, and comes with Widevine L1 certification for full HD content on Netflix.
Performance
In terms of performance, the Vivo T1 5G is equipped with the Snapdragon 695 chipset and up to 8GB of RAM on board. It also comes in 4GB and 6GB RAM variants, but we have the top of the line 8GB RAM model with us, and it comes with 128GB of internal storage, which is expandable with a microSD card.
The Snapdragon 695 is quite capable at performing day-to-day tasks, and even multi-tasking wasn't an issue thanks to the healthy 8GB of RAM.
When it comes to graphic intensive gaming, the Vivo T1 5G played Call of Duty: Mobile pretty well, with no real lag or dropped frames and stutters during our usage at High Graphic settings and Max Framerate.
One feature we enjoyed seeing on the T1 5G is the new Game Assistant, which offers improved graphics for CPU and GPU usage, along with quick access to the Esports mode and a voice-changer.
It's also worth noting that the Vivo T1 5G gets support for only two 5G bands.
Cameras
The Vivo T1 5G sports a triple rear camera setup, in a 50MP+2MP+2MP formation.
As you'd expect, the main 50MP sensor is the highlight of this camera system, and in bright, outdoor conditions, it does a good enough job of capturing details. It does seem to struggle with shooting the colour red though, and in our experience, any bright red subjects shot with the phone seem to have pink-ish cherry hues. Hopefully, this can be fixed through a future over-the-air update. Apart from this, edge detection in portrait shots is pretty good, even though we would have appreciated more detail from them. Moreover, the HDR can be a bit inconsistent at times, with the same frame looking brighter in one image, and duller in another.
When it comes to low-light photography, there's a dedicated Night Mode, which does do its best to smooth over noise and grain. It also controls exposure a little better than the default mode, with highlights not looking blown out with the Night Mode.
In terms of video, the phone can shoot at a maximum 1080p at 60fps with the rear camera, but there's no 4K option here. Moreover, there's no stabilisation, electric or otherwise, so handheld footage can come out quite shaky.
Moving on to the front camera, and the Vivo T1 gets a 16MP selfie camera. In well-lit situations, there's enough detail, although colours do look slightly washed out. The portrait mode does do a decent job of edge detection though, even in low light situations.
Software
Software on the Vivo T1 5G is a strong point, since it comes with Android 12 out of the box, something that most competitors in this price range are yet to offer. Vivo's custom Funtouch OS 12 skin is also better than it's previous iteration, and ran quite smoothly during our usage.
There is a fair bit of bloatware here, and even default apps end up sending notifications, so this is an area we wish Vivo works on in the future.
Utility
In terms of utility, the T1 gets a 3.5mm audio jack, a Hybrid SIM-card tray, but no stereo speakers. There is a side-mounted fingerprint scanner though, that works well and unlocked the phone quickly every time we used it.
We're glad that Vivo has included the option of expandable storage, especially since the T1 only gets a 128GB storage option.
Battery
Battery life on the T1 is great, thanks to a large 5,000mAh battery that got us more than a day's usage easily, despite a lot of gaming and content watching. This is good, considering the display is a 120Hz LCD panel.
However, there's only 18W fast charging here with the included adaptor, that took over 2 hours to take the T1 5G from flat to full in our testing.
Verdict
All things considered, the Vivo T1 5G performs quite well, thanks to a large screen, big battery and Android 12. It's a strong daily driver that's worth considering if you're looking to upgrade to an affordable 5G smartphone.
Also watch: Vivo X70 Pro+ Review: More than just a camera phone
