Vivo Y91i Launched in Nepal for Rs. 20,999: Overpriced?

Vivo has kept its promise, sort of. We were hearing rumors about a month ago that Vivo might be bringing the Vivo Y95 to Nepal. But that phone never made it to Nepal. However, the rumors of Vivo Y91i coming to Nepal have been fulfilled. Vivo announced yesterday in their Facebook page that Vivo Y91i has arrived.

This phone will lie on a different price category than the Vivo Y95. Maybe the next phone to launch will be the Vivo Y91 and the Vivo Y95 will follow. Customers who like Vivo smartphones will get the chance to choose between 3 new phones this coming month.

Vivo Y91i Specifications

At the front, Vivo Y91i has an HD+ 6.22 inch IPS LCD display. There’s a tiny teardrop-shaped notch at the top. Inside, the phone is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 Soc. This processor is paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.

In terms of camera, Vivo Y91i sports a dual 12MP f/2.2 primary sensor that is combined with a 2 MP, f/2.4 depth sensor at the back. There’s a small 8 MP f/2.0 selfie camera hiding beneath the notch. Unlike some other budget phones that we have seen from Vivo in the past year, Vivo Y91i has a regular fingerprint sensor at the back.

Inside this phone is a massive 4030 mAh battery. This is the same sized battery as the Vivo Y95. Like the Y95, Vivo has chosen to fit this phone with a micro USB port which is just outrageous in 2019.

Vivo Y91i Key Specifications

• Display: 6.22-inch IPS LCD (720*1520)
• Chipset: Qualcomm SDM439 Snapdragon 439 (12 nm)
• CPU: Octa-core (2×1.95 GHz Cortex-A53 & 6×1.45 GHz Cortex A53)
• GPU: Adreno 505
• Memory: 16GB microSD expandable storage (up to 256GB); 2GB RAM
• OS: Funtouch OS 4.5 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo)
• Primary Camera: Dual 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF; 2 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor
• Secondary Camera: 8 MP, f/2.0
• Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 4030 mAh battery
• Sensors: Fingerprint sensor, Face unlock, accelerometer, proximity, compass

Vivo Y91i Price in Nepal: Rs. 20,999

Impressions

Vivo Y91i looks identical to Vivo Y95. I like the fact that even the budget model of Vivo phones receive the same care to design that its more expensive counterparts receive. But after the design is taken care of, there’s not much to like about this phone after considering its price.

Vivo Y91i is definitely not for pixel peepers with its HD+ resolution spread over the massive 6.22-inch display but Vivo’s displays are good enough for average users. The Snapdragon 439 is not the most powerful chipset out there but it can handle calling and texting pretty well. However, for 21K, there are phones with better value than the Vivo Y91i like the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite, or Vivo V9 Youth.

Apps like Instagram and Youtube will run well but you can forget about gaming or intensive multitasking. The 2GB RAM will leave you desiring for a little more RAM for smoother multitasking experience. The 16GB internal storage also won’t be enough for this smartphone photography generation.

Vivo’s skin on top of Android may not entice everyone but most users won’t mind. At least they are shipping the phone with Android 8.1.

Vivo has shipped this phone with a fingerprint sensor at the back instead of relying completely on a face unlock feature. The cameras will produce bright and vibrant images on broad daylight and suitable lighting conditions. But I don’t expect them to work well in low-light conditions. One thing buyers would like to note is that Vivo tends to oversoften people’s faces to make them look more ‘beautiful’. The selfie cam is just fine though.

One thing that we can appreciate about this phone is the battery. The battery on this phone is extremely huge and it should last you a full day of heavy use with no complaints. If the battery is your top priority when buying a phone, the Vivo Y91i is well suited for you.

Overall, the Y91i is not a bad phone by any means but Vivo’s pricing is just hilarious. This phone, with its specs, should come well under the 20K price bracket. If Vivo doesn’t address its pricing issues, it won’t be able to garner as much support and love as its other Chinese counterparts have in Nepal.