vivo Y21d Review

Christmas is just around the corner and if you’re in the market looking for a gift for yourself or for someone else, vivo has something new on the table. Meet the vivo Y21d, an affordable smartphone that doesn’t feel cheap.

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at what the Y21d can offer and whether it’s the budget phone that fits your daily grind.

Design and Construction

My first impressions with this phone are quite strong. vivo has traditionally made good-looking smartphones even in the entry-level category, and the Y21d is no exception.

The color options include Black, Red, Green, and Purple. Our Purple unit looks fun and youthful, thanks to the matte finish and specks of gold shimmer when light hits the back panel. It does have a bit of heft, weighing about 209 grams, but its curved edges and smooth finish make it easy to hold.

In fact, this phone felt quite comfortable for someone who tends to avoid large phones.

Another strong point of the Y21d is durability. It features SGS Five-Star Drop Resistance Certification and a military-grade shock resistance, allowing it to survive random drops or slips without concern. The front is covered with Guardian glass, which adds scratch and pressure resistance.

vivo also included a clear case in the box to give it some extra protection. Furthermore, the Y21d has IP68 and IP69 ratings for protection against dust, rain, and short exposure to water, making it safe to be used either outdoors or near the pool.

As for the button layout, everything is as it should be: the power button and volume rocker are found on the right side, while the SIM tray sits on the left, and the USB-C port, microphone, and speaker sit at the bottom. The top of the phone is clean.

Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics

Flip the device over, there’s a 6.68-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with support for a 90Hz refresh rate. With it being an LCD panel, the screen has slightly vibrant colors and decent contrast. While the bezels are thicker than what we’re used to on more expensive phones, the viewing experience still feels immersive and enjoyable thanks to dual speakers.

Interestingly, outdoor visibility is still pretty good. Despite having an LCD screen, it is capable of getting as bright as 1000 nits in high brightness mode (HBM). So, it won’t be a struggle using the phone under harsh sunlight.

Another nice surprise is audio performance. The dual stereo speakers get relatively loud, loud enough that vivo claims it can reach a volume of 400%. You may hear slight distortion at max volume, but in regular use, the speakers play clear, decent audio that’s great for binge-watching shows or listening to music.

For biometrics security, the phone features face unlock along with a fast side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Cameras

At the back, it seems like the vivo Y21d has a dual camera setup, but in reality, only one of them is an actual camera: the main 50-megapixel sensor joined by a 0.08-megapixel auxiliary sensor. But even so, the main camera does quite a good job with daylight shots.

Photos turn out detailed and clean without appearing too filtered. It leans more toward cooler tones, but I think it works well for casual everyday shots of food or outdoors.

vivo Y21d Snaps

Nov 20 – 25, 2025

In low-light conditions, the camera works decently, though it demands a bit of proper lighting. If the light source is poor, images can turn soft or grainy. The large LED flash comes in handy as it does help improve clarity.

Since there is no telephoto or macro lens, zooming in relies on digital cropping. Once you go beyond 2x zoom, the image quality drops and looks overly processed. On the front, the 5-megapixel selfie camera captures soft and decent selfies, though they may appear slightly pale or greyish due to the lower megapixel count.

As for video capture, both front and rear cameras are capped at 1080p at 30fps. The video quality is decent but don’t expect too much.

Thanks to its IP68 + IP68 rating, underwater photography is possible, too. However, be warned: such IP-rated phones are only water-resistant and not fully waterproof, so it’s much safer to keep underwater sessions short and shallow.

Performance and Benchmarks

Now, let’s talk about performance. The vivo Y21d is powered by the UNISOC T7225 (12nm) chip, combined with up to 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. For everyday use like messaging, scrolling through social media, or simply browsing the web, this phone runs smoothly. Switching between apps also feels stable.

However, when it comes to gaming, the phone shows its entry-level limits. Games such as Mobile Legends run smoothly in High graphics, but heavier titles like Call of Duty Mobile experience stutters, as expected. In Genshin Impact, you will need to set the graphic settings to the Lowest to get a decent play-through.

OS, UI, and Apps

Software-wise, the vivo Y21d ships with Android 15 and FunTouch OS 15 on top. The interface is pretty clean and simple. However, there are less customization options to see here as compared to other vivo phones. Well, vivo has started rolling out OriginOS 6 globally, so we should also expect it to arrive on the Y21d, bringing more features and functionality.

There are some pre-installed bloatware, but most of it can be uninstalled easily. The phone also includes helpful AI tools like AI Erase and AI Enhancement in the Albums app, which allow users to remove unwanted objects or enhance photos with just a tap.

Circle to Search and Google Gemini are also here, giving users smart tools for fast research or productivity.

Another nifty feature is the Dynamic Light at the back of the phone. When the battery drops below 20%, the LED flash lights up to red to reminding you it’s time to charge.

As for update policy, vivo committed to providing three years of major Android updates and three years of security updates.

Connectivity and Battery Life

Probably the biggest strength of the vivo Y21d is its impressive battery life. It easily lasts up to two days on a single charge thanks to its large 6500mAh battery. This is mixed use, including video streaming, social media browsing, some chats, and taking quick photos.

Our benchmark test back this up with the phone achieving 29 hours and 16 minutes of runtime in PCMark battery life test. While on our standard video loop test, it got a result of 25 Hours and 8 Minutes.

Charging is also quick thanks to the 44W FlashCharge support. A quick charge in the morning or during a break gives the phone enough juice to last for hours. It’s something that users who are always on the move can surely appreciate.

In terms of connectivity, the Y21d features the essentials: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, and GPS. All of these function well, making this phone quite reliable for navigation, online browsing, and wireless connections.

Verdict

All in all, the vivo Y21d offers a decent value for the price. If you’re looking for an affordable phone that has a solid battery endurance, provide good everyday performance, a solid build quality, and a decent multimedia experience, it’s worth having a look.

Of course, advanced AI tricks or some high-end features from vivo’s mid-tier or flagship series are not here, but the essentials are covered really well.

It’s a good choice for students, workers, casual users, and generally anyone who wants a dependable phone that will last them all day without constantly looking for a charger.

Price

The vivo Y21d comes in two variants: the 4GB+128GB model priced at PHP 6,999, and the 6GB+256GB retailing for PHP 8,999. It’s available via vivo’s official website, Shopee, and Lazada stores.

What we liked:

• Bullet 1

What we didn’t like:

• Bullet 1

vivo Y21d specs:
6.68-inch HD+ IPS LCD
1608 x 720 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate
1000 nits peak brightness
UNISOC T7225
4GB, 6GB LPDDR4X RAM
128GB, 256GB eMMC 5.1 storage
Up to 2TB microSD card slot
50MP main rear camera
0.08MP auxiliary lens
5MP front camera
4G LTE
2 nano SIMs + 1 microSD
WiFi 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz
Bluetooth 5.2
GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted capacitive)
Dual stereo speakers
IP68, IP69 dust and water resistance
MIL-STD-810H shock resistance
USB Type-C
Funtouch OS 15 (Android 15)
6,500mAh battery, 44W fast charge
166.14 x 77.01 x 8.39 mm
209g
Black, Red, Green, Purple