Vivo T2 Review: Solid Device But Riddled With Bloatware

Vivo T series models focus on value without compromising on features and performance at the same time. The T1 came out in 2021 and people said that its charging speed was slow and the cameras could use some upgrades. So, in comes the new Vivo T2 which looks to improve on those drawbacks of its predecessor and still make a strong case for your money in a segment which is extremely packed.

Phones under Rs 20,000 these days have become rather underwhelming but Vivo seems to intent on changing that perception with the T2. So, how does the Vivo T2 fare compare to the competition and does it become the ideal phone in its segment? We find out in this review. Right off the bat, you will find it hard not to like the design and the in-hand feel of the Vivo T2.

It has a flat frame with rounded edges that compliment the 172 grams weight and thickness of 7. 8mm which is a rarity in this segment. Compared to the T1, the camera module is different embedded into the back panel, which is made of plastic but you won’t say it is cheap quality.

Next in line that caught our eye is the 6. 38-inch AMOLED display which now offers a 90Hz refresh rate screen. The screen offers a peak brightness of 1300 nits which makes it easy to use under heavy sunlight.

The display panel offers vibrant and punchy colours with the details fairly sharp, be it while watching movies or reading content on the web. What’s also good to see is that the display supports HDR10 with Widevine L1 certification which means you can stream content on apps like Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar in HD quality. The use of AMOLED panel with custom refresh rates work quite well.

Vivo has played it safe with the hardware on the T2, going for the same Snapdragon 695 SoC like its predecessor. You have the 6GB and 8GB RAM options with up to 128GB storage. Having said that, the performance will keep you happy in most cases, as long as you don’t expect to use the phone for heavy gaming.

Everything else works without any lag or issues. The other big upgrade with the T2 is the 64MP primary rear camera that gets OIS support. The image quality from the sensor surprised us a bit.

The images shot in daylight produced details and the sharpness didn’t lose its level. It has become hard to find quality cameras in this range but the T2 gives us some leeway. And finally, we have to mention the battery life on the T2, which is smaller at 4500mAh compared to its predecessor but that has not come at the cost of performance.

We got well over 7 hours of screen-on-time with heavy usage so the figure can easily go up to 10 hours for basic level of usage. Having the 44W charging support also helps you with the battery juiced up in quick time. The display is quality but you get a notch on the phone, which goes against the trend of the punch hole cutout on phones in this range.

Vivo seems to have invested its budget on upgrading other features but a notch makes the T2 look rather dated at least from the front. The camera flatters to deceive in low light and that was quite expected from a phone in this range, even though it has OIS support. You also feel that an ultra-wide camera would have been more handy than the macro sensor.

The phone only has a single speaker which isn’t the loudest in the segment. The Funtouch OS 13 version has a lot of bloatware and things get worse when you start getting notification ads from these apps. Vivo has improved its software experience so we are hoping future updates can help make the change.

When you look at the whole package, the Vivo T2 does manage to compete with the other options like the Redmi Note 12 and the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite in the segment. You have a 90Hz AMOLED display that is bright and punchy. The hardware remains the same but very capable of managing to give you robust performance for daily usage.

The main camera did surprise us a bit and the battery life will keep you happy. However, the software is riddled with bloatware, the secondary cameras are average and the notch on a screen might put off some buyers. .