Vivo Y21 Rolling Out to More Global Markets; Entry-level Specs and a Budget-friendly Price

The global rollout of the Vivo Y20's successor, which debuted in India in mid-August, continues into the African market. The Y21 was just announced in Kenya, featuring the same entry-level specs and price. Like most value phones from Vivo, the chipset offered by the Vivo Y21 isn’t the most competitive in the market. 

But the design certainly has a premium feel to it. At 182g body weight and 8.0mm frame depth, it’s a relatively lightweight phone. Vivo Y21, following Vivo’s retro flat-edge aesthetic, has squared-off edges and soft corners. The frosted AG finish is offered in the elegant Midnight Blue and the rare geometric Diamond Glow. 

The overall build is minimalistic, featuring a volume rocker and a side thumbprint+power button. One seamless motion both awakes and unlocks your Vivo Y21. The frame includes a modern USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack. 

The rear camera of Vivo's new model for 2021 is made of 13MP wide and 2MP macro lenses. Vivo Y21’s camera lacks a night mode, supporting just a simple portrait mode. 

Flip the phone over to find a notch and an 8MP front camera (that handles the Face Awake feature.) This notch is embedded in a 6.51” IPS LCD. It’s a generic 720P screen that fills a 20:9 aspect ratio. Vivo Y21 offers no high refresh or touch sampling rate. 

The engine inside the Y21 is the generations-old MediaTek Helio P35. It works with 4GB of memory and 128GB/64GB of expandable storage. Everything is powered by a 5000 mAh battery and the FunTouchOS 11 built on Android 11. 18W quick charging backs this hardware. The baseline edition of the Vivo Y21 starts at 16,999 KsH (~ Rs. 26,400.)