Vivo releases top dog

Y29: WORKHORSE DESIGNED TO DELAY YOUR EARLY RETURN TO THE SHOP

- Arthur Goldstuck

Vivo throws heavyweight promises into the mid-range ring with the Y29.

What is the Vivo Y29?

New mid-range smartphones were once news. One after another, brands now shuffle them into stores with the sameness of hatchbacks being rolled off an assembly line. The only question is: will you care whether this one has 4G or 5G, or 2 rear lenses or 3?

Vivo thinks it has an answer with the Y29. On paper, it is the top dog in a three-phone Y-series lineup that also includes the Y19s Pro and the Yo4.

It is less a show pony and more a workhorse, designed to give you less reason to return to the shop within two years.

The centrepiece is the 6 500mAh BlueVolt battery. While most mid-range phones still hover around 5 000mAh, vivo's extra 1 500mAh feels like turning up with a full tank at a race where everyone is half full.

An added promise from Vivo of five years of battery health implies you will not have to nurse it like an ageing pet.