Perhaps the text turned out to be overly positive, but I am endlessly happy when start-up companies do not take ready-made, cheapest solutions to make a big mistake, and on sale, but thoughtfully create their own product.
Content
- Positioning
- A little about Vsmart
- TECH SPECS
- Equipment
- Appearance
- Screen
- Performance
- Battery
- Camera
- Communication capabilities
- shell
- Impressions and competitors
Positioning
Vsmart Joy 4 is responsible for the “Medium +” segment in the company’s portfolio, that is, it is not yet a flagship, but no longer a middle peasant. By the way, the main complaint about the first line of Vsmart smartphones was the lack of NFC. NFC has been added to Joy 4. And this is the right decision, since Russia occupies one of the first lines in the world in terms of the prevalence of contactless payments.
With a price of 10/777 rubles, Vsmart Joy 11 is very good, the following can be distinguished as the main advantages of a smartphone:
- The Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 (11nm) Chipset is an up-to-date chipset with excellent performance. Competitors in this price segment prefer to use the Snapdragon 460.
- 3/4 / 64 GB + separate microSD slot
- NFC + Google Pay
- Good camera set: 16 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP (macro camera) + 2 MP (portrait depth)
- 5mAh battery and 000W fast charging.
- Android 10 + VOS 3.0 is an up-to-date version of Android and a laconic branded shell with absolutely no ads.
- In addition to the complete absence of advertising, there are no pre-installed applications, except for Yandex Browser and Yandex.Lenta (which can be easily removed if you wish)
A little about Vsmart
About a year ago, smartphones of the Vietnamese brand Vsmart appeared in Russia, which became one of the first foreign markets for the company. Probably, this is largely due to the personality of the founder of the company, Pham Nyat Vyong, who studied in Moscow in the 80s, and then moved to Kharkov, where, together with another Vietnamese student, he created the Technocom company and, having bought a line in Vietnam on credit for the production of instant noodles, created the most famous brand in Ukraine. Ten years later, he sold the company to Nestle for $ 10 million. This deal was the start-up capital that led to the creation of Vingroup in its homeland. Today Vingroup is a diversified corporation that includes everything from resorts, 150-star hotels and clinics to hardware stores, cars and smartphones. Look at the photo report about the trip to Vietnam (there are photos of cars from the resort located on your own island, as well as photos from the factory).
Vingroup has a good reputation in Vietnam and the corporate logo serves as a guarantor of quality. By the way, the Vietnamese generally love and strive to buy products made in their own country, believing that they are of higher quality.
During the construction of the plant, Vingroup used the help of Samsung, which has its own production facilities in the same region, and purchased the necessary equipment. The plant was launched in late 2018 – early 2019, so for now the plant can be considered one of the most modern (in terms of equipment) in the world.
TECH SPECS
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 (11 nm), 8 cores (4 × 2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4 × 1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver), Adreno 610 graphics
- Operating system: Android 10, VOS 3.0 shell
- Memory: 3/4 / 64 GB, separate slot for microSD up to 256 GB
- Screen: 6.53 inches, IPS LCD, FHD + resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels), aspect ratio 20 by 9, pixel density 395 ppi
- Battery: 5000 mAh, fast charging Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 (18W)
- Main camera:
- 16 MP (ƒ / 1.8 aperture) – fast lens
- 8 MP (ƒ / 2.2 aperture) – ultra wide-angle lens
- 2 MP (ƒ / 2.4 aperture) – depth camera
- 2 MP (ƒ / 2.4 aperture) – macro camera
- Video shooting 4K 30fps, FullHD 60fps, HD 120fps (slow motion)
- Front camera: 13 MP (ƒ / 2.0 aperture)
- SIM card: 2 Nano-SIM
- Network and data transmission: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5 (2.4 / 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, NFC, USB Type-C
- Sensors: Fingerprint Reader (Rear), Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Lighting, Compass
- Other: there is NFC, there is a 3.5 mm jack, there is an FM radio, headphones and case included, Qualcomm AptX HD, extended warranty 18 months
- Materials: plastic and glass
- Dimensions: 163.65 x 77.65 x 9.15 mm, weight 203 g
- Warranty: 18 months warranty, 30 days exchange
- Price: 10 777/11 777 rubles (3 or 4 GB of RAM)
Equipment
- Smartphone
- Charging adapter and USB Type-C wire
- cover
- Headphones wired
- A clip to open the SIM card tray
- Documentation
Appearance
- Down side: speaker, USB Type-C, microphone, 3.5 mm jack
- Upper side: microphone
- Right side: volume control, power button
- Left-hand side: slot for 2 Nano-SIM and separate slot for microSD
- Back cover: camera module, fingerprint scanner
- Front panel: in-screen selfie camera, speaker grill, IPS LCD 6.53 screen
Vsmart Joy 4 surprises from the first minutes. Yes, this is a relatively inexpensive smartphone, but it’s impressive that every detail shows work.
Firstly, Vsmart follows the trends: the smartphone has a pleasant-to-touch matte back. If the back panel were monochromatic, it would immediately become boring, so a slight gradient was added, which is noticeable only under certain lighting. A very elegant touch. See what a smartphone looks like if you “catch” the lighting and just when there is direct light.
Secondly, Vsmart was not too lazy, but created its own artwork. Most manufacturers neglect this, preferring to use standard solutions from Google. Again, it seems like a trifle, but it changes the perception, and immediately the smartphone is perceived differently. By the way, this is a thankless job, since an ordinary buyer is unlikely to pay attention to drawing. This will be noticed only by blogger journalists, through whose hands many devices pass.
Well, the third point is the wallpaper. It’s amazing how few smartphone manufacturers think to “bother” and set a wallpaper that favorably emphasizes all the strengths of the screen. No kidding, this is one of the best out-of-the-box standard wallpapers of the past year.
Read about the rest of the features of the appearance in the captions to the photographs.
The smartphone comes with a good case. The fingerprint scanner is perfectly positioned, the finger rests on it comfortably
Speaker, USB Type-C, microphone, 3.5 mm jack. Vsmart is great for using the USB Type-C port. In this price segment, many manufacturers still prefer to plug in microUSB
On the top there is an additional microphone for noise cancellation. Again, other manufacturers often like to save on this. The logic is simple: the user will not notice, during a telephone conversation, the noise will interfere not with him, but with the interlocutor
Dedicated microSD slot is always a pleasure
The camera fits perfectly into the screen. The bezels of the screen are much thinner than those of competitors (if you don’t believe, see the recent review on the manufacturer “M” with the “E” line)
Screen
The smartphone screen is surprising in a good way. The Joy 4 has a panel that should be found in more expensive devices. According to the rules, the Joy 4 should have a screen with a resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels, like the competitors. They also installed a panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, that is, Full HD +. The fingers slide well, so I enjoyed playing Call of Duty Mobile.
The screen quality is also noticeable in the color gamut, which surpasses the standard 100% sRGB.
The screen brightness is around 480 nits. The value is also above average (usually 450 nits), but in general this figure is expected, since it is already clear that the smartphone has a high-quality IPS panel. With such a screen, the smartphone will be comfortable to use even on a clear day.
The settings for the screen are generally standard: dark theme, night mode (simple and on schedule), adaptive brightness, size of notifications, font and menu items. I suppose the only pleasant feature is the presence of a navigation bar where you can choose whether to use on-screen buttons or gestures. Many manufacturers in Android 10 chose to eliminate this possibility, believing that users would get used to gesture control. In Vsmart, the option was left. Perhaps it will be useful to someone.
Performance
There are no questions about the performance of the smartphone: Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, 3/4 GB of RAM, 64 GB storage (52 GB available to the user), Android 10.
A funny moment with RAM. The 3/64 GB version costs 10 rubles, and the 777/4 GB version costs 64 rubles. I walked around with a smartphone for several days in the firm belief that I have a 11 GB version. It turned out to be 777 GB. The smartphone works smartly, any games are launched, but still it is worth paying a thousand more and taking 4 GB. By the way, the memory and storage in the smartphone are not bad. The speed of the RAM (3 MB / s) is slightly higher than the average 4 thousand MB / s typical for this segment.
The device behaves well under load. There is a drawdown, but the chipset has enough power to avoid lags in games.
And here are the other indicators of synthetic tests.
You can play any games with pleasure on your smartphone. The bonus is that the device does not heat up (but it gets warm).
Battery
It is important to consider the device battery not separately, but in conjunction with software and hardware. Outdated hardware and poorly optimized software will kill any battery, even the most powerful one.
The Vsmart Joy 4 has the right recipe for good battery life. 11nm Snapdragon 665 chipset, fresh Android version with October 2020 updates, and of course a large 5000mAh battery.
A smartphone in airplane mode over Wi-Fi at maximum brightness is capable of playing YouTube videos for 16 hours and surfing the Internet for 16 hours. The PCMark benchmark that simulates everyday activities (browsing, photo editing, watching videos, etc.) also shows good numbers.
Quick Charge 18W Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 lets you charge your battery in less than 1.5 hours. By the way, not everyone pays attention, but competitors usually come with a 5-10 W adapter, and the smartphone has to be charged for 2.5 hours.
Camera
The camera interface is typical.
Of the curious modes, a cool option for selfies can be noted, when a mini-window appears in which you need to look so that the photo does not seem like a look to the side. The window is located next to the selfie camera. A very simple, but convenient thing, it is strange that no one else has thought of this before.
There are also funny AR stickers.
Of course, there is also artificial intelligence that informs the user of the obvious things.
During the day, the smartphone shoots perfectly. As a minus, I will probably note the lack of autofocus in the wide-angle camera. The 2 MP macro camera works efficiently only in good lighting conditions.
Magnification 2.0x
Synthetic deer sweater for 3 rubles
In GUM, all prices for vegetables per 100 grams
For shooting with a macro camera, the subject must be 3-5 cm from the lens
An example of a portrait with the main camera
In the evening, it is better to put the wide-angle camera aside and shoot with the main fast lens. In difficult conditions, it is advisable either not to touch the autofocus, or afterwards help it with the white balance. In general, the smartphone does a good job for its price range.
Video recording is available in 4K 30 frames per second and Full HD 60 frames per second. Examples of videos can be found here.
Finally – examples from the front camera.
Communication capabilities
Often in smartphones of this price category, they save just on the items included in the “Communication capabilities” section. The reason is simple – such savings are hard to see. Well, they abandoned the second microphone for noise reduction, well, Wi-Fi is only 2.4 GHz, well, there is no compass, etc. Surprisingly, Vsmart Joy 4 does not fail in this aspect:
- There are no questions about the sound quality and speech transmission.
- Smartphone Wi-Fi 5 (2.4 / 5 GHz) and Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm AptX HD support
- The smartphone has a compass. A compass is needed so that there is an aura on the map around the point, showing which way the smartphone is directed. This option is especially useful when you need to figure out which way to go.
- There is an FM radio, but you need headphones as an antenna to work. Cool that the headphones are included.
shell
The smartphone formally has its own VOS 3.0 shell, but in fact, the intervention of Vsmart engineers is minimal and here is a slightly tinted pure Android. And that’s cool.
Firstly, there are no ads in the smartphone, but only standard applications from Google. Only several applications from Yandex that can be easily removed if you don’t like it.
Although I’m cheating, there is a Yandex.Zen feed to the left of the home screen. But she turns off in one tap and no longer reminds of herself.
Secondly, I already wrote about small additions in animation and drawing. Everything is done neatly and gracefully.
Among the pleasant features – screen recording, advanced work with screenshots, slightly visually changed curtain. Along the way, I will note the lack of a weather widget as a minus. When you turn on the smartphone for the first time, it will offer to activate the warranty.
To be honest, I’m used to the fact that inexpensive smartphones are always very “talkative”. In the shell advertising, constantly heaps of notifications and offers. Vsmart Joy 4 compares favorably. No ads, no intrusive notifications, no piles of unnecessary pre-installed apps. Hopefully, Vsmart will continue to resist the temptation to flood the smartphone with ads.
Impressions and competitors
The main impression of the Vsmart Joy 4 is that the smartphone is comfortable to use. Let me explain what I mean. My main smartphone is a flagship, bought for the price set by the flagship. Thus, Vsmart Joy 4 costs almost 6 times cheaper. However, I cannot say that my user experience is fundamentally different. I used Vsmart Joy 4 as my second smartphone. It received all calls from couriers, it has a SIM card with unlimited Internet, so I distributed Wi-Fi to my laptop, played Call of Duty Mobile, answered e-mail and watched YouTube. And I didn’t feel any discomfort. Perhaps, if I need to take some good photo in difficult conditions, I’ll take the flagship. But in 95% of cases, when I need to take a quick photo, I will take a photo on the smartphone that will be in my hand, regardless of whether it is a flagship or Vsmart Joy 4.
The main advantages over competitors at a price from more famous brands:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset (most choose either the 400-series from Qualcomm or variants from MediaTek)
- 5000 mAh battery + 18 W fast charging (many have a large battery, but no fast charging)
- NFC and Google Pay, Wi-Fi 5 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, magnetometer sensor, separate microSD slot (did not save on important details)
- screen with FHD + 1080 x 2340 pixels (most have HD + resolution, that is, 1600 by 720 pixels)
- lack of ads and pre-installed applications (in the current Android market, the complete absence of ads is nonsense, which few manufacturers can boast of)
- good equipment – case, headphones. I highlighted this item, since it often happens that a smartphone has an FM radio, but the headphones, which should play the role of an antenna, were not put. If you don’t put your ears to expensive smartphones, then they should be in the budget.
The main competitors for Vsmart Joy 4 are Motorola E7 + and realme C15.
These two brands were selected as optimal in terms of price / quality ratio and, at the same time, without advertising in the shell. Vsmart Joy 4 surpasses both in hardware, but is inferior in photo quality to realme C15 (the device has an advanced portrait mode), and with Motorola it is about the same.
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