HMD’s new offering, Vibe 2, packs a Unisoc T8200 chipset under its hood and offers 5G connectivity at a very affordable price point. It is also the first smartphone in India to come with homegrown AI outfit Sarvam AI’s Indus assistant. The device is equipped with a massive 6,000mAh battery, which is one of the biggest units we’ve seen in this segment. We used the smartphone for a week to find out if it is worth spending Rs 12,999. Here is our in-depth review of the HMD Vibe 2.
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In This Article
HMD Vibe 2 5G Review: Design and Display
Box Contents
- Smartphone
- 18W power adapter
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Clear plastic cover
- SIM ejector
The Vibe 2 has a simple but charming design. The plastic back panel has a smooth matte-like finish, which keeps smudges and fingerprints at bay. The upper section of this panel has a rectangular, clear plastic trim that houses the camera module and LED flash. The elevated surface does not cause any wobble. The flat form factor doesn’t feel too grippy, but it lends the phone a nice in-hand feel.
The plastic frame houses the volume rocker and the side button on its right edge. This button doubles as the fingerprint sensor. The 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone, USB-C port, and speaker grille are positioned at the bottom. The hybrid SIM tray with microSD support finds its way to the right. The smartphone weighs 210g, largely due to its 6,000mAh battery pack.
The 6.75-inch IPS LCD panel has a 120Hz refresh rate. It is surrounded by chunky bezels that get thicker along the chin. The front-facing camera is housed in a dated waterdrop notch. The display can reach optimum brightness for outdoor use, but struggles with legibility under direct, harsh sunlight. The touch response is fine for the most part. We would have preferred an under-display fingerprint sensor, but the side-mounted unit is fast and snappy.
During the review period, we used the HMD Vibe 2 to stream movies and TV shows across platforms like Netflix, JioHotstar, and Prime Video. Its 720 x 1,600p display produced a decent viewing experience with good quality visuals and tasteful colours. Since this is an LCD panel, it did not have the punchy contrast and deep blacks of AMOLED displays. The audio output produced by the solo, bottom-firing speaker was surprisingly good. It was loud enough to overcome ambient noises and did not sound too boxy.
HMD Vibe 2 5G Review: Performance and Cameras
Powering the HMD Vibe 2 is the Unisoc T8200 SoC. This chipset is based on a 6nm process. There are 3 RAM + storage options on offer:
- 4GB + 64GB: Rs 12,999
- 4GB + 128GB: Rs 13,999
- 6GB + 128GB: Rs 14,999
Here’s how the smartphone performed in common benchmark tests:
- AnTuTu 3D: 514,755
- Geekbench 6: 687 (single core) | 1,709 (multi-core)
For an entry-level phone, the HMD Vibe 2 packs some serious heat. It is able to handle routine tasks like texting, calling, web browsing, media streaming, and navigation without any lag. We used the 4GB RAM and 64GB variant for this review and were surprised by how smooth and seamless it felt. Of course, with 4GB RAM on board, you are bound to run into a brick wall while multitasking, but as long as you restrict yourself to juggling among 4-5 apps, you won’t notice any performance issues.
Entry-level devices aren’t usually known for their gaming performance, and the Vibe 2 is no different. Playing FPS games on this device leads to frequent stutters and frame drops. However, it can run basic games like Subway Surfers and Candy Crush Saga with ease.
The HMD Vibe 2 runs Android 16 out of the box. HMD’s custom skin borrows design elements from ColorOS/OxygenOS. The home page and app drawer feel more like stock Android. The smartphone comes with a handful of pre-installed apps, including Sanchar Sathi. Thankfully, all of these apps can be uninstalled from the device. HMD has promised 2 years of security patches for the Vibe 2, but no major OS updates.
HMD’s custom skin is well optimised for the platform. It’s fluid, seamless, and light. Apart from the usual indicators (chunky bezel, waterdrop notch), you don’t feel like you’re browsing an entry-level phone. You also get Sarvam AI’s Indus assistant on this device. It supports 22 Indian languages, including Hinglish, which is quite impressive.
The 6,000mAh battery pack is the star of the show. If you’re a moderate user, you can push the battery life up to 2 days. Even power users will find it hard to kill this battery in a day. Our days ended with a 30-35% charge in the tank after 4-5 hours of screen time. The 18W charger provided in the box takes just over 3 hours to fully charge the phone.
The rear camera array of this device comprises a 50MP primary shooter and an auxiliary lens. The main camera takes decent pictures in outdoor daylight conditions. These images have a softness to them, but they flaunt tasteful colours. As far as budget phones go, we were happy with this performance. In limited lighting, the camera captured dim and grainy images, and the Night Mode did not do much to remedy the situation.
Portrait shots taken with the Vibe 2 come out vibrant and well-focused. We were quite surprised by how the camera maintained focus on the subject and even added a hint of background blur. The front-facing camera captures clear selfies with decent sharpness. This camera can record 1,080p videos at 30fps. Meanwhile, the main camera can shoot 4k footage at 30fps.
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Verdict
The HMD Vibe 2 is a good deal at Rs 12,999. Its big display, along with the bottom-firing speaker, is good for binging videos, movies, and TV shows. The solo speaker produces an impressive audio output. The Unisoc T8200 processor is able to handle routine, everyday tasks without breaking a sweat. HMD’s custom Android 16 skin feels light and intuitive. However, the star of the show for us is the 6,000mAh battery pack, which goes on and on without needing a top-up the entire day.
Buy on HMD eStore for Rs 12,999
Pros
- Good audio output
- Big battery
- Smooth software experience
Cons
- No software updates
