"Prioritizing everyday users and innovating practical functionalities" – this is Lei Technology's appraisal of vivo's Y series.

As the leading sales performer in its price bracket in China, the Y series has surpassed 540 million units sold. Behind this success lies vivo's extensive user research across various industries. Whether it's the "Professional Mode" on the vivo Y200 or the 7620mAh battery of the vivo Y300GT, both features precisely address the key concerns of today's mass market.

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

The newly launched vivo Y500 epitomizes the pinnacle of the series: It not only retains the professional mode and exceptional battery life traits but also boasts significant enhancements in water and drop resistance. Crucially, its subsidized pricing aligns perfectly with its positioning as a "national favorite smartphone" – the prices are listed below, allowing you to judge for yourself. Lei Technology believes it offers unparalleled value for money.

8GB+128GB: ¥1399, After subsidy: ¥1189

8GB+256GB: ¥1599, After subsidy: ¥1359

12GB+256GB: ¥1799, After subsidy: ¥1529

12GB+512GB: ¥1999, After subsidy: ¥1699

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

The vivo Y500 returns to a classic flat-screen design, featuring a "double-layer star ring" camera module on the rear. Both the back cover and frame adopt a full matte finish, with the frame crafted from aviation-grade aluminum alloy, providing a smoother and more refined grip. Available in Glacier Blue, Dragon Crystal Purple, and Xuanwu Black, Lei Technology is particularly fond of the "Dragon Crystal Purple" variant, which showcases gradient hues under different lighting conditions, reminiscent of "Thanos Purple" and echoing the "four exceptional features" highlighted at the launch.

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

The first of vivo's "exceptional features" is its 8200mAh Blue Ocean battery. Official data reveals:

It can sustain normal operation for 16.7 hours in -20°C low-temperature environments;

It supports continuous live streaming for 13 hours at room temperature of 35°C;

It functions normally for 22 hours in outdoor high-temperature environments of 40°C.

This battery life is more than adequate for nearly all outdoor workers. Lei Technology's practical tests showed that after 12 hours of heavy use, the vivo Y500 still had 29% battery life remaining, earning it the moniker of a "battery beast".

Beyond its robust battery life, the battery's longevity is another significant advantage – official data indicates a cycle life of up to 6 years. The system also supports two key optimizations: The status bar can activate the "Global Direct Drive Power Supply" mode, converting charging current to a trickle current for safer charging while in use; AI automatically recognizes the user's charging habits, predicts usage time, and intelligently charges the battery to full, further extending battery life from the software level, truly achieving "dual peaks in battery performance and longevity".

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

The second and third "exceptional features" of vivo focus on dual capabilities in water and drop resistance. In terms of water resistance, the phone body achieves the highest protection level of IP69+, effortlessly withstanding triple high-temperature and high-pressure jets. Additionally, the internal motherboard is encapsulated in waterproof glue, eliminating the risk of damage even if water accidentally enters the device.

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

For drop resistance, the "Diamond Rock Architecture" is employed: Thickened internal bumper bars, upgraded aviation-grade aluminum alloy motherboard brackets, and newly added cushioning foam comprehensively enhance the motherboard's drop resistance, ensuring "toughness both inside and out".

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

The final "exceptional feature" of vivo is the upgraded Ultra-Fidelity Speaker: It ensures that the top speaker is unimpeded by internal components and functions normally, with the maximum volume increased to seven times that of the standard mode (i.e., 700%). Additionally, it includes wind noise reduction and voice enhancement functions, enabling clear phone calls even in noisy outdoor environments, making it particularly user-friendly for outdoor workers.

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

Worth mentioning is the vivo Y500's 360° wall-penetrating antenna – fully embedded within the frame, it ensures precise signal reception regardless of direction. Network performance is further enhanced by AI: It automatically predicts network environments and switches to smoother network channels in advance, ensuring stable signals even in weak signal scenarios such as elevators and parking lots (Lei Technology has verified this feature through practical tests).

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

Accurately targeting outdoor users, the affordable pricing is well-deserved. It's evident that vivo Y500's functional optimizations are heavily focused on "outdoor workers", enhancing the phone's durability and extending its overall lifespan from within. Even the advertisements clearly position it for professions like taxi drivers, food delivery riders, tour guides, movers, and rescue team members.

These groups spend extended periods outdoors and have vastly different smartphone needs compared to urban office workers. They rarely have time for entertainment on their phones and focus almost entirely on work, making "battery life, water and drop resistance, and stable signals" their core requirements. Simultaneously, specialized app optimizations are also crucial – vivo's "Professional Mode" offers exclusive solutions from signal strength enhancement to oily and wet hand touch adaptation, with 5 million monthly users, truly a practical feature catering to the masses.

Image source: vivo Y500 launch event

More importantly, these groups are budget-conscious when it comes to smartphones, and vivo Y500's subsidized starting price of ¥1189 is definitely within reach, with the top-end version at ¥1699 also considered reasonable. Meanwhile, Lei Technology has also conducted a detailed review of the vivo Y500, which you can search and view online. The price was unknown during testing, but now that it has been announced, it's fitting to call it a "national favorite smartphone".