vivo Y50i Officially Debuts: Same Specs, Slower Charging

vivo has quietly expanded its Y50 family with the arrival of the new vivo Y50i.

At first glance, it looks nearly identical to the Y50 and Y50m, launched back in July. Yet, dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that the Y50i is a curious case of a smartphone that changes almost nothing – except for one detail that many users might not consider an upgrade at all.

The Y50i sports a 6.74-inch flat LCD display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. It refreshes at 90Hz and responds quickly thanks to its 180Hz touch sampling rate, while the panel can reach up to 1,000 nits of brightness for outdoor visibility. Under the hood, vivo opted for the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset, paired with 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of eMMC 5.1 storage. This combination feels dated compared to UFS storage standards, and it suggests the device is aimed squarely at budget buyers.

Photography is basic: a single 13 MP rear camera and a modest 5 MP selfie shooter. The real standout hardware here is the massive 6,000 mAh battery, which should deliver solid endurance. However, the compromise is clear: the Y50i only supports 15W wired charging, compared to the 44W charging speeds of its siblings. This means the phone takes significantly longer to recharge, a puzzling decision when the rest of the hardware remains virtually unchanged.

The device runs Android 15 layered with OriginOS 5, includes a side-mounted fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button, and even retains a 3.5mm headphone jack – something budget-conscious users still value. Dimensions are 167.3 x 76.95 x 8.19 mm, with a weight of 204g. It comes in Black, Azure, and Platinum, priced at CNY 1,499 (around $210). For now, availability is limited to China, with no word on an international launch.

What makes the Y50i unusual is its positioning. It’s essentially the Y50 stripped of faster charging, reintroduced under a new name. Many observers see this as vivo’s attempt to stretch its existing inventory and keep the Y-series relevant in the crowded entry-level market. To some, it feels like an unnecessary spin-off, to others, it might be an option if price drops make it the cheapest way to get a huge battery in a vivo device. Still, it’s hard to escape the impression that this release is more about marketing than meaningful innovation.