Vivo Y38 5G

The Vivo Y38 5G has a conventional, non-folding form factor standing 165.7 mm tall and 76 mm wide, with a slim 8 mm thickness and a weight of 199 g. Its total volume comes to approximately 100.75 cm³, keeping it within a manageable footprint for everyday handling. On the durability side, the device carries an IP64 rating, confirming protection against dust ingress and water splashes, though it does not feature a ruggedized build.

The Vivo Y38 5G features a 6.68-inch IPS LCD touchscreen with a resolution of 720 x 1612 px and a pixel density of 264 ppi. A 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth on-screen motion during scrolling and general navigation. The display does not support HDR10, HDR10+, or Dolby Vision, and there is no Always-On Display mode or secondary screen. It also lacks branded damage-resistant glass, so the panel offers no certified scratch or impact protection beyond the standard build.

The Vivo Y38 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, a 4 nm octa-core chipset configured with 2 performance cores at 2.3 GHz and 6 efficiency cores at 2 GHz, using big.LITTLE technology across 8 threads with a TDP of 4W. Graphics are handled by an integrated Adreno 613 GPU running at 955 MHz, supporting DirectX 12, OpenGL ES 3.2, and OpenCL 2, with the ability to drive up to two displays simultaneously. The chipset also includes integrated LTE and ARM TrustZone security. The device ships with 8 GB of DDR5 RAM clocked at 3200 MHz and 256 GB of eMMC 5.1 internal storage, with a maximum supported memory of 16 GB. It is fully 64-bit capable and achieved an AnTuTu benchmark score of 455,100.

The Vivo Y38 5G has a dual-lens rear camera system combining a 50 MP main sensor at f/1.8 and a 2 MP secondary lens at f/2.4, both using CMOS technology without a back-illuminated sensor. Autofocus options include phase-detection and touch autofocus, as well as continuous autofocus during video recording, though laser autofocus is absent. A single LED flash is present, but there is no dual-tone or RGB flash. Manual controls cover ISO, exposure, focus, and white balance, while shutter speed adjustment is not available. The camera supports HDR, burst mode, slow-motion video, timelapse, and in-camera panoramas, but does not shoot in RAW format, record in HDR10 or Dolby Vision, or capture 360-degree panoramas. Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30 fps, with no 3D recording capability. On the front, a single 8 MP camera with an f/2.1 aperture handles selfies; it is a conventional placement with no under-display positioning, no secondary front lens, and no front-facing flash.

The Vivo Y38 5G runs Android 14 and includes a broad set of software features covering both usability and privacy. On the privacy side, it offers clipboard warnings, location privacy controls, camera and microphone access management, and the ability to block app tracking, though cross-site tracking blocking and Mail Privacy Protection are not present. The interface supports theme customization, dynamic theming, dark mode, and an extra dim mode for low-light comfort. Productivity is aided by split-screen multitasking, picture-in-picture, full-page screenshots, a media picker, customizable notifications, widgets, sharing intents, and the ability to play games while they download. Offline voice recognition and voice commands are supported, as is on-device machine learning, multi-user operation, phone tracking, a child lock, battery health monitoring, and Live Text for selecting text from images. The device does not support Wi-Fi password sharing, focus modes, app offloading, Quick Start, or PC mode, and it does not receive direct OS updates from the vendor.

The Vivo Y38 5G is equipped with a 6000 mAh rechargeable, non-removable battery that supports 44W wired fast charging, and a charger is included in the box. A battery level indicator is available to keep track of remaining charge at a glance. Wireless charging is not supported.

The Vivo Y38 5G features stereo speakers but omits a 3.5 mm headphone jack, so wired audio requires an adapter or USB-C headphones. On the wireless audio side, none of the advanced Bluetooth codecs are supported — aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, and LDAC are all absent. The device also does not include an FM radio.

The Vivo Y38 5G supports 5G connectivity alongside Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), and accommodates two SIM cards simultaneously. Bluetooth 5.1 is on board, as is NFC, while DLNA certification and ANT+ support are absent. The USB Type-C port operates at USB 2.0 speeds, and there is no HDMI output. Maximum download speeds reach 2500 Mbit/s and upload speeds up to 900 Mbit/s. An external memory slot is available for storage expansion. For location and navigation, the device includes GPS with Galileo support and a compass. The sensor suite covers a gyroscope and accelerometer, but there is no barometer, infrared sensor, heart rate monitor, or motion and optical tracking. Security is handled by a fingerprint scanner; 3D facial recognition and an iris scanner are not present. Emergency SOS via satellite, crash detection, a built-in projector, and a stylus are also not included.

The Vivo Y38 5G includes a video light for illumination during video recording. The display is flat rather than curved, uses no e-paper technology, and is not protected by sapphire glass.