The camera of the Bphone B86, although heavily promoted by BKAV, is not impressive in reality. Compared to the Vsmart Live, both “give up” in capturing moments in low light conditions. Vsmart Live and Bphone B86 are the two most premium smartphones from VinSmart and BKAV.
Vsmart Live was launched in August 2019 with a price of 7 million VND, but after several price cuts, it is now only about 3.5 million VND. Meanwhile, Bphone B86 is priced at 8.99 million VND.
In terms of design and build quality, the Bphone B86 is rated higher than Vsmart Live. Bphone B86 has a glass back and a metal frame, while Vsmart Live is made entirely of plastic.
On the front, both models feature a full-screen design without a notch or hole-punch. However, Vsmart Live is more appealing due to the symmetry of the top/bottom screen bezels.
Additionally, Vsmart Live uses an AMOLED display, providing better display quality compared to the LCD of Bphone B86.
BKAV has removed the volume button on the Bphone B86, replacing it with gesture controls, which BKAV claims is “the world’s first smartphone without physical buttons.”
In reality, the absence of physical buttons creates many inconveniences during use; users find it hard to adapt and cannot operate as quickly as with buttons. This is a problem they won’t face with Vsmart Live.
Speaking of inconveniences during use, BKAV has also eliminated the headphone jack on the Bphone B86.
Once again, Vsmart Live users do not have to face this issue.
The camera of the Bphone B86, although heavily promoted by BKAV, is not impressive in reality. Compared to the Vsmart Live, both “give up” in capturing moments in low light conditions.
Even when activating the sNight feature (which BKAV advertises can take clear photos even in very dark conditions), the photo quality of the Bphone B86 does not improve much. The Night Mode feature of Vsmart Live shows more effective results, although the photos are still difficult to use due to loss of detail.
Another comparison of the photography capabilities of Vsmart Live and Bphone B86 when the night mode is turned off…
… and when the night mode is turned on.
In full light conditions, both produce images that are basically quite similar. In the comparison photo above, the Bphone B86 is rated slightly higher due to its more vibrant colors and better dynamic range.
On the other hand, Vsmart Live has a significant advantage due to the presence of an ultrawide lens. This is a feature that every smartphone released in the past year has, but the Bphone B86 lacks.
In terms of specifications, both Bphone B86 and Vsmart Live are equipped with the Snapdragon 675 chip. The Bphone B86 has 4GB of RAM, while the Vsmart Live comes in two versions with 4GB and 6GB of RAM.
The battery capacity of Vsmart Live is 4000mAh, while Bphone B86 is only 3000mAh. Both support Quick Charge with a fast charger included in the box.
Vsmart Live integrates an in-display fingerprint sensor, while Bphone B86 sticks to the traditional rear-mounted sensor. Although the technology is more advanced, the fingerprint sensor of Vsmart Live is not as sensitive and fast as that of Bphone B86.
One strength of Bphone B86 compared to other products is its water resistance according to the “IP68+” standard. Although IP68+ is a standard created by BKAV and not verified by any organization, it still gives users a sense of security when using the device in the rain or accidentally dropping it in water.
In addition, Bphone B86 also integrates BKAV Mobile Security software, which helps block spam messages, ads, and some malware. However, BKAV’s excessive interference with Android causes the BOS 8.6 of the Bphone B86 to not achieve Play Protect certification, which according to Google could affect the device’s safety.
Despite the Bphone having advantages in design, water resistance, and spam blocking; when considering that Vsmart Live completely outshines in all other aspects at a price only half, it is hard to come up with a valid reason to buy the Bphone B86.
