If Oppo is a new brand name to you then maybe you're unsure if OPPO makes good phones. Do not worry, though, as OPPO is well regarded in China & has spent quite a few years building up to its release in Europe & elsewhere, and with quality smartphones like the OPPO Reno 10X impressing already.
A5 (2020) does not pretend to be a flagship smartphone, but it sure does deliver an attractive specification with an affordable cost. So if you've been looking at a Motorola G8 Plus or a Moto One series handset, then the savings given by A5 (2020), and its big battery, all make a strong argument to purchase.
The A5 2020 Display And Styling
Dimension: 163.6 x 75.4mm x 9.1 mm
Handset Weight: approx 195 g
Colours: Dazzling White or Mirror Black
Screen Size: 6.5-inch, 1600 x 720 resolution
3.5mm headphone jack
Rear finger print scanner
Pic taken with #oppoA5 @OPPOArabia on abudhabi sheikh zyed bridge pic.twitter.com/hR9Oo1Js8T
— Arulazhagan R (@rarulazhagan) December 28, 2019
With no immediate indicators the The OPPO A5 2020 is a entry-level handset. Its semi-reflective rear, emblazoned with an Oppo logo transfer & the script "designed for A-series", has a understated sheen, and its camera and rear fingerprint scanner have been aligned in a tidy form. Problem is, the Mirror Black finish of this model which is more a gray, and it is easy to get dirty, & I found that the scanner a little high in its position, too close to the camera.
The same can be said the front 6.5-inch screen is adequate, and yet not awkward, is held together with trim bezel to the top and side edges and only a little extra towards the chin position. there is a dew drop notch on the top of the screen, and is where the front camera lives, but it's not distracting and hasn't been annoying for any apps that we've been using. Above of this is a tiny speaker grille, and this sounds good when making calls, something we've found not to always be the case with, say, Xiaomi phones with a similar design.
Indeed, the display is not the best resolution, providing HD+ resolution. That is like the 720p televisions of the older design, & while it does not appear horrible in its presentation of details, a Full HD+ screen, such as what you are provided with Motorola's G8 Plus. Yes, this Oppo is somewhat less expensive than the Motorola, & yet the extra pixels would help make a change.
There is another frustration with the phone's screen: remove the screen guard (just as we do with all review phones) & that top layer isn't the best at repelling fingerprint smears, & this is a thing we have hardly viewed since Huawei's P10. This doesn't ruin your the phone, yet you may get some more rainbow-coloured smears than you'd like to.
Elsewhere A5 (2020) has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so there is no reason why you can't plug headphones in, while the bottom speaker is excellent sounding when delivering audio for ringtones & film clips.
Oppo's A5 2020 Important Specs
Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor
3 GB Of RAM
64GB storage
MicroSD expandable
5000 mAh battery
USB-C charge
ColorOS 6.0 Android based operating system
Maybe the most impressive thing about OPPO A5 (2020) is the phone's battery life. As the body not being too thick, it's squeezed a 5000mAh cell in this smartphone. When you realise the S10 is 3,400mAh when comparing, you'll understand potential for how much more battery capacity this device gives.
Over the time that we've been using Oppo A5 2020 , it is been delivering about 28 hours of use per charge. If you're not constantly on your phone That's going to give 2 days of life. If you're using your phone aplenty, playing games & other types apps, then you will get a full day's use no worries.
Charging is not ultra quick, yet it is done by USB C, not Micro USB like some previous models of handsets.
Battery life is helped by some key features: its display, as we've found, is not the highest resolution screen around; while its processor, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, isn't the highest performing processor on the block.
About the last point, however, it's not a problem as we have been able to play games like Boom Beach without any clunkiness, and while our main app South Park: Phone Destroyer has been lag-free and & good scrolling. Yes, this is the same you'll find in Motorola's G8 Plus.
However, the processor & amount of RAM (at 3GB), can at times show their middling levels. Whether that is a couple of seconds wait for an app to load up, or a buffering while an game is sorting its business out, it is only these tiny points that let the user know you are not on a flagship smartphone.
The OS is Oppo's long-established ColorOS, and is a lot like the Google Android operating system, over which ColorOS sits, and Oppo has made various additions, tweaks & layout adjustments. As a result we don't think the operating system as clear as an Android phone proper. Features like too many notifications from battery management, every app being positioned across several pages as well as numbered notifications we found frustrating.
That being said, there are features such as security app for additional security, much customisation in the notifications formats, a side-swipe quick-access your favourite apps panel, and app duplication to allow you to use of the Dual SIM , but the system won't draw in backups for the secondary app.
Having 2 SIM cards also does not disallow expanding upon the 64GB on-board storage, as there's a dedicated microSD card slot. Very handy if you want heaps of photos, videos & apps on your device - an extra 64GB is unlikely to cost more than a tenner.
Oppo's A5 2020 Camera
Rear Cameras:
Main: 12-megapixels, f/1.8 aperture
Ultra-wide: 8MP, f/2.25 aperture
Two 2 Megapixel depth sensors, f/2.4
Front camera: 8 Megapixel, f/2.0
In terms of cameras, The Oppo A5 2020 the 'quad' camera setup, however with 2 of those on the rear being depth sensors, and the ultra-wide camera does not function you can think of the setup as simply a one lens layout.
The camera app is a not fast, however the main camera isn't awful for an entry level phone. We have had no problems shooting in low-light environments, & the close up works fantastically. Something of a oddity in a few phones and camera systems.
There aren't too many features. Yes, you have HDR (high dynamic range) to remove the shadow and to highlight the details, you will not find help for low-light shooting and, as we said, there is no wide option.
additionally you get a 2x and 5x digital zoom, which crops into pics, and does still delivers a 12MP image. And as for the ultra-wide camera, Oppo's site says "for panoramic pictures", and we assume that this sensor is reserved used for panoramics, even though the angle of view in this mode is not wide. This can be confusing.
The photos we've snapped with the rear camera have ample appearance in good light, although low light gives soft images. Having said that, for viewing on a smartphone screen or for sharing on socials, that is good.
On the front, there's an 8MP camera which has the usual glut of Oppo's smoothing & face-thinning effects which, we're happy to never use. Each to their own, though, we know there are fans of the 'beautification' options.
Final Verdict
And if you're after a affordable handset there is a few choices, OPPO A5 (2020) with this group. The battery life is well up to the task, having near two day {life|between charges, and the screen is {large|huge|good sized, & its CPU well equipped to deal with everyday tasks & playing media.
With that being said, the display could be higher-resolution & more resistant to smears, the rear camera is a total oversell, (treat it as a single 12MP main), and some may find the software not the most user friendly.
For the price{, however,|you pay for this phone everything runs smoothly, and the design is on point, and there's all the signs of a significant Motorola G8 Plus nemesis right here. Plus, the Oppo A5 2020 isn't as expensive either.
The OPPO A5 (2020) is the twin brother to the A9 2020 because it shares with it the most benefits: 6.5-inch screen, Snapdragon 665 chipset, a 5,000 mAh battery, quad lens camera design.
Oppo's A5 2020 Additional Information & Learning
#Oppo A5 (2020) vs Oppo A9 (2020): #Comparison
