Oppo has been making some very compelling phones in the mid-range segment, and Oppo A5 2020 is no different. Now, this phone offers a beautiful design coupled with a massive battery, USB Type-C, quad cameras and stereo speakers for a starting price of Rs. 11,990. Indeed, all of it looks quite luring on paper. But is it for everyone? Let’s check out the same in our detailed Oppo A5 2020 review.
Oppo A5 2020 Specifications
Before starting with the Oppo A5 2020 review, let’s have a glance at the device’s specifications, pricing and things we get inside the retail box.
- Display: 6.5-inch IPS LCD display, HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels resolution), 20:9, 270ppi density
- CPU: 11nm-based octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver)
- GPU: Adreno 610
- RAM: 3GB/4GB
- Storage: 64GB, expandable up to 256GB via microSD (hybrid slot)
- Software: Android 9 Pie (ColorOS 6)
- Main Camera: 12MP primary sensor ( f/1.8, 1/2.8″, 1.25µm, PDAF) + 8M (13mm, 1/4″, 1.12µm) ultra-wide angle sensor + 2MP (f/2.4, 1/5″, 1.75µm) Depth sensor + 2MP (f/2.4, 1/5″, 1.75µm) Monochrome lens
- Selfie Camera: 8MP (f/2.0)
- Connectivity: Dual SIM (4G), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, FM radio, USB Type-C
- Cellular: Dual SIM
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, rear-mounted
- Battery: 5,000 mAh, Li-ion Polymer, non-removable
Price: Rs. 11,990 for 3/64GB| Rs. 13,990 for 4/64GB
Box Contents
- Oppo A5 2020
- 10W Charger
- USB Type-C cable
- Silicon Case
- Earphones
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Documentation
Oppo A5 2020 Review
Design
As for the design, the new Oppo A5 looks akin to the other mid-range smartphones, with a water-drop notch upfront and a polycarbonate back. The latter boasts of quad cameras with three aligned in a row and another one to the right, below flashlight. It is followed by an oval-shaped fingerprint scanner, accompanied by Oppo branding.
For starters, the device comes in two colours, including Mirror Black and Dazzling White options. The white one we have here looks quite similar to the Mi A3 counterpart with a dazzling rainbowish glow on reflection of light. The front as well is quite similar with a dot notch, thin side bezels and a significant bottom chin.
Overall, the device looks quite premium and feels solid in hands. However, it’s not the most compact or lightweight phone in the segment. And to be particular, it weighs 195grams and bears a thickness of 9.1mm.
Talking of ports and placements, you’ve got the power button to the right and volume rockers to the left. Both the buttons are well under reach even for people having small hands. The sim tray is given right above the volume controls while the USB Type-C port for charging, 3.5mm audio jack, speaker and microphone are provided at the bottom.
The earpiece on the top, doubles up as a stereo speaker, making up for a loud and rich output. Plus, the presence of USB Type-C is well appreciated for a phone in this segment.
Display
The display used here is a 6.5-inch HD+ IPS panel that touts excellent viewing angles and offers vibrant colours. However, sharpness isn’t that great. Since it’s an HD-panel with 270ppi density, any pixel peeper is likely to notice the change.
Now it’s not as bright as we would’ve liked, but then again we didn’t face any difficulties using it under harsh sunlight. All-inclusive, the panel is good enough for watching movies and enjoying content on the go. For protection, Oppo has provided a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3+ on top.
Performance
Under the hood, the Oppo A5 2020 gets powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, paired with 3GB and 4GB of RAM, alongside 64GB of internal storage. It’s great that Oppo has gone ahead with 64GB of storage even for the cheaper model. But then again, the base model itself should have had 4GB RAM in the first place.
Now, the phone runs flawlessly when it comes to day to tasks like watching movies, texting, using social media apps, navigating through GPS or listening to music. Apps load quite fast, and we’ve had no lags while using the device.
Gaming too is fine, and titles like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile run well on low graphics settings. We tried continuous gaming for around 40 minutes, and the phone didn’t show any heating issues. On the contrary, multi-tasking takes a hit on 3GB RAM model. Since ColorOS itself is a cumbersome UI, the device doesn’t hold many apps in the memory.
Software
As noted, the phone runs the company’s custom ColorOS 6.0 on top of Android 9 Pie. And it indeed is one of the biggest limitations on its smartphones. Despite being akin to the iOS, it luckily gets an App drawer which can be revealed by a simple swipe on the home screen. Furthermore, you get to choose between Pixel-styled pill gestures or the new full-screen gestures for a more immersive experience.
The UI also includes several motion and screen gestures to play around. However, there’s a good amount of bloatware like DailyHunt, Opera, UC Browser, ShareChat, Web novel, etc. which, fortunately, can be uninstalled in the settings.
Amongst other features, we have Hyper Boost and Game Space modes grounded on AI. Furthermore, there’s a dedicated Riding Mode to manage calls and notifications while riding, followed by a Smart Assistant, which proactively provides you with information you need, similar to the Google Assistant.
All-inclusive, ColorOS is a highly skinned and customizable version of Android. Hence, if you’re someone like me who loves stock Android, then you’re definitely going to have a hard time getting used to the ColorOS.
Cameras
As noted, the Oppo A5 2020 gets a total of four cameras at the rear. This includes a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter and a 2-megapixel depth sensor, followed by a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor. For selfies, there’s an 8-megapixel f/2.0 camera housed by the water-drop notch upfront.
The primary camera clicks good pictures in daylight with an ample amount of detail and sharpness on offer. Dynamic range too is apt, and pictures have well-balanced exposure. Low-light performance is a little above average and the night mode further helps in pulling out details.
Wide-angle camera, as expected, is nowhere close to the primary sensor. Yet, it clicks some good pictures provided that you have enough lighting on offer. Portrait mode works reliably well, and edge detection is reasonably accurate. Though, it occasionally messes around with complex backgrounds.
Moving further, the selfie camera is quite average and is definitely not for selfie-freaks. Don’t get me wrong; it clicks good pictures that can be shared on social media. But, we have phones with much better calibre in this price range.
Battery & Charging
Battery life is certainly one of the main selling points for the Oppo A5 2020. The large 5,000mAh cell, paired with a low-resolution display, efficient SoC and power-saving techniques of ColorOS, easily makes up for a two-day endurance on medium usage.
As a matter of fact, the device gets a USB Type-C port. However, it merely lacks support for any sort of fast charging which could be a bummer for many as it takes ages to charge the mammoth cell inside. We’d have loved to see VOOC charging here, but alas no luck.
Pros
- Premium design
- Good performance
- Encouraging Rear Camera
- Impressive Battery Life
- USB Type-C, Stereo Speaker setup
Cons
- No 4K video recording
- ColorOS is annoying
- No Fast Charging
- Below average selfie camera
Oppo A5 2020 Review Verdict- Should you buy it?
With good performance, battery life and camera on offer, the Oppo A5 2020 is undoubtedly a phone worth recommending since it ticks all boxes for an average user. Nonetheless, it does have certain limitations including ColorOS, lack of fast charging and average front camera.
If your highest priority is the battery life, while making no compromises on performance, then the new Oppo A5 is certainly the way to go for. However, if you want something more, you can have a look at the Mi A3 (review), Redmi Note 8 Pro and Realme 5 Pro (review).
