Since the relaxations in the COVID-19 related lockdowns, the Indian smartphone market is coming back on track like the rest of the market. In the past couple of weeks, we have seen a number of flagship and budget smartphones enter the market, and one such phone is the Oppo A52.
The phone can be considered as an addition to the Oppo A5. Coming in at INR 16,990 for the maxed out 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, the phone offers a lot, considering the competition.
We pushed the Oppo A52 through our rigorous tests for a week and here’s the full review.
Oppo A52 Specifications
Before starting with the Oppo A52 review, let’s have a look at the phone’s specifications.
- Display: 6.5-inch LCD display, FHD+ resolution
- CPU: Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 Processor
- GPU: Adreno 618
- RAM: 4/6GB
- Storage: 128GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
- Software: Android 10 (ColorOS)
- Main Camera: 12MP (PDAF) + 8MP ultra-wide-angle + 2MP depth sensor + 2MP macro
- Selfie Camera: 16MP (f/2.0)
- Connectivity: USB Type C, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM Radio
- Cellular: Dual SIM
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, side-mounted
- Battery: 5,000 mAh, Li-ion Polymer, non-removable
Box Contents
Here’s a complete list of items you get inside the box:
-
- Oppo A52 smartphone
- 18W Charger
- USB Type C Cable
- Earphones
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Documentation
Design & Display
Let’s start off with the design, the Oppo A52 has a modern design mimicking some other BBK family phones twice its price. Despite the mid-range price tag, Oppo didn’t really cut any corners when designing this product. The phone comes in two shades both of them are well thought out and look cool.
You get to see a squared out quad-camera module placed on the left side while the Oppo branding sits on the bottom. We have a side-mounted fingerprint this time around which acts as a power button as well and is placed on the right side. While the volume rockers are moved to the left, the bottom houses the USB Type-C charging port, speaker grill, microphone and the 3.5mm audio jack.
Coming to the display, you a large 6.5-inch LCD display with a Full HD+ resolution. This is one of those punch-hole displays that houses the 16MP selfie camera inside it. The display has rounded corners with smaller bezels all around except for a massive chin. The quality of the display is really good easily rivalling the competition. It has a max brightness of 480 nits which is enough for carefree outdoor visibility and at the same time good for enjoying the content.
Software & Performance
Moving to the Software, the phone runs on Android 10 with the latest build of ColorOS on top. Like with other custom skins, you get a flair of customization options, from changing the themes to wallpapers, icons and more. There are some nifty features like the Game Mode, Dark Mode, and the Oppo Relax that as the name suggests helps you to relax and focus by engaging the user in meditation and other peace-inducing exercises.
As with other custom skins, you get your fair share of bloatware here as well. Apps like Daily hunt, custom browsers and some games might not be of use for most users and thankfully can be uninstalled. What we did like is that there are no ads popping up from system apps which is a plus here.
Coming to the performance, the Oppo A52 comes powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage on our test unit. The Snapdragon 665 is the upgrade to the once-popular Snapdragon 660. We found the phone to be perfectly fine for day to day use. We could do light browsing, social media, and casual gameplays without any issues.
The 6GB RAM is more than enough for smooth operation and Oppo’s memory management here seems to be on point. The chipset, though not the best in this price point is not meant for serious gaming but satisfies occasional gaming needs. , We did try some gaming. tried playing PUBG Mobile on the lowest and medium possible graphic settings, and while the game was playable, we did notice occasional frame drops here and there. PUBG Lite, on the other hand, ran fine without any major issues.
Other not so graphic intensive titles like Subway surfers and trivia games run perfectly without any hiccups.
Cameras & Battery
In terms of optics, the Oppo A52 offers a quad-camera setup on the back. This includes a 12-megapixel primary camera with f/1.8 aperture and phase detection autofocus (PDAF), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, followed by a 2-megapixel sensor for collecting depth information and a 2-megapixel macro sensor.
The images shot in daylight conditions are quite decent with a good amount of detail and sharpens in them. Dynamic range with the HDR mode is on point, thanks to the PDAF, the focus is fast and accurate for the most part. In low-light, the camera doesn’t perform as good as expected- it exhibits a lack of detail and shows inaccurate colours. The night mode in the app works well and brings out details up to some extent.
Moving to the front camera, the 16-megapixel selfie shooter produces above-average shots in-line with the competition. You get the standard AI-assisted modes here as well for stepping up your selfie game. The app is fairly standard and what we’ve seen on other Oppo smartphones.
Coming to the battery, the phone comes packed with a massive 5,000mAh battery which is one of the highlighting features and is becoming a standard battery figure in the industry. In our tests, the phone lasted close to two days with moderate usage which comprised web-surfing, social media, texting, and occasional gaming. Since there’sno fast charging support, the battery takes well over 2 1/2 hours to charge with the supplied 18W charger.
Verdict- Should you buy it?
For the price of INR 16,990 for the maxed out variant, the phone is an enticing offering something that could really sell well in the offline segment. You get a decent Full HD+ display, quad-rear camera module, and a massive 5,000mAh battery. The thing bothering us is the level of competition that other brand and even some within the BBK camp might pose for the A52 when buying it online.
