A5 (2020) Review: Outstanding Battery Life, Wonderful Price




If Oppo is a new company to you then maybe you are unsure if this company makes good phones. Do not fear, though, as Oppo is well known in its homeland and has invested quite a few years building up to this release in Europe & beyond, and with innovative handsets like the OPPO Reno 10X impressing already.

OPPO A5 (2020) does not pretend to be a flagship handset, but it really does deliver an attractive specification with an excellent cost. And if you've been looking at a Motorola G8 Plus or even the Moto One series smartphone, then the savings provided by the OPPO A5 2020, along with the sizeable battery, make a solid argument to buy.

Oppo's A5 2020 Design And Display



Dimension: 163.6 x 75.4mm x 9.1mm
Weight: 195 grams
Colours: Mirror Black, Dazzling White
Screen Size: 6.5 inch, 1600 x 720 res
3.5mm headphones jack
Rear finger print scanner



There aren't any immediate signs that the A5 (2020) is a entry-level handset. The semi-reflective rear, emblazoned with an Oppo logo transfer and the text designed for A series, comes with a understated sheen, while the cameras unit and back fingerprint sensor have been positioned in a neat form. Problem is, the black colour of this phone is more of a gray, really is a real fingerprint magnet, and we found that the scanner was a bit too high in its position, too close to the device's camera.

The same can be said of the front 6.5-inch screen is good, and yet not awkward, and is kept together with trim bezel to the top and side edges and only a tiny bit towards the lower position. there is a dew drop notch out of the screen, which is where the front camera is, & it is not distracting & has not been bothersome for any apps that we've been using. On top this is a small speaker grille, which sounds good when making phone calls, a thing we have found not to always be the case with, say, other handsets that have a similar design.

However, the screen isn't the highest resolution going, offering an HD+ resolution. That's like the 720p TVs of old, and while it doesn't look bad in its resolution of details, a Full HD+ screen, such as what you are provided with Motorola's G8 Plus. Indeed, the device is somewhat less expensive than that Motorola, and yet those extra pixels would help make a difference.

There's another difficulty with the device's screen: peel off the screen guard (just as we do with all review phones) & that top layer is not the greatest at preventing fingerprint marks, and this is a thing we have hardly reviewed since Huawei's P10. This does not spoil your the experience, however you may have more coloured marks than you would want to.

Elsewhere in the design A5 (2020) has a 3.5mm headphone jack, and there's no reason you can't plug headphones in, while its bottom-positioned speaker is actually pretty loud when producing sound for ringtones & audio.

The A5 2020 Important Specifications



Snapdragon 665 CPU
3GB RAM
64GB storage
MicroSD expandable
5000mAh Battery
USB Type-C port
ColorOS 6.0 Android based OS

Maybe the most impressive thing about A5 (2020) is the device's battery life. Despite the body not being too thick, it's squeezed a 5,000mAh battery in this device. If you realise the S10 has only 3,400mAh when comparing, you will understand potential for how much more life this handset offers.

The time that we've been testing OPPO A5 (2020) , it's 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 working. If you are on your phone aplenty, playing games & other types apps, then you'll see a full day of use no worries.

Battery charging isn't super-fast, however it's done by USB C, not Micro USB that quite a few previous generation phones.

The handset's battery life is aided by some efficiencies of the smartphone: its screen, as we've found, is not the highest resolution panel going; & its processor, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, isn't the most powerful COU made.

Now regarding the latter point, however, it's not a big limitation because we've been able to play titles such as Clash Royale with no buffering, while the main title South Park: Phone Destroyer has been lag-free and & clear animations. Indeed, this chipset is the same you'll find in the Motorola G8 Plus.

However, the chipset & amount of RAM (at 3GB), can sometimes let the handset down. Whether that is a few seconds extra to wait for a page to load up, or a brief hang while an app is readying, it is only these small issues that make you realise you are not on a flagship device.

The OS is Oppo's ColorOS, which based on the Google Android operating system, upon which ColorOS lays, but with their own variations. Due to this we don't find the user interface as clear as an Android phone. Features such as constant notifications from the handset's battery watchdog, every app being positioned over multiple screens & numbered notifications we found frustrating.

That being said, there are some good additions such as security app for additional security, much customization within notifications, a side-swipe quick-access favourite apps panel, & app duplication to make use of the Dual SIM , however the system won't pull backups for the second app.

Having 2 SIM cards additionally does not prohibit expanding on the on board storage, as there is a dedicated microSD card slot. Very handy if you want heaps of photos, videos and apps on your device - an extra 64GB is unlikely to cost more than a tenner.

A5 2020 Camera



Cameras:
Main: 12-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture
Ultra-wide: 8mega-pixel, f/2.25 aperture
Two 2 MP depth sensors, f/2.4
Front camera: 8 Megapixel, f/2.0

Camera-wise, Oppo A5 2020 the quad camera system, however with 2 of those on the rear are depth sensors, & the ultra-wide camera doesn't function it's better to think of the setup more as a one lens design.

The camera is a bit slow, but this main camera is not too bad considering this is an affordable smartphone. We've had no issues shooting in even low light level conditions, while close up works very well. Something of a exception in a lot of phones & cameras.

There is not many bells & whistles though. Yes, you have HDR (high dynamic range) to hide those shadow & highlight the details, you will not have any help for low light shooting and, again, there is no wide option.

You will get a 2x & 5x digital zoom, which crops into photos, but does still delivers a 12MP photo. As for the ultra wide camera, Oppo's site says for panoramic pictures, so I presume that this sensor is just for panoramics, even with the angle of view when using this mode is not wide. This can be confusing.

Most of the pictures we've snapped with its camera have good detail with good light, but low light causes soft results. That said, as for looking at on a smartphone screen or for sharing on social media, that is more than good enough.

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 Results


And if you are after a entry level smartphone there is a few good choices, Oppo's A5 2020 with these phones. The smartphone's battery life is great, having near 2 day {life|between charges, its display is {large|huge|good sized, & its CPU ample for everyday tasks & playing media.

With that being said, the screen could be better & better resistant to smudges, and the camera is hyped, (treat it as a single 12MP main), and some may find the software fussy.

As for the money{, however,|you pay for this device everything performs adequately, the design is modern, and there's all the showings of a strong Motorola G8 Plus nemesis here. Plus, the A5 2020 is not as pricey either.

The OPPO A5 (2020) is neither more or less than the twin sister of that Oppo A9 due to the fact that it shares with it the most features: 6.5 inch screen, Snapdragon 665 CPU, 5,000 mAh battery, quad camera design.

A5 2020 Further Information & Learning










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