The OPPO A5 (2020) Assessed: Long Battery, Excellent Value




If Oppo is a new brand name to you then some might say you're unsure whether Oppo makes quality smartphones. Do not worry, though, as OPPO is well regarded in China & has spent quite a few years building up to this release in Europe & elsewhere, and with quality products like the OPPO Reno 10X already making an splash.

The Oppo A5 2020 doesn't pretend to be such a flagship smartphone, however it sure does deliver a nice set of specification with an affordable cost. And if you've been looking at a Motorola G8 Plus or even a Moto One series smartphone, then the subtle savings provided by the OPPO A5 (2020), along with the sizeable battery, make a solid case for its purchase.

The Oppo A5 2020 Design And Display



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



With no 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 device is more of a gray, really is a real fingerprint magnet, and we found that the scanner was a bit too high in its placement and too close to the cameras.

The same can be said of the front 6.5-inch screen is huge, but not awkward, and is kept together with a neat trim bezel on top and side edges and only a little extra towards the chin portion. there is a dew drop notch on the top of the screen, and this is where the selfie camera lives, & it is not distracting & has not been bothersome for any apps that we have been using. Above this is a tiny speaker grille, and this is great when making phonecalls, which we have found not to always be the case with, say, other handsets that have a close design.

Indeed, the display is not the best resolution, giving HD+ resolution. That is like the 720p TVs of old, and while it doesn't look bad in its depiction of details, a Full HD+ screen, like you get with the Motorola G8 Plus. Sure, this device is somewhat less expensive than the Motorola, & yet the extra resolution would make a big improvement.

There's another difficulty with the phone's screen: remove the plastic screen protector (just as we do with all review phones) & that top layer is not the greatest at stopping fingerprint marks, and this is a thing we've rarely looked at since the Huawei P10. It doesn't ruin your the phone, however you may have more coloured smears than you'd like.

Elsewhere in the design A5 2020 comes with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, & there is no reason why you can't plug headphones in, while its bottom-positioned speaker is excellent sounding when producing sound for apps and music.

A5 2020 Battery And Performance



Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 Chipset
3 GB Of RAM
64GB storage
Dedicated microSD card expandable
5000 mAh battery
USB C charging
ColorOS 6.0 Android based operating system

Some might say the most impressive thing about The Oppo A5 2020 is the device's battery life. Despite the body not being too thick, it is a large 5,000mAh unit in there. If you realise the Samsung Galaxy S10 is 3,400mAh when comparing, you'll understand potential for how much more battery capacity this device provides.

Over the few days that we have been testing OPPO A5 (2020) , it's been delivering about 28 hours of use per charge. If you are not constantly on your phone That is good for two days of use. If you're on your phone for much of the time, playing games and all manner of apps, well then you'll still get a full day of use no worries.

Charging is not lightning speed fast, yet it is charged through USB Type C, not Micro-USB that a few older smartphones.

The phone's is assisted by a number of features: its screen, as we've found, isn't the highest resolution screen around; while its processor, a Snapdragon 665, isn't the highest performing processor on the market.

Considering the previous point, however, it is not a big problem because we have been able to play titles such as Clash Royale without any problems, and while our main app South Park: Phone Destroyer has provided lag-free and & clean animations. And, this one is the same processor you will find in the Motorola G8 Plus.

and the CPU and RAM (at 3GB), can at times let the handset down. Be that a couple of seconds wait for something to load up, or a brief hang while an game is getting ready, it's these small issues that make you realise you're not making use of a flagship handset.

The software on board is Oppo's ColorOS, which based on the Google Android operating system, over which ColorOS sits, and Oppo has made various additions, tweaks & layout adjustments. As a result we don't find the user interface quite as clearly as an Android phone proper. Things such as many notifications from battery management, every app being positioned across multiple screens and notifications are taxing at times.

With that said, there are some good additions like fingerprint/face locking app for additional security, much customisation in the notifications formats, a side-swipe quick-access favourite apps panel, & app duplication to make use the Dual SIM , yet the system will not pull backups for the second app.

Having 2 SIM cards additionally doesn't prevent the possibility of expanding on 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.

A5 2020 Camera



Rear Cameras:
Main: 12-megapixels, f/1.8 aperture
Ultra-wide: 8 Megapixel, f/2.25 aperture
Two 2MP depth sensors, f/2.4
Front Facing Cmaera: 8MP, f/2.0

In terms of its cameras, Oppo's A5 2020 the four camera system, however with 2 of those on the rear being depth sensors, and the ultra-wide camera does not function think of the rear cameras as just a single lens setup.

The camera app is a bit slow, however it isn't horrible for an base model handset. We have had no worries shooting even in low light level conditions, and the close up works fantastically. Something of a oddity in many smartphones & camera setups.

There isn't too many features. Yes, you have HDR (high dynamic range) to remove those shadow & to highlight details, and you won't get anything to cater for low-light shooting &, again, there's no wide option available.

And you get a 2x and a 5x digital zoom, which crops into the image, however manages and gives a 12MP picture. As for the ultra wide camera, Oppo's site states "for panoramic pictures", and we assume this sensor is mainly for panoramics, even though the angle of view when using this mode is not wide. This can be confusing.

The photos we have taken with the phone's main camera have good, clear detail with good lighting conditions, but low light causes soft results. Having said that, for viewing on a phone screen or for sharing on socials, that is perfectly fine.

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 Findings


If you are wanting an cheap handset there are a few options, Oppo's A5 2020 is amongst this group. Its battery is exceptional, with about two-day {life|between charges, and its display is {large|huge|good sized, and its chipset ample for everyday tasks & games.

That being said, the display could be higher-resolution and more resistant to smears, the quad camera is hyped, (treat it as a single 12MP main), and you may find the software finicky.

As for the money{, however,|you pay for the handset it all runs smoothly, and the design is spot on, & there is all the makings of a big Motorola G8 Plus nemesis here. Plus, the A5 2020 is not as dear either.

A5 (2020) is the twin brother of the A9 2020 because it has in common with it the most features: 6.5 inch screen, Snapdragon 665 chipset, 5000 mAh battery, quad rear camera.

The OPPO A5 (2020) Additional Info










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