❤ Oppo A5 ( 2020 )
The Oppo A5 2020 is one of the latest phones to appear in the crowded budget-to-mid-range part of smartphone land, and it proves that Oppo can continue to make compelling devices in this section of the market.
It’s very similar to the Oppo A9 2020, with the major difference being the camera setup. The A9 has a superior rear camera array, and will cost you a bit more, but if you want to spend as little as possible on your next phone then the A5 is definitely worth a look.
You can pick up the Oppo A5 2020 for around £180 online in the UK and AU$300 in Australia on time of launching, though as yet we don’t have confirmation of a US release. That’s not very much money for a smartphone at all, and everything else in this review has to be weighed against the price of admission.
Of course, there’s plenty of competition at the lower end of the market – from the likes of Motorola, Honor, Realme and others – but the Oppo A5 2020 does enough to find a place among the best cheap phones, making it worthy of some serious consideration for the budget-conscious.
Oppo A5 ( 2020 ) specs:
| NETWORK | Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 | |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 | |
| 4G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41 | |
| 1, 3, 5, 8, 38, 40, 41 | ||
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (2CA) Cat6 400/50 Mbps |
| LAUNCH | Announced | 2019, September 21 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Available. Released 2019, October |
| BODY | Dimensions | 163.6 x 75.4 x 9.1 mm (6.44 x 2.97 x 0.36 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 195 g (6.88 oz) | |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic back, plastic frame | |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| DISPLAY | Type | IPS LCD, 480 nits (typ) |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.5 inches, 102.0 cm2 (~82.7% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~270 ppi density) | |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| PLATFORM | OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), ColorOS 6.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM665 Snapdragon 665 (11 nm) | |
| CPU | Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver) | |
| GPU | Adreno 610 |
| MEMORY | Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 32GB 4GB RAM, 64GB 3GB RAM, 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM | |
| UFS 2.1 |
| MAIN CAMERA | Quad | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 1.25µm, PDAF 8 MP, 119˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) |
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
| SELFIE CAMERA | Single | 8 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.0µm |
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | |
| Video | 1080p@30fps |
| SOUND | Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | |
| NFC | Yes (market dependent) | |
| Radio | FM radio | |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
|---|
| BATTERY | Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable |
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Reverse wired |
| MISC | Colors | Mirror Black, Dazzling White |
|---|---|---|
| Models | CPH1931, CPH1959, CPH1933, CPH1935, CPH1943 | |
| Price | About 170 EUR |
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Design
- Spacious screen
- Tastefully designed
- Not waterproof
Take a look at the Oppo A5 2020 and you can tell it’s not a premium-level, flagship phone, and it’s the same when you pick it up. At the same time it’s fair to say that the handset looks more expensive than it actually is – sure, it’s clad in plastic and looks unoriginal, but it’s nicely curved and finished.
Black and white are your rather ho-hum color choices here, with Oppo attaching a plastic screen protector in the factory and bundling a silicone case with the phone too. So if you want some basic protection for your new handset, you won’t necessarily have to go out and buy a separate case.
With that 6.5-inch screen and a thickness of 9.1mm, this is not a compact handset, though you can just about use it with one hand (if you have big-ish hands and dexterous fingers). It’s good for getting a lot on screen at once, but it’s not so good for stuffing into a small pocket.
Oppo has put the power button on the right here, with the volume controls on the left. The headphone jack (yes, there is one) is down at the bottom of the device, together with a speaker grille. Oppo has thankfully gone for USB-C as the data port, with some budget models still resorting to micro USB.
The fingerprint scanner is up on the back. The phone isn’t dust or waterproof, but then you wouldn’t really expect that from a phone at this price – corners have to be cut somewhere, so just make sure you don’t drop it in the bath or leave it out in a sandstorm.
While the design of the Oppo A5 2020 won’t exactly set hearts racing, we’ve seen a lot worse down at the budget end of the Android market, so we can’t really fault Oppo too much in this department. You’re not going to be embarrassed to take this out in front of friends and family at least.
Verdict
The Oppo A5 2020 when judged against its price comes out very well indeed: for not much money at all, you get a device that is competent in most areas and really good in a couple.
Pros
- Solid design
- Superb battery life
- Spacious screen
Cons
- So-so performance
- Unimpressive camera
- Slow charging
