OPPO has just released its first smartphone in the Philippine market for 2018 – the OPPO A83. It’s like a smaller and toned-down version of the OPPO F5 Youth, sporting a 5.7-inch 18:9 display, MediaTek Helio P23 chipset, the same A.I. Beauty Technology found in the OPPO F5 Series, and a lower price tag. Check out what the OPPO A83 has to offer in our full review.
Before we dive in, watch our unboxing and hands-on video below:
Design and Construction
The OPPO A83 has a design and feel similar to the OPPO F5 Youth. It has a smaller 5.7-inch screen with 1440 x 720 resolution which is equal to 282ppi, and an aspect ratio of 18:9. Like the F5 series, it has a slim top and bottom bezels. OPPO calls this the Full Screen display.
Placed above the display are the earpiece, sensor, and 8MP selfie camera. Since it uses on-screen navigation keys, the bottom part doesn’t feature any buttons.
On the left are the volume keys, while on the right are the power/lock key, and the SIM tray that can accommodate two nano-sized SIM cards and a microSD card with a dedicated slot.
The top part is free from any keys or ports, while the bottom part houses the loudspeaker, micro USB port, microphone, and the 3.5mm audio port.
Flip it on its back and you will see the protruding 13MP main shooter, LED flash, and the OPPO branding.
Although sporting an above-average screen size, the OPPO A83 feels nice in the hands and easy to hold thanks to its small footprint, slim body, and rounded corners. The bezel provides an edgy feel for added grip. Although made of plastic, it’s solid yet light. It also has a matte finish but can easily catch smudges and fingerprints.
OPPO didn’t mention any special glass protection on the A83 but already comes with a pre-installed screen protector. A plastic case is also included in the package so you can protect your device right away.
Display and Multimedia
As mentioned earlier, the OPPO A83 features a 5.7-inch with 1440 x 720 resolution or equal to 282ppi. It is also OPPO’s first A-series smartphone to have an 18:9 display or what the company calls the Full Screen.
Quality is decent for a display of this caliber. Pixels are noticeable at close range but don’t ruin the whole viewing experience, however, it’s not something we’d recommend for VR. Colors are accurate and natural, viewing angles are good, and the screen is vibrant enough for outdoor use. Just wipe the display every now and then to remove smudges and fingerprints.
When it comes to its loudspeaker, don’t expect much as it lacks bass and not as loud as we expect them to be. It’s good enough for hands-free voice calls and gaming, but if you’re watching your favorite TV series or movie, it’s better to use an external speaker or the earphones included in the package.
Camera
The OPPO A83 sports a 13MP rear and 8MP front shooters. It has HDR, filters, Time-Lapse, Beauty, Panorama, and Expert. The selfie camera has something special as it features Depth Effect and the same A.I. Beautification Technology that is found on the OPPO F5.
Camera quality is good for a phone with this price. Compared to flagship smartphones, the details captured are softer, while noise can be evident in dim lighting. On the bright side, it has good colors and decent contrast and dynamic range.
Selfies have decent quality but we can see the Depth Effect and the A.I. Beautification Technology kicks in. It was able to identify imperfections and clean it up, but not to the point of erasing your important facial features. The 8MP sensor is not as sharp as the 20MP OPPO F5, but it will suffice for uploading in social media.
When it comes to video recording, the OPPO A83 maxes out at Full HD at 30fps in MP4 format. It doesn’t have video stabilization and autofocus can be jittery but the quality is ok with good colors and decent audio.
OS, UI, and Apps
Running the software department is ColorOS 3.2 that is based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat with November 5, 2017 security patch. It has an iOS feel to it which is not bad as it is simple and easy to navigate.
All apps are accessible via multiple home screens. Swiping down from the top would reveal the notifications while swiping up from the bottom will show the shortcut keys. This can get some getting used to especially to those used to accessing everything from the notifications drawer.
The OPPO A83 also has a number of handy features like Clone Apps which lets you duplicate popular messaging apps, Game Acceleration, Gesture and Motion, and Split-Screen. There’s no fingerprint scanner but it has Face Unlock.
Face Unlock is one of those cool and useful features that debuted on the OPPO F5 and it’s nice to see it on the A83. As the name suggests, this lets you unlock the phone using your face. It doesn’t work well in poor lighting but when there’s sufficient light, it’s responsive and can unlock the phone in a split second even when we’re not totally looking at it. It’s a convenient way of unlocking your phone but we recommend using a strong passcode or PIN as your front-line security.
Pre-installed apps are kept to a minimum and are limited to Facebook and a handful of Google apps, which is not bad. Out of the 32GB, you’re left with 22.86GB of usable space which you can expand via its dedicated microSD card slot or USB OTG.
Performance and Benchmarks
Powering the OPPO A83 is the MediaTek Helio P23 octa-core chipset, Mali-G71 MP2 GPU, and 3GB RAM. It’s the same configuration as the OPPO F5 Youth. Performance is smooth when it comes to handling day-to-day tasks and didn’t stutter when switching between apps. It’s also a good when it comes to gaming apps like Mobile Legends, HIT, and Skull Girls. Warming can be felt on the upper part near the camera but not too much to be a problem. Check out the benchmarks below:
- AnTuTu – 67,496
- 3D Mark – 70 (Sling Shot Extreme – OpenGL ES 3.1), 416 (Sling Shot Extreme -Vulkan)
- PC Mark – 3,754 (Work 2.0)
- AndroBench – 280.92 MB/s (Read), 141.26 (Write)
Connectivity and Call Quality
The OPPO A83 comes with the usual connectivity features and sensors like Dual-SIM, 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Gyroscope. LTE is enabled on both SIM slots but only one can connect to 4G while the other settles for 3G.
Mobile data is good and fast depending on the network, GPS navigation is accurate, while call quality is loud and clear. Just make sure that your area has good connection and signal.
Battery Life
The OPPO A83 is equipped with a non-removable 3,180mAh which are slightly lower than the one found on the OPPO F5 and F5 Youth. It can still be considered above average and our time with it proves it. Mixed usage which consists of constant WiFi internet connection, heavy social media browsing, moderate photo taking and light gaming, got us a whole day and into the night before it required charging.
PC Mark rated it at 13 hours and 2 minutes, while our video loop test which involves playing a 1080p video on loop in Airplane mode at 50% brightness and volume with headset plugged in, yielded 15 hours and 22 minutes which is good for a phone of this caliber. It doesn’t have fast charging so replenishing the battery takes over 2 hours.
Conclusion
The OPPO A83 may have a different name but its roots stretch out to the F5 family. It has a large 5.7-inch Full Screen display in a small yet slim body, good performance for its class, decent cameras with A.I. Beautification technology, Face Unlock, and a long battery life. It would have been better though if it had a fingerprint scanner or a larger storage, but at least it doesn’t cost much at Php9,990. So if you’re looking for a device that’s below Php10K, this phone is one worth considering.
OPPO A83 specs:
5.7-inch 1440 x 720, 18:9 Full Screen display, 282ppi
MediaTek MT6763T Helio P23 2.5GHz octa-core processor
Mali-G71 MP2 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB storage
microSD card slot (dedicated slot)
13MP rear camera, LED flash
8MP front camera, screen flash
A.I. Beautification Technology
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS
microUSB 2.0
USB OTG
Face Unlock
ColorOS 3.2 (Android 7.1.1 Nougat)
3,180mAh battery
150.5 x 73.1 x 7.7 mm
143 g
What we liked:
* Good build and slim body
* Large Full Screen display
* Decent performance and cameras
* Fcae Unlock
* Long battery life
* Reasonable price
What we didn’t:
* No fingerprint scanner
Great review! The OPPO A83 seems like a solid choice with its impressive design and decent performance for the price. I appreciate the detailed insights on its camera capabilities—definitely considering this for my next phone upgrade!