The Indian Express : Jun 08, 2019, 01:23 PM
The sub-Rs 10,000 market for smartphones is one of the most watched segment in this country. It also happens to be competitive given this is where the maximum volumes lie. Oppo has recently launched their A1k smartphone with an aim to capture a share in this market segment.Launched at a price of Rs 8,490, the Oppo A1k packs a 4,000mAh battery. The smartphone also comes with an octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 processor which has been paired with 2GB of RAM. So should you buy this new offering from Oppo? Let us find out in our review:
Oppo A1k specifications: 6.1-inch LCD display | MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762 processor | 2GB RAM+32GB storage | 8MP rear camera | 5MP front camera | 4,000 mAh battery | Android 9.0 PieOppo A1k price in India: Rs 8,490 for 2GB RAM/32GB internal storage variantOppo A1k review: Design and display
Oppo A1k comes with a simple design on a plastic body and matte finish which looks elegant to hold. It has a plain rear panel, which is fairly tough to break and not susceptible to fingerprint marks. The device is sized in a way that one can easily hold and use with one hand.There is a single back camera along with an LED flash setup which slightly bulges out. There is no fingerprint sensor in this smartphone. The Oppo A1k does come with a face detection feature. Apart from this, Oppo A1k comes with a SIM tray that has dedicated slots for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card.
Coming to the display of the phone, the Oppo A1k has a waterdrop style notch display, the notch houses the front camera. The smartphone has 6.1-inch HD+ display which has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. This is quite identical to the Realme C2 which comes at a starting price of Rs 5,999.
The display has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The display has adequate brightness indoors, but under bright sunlight of summers, the screen tends to looks dim even if it is at the full brightness making it hard to read on this phone.
Oppo A1k: Performance and software
Oppo A1k is powered by MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762 octa-core processor based on a 12nm process, which has also been used in Realme C2. On Geekbench, the smartphone registers a single core score of 820, a multi-core score of 3,314. On AnTuTu, the phone registered a score of 75,490. Theoretically speaking, this processor is powerful than the Samsung’s Exynos 7870 processor which is found in Galaxy M10, but it lags behind Snapdragon 632 processor of Redmi 7.The MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762 octa-core processor of Oppo A1k has been paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, which is again a little disappointing in terms of performance and competition as Realme C2 has a variant having 3GB RAM and 32GB storage which is available at Rs 7,999.Coming to the performance, Oppo A1k performs in well during regular day-to-day usage such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Chrome, Facebook etc. You can open around 20-25 tabs in Chrome and there are no lags, however as we took the number of tabs to 30, it starts feeling a tad slow.Most of the time users will get a smooth experience but having said this, we should not expect the phone to handle games with heavy graphics. If you want to play PUBG, I’m afraid this phone is not meant for you. Games like Subway Surfer, Angry Birds still work well with the device.The Oppo A1k provides the latest Android 9 Pie operating system, which comes with the company’s ColorOS 6 skin on top. The smartphone also comes with some bloatware as well such as DailyHunt, UC Browser, Webnovel, NewsPoint etc. However, these apps can be uninstalled to save some storage space. A smart sidebar assistant is also there, which comes when you swipe right on the home screen.The face-unlock feature on the Oppo A1k is not rapid fast, but it does its job, though in some instances, it takes longer time to recognise the face.Oppo A1k: CameraOppo A1k has an 8MP camera at the back with an LED flash, and a 5MP front shooter for selfies and video calls. The camera also comes with features like Panorama, Time-lapse, Portrait, Expert, HDR and more.If we talk about the performance of these cameras, in good light conditions, the camera does ok, it is not too good and probably the HDR mode is the only mode that seems good. Pictures clicked at night or low light are very grainy, which is a given in a budget phone. Even images clicked from the front camera in low light were not too impressive and lacked detail.The Oppo A1k does not disappoint with its battery backup. With moderate usage such as a bit of Netflix or Amazon Prime, along with a bit of WhatsApp, browsing and photography, the device manages to easily last over a day and a half on a single charge.In case if someone is not into binge-watching, then the device can last up to two days. A Super High Power Efficiency option is also there that helps save battery. When charging the phone, the device takes around two-and-half hours to charge completely from zero to 100 per cent. The speaker at the bottom on the Oppo A1k is pretty loud, but it lacks depth in sound.Oppo A1k: VerdictOppo A1k is trendy and comes with a waterdrop-style notch display and comes with the latest Android Pie OS. The smartphone is good for watching videos and basic gaming and has a powerful battery. But then, ideally, there should have been a 3GB RAM and a fingerprint reader at the given price point of Rs 8,490.Oppo A1k looks a little overpriced with the given specs. Many of these features can be found in Realme C2 which is priced starting at Rs 5,999. Apart from this, in terms of optics alone, one can also consider Nokia 3.2 which is available at Rs 8,999.
Oppo A1k specifications: 6.1-inch LCD display | MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762 processor | 2GB RAM+32GB storage | 8MP rear camera | 5MP front camera | 4,000 mAh battery | Android 9.0 PieOppo A1k price in India: Rs 8,490 for 2GB RAM/32GB internal storage variantOppo A1k review: Design and display
Oppo A1k comes with a simple design on a plastic body and matte finish which looks elegant to hold. It has a plain rear panel, which is fairly tough to break and not susceptible to fingerprint marks. The device is sized in a way that one can easily hold and use with one hand.There is a single back camera along with an LED flash setup which slightly bulges out. There is no fingerprint sensor in this smartphone. The Oppo A1k does come with a face detection feature. Apart from this, Oppo A1k comes with a SIM tray that has dedicated slots for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card.
Coming to the display of the phone, the Oppo A1k has a waterdrop style notch display, the notch houses the front camera. The smartphone has 6.1-inch HD+ display which has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. This is quite identical to the Realme C2 which comes at a starting price of Rs 5,999.
The display has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The display has adequate brightness indoors, but under bright sunlight of summers, the screen tends to looks dim even if it is at the full brightness making it hard to read on this phone.
Oppo A1k: Performance and software
Oppo A1k is powered by MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762 octa-core processor based on a 12nm process, which has also been used in Realme C2. On Geekbench, the smartphone registers a single core score of 820, a multi-core score of 3,314. On AnTuTu, the phone registered a score of 75,490. Theoretically speaking, this processor is powerful than the Samsung’s Exynos 7870 processor which is found in Galaxy M10, but it lags behind Snapdragon 632 processor of Redmi 7.The MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762 octa-core processor of Oppo A1k has been paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, which is again a little disappointing in terms of performance and competition as Realme C2 has a variant having 3GB RAM and 32GB storage which is available at Rs 7,999.Coming to the performance, Oppo A1k performs in well during regular day-to-day usage such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Chrome, Facebook etc. You can open around 20-25 tabs in Chrome and there are no lags, however as we took the number of tabs to 30, it starts feeling a tad slow.Most of the time users will get a smooth experience but having said this, we should not expect the phone to handle games with heavy graphics. If you want to play PUBG, I’m afraid this phone is not meant for you. Games like Subway Surfer, Angry Birds still work well with the device.The Oppo A1k provides the latest Android 9 Pie operating system, which comes with the company’s ColorOS 6 skin on top. The smartphone also comes with some bloatware as well such as DailyHunt, UC Browser, Webnovel, NewsPoint etc. However, these apps can be uninstalled to save some storage space. A smart sidebar assistant is also there, which comes when you swipe right on the home screen.The face-unlock feature on the Oppo A1k is not rapid fast, but it does its job, though in some instances, it takes longer time to recognise the face.Oppo A1k: CameraOppo A1k has an 8MP camera at the back with an LED flash, and a 5MP front shooter for selfies and video calls. The camera also comes with features like Panorama, Time-lapse, Portrait, Expert, HDR and more.If we talk about the performance of these cameras, in good light conditions, the camera does ok, it is not too good and probably the HDR mode is the only mode that seems good. Pictures clicked at night or low light are very grainy, which is a given in a budget phone. Even images clicked from the front camera in low light were not too impressive and lacked detail.The Oppo A1k does not disappoint with its battery backup. With moderate usage such as a bit of Netflix or Amazon Prime, along with a bit of WhatsApp, browsing and photography, the device manages to easily last over a day and a half on a single charge.In case if someone is not into binge-watching, then the device can last up to two days. A Super High Power Efficiency option is also there that helps save battery. When charging the phone, the device takes around two-and-half hours to charge completely from zero to 100 per cent. The speaker at the bottom on the Oppo A1k is pretty loud, but it lacks depth in sound.Oppo A1k: VerdictOppo A1k is trendy and comes with a waterdrop-style notch display and comes with the latest Android Pie OS. The smartphone is good for watching videos and basic gaming and has a powerful battery. But then, ideally, there should have been a 3GB RAM and a fingerprint reader at the given price point of Rs 8,490.Oppo A1k looks a little overpriced with the given specs. Many of these features can be found in Realme C2 which is priced starting at Rs 5,999. Apart from this, in terms of optics alone, one can also consider Nokia 3.2 which is available at Rs 8,999.