NEW DELHI: Aiming to put up a fight in the crowded mid-segment smartphone market, Chinese smartphone player OPPO has launched its "A83" that claims to have a better camera and enhanced battery life.
The Rs 13,990 device is in direct competition with the recently-launched Honor 9 Lite (Rs 14,999 for 4GB+64GB) and Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime (Rs 12,990).
However, being a camera-centric device, it also competes with Xiaomi Mi A1 and Moto G5S Plus (both present in the sub-Rs 15,000 segment).
A83 emulates the iPhone X when it comes to unlocking the device and skips the fingerprint scanner.
Let's see what works for the device.
OPPO is traditionally known for its camera and the A83 comes with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled beauty and face unlock features.
The smartphone has a plastic back, with the camera placed in a similar fashion as in iPhone 8, which looks good with a decent finish.
The unibody-styled device comes with 3GB RAM and runs MediaTek MT6763T processor.
With a 5.7-inch HD+ screen, a resolution of 720×1440 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9, the A83 delivered day-long back-up with its 3,180mAh battery on routine usage.
The device's performance was decent enough while performing day-to-day tasks.
The OPPO A83 runs on Android 7.1, with the a custom user interface Color OS 3.2. It has a couple of bloatware apps that can be uninstalled.
OPPO has tried to make the device look futuristic by not including the fingerprint scanner and opted for the "Face Unlock" feature instead. The feature worked fine most of the times -- unlocking the device in a little less than a second.
The "AI beauty" tool in the 8MP selfie shooter was quite impressive. We could adjust the amount of "beauty" we needed in images. It covered all the marks and spots on the face and brightened it to the maximum.
The "Bokeh" effect was good, but you need well-lit conditions to get an excellent picture outcome.
The 13MP rear camera with single-tone LED flash and an aperture of f/2.2 could record videos in Full-HD resolution.
In daylight conditions, pictures came out really well, but the photos shot in dull conditions were grainy.
What doesn't work?
The "Face Unlock" feature is the next big innovation in smartphones, but in dark conditions, A83 users may have to opt for the basic passlock as the feature is not very responsive.
Although the device is ahead of the curve compared to its competitors when it comes to features like "AI beauty" and 18:9 aspect ratio, it still lacks the power to convince users with the quality of photos in dull conditions.
Conclusion: OPPO A83 is a good choice if you want a device with next-generation innovation in camera, display and general usage. Expecting a good performance while undertaking heavy tasks will disappoint you.