Oppo A96 smartphone Review – OPPO has become one of the fast-selling brands due to the recurring launches of mid-range smartphones. One more recent creation from the label is Oppo A96. The smartphone’s 5G version was previously launched in China whereas, in March, the Oppo A96 4G is released in India and other countries. Aside from this, there are minimal differences in the overall appearance.
As for the overview of the Oppo A96, you are getting a decent design layout, good camera skin, better IPS LCD display, ample battery, and many more things. But still, it is important to comprehend whether all the specs of the mobile phone justify its price or not. Thus, you must check out the further briefing so that you can make a smart judgment. In this review, we will mainly focus on the Oppo A96 5G smartphone.
Table of Contents
Oppo A96 smartphone Review
Highlights
- Oppo A96 smartphone comes with a 6.59 inches IPS LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate
- The Snapdragon 680 chipset backs the device, allowing 4×2.4 GHz clocking speed.
- The phone runs on the Android 11 OS along with ColorOS 11.1 UI.
- The dual-camera setup fits in with a 50 MP primary lens, while the front possesses a 16MP wide lens.
- Users receive a Li-Po 5000 mAh battery supported by 33W fast charging.
Design and Display
Similar to all other Oppo models, the Oppo A96 smartphone layout is all about uniqueness. A 191 grams piece is easy to carry in hand or pocket. Furthermore, the consumers can select among two color options – Starry Black & Sunset Blue. A reflective back panel in a Blue shade enhances the sparkly texture. While one can go for black for a simpler look.
There is no provision of Gorilla Glass Protection to the handset whereas IP5X dustproof and IPX4 waterproof rating makes the body potent. Although, you can expect anything from the mid-range phone in the first place. The company needs to cuts some corners to maintain the price and value ratio properly. Despite this, the overall built quality copes with the standards and you won’t be disappointed much.
The 6.59 inches IPS LCD screen supports a 90Hz refresh rate. Well, 90Hz is a little less still, the adaptive refresh technology provides sleek performance while saving power. However, the disappointing part is the absence of an AMOLED panel. Though the regular usage will not be problematic, heavy gaming or streaming won’t be as worthwhile as other handsets of this range.
Memory and Internal
The most significant concern for any smartphone is its performance. Oppo A96 offers decent arrangement via Snapdragon 680 4G processor. Thus everyday work is not under-whelming, also it delivers a basic gaming experience. Yet, one can not expect an outstanding performance due to the underwhelming processing speed. The processing cores only go up to 4×2.4Ghz speed.
On the other hand, the company proposes a single 8GB RAM variant accompanied by 256GB of in-built storage. If that’s not enough, expandable RAM and SD card could help through this. Hopefully, there’s one thing worth noting about the Oppo A96, it arrives with the fast UFS 2.2 memory types, so you won’t face any problems such as lags and jesters during your daily usage.
The Oppo A96 runs ColorOS 11.1 and is based on Android 11. Although there are tons of customization choices and the interface results in smoother performance, the software is not the latest. There will be future updates still the provision is not reasonable according to the competition, Android 12 must have been there to enhance the experience.
Camera
The dual camera of the Oppo A96 smartphone comes with a 50MP main camera followed by a 2MP depth sensor. The daylight pictures are nice but the quality is inconsistent in challenging conditions. There is an issue in saturation while the picture quality, detailing, and colors are all up to the mark. You can capture impressive photos with the Dual-camera setup.
Other features on the rear camera setup might include Digital Zoom, LED Flash, Face detection, and HDR. On the front, the mobile arrives with a 16MP lens for clicking selfies and making video calls. Selfies come out slightly whitish and unnatural still clarity & sharpness is upright. Although, the low light images feel a bit less attractive due to lots of noise.
With no support for 4K or 8K videos, the recordings can only be done up to 1080p from the primary and selfie camera setup. Hence the video quality is below-average because it neither has high-quality video recording nor does Oppo A96 have video stabilization support. Also, the absence of an ultrawide angle in the module is a sheer bummer. Overall the optics are like entry-level phones and do not justify the status at all.
Battery and Others
Among a few fair specifications of the Oppo A96 is its battery. The Li-Po 5000 mAh battery has a 33W fast charging support, reverse charging, and USB power delivery. The smartphone can yield more than 6 hours of screen time and can be charged 50% in 26 minutes. Thus the battery will not be a hurdle in the process of watching content, browsing, or video calling.
Like all the Oppo phones, A96 also has a fast and accurate fingerprint sensor & face unlock. Additionally, the loudspeaker gives a decent sound experience. Now comes the deciding factor, the price of the Oppo A96 5G. You can buy this mobile from OPPO for an approximate price of US$315 (Rs 23,599 in India), while the price of Oppo A96 4G is US$250 (Rs 19,990 in India) approx. You can see the side-by-side comparison of 4G and 5G smartphones in the below section.
Oppo A96 Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Oppo A96 smartphone.
| Specifications | Oppo A96 (China) | Oppo A96 (Global) |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G | 2G, 3G, 4G |
| Announced | January 2022 | March 2022 |
| SIM | Dual SIM | Same |
| Dimensions | 6.30 x 2.88 x 0.30 inches | 6.47 x 2.98 x 0.33 inches |
| Weight | 171g | 191 g |
| Size | 6.43 inches | 6.59 inches |
| Display | OLED 430 – 600 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~409 PPI density | IPS LCD 90Hz 480 – 600 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~401 PPI density |
| Protection | No | Same |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | Same |
| OS | Android 11, ColorOS 12 | Android 11, ColorOS 11.1 |
| Chipset | 6nm – Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G | 6nm – Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver | Octa-core 4×2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold 4×1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver |
| GPU | Adreno 619 | Adreno 610 |
| Card slot | Yes (dedicated slot) | Same |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB | 8GB |
| Internal | 128GB, 256GB UFS 2.2 | Same |
| Camera | 48MP (wide), PDAF 2MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 50 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 16 MP (wide) HDR Max – 1080p@30fps | 16 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Same |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS | Same |
| NFC | No | Same |
| Infrared port | No | Same |
| Radio | No | Same |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go | Same |
| Sensors | Under display fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Same |
| Battery | Li-Po 4500 mAh Fast charging 33W Reverse charging USB Power Delivery | Li-Po 5000 mAh Fast charging 33W Reverse charging USB Power Delivery |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Pink | Starry Black, Sunset Blue |
| Expected Price | $315 (Rs 23,599 in India) approx. | $250 (Rs 19,990 in India) approx. |
Conclusion
Alike many other Chinese companies, Oppo targets youth around the globe as its primary customers. Also, the brand is trustworthy for budget-friendly phones, but this particular product is certainly over-priced. If you have read the full review, you would know why it is so. Although it is not all bad, the design and battery are satisfactory. Still, the idea of a 4G mobile phone with an average chipset, display, and camera is way too behind the current competition.
Customers may get ample alternate options in the same price range, which are far better than Oppo A96. You must check out the Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G smartphone which comes with a better display, chipset, camera, battery, and 5G support. But still, the final decision is up to your choice and requirement.
