OPPO A71 (2018) Unboxing and First Impressions
Basically, the new OPPO A71 (2018) is the same OPPO A71 last year with better chipset and improved cameras at a lower price tag.
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| Meet OPPO A71 |
Coming from the ageing MT6750 by MediaTek, OPPO upgraded the chipset of the new A71 (2018) with the "mid-range grade" 1.8GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor and Adreno 506 GPU.
That SoC (system-on-a-chip) is commonly found on smartphones with over PHP 13K and even up to PHP 18K price tag.
Moreover, the new OPPO A71 (2018) is priced at just PHP 7,990 compared to the PHP 8,990 price tag of the original OPPO A71 last 2017.
However, the RAM size is down to just 2GB coming from 3GB. Can it affect the "speedy operation" of this machine? Let's find out!
Here's our unboxing and first impressions!
OPPO A71 (2018) Specs
Display: 5.2-inch HD TFT 1280 x 720 resolution w/ scratch resistance at 282 ppi
CPU: 1.8GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor
GPU: Adreno 506
RAM: 2GB
ROM: 16GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 256GB (dedicated)
Back Camera: 13MP f/2.2 w/ PDAF and LED flash
Selfie Camera: 5MP f/2.4 w/ A.I. Beauty Recognition Technology and screen flash
Battery: 3,000mAh
OS: Android 7.1 Nougat w/ Color OS 3.2
Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: Colors: black, gold
Dimensions: 148.1 x 73.8 x 7.6 mm
Weight: 137 g
Price: PHP 7,990 (PHP 6,990 sale price)
Disclaimer: OPPO Philippines is an advertiser of GIZGUIDE, but rest is assured of our fair and constructive review always.
Unboxing / Accessories
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| The box |
OPPO kept the packaging of this phone simple. Inside, it the 1A USB wall charger, USB to micro USB data / charging cable, earphones with microphone, SIM ejector tool, and paper documents.
However, unlike the A71 last year, the A71 (2018) doesn't have a TPU (silicon) case. It still has the pre-installed screen protector though.
Build Quality / Design
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| Curvy build! |
It is basically the same with the A71 last year. The body is still made out of plastic. OPPO dubbed this material as the silver nano coated plastic for a metallic feel, prevent fingerprint smudges, and provide better comfort.
Same old decent build!
In front, the screen is still made out of glass, not clear plastic. However, OPPO failed to specify if it has a scratch resistant screen. Fortunately, there's a pre-installed screen protector to prevent scratches and other light unwanted damages in front.
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| 3.5 mm headphone jack slot on top |
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| Single speaker and micro USB port below |
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| Volume rocker at left |
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| Power button and dual SIM and dedicated microSD card slots at right |
Design-wise, the A71 (2018) still looks stylish. It is far from thick, not too big, and curvy enough. However, unlike some of the similarly priced phones, the screen aspect ratio of this phone is still not 18:9 yet. But, that's still okay for the price.
Ergonomically, the phone is compact. It is slim at 7.6 mm and lightweight at 137 grams. We also like that all its buttons and ports are on familiar placements. It even has a triple card slot, 2 for nano SIMs and for 1 microSD card.
It is just a bit slippery to hold without a case. Sadly, it has no case included in the package.
Initial findings
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| High AnTuTu benchmark score! |
1. Design and overall construction is very identical with the old A71. It looks good, but we wished that OPPO used the new 18:9 full screen standard instead. The screen is still quite bright enough.
2. The SoC that OPPO used is GREAT for the price! It is higher than the commonly used Snapdragon 430 chip on most sub PHP 10K prones. So far the phone is really fast and responsive most of the time. It still a bit slower than the PHP 10K OPPO A83, but the chip of this phone is still faster than at least 90 percent of the current competition. The only minor downside so far is its lower 2GB RAM.
3. The phone still loads with Color OS 3.2. It is still very iOS inspired. It would have been better if it is loaded with Oreo OS out of the box.
4. The camera specs are still the same, but the output looks better than ever for us. The 5MP selfie shooter even has A.I. now!
5. The phone still has OTG and gyroscope sensor. However, it still has no fingerprint scanner or even face unlock for security. It can't find the LED indicator as well.
As of the moment
The OPPO A71 (2018) is one of the speediest for the price yet. Actual performance is smooth and it even has great cameras so far. The only minor gripe we have so far is its lower 2GB RAM for multitasking.
For our review: OPPO A71 (2018) Review - Powerful Budget Smartphone
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