OPPO A52 smartphone first look: when cheap doesn't mean bad

Design

Externally, the novelty is almost no different from more expensive models. However, once you pick it up, the budget nature of the OPPO A52 becomes apparent. The smartphone is entirely made of plastic, stylized as glass and metal.

This solution has its advantages: the model turned out to be not as slippery as its glass-aluminum counterparts, and is unlikely to break at the first encounter with asphalt. Of the minuses - the plastic back is instantly covered with prints. We have a black version in testing, and this is especially noticeable on it. Also, the smartphone is available in white, which is traditionally not so easily soiled.

The screen is covered with a protective film with an oleophobic coating, but the glass under it is devoid of such luxury. The margins on the edges of the display are small, and a plastic edging is provided between the glass and the side frame, smoothing the transition. Thanks to the rounded corners, the smartphone fits perfectly in the hand.

At the bottom there is a multimedia speaker, USB Type ‑ C and an audio jack. The volume keys and the hybrid slot are on the left, and on the right side there is a large power button, combined with a fingerprint sensor. The latter is made using capacitive technology and works better than sub-screen solutions. Face unlocking is also available, however it is less fast and reliable than fingerprint unlocking.

Screen

Almost the entire front side is taken up by a 6.5-inch display with rounded corners. The matrix resolution is 2,400 × 1,080 pixels. The pixel density of 405 PPI is enough to keep the fine print smooth.

The screen is made using IPS technology and cannot boast of exorbitant brightness and contrast. The black color becomes faded when viewed from angles, which indicates the cheapness of the matrix. Nevertheless, the display is well calibrated: the white color does not have a blue or yellow tint, the picture is natural and moderately saturated.

Sound and vibration

OPPO A52 offers good audio experience by the standards of its class. The smartphone received stereo sound, realized by connecting the earpiece to the main speaker. Loudness and intelligibility are commendable, there is even a hint of volume. In vertical orientation, the speaker mode changes: the lower one is responsible for bass, and the spoken one - for mid and high frequencies.

The presence of an audio jack is also good news. The integrated Qualcomm Aqstic codec is responsible for the sound output to the headphones, Hi-Res-audio support is declared. Paired with the 80-ohm Beyerdynamic DT 1350, the smartphone produces loud and clear sound.

The vibration motor has become a fly in the ointment: it is frankly cheap, the tactile response is weak and not clear enough.

Cameras

OPPO A52 received four cameras on the back: a standard 12 megapixel with an f / 1.7 aperture, an 8-megapixel "width" and two 2 megapixel modules for blurring the background. Front camera resolution is 16 megapixels. Despite the relative cheapness, the smartphone can shoot 4K video at 30 FPS.

Main camera

Portrait mode

Other features

The novelty runs Android 10 with a proprietary shell ColorOS 7.1. OPPO has worked hard on its look and feel, so it's a pleasure to use. The interface works smoothly, applications open quickly, but with a large number of background processes, the smartphone forcibly unloads them from memory.

The hardware platform of the novelty is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, made using an 11-nanometer process technology. It includes eight Kryo 260 cores with a frequency of up to 2 GHz, an Adreno 610 graphics accelerator and a coprocessor for neural networks.

The SoC is complemented by 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The internal storage UFS 2.1 is 64 GB. It can be expanded with microSD up to 256GB if needed.

One of the features of the model is a 5000 mAh battery. Such an impressive capacity should provide at least one day of active work, and the included 18-watt adapter will allow you not to spend a lot of time at the outlet. In 45 minutes, the smartphone restores 50% of the charge.

Subtotals

In Russia, OPPO A52 costs 17,990 rubles. You can find fault with cheap body materials or not the most contrasting IPS-screen, but the smartphone offers stable firmware, good sound and a capacious battery. Such a set of qualities is rarely found in inexpensive devices, so the novelty turned out to be quite competitive.