Oppo A83 review: AI-driven selfie camera, but worth the price?

Oppo A83 review 

Oppo A83 display has an aspect ratio of 18:9 with reduced bezels on the sides, which has become a common trend now. Of course, the focus is on the selfie camera, though it surprisingly does not support an LED flash on the front. Another highlight of the phone is it ships with AI beautification technology for selfies, which is said to reduce “blemishes” in real-time. Oppo A83 does not have a fingerprint sensor and relies on Face ID or facial recognition for unlocking the phone.

Compared to the 5.99-inch Full HD+ display in Redmi Note 5, Oppo A83 boasts of a slightly smaller 5.7-inches HD+ display with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels. The power button is placed on the right, while the volume rocker keys can be found on the left. The phone uses a USB Type 2.0 port, which is located at the bottom, along with the speaker grille and a 3.5mm headest jack. So does Oppo A83 stand out in the sub-Rs 15,000 category? Here is our full review:

Oppo A83 specifications: Oppo F5 Specifications: 5.7-inch HD+ display | octa-core Helio P23 | 3GB RAM | 32GB ROM | 13MP rear camera | 8MP front camera | 3,180mAh battery | Android 7.1 Nougat with ColorOS 3.2 |

Oppo A83 price in India: Rs 13,990

Oppo A83 review: What’s good?

Oppo A83 has an appealing design, thanks to a tall display and matte finish at the back. The phone has curved edges at the back, which gives it a good grip. The 5.7-inches 18:9 Full View display is comfortable for one-handed use, which I liked. The phone does not have physical keys for navigation, instead uses on-screen navigation buttons.

Another likeable feature of Oppo A83 is it is extremely light-weight making it easier to hold. The Full View display, which is getting common across smartphones makes for a good viewing experience, especially when it comes to playing games or watching videos. However, the HD resolution is not so exciting at this price point anymore. The Face ID feature locked the phone almost instantly on most occasions, even with glasses on.

Oppo A83 has an appealing design, thanks to a tall display and matte finish at the back.

The 13MP rear camera does a good job of clicking pictures in bright outdoors. I liked the colour reproduction and details in photographs, given the price of this phone. It can handle reds well, which is another plus and I did not have to struggle with the focus.  The front camera is an 8MP one with display flash.

Oppo A83 goes a little overboard with ‘beautifying’ photos, making them look a bit artificial in some cases. While I’m not a big fan, social media buffs are likely to have a good time clicking selfies with Oppo A83 since your skin does look ‘blemish’ free as the company claims. The beautification feature is applied to photos taken in both bright outdoors as well as low-light settings. The low-light results are not as sharp and lack details.

Oppo A83 camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Oppo A83 camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Oppo A83 camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Oppo A83 camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Oppo A83 won’t give you reasons to complain when it comes to daily performance. The apps open quickly and switching between tabs is not an issue. The phone can handle multitasking well. The phone remains cool during long binge-watching sessions or long hours of playing Candy Crush Saga, though it does tend to get warm within 20 minutes into games like Asphalt-8.

Oppo A83: What’s not good?

The 720×1440 resolution screen is a bit disappointing at this price-point, especially when rivals are offering Full HD+ or at least a Full HD resolution display. Though the icons looked sharp, the viewing angles were not that great. I had to struggle to use the phone in bright outdoors. The back cover is prone to fingerprint smudges and a back cover is recommended. I faced difficulties using the Face ID in low-light and I had to manually enter the code to unlock the phone after several failed attempts. When handling games like Asphalt 8, there is a noticeable lag in the performance of the phone.

Oppo A83 won’t give you reasons to complain when it comes to daily performance.

Oppo A83 gets a 3,180mAh battery, which is good enough to last for a day with moderate usage. My daily usage included watching videos, listening to music online, browsing social media accounts, playing games as well as making calls. While, the battery won’t disappoint an average user, it gets tough to justify Oppo A83 when comparing to Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, which offers a 4,100mAh battery in the same price segment.

Oppo A83 Verdict

Oppo A83 is one of the better options to look out for in the mid-segment, especially if you are a selfie-buff. The rear camera is not bad, and the selfie feature will appeal to those who love to share on social media. However, the performance and the lack of a full HD display means the Oppo’s price is on the higher side, once you start comparing with other options in the market.

For a more stable performance and better display, the Redmi Note 5 and Honor 9 Lite are better options in this price segment. Redmi Note 5 starts at Rs 9,999 for the 3GB and 32GB storage option, which is considerably cheaper given Oppo A83 comes with the same storage configuration. The Honor 9 Lite offers dual camera on the back and front, which not other player is offering in this price segment.