Oppo has today launched their new 5G device, the Oppo A78 5G. It's a basic mid-range device with an attractive design and tries to offer interesting specs in a package that might be worth it for some.
The device has already arrived at the our lab this week, and this is a first look article for my opinion after using the device for about half a day. Is this device what you are looking for, who is this device for and is it worth the selling price of RM1,099?
Specifications And Design
Oppo A78 5G
Screen 6.56” 90Hz LCD, HD+ 1612×720 pixels
~269 ppi
Dimensity 700 processor (7nm)
2x 2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 chips
6x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55
Mali-G57 MC2 Graphics Chip
RAM 8 GB LPDDR4X
Internal Storage 128 GB UFS 2.2
Main Camera 50MP Wide Angle, f/1.8
2MP Monochrome, f/2.4
Infrared sensor for focus zoom
Selfie Camera 8 Megapixel f/2.0
5000 mAh battery
33W SuperVOOC, 18W PD
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM nano 5G
VoLTE
NFC None
Audio There is an audio jack
Stereo speakers
IPX4 Waterproof
Scan System Fingerprint scanner on the side
Selling Price RM1,099
For those wondering about this device, the Oppo A78 5G is a successor to the Oppo A77 5G that was launched in Malaysia in June last year and is not a successor to the newer A77s 5G. However, in terms of chips, this device actually has lower power because it uses Dimensity 700 7nm compared to Dimensity 810 6nm. What is added is a 50MP camera, 8GB RAM LPPDR4X memory with additional support for RAM Expansion virtual memory up to 8GB.
Other specifications are the same and there is no difference at all. This includes a 90Hz HD+ LCD screen, a 5000mAh battery with 33W SuperVOOC charging, has 5G support, a 3.5mm audio jack, a fingerprint scanner on the side and the screen design is more or less the same.
The difference between Oppo A78 5G and Oppo A77 5G is the design of the rear panel only which looks more beautiful, neat, and the Glowing Purple color for the unit we received is pleasing to the eye.
Speaking of the screen, it is a 6.56-inch LCD panel. First of all for the Oppo brand, this is probably an affordable basic 5G mid-range device – so a lot of sacrifices have to be made. The 90Hz refresh rate on this device though feels slow and a little stuck, this is because I'm used to flagship devices and 120Hz screens. But for a device in this class, it's actually quite good and still acceptable.
In terms of color, it lacks HDR10+ support or any color display standards. But for HD+ screens, 720p videos on YouTube still look beautiful and enjoyable to watch. Colors may be a little washed out, but with a pixel rate of 1612×720 pixels and 269 ppi – there's still no problem playing videos that use a lot of color. It's just that I don't recommend setting the resolution on YouTube to 1080p or 1440p settings to avoid stuttering video playback issues. My only problem with the screen is the use of an annoyingly small notch and a very large chin.
For the design of the device, the entire body of this device is flat and looks premium. Even in the hand the device feels sturdy and stable. The right side has a power button with a fingerprint scanner, on the left side is a volume adjustment button, while there is nothing above – below there is a 3.5mm audio jack port, a USB-C port and a speaker grill that supports the stereo system.
The rear panel of the device lacks a large camera bump, instead the two main cameras are housed in two almost flat circular bumps with a dull dual-tone finish that doesn't catch fingerprint smudges. The device also has no problem being placed on a flat table surface and it will not tip over. In my opinion, this device is very easy to operate and comfortable in the hand.
Oppo also claims that this device is durable with a USB-C port that can connect and disconnect the cable up to 20,000 times, the button can be pressed up to 150,000 times, the device is said to have no problem if dropped at a distance of 1 meter and can survive in various temperature or humidity conditions up to 14 day. One drawback is that the screen is not shockproof like the Honor X9a 5G, but understand because of the cheaper price. IPX4 protection support is also provided.
Usage Experience
For less than 24 hours of use, all I can say about this device is – it's really a basic mid-range device. But Oppo tries its best to provide users with a satisfying experience. For example, the Oppo A78 5G runs the latest Android 13-based Color OS 13 – where not many devices in this class continue to offer Android 13 out of the box. Not only that, there are also not many fat apps in it and most can be uninstalled or turned off through the system settings.
As for the A78 5G, given that the processing chip is inferior to last year's model – Oppo is obviously aware of this on their promotional website and doesn't emphasize the performance of the device. They put more emphasis on audio, camera and even Color OS 13 users.
In my short time trial, the performance of the device did feel slow – but not at a bad level. It can still be used just to watch short videos, play basic games, be active on social media or listen to music. I haven't had a chance to play games yet, but based on experience with devices of this class – I'm sure high graphics games can only be played on the lowest settings or games like Asphalt 9 on default settings.
The benchmarks for this device are also very basic. But this is only a preliminary test, not yet fully used to give value whether this score is the same as the actual usage experience. In AnTuTu 3D, the score is 345,744, Geekbench 5 is 534/1695 for single-core and multi-core, while 3DMark is 1,191.
For the Color OS 13 feature, many features on this device are similar to the original Android 13 such as Material You-like theme support where the color theme can change automatically and dynamically according to the background image used, privacy dashboard, better security and many more features interestingly approaching Android 13 as on Pixel devices.
For features that Oppo itself offers, there is support for the three-finger scroll down gesture for screenshots and directly translating text using Google Lens. Then Oppo also offers its own security and privacy features that give users more control such as turning off access to the camera or microphone and also supports the FlexDrop feature - where users can run two applications simultaneously and can transfer files between these two applications.
Quite a surprise for a device like this to have so many interesting features and functions. For the battery, 5000mAh with 33W SuperVOOC fast charging Oppo claims the device can be fully charged from 0% to 100% in 67 minutes.
Camera
The Oppo A78 5G uses a slightly better camera than the A77 5G, which is 50MP. But there is no ultra-wide-angle camera support, or macro as the two additional sensors are 2MP monochrome and another infrared for focus zoom. In the brief tests I did, color reproduction was good for a device in this class and focus support was also quite fast and post-processing happened quickly. The portrait mode could be a little neater, but it's adequate and the 50MP mode tries to preserve details well. You can see a sample below;
What's in the box?
If you buy this device, here is what you will receive in the box;
1x Oppo A78 5G
1x 33W SuperVOOC Charger
1x USB-A to USB-C Cable
1x SIM Pin
1x Matte finish protective frame
1x Guidebook
1x Safety book
Conclusion
The Oppo A78 5G is not a device for everyone. But if you want an affordable device with stable 5G support, which so far I received 5G throughout use, a 50MP camera with good color reproduction and detail preservation, loud stereo audio, Android 13 support and a charming design. I do not deny, if there are parents who want to gift their children or children who want to buy for their parents – this is a good device.
The selling price of this Oppo A78 5G is RM1,099. It is RM100 cheaper than the previous Oppo A77 5G, and is offered in only one version which is 8/128 GB with a choice of black or purple. This device was just launched today and will go on sale starting tomorrow, January 14, 2023.
Pro
Screen with beautiful colors.
Virtual memory up to 8GB RAM helps improve performance.
Beautiful and charming design.
Acceptable 50MP camera.
Keep running Android 13.
Cons
33W charging is pretty slow for 2023.
Outdated screen design with small notch and big chin.
There is only one real camera, the other is more of a gimmick.