OPPO A57s 4G – $249 entry-level on a Konec MVNO plan (smartphone review)

The OPPO A57s is described as the essential smartphone on the Konec Essential Mobile Plan. Essentially it has everything you need, and its value depends on whether the Konec MVNO deal is the right for you.

CyberShack does not usually review phones on plans as part of the plan subsidies the recommended price. In this case, we know the RRP is $349.

• A76 4G, 4/128GB, is virtually the same phone except with a Qualcomm SD680 instead of a MediaTek Helio G35. $299
• A54, 5G, 4/64GB $349
• A96, 4G, 4/128GB, $399

So, the value must be in the Konec plan. Disclaimer: OPPO Australia and Konec have some common directors.

Australian Review: OPPO A57s, CHP2385, 4G, 4/128GB, dual-sim and dedicated micro-SD

Website	Product page
Price	$249 on a 12-month locked-in Konec plan
Colours	Starry Black or Sky Blue
From	Konec on a plan or OPPO Online (RRP – no plan)
Warranty	2-years ACL
Made in	China
Company	OPPO is now #2 in Australia for Android smartphone market share. It has achieved that through excellent product and after-sales service.
More	CyberShack OPPO news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below.  You can click on most images for an enlargement.

Entry-level phones should at least score a pass mark against each category.

First Impression – Pass

It is almost identical to the OPPO A76 apart from the processor and camera sensors. We called the A76 an honest, reliable, fast-charging smartphone scoring 8.2/10.

OK, we are back in indistinguishable Glass Slab territory, with one with Applesque straight sides. Fortunately, the PMMA back is not a fingerprint magnet and offers quite a grippy surface.

There is a dual camera (50 binned to 12.5MP Primary and 2MP Depth) and flash on the back, a stereo earpiece and down-firing speaker, a 3.5mm jack and OPPO’s usual right-side power and left-side volume rocker. It is relatively light at 163.74 x 75.03 x 7.99 mm x 187g.

Things that set it apart from the competition is a 33W charger inbox. Buy it for that alone.

Screen – Pass

It is a relatively bright (480nit peak), colourful, 1612 x 720, SDR, 60Hz, 6.56 A-SI LCS screen covered in Panda Glass for protection. It has Widevine L1 for Netflix HD SDR content.

But lower-cost LCD screens are not daylight readable, affecting things like trying to frame photos or read messages in bright light.

Processor – MediaTek Helio G35 – Passable

This is a three-year-old, 12nm, eight-core processor outclassed by the Qualcomm entry-level SD4XX series back then. This accounts for most of the savings on this handset.

It is slow. Apps can take seconds to open, and the Geekbench single/multi-core score is 173/997 (we feel a usable phone starts around 500/1500).

It will not run OpenCL or Vulkan GPU tests and falls over in GFX Bench T-Rex and Manhattan tests. Simply put, the GPU is not for gaming.

The 128GB (90GB free) storage is eMMC 5.1 and is slow – CPDT sequential read/ write is 175/97Mbps.

Throttling loses 17% of its power under load over 15 minutes with a maximum of 91,905 GIPS, average 85,574 and minimum 58,8129.

Nevertheless, it is fit for purpose as a phone – forget gaming, videography etc.

Comms Wi-Fi 5 AC, BT 5.0 and NFC – all you need – Pass

All are fit for purpose. Wi-Fi is a maximum of 433Mbps, keeping the 5GHz signal to 10m from the router. GPS has about a 10-metre accuracy, and in-car navigation/recalculation at highway speed can be tricky.

Phone – Passable for city/suburb use

MediaTek modems generally don’t find more than the closest tower – this is no different. The SD680-equipped OPPO A76 has far greater signal strength.

Battery – suitable for a day or two – Pass+

The MediaTek 12nm SoC is quite power-hungry (compared to the Qualcomm SD680 in the OPPO A76 in brackets)

• 33W, 0-100% charge: 1 hour and 10 minutes (1 hour – same battery and charger)
• 10W, 0-100% charge: 4.8 hours (4.75 hours)
• PC Mark 3 Modern office Battery: 16 hours, 36 minutes (30+ hours)
• Video loop: 16 hours 36 minutes (28 hours)
• GFX Manhattan – would not run (11.4 hours)
• GFX T-Rex – would not run (10.91 hours)
• Drain – idle: 250-300mA. (175)
• Drain 100% load: 1500mA (1000)

Under typical use, you should get two days of battery life, but the 12nm SoC sucks battery under load, reducing that to 5 hours.

Sound – for clear voice only

It has a stereo earpiece and a down-firing bottom speaker. The sound stage is as wide as the phone (in landscape mode), and Dolby Atmos content adds nothing to this.

The maximum volume is 80dB (average). It has no low- or mid-bass, very little high-bass, and recessed treble, making this a Mid sound signature: (bass recessed, mid-boosted, treble recessed) – for clear voice.

Bluetooth 5.0 has SBC and AAC codecs (not aptX as claimed, as it does not use a Qualcomm SoC), and earphone performance is quite good and loud. The 3.5mm jack outputs analogue sound, and it is quite clean.

Build – better than most and 2-year warranty – Pass+

Toughened Panda glass front and plastic back and frame are well made and have a nice feel in hand. OPPO’s strength is its two-year warranty and excellent after-sales support.

Android 12 – unusual at this price – Pass+

A-series get two years of security patches, and it is unlikely this will get an OS upgrade.

ColorOS is a light touch over Android and is easy to use.

OPPO A57s Camera – Good in day and office light – Pass

It has a 50MP sensor that bins (4:1) to 12.5MP. Binning means it takes the best pixels and uses AI to create a better image. The 2MP sensor is to judge depth to about 10 metres. But AI depends on processor strength, and the MediaTek does not have enough to make a significant difference with this 50MP sensor. It takes decent pictures in day or office light but is inadequate in low light.

• 1X Day: The colours are accurate/ natural, but the dynamic range (saturation) is lacking. Good details in the background shadows, and highlights.
• 2X Day: Good shot but a noisy background
• 5X Day: Don’t go there
• Ultra-wide: Not applicable
• Macro: 50MP sensor does this, and the definition is quite good
• Indoor office light: Colours are washed out, but the definition is good
• Bokeh Depth: Colours are washed out, and the background is suitably blurred.
• Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) is struggling.
• Night mode: Improves the detail and saturates the colour but adds noise
• Selfie: 8MP RGGB selfie has natural skin tones and details and a range of filters to enhance any image.
• Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@30fps, but there is no stabilisation in any mode.

CyberShack’s view – OPPO A57s from Konec is all about value

After we test everything, we know the compromises, if any, to make a smartphone to a price.

The only real compromise is the slow MediaTek Helio G35 processor and its impact on 4G modem antenna signal strength and AI post-processing photo enhancement.

The slow processor is evidenced by the lag between opening and launching apps – it is not bad but noticeable. The 50MP binned to 12.5MP sensor would shine with a more powerful processor. Photos are better than social media standards but lack some dynamic range.

Buy this if the Konec deal suits you. If not, then look at the A54, A76 or A96.

Rating Explanation

• Features: 85 – it has everything you need
• Value: 80 – at RRP, there are better OPPO models. As part of the Konec deal, it seems decent value
• Performance: 70 – its slow, only for the city and suburbs and photos won’t win awards
• Ease of Use: 90 – OPPO is easy to use, has a great 2-year warranty and local support
• Design: 80 – another glass and PMMA slab.

OPPO A57s, OPPO A57s