To put it simply, some people just cannot afford an OPPO flagship. So what does one do in order to get a taste of the OPPO brand? Easy, get the OPPO A71! The A71 offers the OPPO experience for an affordable price, without skimping on any of the OPPO-level quality. But does this claim hold true in practice?
Every brand-new purchase of the OPPO A71 includes:
- OPPO A71 unit (1 pc.)
- Clear phone protector (1 pc.)
- Quick Guide booklet (1 pc.)
- Earphones (1 pair)
- micro-USB charging cable (1 pc.)
- OPPO Travel Charger (1 pc,)
Design and Construction
The OPPO A71 looks pretty simple, but I think its rather inconspicuous approach to design works. Indeed, some phones focus on getting all the attention by using metallic finishes and glimmering colors. For the A71, this is not a concern at all. Instead, it opts for a more mute color scheme, as if the phone was trying not to draw attention to itself.
For button and port placement, this 5.2-incher puts its receiver, 5-megapixel front shooter, and sensors on the very front of the phone. Meanwhile, the lower part contains three capacitive buttons for Recent Apps, Home, and Back. The lack of backlighting felt like an odd choice to me, especially if you plan on using the device in the dark. Nothing too terrible, though.
On the left is the volume keys, while on the right are the power/lock button, and the triple-card tray which can accommodate two nano-sized SIM cards, and a microSD card, which is good news for those who hate hybrid types. Up top lies the headphone jack in its lonesome. On the other hand, the bottom contains the microUSB port, and two sets of holes for the microphone and loudspeaker. Lastly, users will find the 13-megapixel rear shooter slightly raised on the back. This, in turn, is flanked by dual LED flash, and the shiny OPPO branding in the middle.
All-in-all, it’s a simple design that doesn’t offend the senses. I don’t mean this as a bad thing though–simple designs often trump complicated ones in terms of appeal to a mass market. For my personal taste, I liked the overall build quality and look of the A71.
OS, UI, and Apps
ColorOS 3.1 acts as the skin for the A71’s Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. If you’re an OPPO veteran, you’ll feel at home. One big example of a ‘usual’ feature involves the use of multiple home screens instead of an app drawer. For those unfamiliar, though, the ColorOS setup looks clean and simple, just imagine stock Android with a few bonuses. Much like the design, it’s fairly inoffensive. Honestly though, this feels like the best choice considering the A71 panders to a larger market. Plus, I would assume that the GB RAM helps keep the entire operation flowing smoothly. At least, in terms of opening apps and transitioning between them.
Pre-installed apps only come from Google and Facebook, avoiding any unnecessary bloatware. That’s always a plus in my book. For storage, the initial 16GB internal space comes down to around 9GB, which honestly feels small. That in particular, I disliked. That being said, thw affordable cost of the device should let buyers get a supplementary microSD card.
For now, the OPPO A71 seems nice for a budget device. I especially enjoy the simple build and the clean OS layout so far. The question now is, will the rest of the specs hold up?
The OPPO A71 is at PHP 8,990 and is available for 0% installment at Home Credit Philippines.
More Photos of the OPPO A71:
