The mid-range in smartphones is an increasingly difficult terrain for all manufacturers. Standing out in an industry where every cent of the difference or every mega-pixel of the camera counts, makes it clear that offering the best quality at the lowest price is what really matters. Today I want to tell you about my experience with one of these mobiles. I’ll tell you how the OPPO A91 has behaved in recent weeks.
A sober but not boring phone
Today the design is one of the most valued points by us users when buying a new phone. Some models are sober and others go with too bizarre details. But, in this case, I think that OPPO has been able to hit the spot with almost all the details of the design of this A91.
On the front we have a generous 6.4 ”AMOLED screen with Full HD + resolution . In this case there is no trace of a hole in the screen or a retractable camera. The manufacturer has opted for a drop-type notch that hides its only front camera. What does all this translate? Well, in a good experience both when playing content on YouTube, Netflix or the rest of the content consumption platforms, as well as when playing. Of course, not everything was going to be perfect since, in this case we do not have a higher refresh rate on the screen.
On this screen we find the two recognition systems that this OPPO A91 has: the facial (in its front camera) and the fingerprint reader (hidden under the panel). Both systems are quite fast and effective when it comes to scanning, but in my experience, facial recognition takes the cake. It is instantaneous when you turn on the screen and in just a second you will be inside the interface. Despite not being the safest on the market, it is the one that I have ended up using most of the time because it is practical and fast.
The back of smartphones is that place where some manufacturers go from “classics” with designs that don’t tell you anything and, instead, others go on saying too much. This OPPO has an elegant design that, as we move it, lets us see very striking colorful waves. Here we also find the module with its 4 cameras with the typical vertical design on the left side. Of course, despite being a fairly successful rear, I have to say that it is among the top finishes that get dirty more easily than those I have tried so far.
Finally, and before moving on to another section, I have to tell you about a positive detail and another that is not so:
- If you are a lover of the audio jack connector, you are in luck since this OPPO is one of the few phones that still comes with this element today.
- The edge of the screen sticks out a bit over the side of the phone. This is not something worrying far from it, you can even forget if you are going to use a cover at all times. But, in my opinion, it is a feature that puts the safety of the panel at risk from possible blows.
Enough performance for what you need
Power when it comes to performing day-to-day tasks is something that most phones today meet with relative ease. Opening Twitter, Instagram, surfing the internet, these are all tasks that are usually easy for us to deal with. But of course, when these devices require a greater workload at the power or graphics level, that is where not all of them perform as they should. How does the OPPO A91 behave in this case? Well the truth, better than I expected.
This A91 has a Helio P70 processor, along with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage . A correct set but, after having tested quite a few Qualcomm processors, it inspired me some doubts in those tasks that required more. But, after having tested it for several weeks, I have to say that it has successfully fulfilled any of the tasks that I have required. Both when the tasks were simple and when playing games with a greater graphic load, this OPPO has performed quite well in them. In some specific moments when the load was greater I have noticed some sporadic lag but, it has ended up being something anecdotal more than usual.
Regarding the operating system, the sensations when moving through the different menus and settings is quite fluid. In this sense, I can put few drawbacks to the phone except for one: the system version. The OPPO A91 has Android 9 Pie , on which its ColorOS 6.1 customization layer runs. With version 11 of Google’s system on the verge of reaching the market, this smartphone being a phone that arrived in 2020 should have Android 10.
On the other hand, accompanying the rest of the hardware components we have a 4,000 mAh battery with the manufacturer’s VOOC 3.0 fast charge technology. This has resulted in an autonomy that has allowed me to reach the end of the day without many problems, even when I demanded a little more than usual consuming content or playing games. Of course, in those days when it required something more than necessary, I had to go through the connector almost at the end of the afternoon. Although this is not too much of a problem, since, thanks to the fast charge, it could recharge the battery for the rest of the day in less than 30 minutes.
A camera of light and shadow
Now I will talk about one of the most valued sections today by most users: the camera or, rather, the cameras. This A91 has a total of 5 lenses:
- The main one , 48 megapixels and focal f / 1.8.
- A wide angle , 8 megapixels, with an angle of view of 119º and focal length f / 2.2.
- The macro sensor, with 2 megapixels and a focal length f / 2.4. This allows us to get up to 3-8 cm from the object.
- Depth sensor , 2 megapixels and focal f / 2.4.
- Front camera, 16 megapixels and focal f / 2.0.
A set that at first glance sounds quite like other phones on the market, but how do they perform in this OPPO A91? Well, the truth is that the rest of the competitors with a similar configuration are similar.
When the light conditions are good , these lenses give us correct photographs, with very successful colors and defection, although sometimes the HDR can make us of its own and give a slightly artificial result. The wide angle also produces correct results, without distorting the edges of the photo too much. And, as expected, the macro is the one that performs the worst compared to the rest of the lenses.
But when the light falls , the results drop a lot in quality as expected. Although the main lens can save the situation a bit if we are not in very complex conditions. It also has a night mode that, in my tests, has not left me too satisfied since we can obtain better results using the pro mode of the camera.
One more detail that you should know about this camera is in relation to the wide angle and the macro mode. These are not found intuitively in the camera interface, since, to access them, we must click on the icon that seems to refer to panoramas. Once we press it, we will see how the range of vision increases and we can start taking these types of photographs.
A difficult decision in a complicated range
Returning to what was commented at the beginning of this article, this OPPO A91 is situated in one of the most complicated phone ranges with its price of 329 euros . A lame in which the value for money is vital to achieve sales.
We are facing a phone with a good design, enough power for day to day and, despite not having the best camera in this price range, it performs correctly in the photographic section. So do I recommend this OPPO phone? I think it offers a good set of features that, for many users, can be a great bet but, yes, if we find it on sale for a slightly tighter value. For example, at the time of writing this article there is an offer on Amazon for a price of 279 euros. A more attractive price if you are thinking of acquiring a new smartphone.