OPPO A5 Pro 5G Review | Geek Lifestyle

After reviewing the Reno13, we have another OPPO smartphone in for review, and this time, it’s the new OPPO A5 Pro 5G.

For its latest model, OPPO is highlighting the A5 Pro 5G’s durability. Not too surprising given that drop and water resistance seems to be a key selling point for many budget to mid-range smartphones these days. To be exact, the A5 Pro 5G has an IP69 dust and water resistance rating, as well as military-grade shock resistance to protect from accidental drops.

On their own, these durability ratings are great, but that’s not all there is to a phone. With that in mind, the question is whether the A5 Pro 5G delivers when it comes to performance, photography, and daily reliability. After all, what good is water and shock resistance if it’s slow and unreliable for everyday use?

So, is the OPPO A5 Pro 5G a worthy option, especially in the PH’s competitive mid-range smartphone segment? Here’s what we think in our review.

Geek-sthetic

At first glance, what stood out for us design-wise with the A5 Pro 5G is how similarly it looks to the Reno13 series, especially given its camera module that has the same layout. That’s not a bad thing though as the Reno13 phones look great, meaning the A5 Pro 5G is also quite a looker given its premium mid-range looks.

We also quite like the phone’s Bloom Pink colorway which is not pink all over as its name implies. Instead, it’s primarily pink, but its bottom half is more of a gradient with blue and purple hues. What makes it stand out is the filigree pattern that shows up when light hits the back in certain angles. It might just be us, but the floral-style patterns gives the phone a tropical feel – quite unique when compared with other phone in its price bracket.

We also like that, despite looking glossy, the back of the phone actually has a matte finish. Thanks to this, it should stay free from fingerprint smudges, even if you don’t use the included clear case.

The phone’s finish also gives it a grippy feel. Combining this with the flat edges, you have a phone that won’t feel slippery; great for gaming and daily use.

Now we move to the front. The OPPO A5 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch screen with slim side bezels and a small holepunch notch at the top. There is a noticeable chin on the phone as its bottom bezel is a bit thicker, not to mention that the notch isn’t exactly tiny. Despite these, the phone still looks good on this side, at least design-wise.

Binge-Watching Factor

For its display, OPPO went with a 6.67-inch IPS LCD screen with an HD+ resolution. Because it’s an LCD screen, colors won’t be as vibrant as OLED screens, though the display on the A5 Pro 5G still has decent color output for watching videos. Plus, an LCD screen can be acceptable for some users given the under PHP 20k price point. What is a miss here is the resolution.

Yes, the phone’s screen has a 720 x 1604 resolution, essentially 720p. This isn’t a big issue for everyday use, but the lower resolution is apparent when watching movies and shows. Personally, I don’t mind this too much, but it’s definitely not ideal, especially considering most other phones at this price range have 1080p screens.

What annoyed me more though (at least in the beginning) is the brightness settings. As someone who prefers to adjust the display’s brightness manually, I found that the A5 Pro 5G’s screen has finicky settings. To be exact, I found that even just bumping up the brightness setting to 10% or 20% already made the screen too bright. As such, it takes me a bit longer to find my ideal brightness given how fast the brightness ramps up from the lowest setting. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but it can take some time to get used to. On the bright side (literally), the phone’s screen gets plenty bright, making it good for outdoor use.

For audio, the A5 Pro 5G does have stereo speakers which is quite premium feature (considering most other budget to mid-range phones have only one speaker). What’s more, the audio quality is pretty good, not to mention that it gets loud. If you want to connect speakers or headphones though, you’ll need a wireless device as this phone sadly lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Gaming Prowess

Powering the 5G version of the A5 Pro is a Mediatek Dimensity 6300 that’s paired with 12GB of RAM. As it’s not a phone billed for gaming, we mostly played popular multiplayer titles on it to see how it would fare.

For games like League of Legends: Wild Rift, the A5 Pro 5G had no issues, at least when  you play at the Medium graphics setting and at 60 FPS. While the performance is stead, this means you won’t be able to take full advantage of the phone’s 120Hz refresh rate screen.

Meanwhile, games like Call of Duty: Mobile also ran smoothly, but only at the Medium setting. In fact, CoD: Mobile only had the Medium setting as the maximum option.

Given these results, it should come as no surprise that the A5 Pro 5G isn’t exactly recommended for more demanding games like Genshin Impact. Sure, you run the game on the Lowest graphics preset, but we don’t recommend it, especially for long play sessions. On the flip side, if you’re more of a casual gamer, the A5 Pro 5G should have enough power for popular Android games right now.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

Now let’s talk photography. The OPPO A5 Pro 5G has a 50 MP, f/1.8 main + 2 MP, f/2.4 depth sensor dual rear camera setup, plus an 8MP front camera. The lack of an ultrawide shooter is a bit of a shame, though the main camera does promise to capture great photos.

When taking outdoor photos in the daytime or indoors with ample lighting, the A5 Pro 5G does not disappoint. Photos with the 50MP main shooter are of great quality, with plenty of detail retained, even if you crop the photos a bit. Colors also look fairly natural.

The phone also has a nice Night Mode feature for better details and more vibrant colors for low-light shots. This works great for nighttime shots where there are still plenty of light sources. For more extreme low light scenarios, the results won’t be as good, but they’re still rather impressive.

Finally, selfies with the 8MP shooter are surprisingly good. The beautification filter for selfies can be noticeable, but it still looks fairly natural, which is more than can be said for other phones.

When it comes to photography, the A5 Pro 5G does not disappoint, though the lack of an ultrawide camera is something that you might miss, especially given the flexibility that it provides when taking landscape photos.

Everyday Reliability

As a daily driver, the A5 Pro 5G is a pretty good phone as it is fast and snappy for daily use. It should have enough power for all your app needs, plus, we quite like the layout and features of OPPO’s ColorOS 15.0. The only thing we’re not the biggest fans of is the number of pre-installed apps when you set the phone up. While you can delete these, we did wish there was less of these apps, many of which we don’t use.

Along with performance, everyday reliability is where the A5 Pro 5G shines as its has an IP69 dust and water resistance rating, meaning you can bring this with you while taking a shower or while in the pool. It can also survive being drenched in rain, or even accidental drops. As such, the phone’s durability is its biggest feature, making it a good match for users who want a phone that can withstand extra punishment.

Finally, we have battery life. This new OPPO phone has a large 5800mAh battery, meaning a day of use is all but guaranteed on a single charge. Of course, battery life will still depend on how you use it, but you’ll likely get over a day of use without having to reach for your charger.

If you do need extra juice, the phone has 45W fast charge support, enabling it to reach 50% from 0% in just 35 minutes. This is helpful if you forget to charge the phone before a busy workday.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

This new mid-ranger from OPPO has a lot going for it, especially when it comes to design. Aside from its great looks, the A5 Pro 5G is a tough and reliable smartphone with good everyday performance, as well as a capable camera setup and long battery life.

At its price of PHP 15,999 though, it faces tough competition, especially because this phone’s display only has an HD+ resolution, not to mention that it lacks a dedicated ultrawide camera. Its gaming performance also isn’t exactly class-leading.

Still, if you like its design and value durability the most for your phone, the OPPO A5 Pro 5G may be worth a look.

OPPO A5 Pro 5G Specs:

• Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6nm)
• Mali-G57 MC2
• 8GB RAM (+12 GB VRAM)
• 6.67-inch IPS LCD HD+ display, 120Hz refresh rate
• 256GB storage
• 50 MP, f/1.8 main + 2 MP, f/2.4 depth sensor rear camera setup
• 8MP front camera
• 3G, LTE, 5G Dual SIM
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, fingerprint (side-mounted), USB Type-C
• IP68/IP69 dust tight and water resistant
• 5800mAh battery with 45W fast charge support
• Android 15, ColorOS 15
• Bloom Pink and Mocha Brown
• Price: PHP 15,999