The mid-range in smartphones is increasingly difficult terrain for all manufacturers. Standing out in a sector where every penny of difference or every megapixel 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 my experience with one of these phones. I'll tell you how he behaved OPPO A91 in these last weeks.
OPPO A91: video analysis
A sober phone, but not boring
Today, design is one of the most valued points by us users when buying a new phone. Some models err on the side of sobriety and others go too far with too bizarre details. But, in this case, I think OPPO has been able to hit the nail on the head with almost all the design details 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 on 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, and 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 with which this OPPO A91 has: the facial (on its front camera) and the fingerprint reader (hidden under the panel). Both systems are quite fast and effective when it comes to scanning us but, in my experience, facial recognition takes "the cake". It is instant when you turn on the screen and in just a second you will be inside the interface. Despite not being the most secure on the market, it is the one that I have ended up using on most occasions because of its practicality and speed.
The back of smartphones is that place where some manufacturers go beyond "classics" with designs that say nothing to you and, on the other hand, others say too much. This OPPO has an elegant design that, as we move it, lets us see some 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 positive:
- If you are a connector lover audio jackYou are in luck since this OPPO is one of the few phones that continues to come with this element today.
- The edge of the screen sticks out a bit from the side of the phone. This is not something to worry about, 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 security of the panel at risk in the event of possible blows.
Enough performance for what you need
Power when performing day-to-day tasks is something that most phones today meet with relative ease. Opening Twitter, Instagram, browsing the internet, these are all tasks that are usually easy for us to deal with. But of course, when we require a greater workload from these devices at the power level or graphics, that's where not all of them perform as they should. How does the OPPO A91 behave in this case? Well, honestly, better than I expected.
This A91 has a processor Helio P70, together 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 with certain doubts in those tasks that required more. But, after having tried it for several weeks, I have to say that it has fulfilled satisfactorily in any of the tasks that I have required of it. Both when the tasks were simple and when playing games with a greater graphic load, this OPPO has performed quite well in them. At some specific moments when the load was higher I have noticed some sporadic lag, but it has ended up being something anecdotal rather 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 problems with the phone except one: the version of the system. The OPPO A91 has Android 9 Pie, on which runs his ColorOS 6.1 customization layer. Being on the verge of reaching version 11 of the Google system on 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 battery of 4.000 mAh With the technology of VOOC 3.0 fast charging manufacturer. This has translated into autonomy that has allowed me to get to the end of the day without many problems, even when I demanded a little more than usual by consuming content or playing. Of course, on 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 fast charging, it could recharge the battery for the rest of the day in less than 30 minutes.
A chamber of light and shadow
I am now going to talk to you 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:
- La principal, 48 megapixels and focal f / 1.8.
- Un wide angle, 8 megapixels, with a viewing angle of 119º and f/2.2 focal length.
- The sensor macro, with 2 megapixels and f/2.4 focal length. This allows us to get up to 3-8 cm from the object.
- Depth sensor, 2 megapixels and focal f / 2.4.
- Camera front, 16 megapixels and focal f / 2.0.
A set that at first glance sounds a lot like other phones on the market, but how do they perform on this OPPO A91? Well, the truth is that similar to the rest of the competitors with a similar configuration.
When light conditions are goodThese lenses give us correct photographs, with very successful colors and defection, although sometimes HDR can do its thing and give a slightly artificial result. The wide angle also leaves correct results, without deforming the edges of the photograph 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 regarding 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 the 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 said at the beginning of this article, this OPPO A91 is located in one of the most complicated ranges of phones with its price of EUR 329. A range in which the price-quality ratio is vital to achieve sales.
This is 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 well 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 more adjusted 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 buying a new smartphone.
See offer on Amazon