First impressions of OPPO’s A57: A device to meet productivity & entertainment needs

If you’re looking for a smartphone that boasts innovative features that addresses users’ everyday productivity and entertainment demands, all jam-packed into a very budget-friendly price tag, then OPPO’s latest A57 might be the one to fill your needs. Coming from OPPO’s reliable A Series, the A57 highlights a more powerful battery to support as much entertainment as possible, and enhanced audio and visual quality to facilitate an immersive experience.

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to test out the A57 and see firsthand what its capabilities truly are. Here are my first impressions and some of its main attributes.

Design:

When I first removed the A57 from the box and held it in my hands, I was honestly shocked by how large the device appeared, as its all black getup added a certain boldness to its persona. Upon further inspecting it, though, it had quite the slim build despite its vast appearance, thanks to its ultra-slim 163.74 x 75.03 x 7.99 frame.

The A57 sports a straight middle frame for better handling and gives off a sophisticated look, such as its Glow Design that mimics a galaxy of stars when light reflects off of it. What I like about the design’s enchanting aura is that it makes the subtle “OPPO” logo on the bottom right stand out.

More than just the razzle dazzle, the A57’s coating is also built to maximize scratch and fingerprint resistance. The Glowing Black, which I was able to get my hands on, has a very straight-forward and minimalist approach. While the Glowing Green, on the other hand, has a more vibrant and striking look. 

Battery:

As previously mentioned, one of OPPO’s points of emphasis for this smartphone is a battery with higher capacities in order to support your needs– whether work or play –with long-lasting power. In support of its massive 5000mAh battery is its 33W SUPERVOOC super-fast charging technology, which can completely recharge the device in a mere 72 minutes. Both its overall battery capacity and its fast-charge ultimately allow you to enjoy more and worry less.

And if those aspects weren’t more than satisfactory already, there are a multitude of supporting features to help in maximizing your battery’s life span. Among those is the Super Nighttime Standby, an AI mode that learns sleeping patterns to know when to minimize power consumption.

To say OPPO put emphasis on a power-packed battery would now be an understatement.

Display:

As a device expected to be the source of entertainment, the A57 features a 6.56-inch Colour-Rich Display with a 96% NTSC color gamut, something you’ll appreciate most when playing games or streaming videos.

Like I mentioned, I was taken aback by how grand its screened initially appeared; the A57 does have relatively large bezels, particularly at the bottom, which adds to its large frame.

Processor:

In order to meet the productivity and entertainment needs, OPPO equipped the A57 with the MediaTek Helio G35 Processor, a fast octa-core chipset with an efficient 12nm design, for consistent and reliable performance. The A57 has 4GB + 64GB of memory and supports 1TB of external memory expansion, as well.

Entertainment:

Not only is the A57 built to merely meet entertainment needs, but to add quality and excitement to it, too. The Ultra-Linear Stereo Speakers-equipped device allows for a more immersive sound experience, as well as higher outputs of volume (85dB). While for those who really want to blast their tunes, OPPO’s Ultra Volume Mode allows you to do just that. In terms of audio quality, the A57’s Dirac 3.0 reduces sibilance, while boosting the bass as well.

Camera:

Located at the top left of the rear side are 2 cameras: a 13MP main camera and an 8MP Bokeh camera. Meanwhile, centered above the screen is its 8MP front camera.

Nightscape filters, such as Cyberpunk, Cosmopolitan and Dazzle Nightscape, to name a few, make taking snapshots more exciting and creative. For those avid selfie-takers, too, is AI Portrait Retouching for its front camera. The A57 also has Flash Snapshot, which helps in reducing shaky images.

Both the extensive battery capacity and vast screen make for quite the intriguing device; what I’m interested to determine is if the A57’s other aspects, such as its camera, display and speakers would be just as impressive.

Stay tuned for my in-depth review of OPPO’s A57 in the coming weeks!