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Content

1. Contents of delivery
2. TECH SPECS
3. Positioning
4. Design, dimensions, controls
5. Display
6. Battery
7. Memory, chipset and performance
8. Communication capabilities
9. Camera
10. Software
11. Impressions, results

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone
• 5V / 2A power adapter, Micro-USB cable
• Silicone Case
• Protective film (already glued on)
• SIM card tray eject tool
• Documentation, warranty card

Positioning

Oppo is systematically updating its line of smartphones, and did not pass by the initial segment. The Oppo A5s has been replaced by a new device with the A31 index. Interestingly, a smartphone with this name was already released in 2015, but not in Russia. The global version was called Oppo Neo 5, it has nothing to do with the smartphone of the same name from 2014. I honestly tried to understand the approximate logic of the names, but the further I plunged into mixing versions of the same devices for different markets under different names, the more I got confused in this tangle of marketing. So I advise you to abstract yourself, since only current models are displayed on the official website. Let’s assume that this is the A31 in the 2020 version.

The price positioning of the Oppo A31 belongs to budget smartphones, and it can be clearly seen in the list of technical specifications. The model, in comparison with the Oppo A5s, received a new, more modern exterior, a slight increase in hardware and cosmetic improvements in the new version of the shell based on Android 9. First things first.

Design, dimensions, controls

Oppo A31 looks standard for the current reference design language of smartphones: an elongated body, a drop-out for the front camera, a fingerprint sensor on the back, a power button on the side on the right, volume keys on the left. The geometry of the case does not allow reaching all corners with the fingers of one hand, you need to intercept the device. The 3.5 mm connector is retained, Micro-USB is used for charging and connecting to a PC, it’s a pity, I already want to see Type-C even in this segment. The body is relatively thin, even elegant, the smartphone is pleasant to hold in the hand.

The review came with a smartphone in Fantasy White. In Russian, it is designated as white, but I would not call it that: a gradient is applied to the matte plastic of the back of the smartphone, which changes from a gentle mint in the lower part to white in the area of ​​the camera block and a fingerprint scanner. The black version is not so visually interesting, it will be appreciated by lovers of a strict exterior and minimalism. The surface of the back of the Oppo A31 is slippery, but in moderation, the grip is reliable, and for those who are used to protecting a smartphone, a simple silicone case is provided in the kit, a pleasant trifle. The design is pleasant, I personally had no complaints about the assembly, the phone is quite firmly knocked down. I am glad that manufacturers have begun to pay attention to this aspect even in inexpensive models.

Display

Installed in the Oppo A31 IPS-matrix has a diagonal of 6,5 “with a resolution of 1600×720 pixels (HD +). The full brightness of the display is excessive, but it cannot be called excessive, if desired, you can use it, taking into account the excessive level of load on the battery. If we compare it with the very similar display realme C3, then in Oppo A31 the color reproduction is slightly calmer, the calibration in terms of color temperature is colder. This parameter can be adjusted according to your own preference in the corresponding item of the settings menu. I’m looking forward to when the cutout finally disappears from the devices, there is still a margin of patience. I’m testing a smartphone with a dual front camera, that’s where, of course, I had to get used to it, very unusual and at first frankly annoying.

The screen has no bends, there is an average quality oleophobic coating. To protect the eyes and filter the blue glow, the night mode is available, after its activation the image will acquire a yellowish tint, there is an opportunity here to edit the cold or warm spectrum. The light sensor works well, as does the automatic brightness adjustment mode for the environment. The image, despite the relatively low screen resolution, is not annoying with the lack of clarity, text and pictures are displayed adequately. The factory film is glued to the display, for the first time it will do, especially if you are used to such protection of the screen of your smartphone.

Battery

The combination of a large battery and HD + resolution in a smartphone always makes autonomy one of the positive aspects of the user experience. The Oppo A31 is no exception. When using a smartphone as the main device for correspondence in several instant messengers, synchronization in two mail accounts, frequent listening to music through streaming services and periodic viewing of YouTube, it will take two days with 4 – 4,5 hours of screen operation daily.

The looping test of the test video file in Full HD format showed a result of 26 hours before being completely discharged, the expected result is not bad. It will take 130 minutes to fully charge the battery, there is no fast charging, as well as the possibility of reverse charging other gadgets over the wire. In principle, this was not to be expected from a gadget with Micro-USB.

Memory, chipset and performance

The Oppo A31 is powered by the MediaTek Helio P35 processor and is generally suitable for undemanding tasks and games. The base frequency of the cores looks quite good on paper, their performance is surely enough for a more or less smooth operation of the smartphone interface both when scrolling through desktops and when switching between applications, while the transition speed is low. The permanent memory of the smartphone is made using eMMC 5.1 technology, so one should not expect extreme information processing speeds. Internal memory expansion is available using microSD memory cards, cards up to 256 GB are supported. The speed of the RAM and the benchmarks are in the screenshots below.

By tradition, we check the performance by playing PUBG, the duration of the game session was 28 minutes with the automatically set average frame rate and graphics settings in the “smooth” mode. The indicators were taken using the PerfDog service and connecting a smartphone to a PC in USB debugging mode. The results are as follows:

• The average frame rate was 25,6 fps, almost all the time the game was between 25 and 28 frames per second
• The maximum processor load is fixed at 59%, heating has reached 38 degrees, absolutely imperceptible on the case.
• In some places, the smoothness of the interface was lost, the picture twitched, this did not quite have a positive effect on the overall impression of the gameplay.

It’s real to play “heavy” games on a smartphone, for this you need patience to get used to the episodic moments of “thoughtfulness” of the interface. Things will be much better with less graphics-intensive games. In the Russian market, the smartphone is sold in one modification – 4/64 GB. Note the speed and accuracy of finger unlocking, face authentication takes a little more time and depends heavily on the quality of lighting.

Communication capabilities

The Oppo A31 has one speaker, the volume margin is average, even at maximum volume you can safely listen to music and watch videos. The speaker in this mode does not wheeze, but also does not spoil the sound volume. Plus, in the horizontal orientation, it is often blocked by the palm, and the sound is almost completely lost.

In a conversation – the usual clarity of speech transmission, the interlocutors did not note any problems with sound, the test took place indoors and outdoors, Yota, 4G / 3G. Cold start GPS outdoors takes 6-7 seconds. The lack of an NFC module is upsetting, many users are already accustomed to not taking anything with them except a smartphone.

Camera

The camera system installed in the smartphone is represented by a 12 megapixel main module and two 2 megapixel auxiliary sensors, this is a macromodule and a depth sensor for creating a bokeh effect. Camera software is already familiar from past reviews of Oppo smartphones. I expected to see a dedicated macro mode in it, but apparently, it turns on automatically at the minimum distance to the object. There are still settings for improving the face, they are available for both the front camera and the main one. You can choose to shoot by pressing the fingerprint scanner, it is convenient and reduces shaking.

The smartphone, of course, does not pretend to be a photo flagship. The quality of images for the budget segment is adequate, it strongly depends on the lighting conditions. The optics are going through a difficult backlight, you have to expose the subject for focusing manually. Zooming in (2x and 5x) brightens the frame a little, the image obviously loses in detail. HDR works smoothly in sufficient lighting, there is no feeling of compression in terms of dynamic range. The color rendition is close to natural, the shooting speed is average. The footage is noticeably noisy in the evening and at night, during the day everything is at an acceptable level.

Sample video (MP4, 94 MB) >>>

Software

The smartphone runs on Android 9.0 and uses the ColorOS 6.1.2 shell. The paradigm of operation and interface organization is identical to that of ColorOS 6.0. There is still no system dark theme, three browsers are preinstalled, gesture navigation is available.

There is no data on updating to newer versions of Android and ColorOS. The color scheme of the interface in some system applications follows the color gradient of the smartphone.

Impressions, results

For its money, the Oppo A31 has a lot of competitors. The same realme C3, with similar characteristics, looks fresh, it has a smart processor and NFC. But there is also the Oppo A5 2020 with a portable battery function, the Moto G7 with good specifications, the more refined Honor 10 Lite and Huawei P Smart Z smartphones, both of which have dropped in price to 10 rubles.

Compared to other entry-level models on the market, the Oppo A31 only stands out with the mint-white gradient color version, which will help in visual differentiation. The smartphone is outwardly cute, it is quite possible to recommend it as a purchase for an inexperienced user who needs a stably working device in a thin body, albeit without NFC, but with a tolerable camera and a simple shell. It is also suitable as a second smartphone. Of course, I would like to see at least reverse charging in this vein.

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