Oppo A5 2020 review

Budget phones are not the laggy, buggy, poorly performing nightmares they once were, and the Oppo A5 2020 is yet more evidence of that. When you're paying about a fifth of the price of a flagship of course there are going to be compromises, but those compromises aren't all that bad.

The Oppo A5 2020 settles for some pretty average specs, middling performance, and camera quality that is merely satisfactory. The charging is slow, and you don't get extras like a waterproof chassis or wireless charging. It also comes running ColorOS, which we're not huge fans of.

And yet – this is a very affordable phone. The screen is large and bright, audio is good, and battery life is excellent. You don't need to worry about the Oppo A5 letting you down in any department: just don't expect it to excel either.

Who's this for?

The Oppo A5 2020 is for people who don't want to spend much money, obviously, but who also want a phone that will do a good job with movies and other videos. If battery life is important to you, that's another reason to consider the Oppo A5 2020 for your next purchase.

If your priorities lie elsewhere – gaming, photography – then maybe the Oppo A5 2020 isn't going to be for you, but the budget handset will still try its best in these areas. For a phone at this price, you can't say fairer than that.

Should you buy it?

If you want to limit your spending on a smartphone as much as possible, then the Oppo A5 2020 is one of the best options around at the moment, if it's available in your region.

Just be sure to compare it against other budget phones – phones from the likes of Motorola, Nokia and Xiaomi – as this part of the market is only getting more competitive over time.

First reviewed: March 2020