When OPPO announced the OPPO A57 4G last June, I thought to myself “Great, another budget phone just like the rest”. That is until I found out about its speakers.
To my surprise, the phone sounded really good. I mean, a budget phone with good speakers is valuable enough, but good stereo speakers at this price are unheard of. In fact, I dare say that it’s even better than some mid-range devices. So, I thought to give it a second look.
For ₱8,999, the OPPO A57 4G has the makings of a good budget phone with a large 6.56-inch HD+ display, a MediaTek Helio G35, and a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. So is this enough to deserve our attention (and ultimately our money)? Let’s find out.
OPPO A57 4G specs
| Display | 6.56-inch HD+ IPS Display, 1612 x 720 |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio G35 |
| RAM/Storage | 4GB+64GB, Up to 5GB Virtual RAM MicroSD Expansion Slot |
| Rear Camera | 13MP + 2MP Monochrome |
| Front Camera | 8MP |
| Network | 4G LTE, Dual SIM, Triple Slot |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi AC Dual Band, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS |
| Others | Side Fingerprint Sensor, USB-C, Stereo Speakers, Headphone Jack OS |
| OS | ColorOS 12.1, Android 12 |
| Battery | 5000mAh Battery, 33W SUPERVOOC |
Design & Display
The OPPO A57 4G comes with a flat edge design and a 7.99mm frame that makes it easy to grip. The back panel has a good-looking matte surface that resists fingerprints. It has a plastic build with a very solid feel in the hand. I actually find the overall design of the phone very appealing and elegant.
The display has an IPS panel that measures 6.56-inches. It has an HD+ 1612 x 720 resolution with 100% DCI-P3 and 96% NTSC Color Gamut, along with AI Eye Comfort and blue light reduction.
The side bezels around the screen are thin. They’re not super narrow, but there is a thick chin, which is common in budget and even mid-range phones. The top bezel has a smooth dewdrop notch for the selfie camera and the earpiece/secondary speaker.
I find the display to be adequately bright with good punchy colors. Sharpness is acceptable, despite the 720p panel.
On the left side, we have the volume rocker and the triple-slot SIM tray. While on the right, there’s the power button/fingerprint scanner. There’s nothing at the top, but on the bottom side, there’s the headphone jack, microphone, USB-C port, and one of two speakers.
Cameras
The OPPO A57 has a dual camera setup with a 13MP primary camera and a 2MP monochrome secondary camera. It also has an 8MP selfie shooter on a dewdrop notch.
There’s nothing special about the camera app. It’s a familiar layout with HDR and color filters. It also comes with the following modes: night, portrait, video, pro, time-lapse, panoramic, and AR stickers.
In daylight, the camera performance is comparable to phones with similar specs and prices. Image quality is acceptable. The colors look punchy with good exposure, but it does have a tendency to get washed out if it’s too bright.
In low light, the image quality struggles a bit with some noise, and softer sharpness and details. The colors are also fainter, losing some of that punchiness.
See also realme C33 review: 50MP camera phone on a budget
Selfies are decent with good colors and pleasant skin tones. If it’s heading to social media, then you’ll be just fine.
Check out the sample photos below.
Low Light
Selfie
Performance
The OPPO A57 4G is powered by a MediaTek Helio G35 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The storage can be expanded via a microSD card if you need more space.
You can also add more RAM via the RAM Expansion feature. It’s set to 1GB by default, but you can add 2GB or 4GB more. Before you do, keep in mind that when you add virtual RAM, it is at the expense of unused storage space. So if you want to maximize the 64GB that the phone came with, you might need to keep this at a minimum.
To change virtual RAM, just go to Settings> About device> RAM and choose how much you will allocate. Then restart your phone for the new setting to take effect.
The phone runs on ColorOS 12.1, based on Android 12. The UI is clean with colorful icons. However, it does come with your fair share of pre-installed apps some call “bloatware”, including the Hot Apps and Hot Games folders. You can just uninstall the ones you won’t actually use, as per usual. To remove the Hot Apps and Hot Games folders from the home screen, just tap and hold either folder, choose Settings in the pop-up menu, and toggle the Hot Apps and Hot Games to disable.
The performance of the OPPO A57 4G is on par with similar phones within the same price range. It’s reasonably fast and responsive. You do get stutters from time to time, but it’s acceptable for the price.
Casual games are fine but don’t expect too much when it comes to graphics-heavy games. Call of Duty Mobile, for example, is playable and reasonably smooth at Low graphics settings. The same goes for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which has surprisingly smooth and responsive gameplay, at sensible graphics settings of course.
See also: Infinix Note 12 Pro 5G review
Overall gaming, video, and media consumption experience are elevated thanks to the stereo speakers. It’s good and doesn’t sound tinny, despite the lack of mids and lows. Going over 100% volume takes you to Ultra Volume Mode, indicated by the “200%” on the volume meter. And while it doesn’t sound like the volume is at 200%, it is really loud. Although at this point, I started to hear some distortion. Of course, whether or not this is okay is subjective and will differ from person to person. In my case, I don’t like it.
Battery Life
As for the battery life, the 5000mAh battery can last almost 2 days with light to moderate usage, thanks in part to its HD display and efficient processor.
The charging time is pretty good too. The OPPO A57 4G comes with a 33W SUPERVOOC USB-C charger. During our testing, a 30-minute charge tops up the phone to 50%, while a full charge takes slightly over 75 minutes.
Final Thoughts
For the price, I think the OPPO A57 4G is a good deal. The display is good and the performance is not bad. The cameras are decent as well. And best of all, to me at least, it has better stereo speakers than most budget and mid-range phones (which says a lot). Oh, and let’s not forget about the battery life and charging speed, which is excellent in the budget segment.
Price and Availability
The OPPO A57 is available in the Philippines at a price of ₱8,999. The smartphone is available in OPPO Brand Stores, authorized dealers, and the OPPO flagship shop on Shopee.
