Back in April, we were present at the Oppo Find 7a launch. We were able to get a first impressions with it. Now, our author’s cousin decided to buy one for herself as a Christmas gift. She was nice enough to lend us her Oppo Find 7a for a more in depth review. Did she make the right decision? Let’s find out.
Oppo Find 7a:
2.3 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
Adreno 330 graphics
2GB RAM
16GB internal memory expandable up to 128GB
5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display (1920 x1080 pixels)
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Oppo MaxxAudio sound enhancement
13 megapixel rear facing camera with autofocus and dual LED flash
5 megapixel front facing camera
LTE, WiFi, WiFi Direct, DLNA, WiFi hotspot, NFC, USB OTG (on-the-go)
GPS, A-GPS
2,800 mAh battery
Android 4.3 Jellybean with ColorOS UI
SRP: P19,990
Status: Available on Oppo stores and kiosks
HARDWARE AND DESIGN:
When you hold the Oppo Find 7a, you’ll know it is a flagship smartphone with its solid construction and right amount of heft. We find it a little bigger than the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Nokia Lumia 830. Button placements are on the right place – power/lock button on the left and volume rockers on the right, 3.5mm headset jack on the top and USB (VOOC) charging port at the bottom.
DISPLAY:
It may not have the Quad HD display found on the Oppo Find 7 but this smartphone has a Full HD IPS LCD 5-inch display. It lacks vibrancy compared to other flagship smartphones but it is far better than other smartphones with in this price range. Outdoor visibility is ok but not great.
SOFTWARE AND PERFORMANCE:
The phone has a heavily skinned ColorOS UI on top of an outdated Android 4.3 Jellybean. One big let down on Chinese-made phone is they are not the least to get the latest software. Oppo, Meizu, ZTE, Huawei, Gionee have not committed yet to the Android 5.0 Lollipop update while Samsung, HTC, LG and Sony are prepping up for the update on their current line up of smartphones.
Antutu Benchmark score
Going back, Oppo’s ColorOS is an eye candy UI. It is simple but nice looking icons and widgets. We find, however, some lag here and there while playing around with it. We have not tested the unit yet for any games but we will update this article once we get a hold of the unit again.
CAMERA:
Both the 13 megapixel and 5 megapixel cameras performed decently on our tests. Photos look good and it is perfect for your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter posts. But comparing it with the Nokia Lumia 830 and the Samsung Galaxy S5, photos from these smartphones produce better and more livelier results.
Selfie using the 5-megapixel front facing camera
CONNECTIVITY:
Calls are clear from both ends of the line when we used our Globe SIM for calls. It has LTE connectivity so expect blazing fast internet speeds as long as there’s an LTE coverage in your area. WiFi and Bluetooth worked fine as well.
BATTERY:
The battery lasted about 5 and a half screen on time with WiFi on and LTE on. Overall, the phone can last about 10 hours on a single charge. But what impressed us is Oppo’s VOOC Rapid Charge system. We managed to get 5% to 100% in just about 45 minutes. Impressive! In order to achieve that, you have to use the phone’s charger included in the box.
VERDICT:
The Oppo Find 7a is not your perfect smartphone. But it will give you a solid smartphone build, good camera, and has VOOC fast charge system. The Android 4.3 Jellybean is a big let down and there’s still no advise on the update even on Kitkat.
If you own this smartphone, please do share you experience with us.
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