Discover the OPPO A52: Affordable Innovation That Surprises

The OPPO A52 stands out with its stable firmware, quality sound, and robust battery life, all offered at a budget-friendly price.

OPPO has introduced its latest A-series smartphones globally, including the A91, A72, and A52. Having explored the first two models, we now turn our attention to the more accessible A52, revealing why it might be the most compelling option in the lineup.

Design

At first glance, the OPPO A52 resembles its higher-end siblings, but holding it reveals its budget-friendly nature. The device is crafted entirely from plastic, cleverly designed to mimic the look of glass and metal.

This choice offers benefits: the phone is less slippery than glass-and-aluminum models and is less likely to shatter upon accidental drops. However, the plastic back quickly attracts fingerprints, especially noticeable on the black version we tested. A white variant is also available, which tends to show fewer smudges.

The display is protected by a film with an oleophobic coating, although the underlying glass lacks this feature. The screen bezels are slim, and a plastic frame softens the transition between the glass and the side edges. Rounded corners enhance comfort when holding the device.

On the bottom edge, you'll find a multimedia speaker, USB Type-C port, and a headphone jack. Volume buttons and a hybrid SIM slot are on the left, while the right side houses a large power button integrated with a capacitive fingerprint sensor that performs better than many under-display alternatives. Facial recognition is also available, though it’s slower and less reliable than fingerprint unlocking.

Display

The front is dominated by a 6.5-inch IPS display with rounded corners and a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels. With a pixel density of 405 PPI, text appears sharp and clear.

While the screen doesn't boast exceptional brightness or contrast, and blacks look slightly washed out at angles, the color calibration is well-balanced, delivering natural and moderately saturated images without blue or yellow tints.

Audio and Vibration

For its class, the OPPO A52 offers commendable audio features. It employs stereo sound by pairing the earpiece speaker with the main bottom speaker, providing good volume and clarity with a hint of depth. When held vertically, the bottom speaker handles bass frequencies, while the earpiece covers mids and highs.

The inclusion of a headphone jack is a plus, with audio output powered by the integrated Qualcomm Aqstic codec supporting Hi-Res audio. Paired with 80-ohm Beyerdynamic DT 1350 headphones, the sound is loud and clear.

However, the vibration motor feels cheap, providing weak and indistinct tactile feedback.

Cameras

The OPPO A52 features a quad-camera setup on the rear: a 12 MP main sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, an 8 MP ultra-wide lens, and two 2 MP modules dedicated to background blur effects. The front camera offers 16 MP resolution. Despite its affordable price, the phone supports 4K video recording at 30 FPS.

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Additional Features

The device runs on Android 10 with OPPO's ColorOS 7.1 skin, which is visually appealing and well-optimized. The interface is smooth, apps launch quickly, though the system aggressively manages background processes to maintain performance.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, built on an 11nm process. It features eight Kryo 260 cores clocked up to 2 GHz, an Adreno 610 GPU, and a neural processing unit for AI tasks.

Supporting the SoC are 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64 GB of UFS 2.1 internal storage, expandable up to 256 GB via microSD.

A standout feature is its 5,000 mAh battery, promising at least a full day of active use. The included 18W charger restores 50% of battery capacity in just 45 minutes.

Summary

Priced competitively worldwide, the OPPO A52 may not have premium materials or the highest-contrast display, but it delivers a smooth user experience, quality audio, and impressive battery life. These features make it a strong contender in the budget smartphone market.

We thank OPPO for providing the test device. The company did not influence the review results.

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