The Oppo A54 5G is a great deal. It has 5G, a Full HD+ display at 90Hz and a 5000mAh rechargeable battery. All for less than £220. But does it deliver?
Do I need to buy the Oppo A545G?
Pros
- Affordable 5G
- Sharp 90Hz display
- Battery life is excellent
Cons
- Chargers 10W
- Sometimes there are lags
- Unreliable fingerprint reader
Our Verdict
Oppo A54 5G is a delight to use. It has a long-lasting battery and a smooth display. Oppo’s 5G handset is more affordable than the 4G options, but it’s still worth considering if you want 5G at a reasonable price.
Oppo’s 5G upgrade for the A54 brings a brighter, more vivid display and better cameras. It is still affordable, even though it comes at a slightly higher cost.
£219. Oppo makes a compromise to keep the price as low as possible.
We tried the handset out to determine how it performed day-to-day and if the modest price is worth the effort.
Design
- Attractive iridescent finish
- Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Although the A54 5G is a cheap all-plastic handset, it looks great. The Fluid Black model that I tested had a stunning iridescent finish. It changes colour depending on how the light hits it. It is also available in Fantastic Purple, which makes it stand out.
It isn’t fingerprint-proof, however. Oppo includes a clear box so that you can display its vivid colours without worrying about smudges.
The A54 5G features a slim profile of 8.4mm, surrounded by a matte metallic band. This gives the handset an extra level of finesse you might not expect from a budget phone. It’s definitely different from any other Moto G phones we have seen in the price range.
The A54 5G weighs in at 190g. Thanks to a well-placed and side-mounted fingerprint reader, it is easy to hold, which also doubles as the power button and wake button. Although the fingerprint reader isn’t very accurate and took me several attempts to unlock my phone, other options such as facial recognition or the old fashioned PIN pad make it less of an issue.
The A54 5G has 5G connectivity. It also features a USB-C port to charge (10W charger included), Bluetooth5.1, and a 3.5mm headset jack. Dual-SIM is also available, which was especially useful.
Display
- 6.5in Full HD+ (1080×2400) screen
- 90Hz refresh rate
- The full DCI-P3 colour gamut
Oppo 54 5G features a spectacular 90Hz display and the whole DCI/P3 colour gamut. (Note: You can also switch to 60Hz, but it’s unnecessary due to the handset’s long battery life. More on that later. Although the novelty of 90Hz isn’t as exciting as it used to be a few years ago, it’s still a nice feature on a budget phone.
Videos and images look vibrant and sleek, regardless of whether you are streaming YouTube, viewing films on Netflix, or just scrolling through Instagram. It is bright, reaching an average of 398nits during our real-world testing.
The A54 5G has an IPS LCD LTPS. The A54 5G has an LTPS IPS LCD if you want clarity, contrast, and colour. One such option is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro, which offers a 120Hz AMOLED for £249 but does not have 5G connectivity. Oppo strikes a balance between offering 5G at a reasonable price and providing a decent display experience.
Cameras
- 48Mp main, 8Mp ultrawide, 2Mp macro, 2Mp depth sensor
- 16Mp selfie camera
Video at 30 frames per second up to 1080p HD video
The A54 5G’s cameras, in the most straightforward words, are “ok”; nothing extraordinary, nothing terrible.
The best thing about the images on A54 5G is how vibrant and bright colours appear, provided they are well lit.
Low light is a different story, where the vibrancy of the images can be lost, and the images aren’t as sharp or well-defined as they should be. There are slight blurring and distortions and a lack of dynamic range, making photos appear flat and abstract from real life.
The 16Mp camera’s lack of dynamic range is a problem. This is especially true if the place you take photos in is dimly lit, such as a bar or music venue.
If this is a problem for you, the mid-range Google Pixel4a may be a better choice. It’s still one of the best cameras phones on the market, even though it’s in the mid-range standing.
Performance and specifications
- 5G connectivity
- Android 11 with Colour OS
- 4GB RAM/64GB Storage only
Although a modest price and a decent display are welcomed, how does the Oppo A545G perform?
It runs on the Snapdragon 480 5G entry-level chip. While it may not be a great choice for gamers, it is an excellent choice for everyday performance.
The memory specs limit you to 64GB storage and 4GB RAM.
If you take many pictures, it will last longer. If you need more storage, you can buy a microSD card.
Other handsets with the 480 5G processor include: the £299 Nokia X20; the £399 Nokia XR20; and the exclusive US-exclusive OnePlus N200. The Nord N200 was the most expensive option, but they performed almost identically in our benchmarks and gaming tests. The Oppo A54 5G actually outperforms Nokia XR20 in a few tests.
The A54 5G is the best choice for a budget 5G phone with a Snapdragon480 5G chip. You can find better value elsewhere if you are open to 4G competitors, such as the Poco X3 Pro – currently the king among budget handsets. The X3 Pro is a £10-worthy handset that offers a near-flagship performance, a 120Hz display, and impressive battery life.
Over several months, the A54 5G performed consistently well. Apps were launched and closed quickly. Switching between apps was easy too.
If you have multiple apps open, you can see the limits of the 4GB RAM. There were times when drop-down messages from Whatsapp would not respond and overlap with other apps. To remove the drop-down message notifications from Whatsapp, I had to lock and unlock it again. The Oppo 54 5G has little else to be unhappy about.
Software and UX
Oppo A54 5G runs a modified Android 11 called ColorOS. This used to detract from the nearly stock Android experience that you would get on comparable Nexus/Pixels or Motorola phones, but Oppo has since improved the situation.
Some Oppo-made apps, such as the Album and utilities like Compass or Recorder or Phone Manager, are the only pre-loaded apps that Google offers (Gmail, Photos, YouTube, etc.) Android 11’s gestural navigation, three-finger screenshots and gesture navigation are also available. This feature is an excellent addition to the Moto G series phones.
Battery life
- 5000mAh
- Chargers 10W
One of the biggest benefits of the A54 5G is its battery life. You can use your phone for up to two days on a single charge. It all depends on how much you use it.
I used Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, YouTube and WhatsApp primarily. I was able to use them all for a full day without needing to charge. Although fast charging is limited to 10W, it isn’t speedy compared to the 18W to 33W offered by budget-friendly competitors. However, you can expect the last few watts to last for over an hour, even if the charge drops below 10%.
The battery test took 15 hours and 47 minutes to drain the A54 5G. However, 30 minutes of charging returned 23%. This is more than enough for those in tight spots.
You can also squeeze more power out of the A54’s battery-saving modes. You have the option to allow your device to run as normal but optimize it for battery life in the background. Or you can opt for the nuclear option, which will enable you only to run the essential apps. This option allows you to select which apps you want to run, so you don’t have to limit yourself to texting or phone calls.
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