The OPPO A92 was released in Kenya around May 2020. Retailing at Ksh. 30,000, It is one of OPPO’s mid-range phones. If I am being honest, the A92 is the first OPPO device that I have interacted with. I have had the phone for over a month now and there is plenty to write home about. Having used other mid-range phones from Techno and Infinix, I have found the A92 to be better than its competitors in a number of ways.
…and not just the camera.
OPPO phones have a reputation for having good cameras which take clear pictures and high-resolution videos. The A92 is so much more than just a phone with a good camera. It has a monster 5000mAh battery that is filled up using a 18w USB type-c charger, a Snapdragon 665 processor, 8gb RAM 128GB Internal storage, 6.5inch LCD display with 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution and 405 PPI density. But Since we are already here, let us begin with the cameras.
Cameras.
The A92 has four rear cameras. The cameras are arranged in an ‘L’ shaped design. The quad-camera that consists of 48 MP (wide) + 8 MP (ultrawide) + 2 MP (macro) + 2 MP B/W.
The A92’s party piece is its 48MP lens that takes crisp portrait and landscape images. The phone takes 12MP pictures by default so you will need to access the settings and manually change to the 48MP lens. There is a clear difference between images taken in default settings and those with the bigger lens. The 48MP images are two times bigger in size and you can zoom times into the image. Each of the other three other lenses have a dedicated task that is meant to improve the experience of capturing the moments that count.
The 8MP ultra-wide is important for people who want dramatic ultra-wide shots. The 2MP Black and White dedicated sensor helps increase contrast to images. The other 2MP depth sensor helps with portrait mode, which is quite good.
The cameras support 4k resolution when taking videos and 1080p resolution if you want to use the slow mo feature which I found to be really fun. The default settings for video resolution are set at 1080p/30 fps so if you need 4k resolution you will have to change it manually.
Front Camera.
The A92 has a 16MP punch hole front camera. Being a punch hole design, the front camera does not have a flash rather, the screen turns to a bright white when taking selfies to illuminate the image. The front camera accommodates for 1080p resolution when taking videos, which is great.
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Display.
It has an LCD 1080 x 2400 pixels screen which is expected for a phone in this price range. The resolution is great for watching videos and playing games. The colours on the screen are bright and well pronounced. The 6.5inch display and design is easy on the eye because it does not have bezels on the top or sides. There is a thin bezel at the bottom which you will likely not even notice.
Dark Mode.
In settings, the A92 has a couple of features you can adjust under display to improve how your everyday use. ‘Dark mode’ turns the phone’s background to black and this also applies to selected apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Tiktok. Dark mode looks really good on a phone and chances are, you never go back to the normal white mode.
Eye Care.
Eye care can be accessed on the drop-down task bar and it basically dims the brightness on the screen and reduces the sharpness of the colours. This can come in handy when you are indoors or when you have to look at the screen continuously for long periods of time.
Assistive Ball
The assistive ball is a white translucent icon that you can enable or disable from the task bar. It sits in the screen over all other apps and has shortcuts to different functions of the phone. I particularly like the ball because it has the screenshot button which I use to take screenshots anytime without having to use the volume buttons.
Performance.
The OPPO A92 runs on the Android 10.0 operating system with ColorOS 7.1 user interface. It is smooth to respond to commands and launch heavy apps. With an 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage, you can expect the A92 to get through the day without any issues. For gamers, you will be able to enjoy a smooth game playing experience. The only drawback about its performance is that it does not support full HD while watching Netflix. Other than that, you can do most things seamlessly.
Fingerprint.
The A92 neither has an on-screen fingerprint scanner or a back one. As we have seen in many mid-range devices this year, the fingerprint scanner is now located on the power button. The scanner works well and responds fast to your finger, but I prefer to use the face recognition feature which works just as well when you are unlocking your device. If you are coming from a phone with a back fingerprint sensor, it might take you a while to get used to the new design.
User Experience.
The A92 will take some getting used to if you are using an OPPO for the first time. Firstly, you will notice that the A92 doesn’t have a main menu or A-Z layout of apps that you might find on most phones. On this phone, you simply swipe left on your home screen and there you find all the installed apps.
Gallery.
The gallery layout is different from what I was used to. Unlike other phones where the most recent pictures appear at the top, recent pictures on the A92 appear at the bottom of the screen and hence you swipe left to continue viewing rather than right. This is not a big issue if you don’t mind trying something new.
Earphones.
The A92 was launched together with the Enco W31, OPPO’s wireless earphones. In the box however, the A92 comes with the traditional earphones which are really good and feel durable as well. The earbuds will be retailing for Ksh 8000. They come with binaural audio transmission and using Bluetooth 5.0, the sound delivered is pretty good with low latency and it’s simultaneous to both earbuds. They are comfortable, easy to use and have a stylish design, not to mention the impressive sound quality.
Sound.
The OPPO A92 is equipped with super-linear Dual Stereo Speakers on both the top and bottom, creating a surround sound effect. It also comes with Dirac 2.0 Sound Effect, which allows it to automatically identify what you are listening to and switch between the appropriate effects when listening to music, playing games and watching videos.
Third party Apps.
Unlike other phones within its price range which come with pre-installed applications, the A92 only has the basics. By basic, I mean you will have to download WhatsApp and all the other social media apps. I liked this about the OPPO because my home screen is never filled with advertisements or apps I will never use.
OPPO relax.
This is a unique and interesting feature on the phone that helps you take a break and meditate if that is the kind of thing that you like. It has breathing exercises and meditation music that will help you create a tranquil environment where you can relax and take a break.
Battery
The 5000mAh battery is pretty impressive, being a heavy user, I could get through the entire day and have enough to use on the next day, that is a big compliment to the A92. A big battery, however, means that it takes longer to fill up. The 18W fast charger will get from 0-100% in under 1hr 30min. It might sound like a long time, but you can find comfort in the fact that the A92 will not be running out of charge fast. Such a big battery also means that more weight has been added to the phone. At 192g, it can feel a little heavy if you are used to lighter devices.
Final Thoughts.
The A92 is a breath of fresh air if you are looking to try something new. As pointed out above, it might take some getting used to. For instance, the volume buttons are on the left side of the device. You will be happy with the performance, the camera, the design and battery.
