2018Q1 Budget Mid-Range Face-Off: OPPO A83 Vs Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus

2018Q1 Budget Mid-Range Face-Off: OPPO A83 Vs Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus

The fan-favorite meets a formidable challenger

While the OPPO A83 has a tempting price given its features, it faces several rivals offering equal or better features on paper. One of these phones is Xiaomi’s Redmi 5 Plus, which has a significant fanbase here in the Philippines in spite of not having an official Xiaomi presence. Can the A83 go head-to-head against one of late 2017’s fan-favorite phones? Let’s take a quick look at their specs:

OPPO A83 Specs

  • 2.5GHz MediaTek MT6763 octa-core processor
  • 3GB of RAM
  • Mali-G71 GPU
  • 5.7-inch HD+ IPS Display
  • 32GB of expandable storage
  • 4G, LTE
  • Dual SIM
  • 13-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera with LED flash
  • 8-megapixel f/2.2 front camera
  • WiFi, Bluetooth
  • GPS, A-GPS, Face Unlock
  • 3180mAh battery
  • Android 7.1.1 Nougat with ColorOS 3.2

Read: OPPO A83 Review: Pint-Sized Selfie Expert?

 

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor
  • 3GB/4GB RAM
  • 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS display
  • 32GB/64GB expandable storage, via microSD (up to 128GB)
  • 12-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash
  • 5-megapixel front camera with LED Flash
  • Dual-SIM
  • 4G LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth
  • GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS, Fingerprint scanner
  • Android Nougat with MIUI 9
  • 4000mAh battery

Read: Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Review: Best Mid-range 18:9 Phone?

 

Internals: Snapdragon 625 is still ever-reliable

The A83’s Helio P23 processor still has a hard time matching the Redmi 5 Plus’ Snapdragon 625, even if they have almost the same RAM capacity (depending on the Redmi 5 Plus variant). Even if the Helio P23 is touted as one of MediaTek’s better SoCs, the Snapdragon 625’s power efficiency and performance remain unquestionable even if it is almost two years old.

 

Display: Bigger and better screen on the Redmi 5 Plus

While both offer 18:9 displays, the Redmi 5 Plus has the upper hand as it uses a Full HD+ display on its 5.99-inch panel. In addition, the Redmi 5 Plus also has Gorilla glass protection as well.

 

Cameras: More tests are still needed

The Redmi 5 Plus may have great internals, but its cameras will be up for a challenge against the A83’s 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera. Though the A83 may have higher megapixels, we will be doing a field test with it to see if they do produce better images than the Redmi 5 Plus.

 

Battery: Both are power-efficient

Aside from having a significantly bigger battery, we were very impressed with how power efficient the Redmi 5 Plus is. In our synthetic battery benchmark test, the Redmi 5 Plus scored an insane 12 and a half hours on a single battery charge, which makes it quite close to the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max, the most battery-efficient phone we have ever reviewed. That does not stop the A83 though, as its 3180mAh battery was able to last nine and a half hours on a single charge.

 

Verdict: The Redmi 5 Plus dominates, BUT…

While the Redmi 5 Plus dominates over the A83 on paper, it comes with a BIG catch: There is no official Xiaomi/Redmi presence here in the Philippines, and that most Redmi units sold via the grey market do not come with a Global ROM, which was the case with our review unit. This means that you do not have Google apps, and that you are forced to install Google apps manually. In that aspect, the OPPO A83 has a major advantage, given its strong presence here in the country.

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