OPPO A6x Review: Nails the Basics Under Budget

When it comes to smartphones, it’s the expensive ones that get the most media coverage, like the recent OPPO Find X9. But, in a developing economy like India, the truth is that most people would never buy an expensive phone. Instead, budget devices are the ones that could make the most difference, giving first-time buyers the ability to surf the internet, watch educational content, and unlock a whole world of possibilities. OPPO has been making pretty decent budget phones for some time, and it’s just launched a new one, the A6x, which starts at INR 12,499. For the price, it comes with a Dimensity 6300 processor, a massive 6,500 mAh battery, and a 120Hz display.

OPPO sent over their A6x for me to test, and this review will culminate my experience with the device over the last two weeks, highlight its pros and cons, and help you make a wise buying decision.

Design & Hardware

It’s no secret that OPPO has been making pretty phones for a while, and I can say the same about its budget lineup as well. The A6x comes in two finishes: a sophisticated regular Olive Green and the one I received, the Icy Blue. Honestly, the blue is the way to go here simply because it makes a statement. OPPO has made some really pretty feather patterns on the back that catch the light at different angles, making the phone look ever so premium than it actually is. The finish is matte, so you don’t have to worry about smudging it with fingerprints, and also doesn’t slide off every slanting surface, thankfully.

The sides are plastic, as we all expected, and it’s not a bad thing. They match the blue accents and are flat, which is a new trend that I love to see. The ergonomics are decent, with the phone being fairly manageable with one hand. One thing I really love to see is the inclusion of a headphone jack, since not everyone shopping in this segment may have access to the latest wireless earbuds. The camera bump is pretty nifty and doesn’t make the phone wobble much on the table.

Beyond that, the fingerprint scanner is integrated right into the power button, and it works really well and fast. There’s an IP64 dust and splash resistance rating as well, which can help protect against accidents. As always, I’d like to remind all the ladies and gentlemen that they should never bring their phones near water, as water damage is not covered under warranty.

Display

The OPPO A6x features a 6.75-inch HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Yes, there are some thick bezels surrounding the panel, but at this price, it’s more than adequate. It gets the job done when it comes to playing YouTube content, mindlessly scrolling reels, or reading books. In fact, the brightness was one of the surprising factors, as the panel can get up to 1,125 nits. It made texts legible even in direct sunlight and was a really nice addition.

I also had a decent time watching some Apple TV content on the device, with good color reproduction and skin tones. Honestly, if you haven’t been using the latest flagship phones, the A6x’s panel wouldn’t feel out of place.

Performance & Software

Under the hood, the OPPO A6x houses MediaTek’s Dimensity 6300 processor, featuring 2 Cortex-A76 cores running at 2400 MHz and 6 Cortex-A55 cores at 2000 MHz, along with the Mali-G57 MP2. My review unit came with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage. It is important to mention that 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variants are available as well.

Keeping the specs out of the way, the A6x’s everyday performance is actually really good. ColorOS has been my favourite Android skin for quite some time, and it, coupled with the 120Hz refresh rate, makes the A6x snappy. Light and even heavier apps like the camera open quickly with no delay, switching between tasks is smooth, and the RAM is enough to keep multiple tasks running at the same time. Animations are also really pretty, which makes the experience feel much more premium. That said, there are some pre-installed apps, but all can be uninstalled in just a few minutes.

To push the Dimensity 6300 to the limits, I also ran a series of benchmarks. The results? Not bad at all. The A6x scored 7,78 in Geekbench’s single-core and 1,931 in the multi-core test. In AnTuTu, the phone achieved 688,325 points. Moving on to gaming, I installed BGMI and played it at Smooth and Extreme settings. Overall, the experience for the price was really good. There were no dropped frames even in intense situations.

Battery Life

If there’s one thing I love about the A6x, it’s the battery life. OPPO has nailed it out of the park with an eye-watering 6,500 mAh cell. For context, when I used the phone extensively to capture camera samples, played a couple of hours of BGMI, and mindlessly scrolled reels, I ended the day with 30% battery remaining. For the average consumer, this battery should easily last 2 days. When you do run out of juice, there’s support for 45W SUPERVOOC charging, which takes the phone from 20% to 80% in just under an hour. You can also charge other phones using a cable.

Cameras

The OPPO A6x features a dual-camera setup, with a 13MP f/2.2 sensor on the back and a 5MP selfie shooter on the front. Despite the price, the A6x’s camera performance is decent. The camera, at least in daylight, produces pleasing images with ample details, accurate colors, and good-enough HDR. In low light, the story is a bit different as images appear soft and grainy.

Portrait mode was decent in ample lighting with accurate colors and a nice shallow depth of field. However, it all went downhill in low light, with images lacking crispness. That said, for the price, the experience is really good, and nobody should have any problems. Videos are capped at 1080p@60fps. The results? Pretty decent if you give enough daylight, and the stabilization is okayish as well. Regarding the selfie camera, the photo quality was once again serviceable in daylight. And as expected, the quality dropped significantly at night, with muddy colors and a lack of sharpness.

Verdict

At INR 12,499, the OPPO A6x gets a lot of things right. You get a stylish design that looks premium, a display that runs on 120Hz and is super bright, a battery life that’ll last multiple days, and performance that’s consistently smooth even with multiple apps running simultaneously. All this makes the A6x a well-rounded budget smartphone. If you’re looking for a smartphone in this segment, it’s worth considering.