The Oppo AX7 is a budget smartphone from the Chinese brand Oppo. On paper, the AX7 seems quite impressive, but how does the device perform in practice? You can read that in this Oppo AX7 review.
Oppo AX7
Price €249,-Colors Blue
OS Android 8.1
Screen 6.2 inch LCD (1520 x 720)
Processor 1.8GHz octa-core (Snapdragon 450)
RAM 4GB
Storage 64GB (expandable with memory card)
Battery 4,230 mAh
Camera 13, and 2 megapixels (rear), 16 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, GPS
Format 15.6 x 7.5 x 0.8 cm
Weight 168 grams
Other micro usb, headphone port, dual sim and memory card
Website www.oppo.com 4 Score 40
- Pros
- Battery life
- Design
- Negatives
- Performance
- Screen
- micro usb
- No NFC
- No 5GHz Wi-Fi
- Outdated Android
Oppo is able to shake up the Dutch smartphone market considerably. You may not be familiar with the Chinese brand yet, but it is part of BBK Electronics, which is one of the largest smartphone manufacturers worldwide. Since last year, the brand has also been active in the Netherlands, with quite impressive smartphones such as the Find X and the RX17 Pro. However, those were more expensive smartphones. It is expected that Oppo will try to sell even more smartphones in the Netherlands this year, including budget smartphones, starting with this Oppo AX7. A modern looking device with the friendly price tag of 249 euros.
Oppo AX7 specifications
For those 250 euros, one specification really stands out: a battery capacity of 4230 mAh. That's pretty big. To put it into perspective, the iPhone 8 has a battery capacity of less than 1900 mAh and many Android smartphones have a capacity of around 3,000 mAh. I don't need to explain the advantage of such a large battery capacity. Depending on your use, this provides a battery life of about two days. Economical users can stretch that by a day.
Still, the disappointments start to pile up when you pick up the spec sheet. The Oppo AX7 runs on Android 8.1, has a micro-USB port on the bottom, no NFC chip and a 720p screen resolution. Oppo does promise an update to Android 9, but those are things that are really no longer possible in 2019, even in a budget device. Competitors that operate in the same price range, such as Nokia and Motorola, can supply modern connections, screens and Android versions.
Oppo AX7 in practice
In practice, the disappointment of the properties of the Oppo AX7 outweighs the pleasantly large battery. Although the device looks modern (thanks to a large screen on the front with thin screen edges and teardrop-shaped notch), fits comfortably in the hand and is firmly put together, you do not enjoy using it. Not only does the screen have a low resolution, the contrast and maximum screen brightness are also meager, making everything look rather gray. That should not be noticeable, because Oppo uses an Android skin that takes things seriously: Color OS, which lives up to its name with all its colors. Color OS continues to run disastrously on the Oppo AX7. Even with light tasks, you quickly notice delays and heavier apps take up a lot of time. That seems to be partly due to Color OS, which doesn't make Android any better because Oppo has done a lot of unnecessary key work and added a deceptive Phone Manager app that makes your smartphone more unstable with optimization and saddles you with unnecessary antivirus.
The performance also seems to fall short due to the chipset of the Oppo AX7. When I saw in the specification list that no more information was given than 'a Qualcomm processor', a small alarm bell went off in the editors. The AX7 turns out to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450. That is noticeably not the most powerful chipset. While even at this low price point, faster Snapdragon 6 series processors are more common. The WiFi connection will also not break any speed or stability records, because the 5Ghz band is not supported.
The AX7 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450. That is noticeably not the most powerful chipset.Camera
Also in the camera area, you can get better for 249 euros. A dualcam on the rear should zoom without loss of quality and allow a portrait mode with depth of field effect. That works okay, but the photos are not amazing. Photos are somewhat dull and not detailed. The more difficult the lighting conditions, the worse it naturally gets. The portrait function is strange, when you turn it on, the sides are immediately blurred, after which the camera app really starts with depth recognition. Unfortunately, this recognition of objects and backgrounds often leaves a lot to be desired. Borders around a face are not included in a portrait, or parts of the background are not blurred.
Alternatives to the Oppo AX7
The Oppo AX7 costs about 250 euros. That is not a lot of money for a smartphone. Yet the competition in the same price range is fierce. As a result, better smartphones are available for about the same amount. The Nokia 7 Plus, for example, which was named product of the year in 2018 and also runs the latest Android version. The Nokia 7.1 is also a better alternative. Motorola has very recently released the Moto G7 series, which seems to score better in all areas (except the battery). The Moto G6 Plus, which appeared a year earlier, is a cheaper alternative. Or Xiaomi's Pocophone F1. Huawei also has interesting devices in the same price range, such as the Mate 20 Lite and the P Smart.
Conclusion: Buy Oppo AX7?
The Oppo AX7 proves that for 250 euros a smartphone can also be a bad buy. Don't be tempted by the modern design and fantastic battery life, because besides these two points, the AX7 is a disappointment in every way imaginable. For the same amount you have a great device from Motorola, Xiaomi, Nokia or Huawei.
