OPPO is set to launch a brand new addition to their A-series in the Philippines — the OPPO A9 2020.
As of writing, the OPPO A9 2020 is available for blind pre-order in the country. The official price is yet to be announced on September 19, 2019. But today, OPPO has provided us with a sample unit to check out, so we can share our initial thoughts about it to you, our readers.
Oh, and if you don’t like reading, you dont like reading, you can hit the play button below on our OPPO A9 2020 unboxing and hands-on video below.
The primarily noticeable thing about this device is its design. It’s like a hybrid of the F11 Pro, with its shiny color gradient design, and the Reno 10X Zoom with its curved corners and edges that feels really nice in the hands.
However, the OPPO A9 2020 feels really chunky. It’s 9.1mm thick and weighs 195g. This is due to the fact that it comes with an enormous 5,000mAh battery. On an interesting note, the device can actually work as a power bank, so you can share power with friends via OTG.
The A9 2020 sports a large 6.5-inch IPS display, although it only has an HD+ 1600 x 720-pixel resolution. The difference between this and an FHD+ panel is not that noticeable, at least during our initial moments with it.
On the upside, a low-res screen will be less taxing to the processor, allowing it to deliver even better performance. The OPPO A9 2020 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 octa-core processor, with a surprisingly generous 8GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage.
It delivered a really smooth and seamless performance during our initial tests. The interface is smooth, basic apps load fast, and taking pictures are snappy. We’ll be pushing its capabilities, especially in games, in our full review. For now, you can check the benchmark scores below.
OPPO A9 2020 Benchmark scores
Speaking of which, one of the biggest features of the A9 2020 is its quad-camera setup on the back. There’s the 48-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and two 2-megapixel sensors for monochrome and portrait shots.
Both the primary and ultra-wide cameras take decent photos, although it may still be improved once the final retail unit comes out.
48-megapixel primary camera
8-megapixel ultra-wide camera
On the front, there’s the 16-megapixel front camera sitting in a waterdrop notch. OPPO has nailed the selfie technology over the years, and we’re seeing them pouring all of them on their latest devices like the OPPO A9 2020.
Another surprising feature of the OPPO A9 2020 is the inclusion of a stereo speaker setup and Dolby Atmos, which is possibly a first in the OPPO A series, and rare in the midrange category.
They are not the best-sounding loudspeakers around, but having stereo separation really makes watching movies more immersive. It’s also great for playing games like PUBG as it projects were the footsteps are coming from.
It’s also worth noting that the OPPO A9 2020 finally utilizes a USB Type-C port. A major upgrade over the previous OPPO A devices that were stuck on microUSB. This is really nice since I can charge the device with the same capable I use for my laptop, wireless earphones, and other devices.
Well, that’s it for now. Make sure you stay tuned as we’ll be publishing our full review in the coming days. But if you can’t wait already, you can check out the blind pre-order details for the OPPO A9 2020. It will then make its official debut, along with the announcement of the local price, on September 19.