Foldables, foldables, foldables. It feels as if everything needs to fold now. Samsung is doing it, Xiaomi is doing it (and everything else) and even Oppo has two foldables on the cards for 2022. Today, we’re moving away from the foldable conversation because Oppo launched three new devices – the A57, A57s and the A77 5G. These three were built to bring Oppo’s tech to more people in the mid-tier smartphone market.
Do your worst Eskom (please don’t)
The A-series focuses heavily on battery life which, considering the state that Eskom has left us in, is a boon. Each device has a 5,000mAh battery, paired up with Oppo’s own 33W battery tech. A 50% charge only takes 30 minutes, while a full charge should take 69 minutes. Oppo claims a 5-minute charge can keep the phones alive for nearly 13 days in standby mode. Using the Super Night-time standby mode means only 2% is lost overnight. Charging overnight activates Oppo’s AI algorithm – learning your daily routine and when the best time to charge is.
Powering the pair of A57s is the MediaTek Helio G35 processor, while the A77 houses a MediaTek Dimensity 810. Each device has 8-cores, up to 2.3GHz in the G35 and 2.4GHz in the 810. The Dimensity 810 chipset enables 5G, one of the device’s main selling points. It comes equipped with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage to play with. Both the A57 and A57s have 4GB of RAM and 64GB (128GB is optional, for a fee) of storage.
Camera quality is where the biggest differences between the three devices lie. The A77 features a 48MP rear camera, with a 108MP upscaler doing the heavy lifting. There’s a 2MP depth camera thrown into the mix too. The stock A57 has a 13MP on its rear, supported by a 2MP mono camera. The A57s offers quite a bit more with its 50MP rear camera and additional 2MP mono sensor. All three devices come with an 8MP selfie cam.
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Each phone here is rocking a 720p 6.56in 60Hz display, all featuring a ‘Bright Mode’ that’ll do 600 nits peak brightness.
All three devices here are running on Oppo’s own ColourOS 12.1, based on the latest Android 12 build.
Pricing and availability
The latest additions to the A-series were designed to not make your wallet cry. And we’re glad to say, no wallet counselling is required after seeing the prices.
To get the most bang for your buck, you’ll want the A57. It will cost you R4,500 cash or R270 per month on contract, though there is an option to get the extra 64GB of storage. Glowing Green or Sky Blue are your choices of colour.
The A57s starts at R5,500 cash or R330 per month on contract. Sky Blue, Sunset Orange and Starry Black are your colour options. Sorry to all the Glowing Green fans out there.
Saving the best for last, the A77 5G goes for R9,000 cash or R500 per month on contract. Glowing Green fans are snubbed once again, as the only options for this one are Midnight Black or Ocean Blue.
All three devices are currently on sale, ready to go when you are.
