Oppo had just recently launched a new affordable 5G smartphone in India. This model was the Oppo K10 5G, which is different from the model that launched in China with the same name. And now, we managed to get our hands on this Indian variant of the Oppo K10 5G, so here is our review based on our experience with the new handset. So let’s see if the device is worth buying.
Oppo K10 5G Review: Design
In the title, I called the K10 5G a “premium budget smartphone,” despite it having a standard mid range price tag of 17,499 INR (roughly 225 US Dollars). There are some aspects of the device, which make it more akin to an entry level device, but then there are others that have it reach standards closer to a premium grade smartphone. Design is undoubtedly one of the areas that we see this “premium at a budget” philosophy being highlighted by the Chinese brand.
The Oppo K10 5G features a flat rear panel and rounded corners and I have been a fan of this design in recent smartphones from the company. My previous review of the Reno 7 Pro also highlighted this aspect as one of the attractive points regarding the device’s overall appeal and hand feel. Furthermore, the back panel also features a reflective metal texture and is even fingerprint and scratch proof as well. The K10 5G model I reviewed was the Ocean Blue model. While I typically prefer darker tones on my handset, the lighter color scheme was quite the looker, especially with the reflective finish.
The handset has a thickness of 7.99mm and weighs 190 grams. While it isn’t exactly a light phone, the overall size and thickness did make it easy to use with one hand as well. But for those that are afraid of dropping their sleek new device, worry not as the company also provides a protective case. The back also sports a large camera module that houses the dual camera setup and LED flash module, and yes there is a camera bump.
But unfortunately, Oppo’s Orbit Breathing Light, which is the LED notification found on some other models from the brand, did not make an appearance here. But, to Oppo’s credit, the smartphone packs stereo speakers as well. Like I said above, premium experience at a budget is showcased again with some high-end features on a budget price tag. The speakers were quite loud and for the most part clear, as long as you don’t crank it up to the max volume.
Display
Getting the specifications out of the way first, the K10 5G model in India sports a 6.65 inch LCD panel that has an HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. It has an aspect ratio of 20:9 while also offers 100 percent sRGB, 100 percent DCI P3, and 96 percent NTSC color gamut as well. The device’s display also offers 480 nits of brightness, with a peak brightness of 600 nits.
Talking about the positives first, the higher refresh rate over the standard 60Hz is always a plus point. The 90Hz panel makes browsing through the UI smooth as butter, and the phone feels even more responsive because of this. I used the device on the “Natural” color mode and generally had a pleasant viewing experience when binging on Netflix. Notably, there are some models that offer 120Hz at the price point, but outside of gaming, the difference isn’t as noticeable.
However, and it’s a big “however” here, the 720 x 1612 pixel resolution was a huge let down. With my own primary smartphone with a FHD+ resolution being placed next to it, I could easily tell the difference in resolution. The display wasn’t blurry by any means, but with a large 6.56 inch panel and a pixel density of just 269 PPI, the individual pixels were easily noticeable without having to focus closely. I would’ve also preferred an OLED panel, but that’s probably a tall demand for such a tight budget. Regardless, a FHD+ panel would’ve offered a more enjoyable viewing experience. The device doesn’t have the brightest displays, but I didn’t face any hindrances under direct sunlight either.
Software
The K10 5G in India boots on Android 12 OS based ColorOS 12.1 version out of the box. Software has been one of Oppo’s strong suits in recent times and this is no exception with the custom skin on the K10 5G model, with multiple customization options being available to the user. I didn’t encounter any bugs or glitches when using the device, but there were some very rare lags at times. The in depth customization options lets you personalize icons, wallpapers, and even try on multiple themes on your device. The overall experience was solid, but ColorOS still has its fair share of bloatware present, although you can remove some of these as well.
Gaming & Benchmark
Under the hood, the Oppo K10 5G is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC. This chipset is paired with 8GB of RAM that can be virtually expanded and 128GB of internal storage as well. For games, I tested the smartphone with BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and Asphalt 9. On the other hand, I chose 3DMark, AnTuTu, and GeekBench 5 for synthetic benchmarks. During gaming, the device managed to hold out well overall and was able to hit a smooth 30fps when running intensive games like Asphalt 9 and BGMI, although there were some notable stutters here and there.
This is also the time when I felt the phone get warm for the first time. Nothing too unbearable, but warm due to graphically intensive titles. The Dimemsity 810 SoC doesn’t exactly pack a powerful punch, but is still a capable chipset. In the synthetic benchmarks, the device scored 596 points in the single core test in GeekBench 5, and 1776 points in multi core tests. It also achieved a 368,919 score on the AnTuTu benchmark and a score of 1349 on the 3DMark Wild Life test.
Battery & Charging
The Oppo K10 5G is powered by a large 5,000mAh battery pack that supports 33W fast charging. As per official claims, the smartphone can be charged to over 50 percent in just 30 minutes, which was true. However, it takes more than an hour for the device to hit the 100 percent mark. With light use, I easily managed to have the K10 5G last for a little under 2 days. But once I started putting the handset through gaming, binge-watching videos, and even taking a lot of photos, the battery life easily dropped to under a day.
With basic internet browsing, YouTube videos, and some light gaming, the device still managed to have an battery life of a whole day. Mobile gaming had the biggest hit on the battery as expected, but the phone still managed to offer decent endurance. So, you can expect to see upwards of one day of battery life with light use, under a day with medium to heavy use, but you might have to charge twice if you’re gaming a lot.
Camera
On the rear, the Oppo K10 5G features a dual camera module. At this price range, a triple camera setup is available, but quality is more important than quantity of the sensors. Looking at the camera setup, the device packs a 48 megapixel primary shooter that is paired with a 2 megapixel depth sensor. On the front, the waterdrop notch panel houses an 8 megapixel selfie camera. Talking about the camera app, the device offers a number of different shooting modes alongside various beauty filters and more. Technically, the smartphone only offers shooting from a single sensor, while the other supplements it for certain functions like portrait shots. So let’s see how it performs.
Rear Cameras
The main camera is a 48 megapixel sensor that has an f/1.7 aperture. Under optimum conditions with plenty of lighting, the camera offers a robust performance overall. It is capable of capturing some solid shots that have rather bright and sharp colors. The company also offers the AI shooting mode and HDR mode as well, although the former barely showed any difference when compared to the regular mode. On the other hand, there were some minor differences with HDR enabled shots.
Interestingly, there were times when HDR did not help highlight the colors and shadows even during well lit scenes. But it always helped balance out exposure, especially shots which had sunlight in the horizon. One issue that often bugged me was the autofocus. There were times when the smartphone struggled to focus on a particular object in front, with the camera choosing to focus on the background instead. The pictures of leaves on a tree best highlighted this issue.
Scenes with low light appeared to be a weakness for the sensor, as shots had very visible noise and a lack of details. Additionally, using night modes sometimes added a grainy texture to the images as well. Night mode for the most part did not help in improving the image much in terms of exposure or brightness of the scene. However, it did help better highlight light sources to help balance out shots.
Talking a bit about the depth sensor, its primary function is to help distinguish depth in the form of portrait shots in Portrait mode. And it actually performed quite well, under good lighting conditions that is. Images taken in portrait mode helped define the subject and add a bokeh effect on the background, with good edge detection as well.
Selfie Camera
The Oppo K10 5G has an 8 megapixels selfie shooter on the front. Similar to the rear camera, it also offers a night mode. Its selfie camera offered a mixed bag of experience. In proper lighting, the shots would have good exposure and decent details for the sensor size. But at times, the selfie shooter tended to blow up the exposure, which led to unnatural colors and skin tones. In low light, this issue became even more prevalent.
Here, the Night mode is well appreciated. As you can see in our Night mode shots, a dark scene was lit up naturally without blowing up the exposure while also managing to retain a good amount of detail. Unfortunately, there is still some visible noise and blurriness in scenes that were not the primary focus, but that is to be expected in a low light condition.
Verdict
At a price tag of 17,499 INR, there are many alternatives that are also worthwhile instead of the Oppo K10 5G. These may offer a higher 120Hz refresh rate, more camera sensors, or even better performance as well. However, I believe that the K10 5G model wasn’t made to simply outdo another model based on performance alone. Its strong suit is the entire design, while offering capable specs.
And in that sense, it might be a good choice for those looking for a premium experience at a budget. But there are some other alternatives you can consider at this price range like the POCO M4 Pro 5G (Dimensity 810), Realme 9 Pro 5G (Snapdragon 695), Vivo T1 5G (Snapdragon 695), and even the Moto G71 5G (Snapdragon 695).
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