The OPPO A78 5G is OPPO’s first smartphone for the Indian market in 2023. The “Upgrade Your Speed” tagline that the brand is using to advertise the phone clearly indicates that performance and 5G connectivity are the primary selling features of the device. It is packed with more RAM, more internal storage, the most recent software, and a large battery with fast charging. All this sounds fine until we talk about the display and some other things about the phone. Here is my review of the OPPO A78 5G.
Oppo A78 5G: What’s in the box?
The following items are present in the retail package of the Oppo A78 5G
- Oppo A78 5G handset
- 33W SuperVOOC charger
- USB Type-C cable
- Transparent TPU case
- SIM eject tool
- Quick Guide
- Safety Guide
Design and Display
| Dimensions | Display | |
| Size – 163.8 x 75.1 x 7.99mm | 6.56-inch LCD display | 89.8% screen-to-body ratio |
| Weight – 188 grams | 720 x 1612 pixels (HD+) | Panda Glass |
| IPX4 rating | 269 ppi pixel density | Widevine L1 support |
| Up to 90Hz refresh rate | ||
| Color variants | Up to 600 nits of brightness | |
| Glowing Black | 100% P3 wide color gamut | |
| Glowing Blue | 96% NTSC color gamut |
The Oppo A78 5G has a waterdrop notch display with a thick chin. While it is a dated design, some mainstream brands like Samsung and Vivo are still selling phones with a teardrop notch for around Rs 20,000 in India. The polycarbonate rear shell of the phone has a matte finish, which feels smooth. Depending on the light’s reflection, the back panel can exhibit different colors. There is a glossy strip extending downward from the camera area, which adds some uniqueness to the design.
The A78 has flat edges, with nothing available on the topside of the device. The bottom edge has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microphone, a USB-C port, and a speaker grille. The left side of the phone has a hybrid SIM slot. The volume up and down buttons are also available on the left.
The right edge of the A78 has a power button, that is integrated with a fingerprint sensor. It has an IPX4 rating, which means it is resistant to water splashes. The earpiece available through the waterdrop notch doubles up as a speaker for stereo output.
The A78 5G has a 6.56-inch IPS LCD panel that delivers an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1612 pixels and up to 90Hz refresh rate. The display is bright and may not make you feel that it is an HD+ resolution screen. However, the display contents are not clearly visible under very bright sunlight. The A78 offers colour modes, such as Vivid and Natural. While the display is not really bad, Oppo should have offered Full HD+ resolution on the device. However, some brands are even offering up to 120Hz AMOLED display at a similar price as the A78. On the plus side, the HD+ resolution will allow the phone to consume less power and last longer.
Performance and Software
| MediaTek Dimensity 700 | 5,000Ah battery | |
| 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM | 33W SuperVOOC charging | |
| 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage | Android 13 OS with MIUI 13 | |
| 8GB of virtual RAM |
The Dimensity 700 and 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM are responsible for offering smooth performance. There is support for up to 8 GB of virtual RAM, which can help reduce lag while accessing demanding apps. However, thanks to the ample amount of physical RAM available, the phone runs smoothly in general.
The A78 is good enough for casual gaming. I played Asphalt 9 and it worked fine. A better display, on the other hand, would have allowed users to enjoy better, more powerful games on the device.
The A78 5G has a big internal storage of 128 GB as well as a microSD card slot for more storage. The 5,000mAh battery of the device can easily last more than a day with normal usage. It took around 70 minutes to fully charge the A78 from scratch. Here is how the device performed on the benchmark apps.
The ColorOS 13-based Android 13 OS comes preinstalled on the Oppo A78 5G. There is no word on how many years of OS and security updates it will be receiving. While the overall user experience is good, the device has plenty of unneeded apps.
Photography and Other Features
| Rear Camera | Other features |
| 50MP main camera | Side-facing fingerprint scanner |
| 2MP macro camera | Face unlock |
| LED flash | 6 5G bands: n1, n5, n8, n28, n41, n78 |
| Hybrid SIM slot | |
| Wi-Fi 802.11ac | |
| Front Camera | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| 13MP front camera | Dual stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm audio jack | |
The camera modes available on the OPPO A78 5G include Photo, Video, Portrait, Night, Pro, Extra HD, Panorama, Slow-Motion, Time-lapse, Sticker, and Text Scanner. It also provides other options, such as HDR, AI, 50MP, and Google Lens. The 50-megapixel main camera performs well in daylight. In the portrait mode, the background blur appeared a bit more aggressive than I expected. There is no ultra-wide camera on the device. The main snapper is paired with a 2-megapixel macro camera that captures mediocre quality images.
The main camera struggled in the low light, as it ended up capturing noisy shots. The night mode managed to refine the images captured in low light. The front and rear cameras are capable of shooting up to Full HD video at 30 fps. There is no EIS stabilization available onboard.
Regarding other features, it is good to see that Oppo is offering dual speakers on the device for stereo output. I did not encounter any hiccups while using the side-facing fingerprint scanner on the device.
Verdict
The Oppo A78 5G is a capable device, but its Rs 18,999 (~$232) price tag would have been justified with a better display, like at least a 90Hz AMOLED screen. The camera performance is the other department where the device struggles to impress. Otherwise, the hardware specs, such as the chipset, RAM, storage, battery, and fast charging capabilities of the device, are fine. It would have been a better deal if the device had been priced around Rs 15,000 (~$184) or Rs 16,000 (~$196). It is still a device to consider if you are looking for a smooth-performing mid-range 5G phone.
The Oppo A78 5G is priced at Rs 18,999 (~$232) and comes in an 8GB+128GB variant only. Those who are interested can take advantage of the 10 precent cashback offer through ICICI Bank cards, SBI Bank cards, Bank of Baroda credit cards, IDFC First Bank credit / debit cards, One card, and AU Small Finance Bank credit cards. Buyers can avail of the device through Amazon India or the Oppo India website with up to 6 months of no-cost EMI. The handset is now available for pre-order and is scheduled to go on sale on Jan. 18 in India.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Oppo A78 5G review are solely mine based on my experience, and there has been no editorial input from Oppo.
