OPPO recently launched its newest A series smartphone, the OPPO A60 and there are quite a few significant upgrades compared to its previous generation. We got our hands on a unit of the phone and let's head straight into the full review
Design
The A60 comes in two eye-catching colour finishes, which is Ripple Blue and the one in my hand, Midnight Purple. At first look it feels like normal black colour but with the assistance of lightning, it presents a contrasting look with the shimmering shade of dark purple. This gives it a very premium and elegant touch, leaving a deep and impactful impression like a purple aurora scintillating across the midnight sky.
The phone is sleek and lightweight with a dimension of 165.71 x 76.02 x 7.68 mm and weight of 186g. Overall the A60 maintains the Reno Series’ trendy and premium design concept, and with the 2.5D curved screen coupled with 2D flat back cover, it is able to ensure a smooth and comfortable grip.
And the A60 is not only about style and appearance. It is also the first and only phone to have US Military-Grade Shock Resistance MIL-STD 810H certification, allowing it to withstand the toughest challenges in daily usage. Official tests done against rigorous standards shows that the A60 is able to withstand multiple heavy vibrations in three dimensions (X, Y, and Z) and endure 5000KM of bumpy roads in a car without accessories. Even after 26 drops from a height of 1.22m at various positions, the A60 is still able to function properly. The screen is so strong that even it can crush the ice cube without any scratches.
Display
The OPPO A60’s biggest upgrade is on its display. The 6.67-inch HD+ display has a 89.9% screen-to-body ratio and 90Hz maximum refresh rate to provide a smooth viewing experience at all times. The 950-nit peak brightness delivers a 39% improvement in brightness over its predecessors while reducing power consumption at the same time, and that ensures sufficient visibility when you’re outside under the sunlight.
And for the first time in this price range, OPPO has introduced the industry-leading Splash Touch feature to the A60 screen. Using an advanced touch detection algorithm within the touch chip, the A60 improves touch accuracy and responsiveness even when the screen is wet. So be it if you're caught outside in the rain, or you’re having a heavy-sweat gym session, you can be rest assured to operate the phone smoothly. Furthermore, the A60 is also rated IP54 for water resistance so it just perfectly covers for the Splash Touch feature.
Performance
The A60 is powered by the 6nm Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 680 chip, a small level up in performance over the previous generation while significantly improving power consumption. With 8GB RAM and up to 8GB Dynamic RAM, matched with ColorOS14’s Trinity Engine, multitasking for moderate users will still be smooth and seamless. There is a choice of 128GB and 256GB internal storage, which should be more than enough for daily usage. In the event where you need more, the storage can be further expanded via a microSDXC card slot, and although OPPO did not specify, technically it should be able to expand up to an additional 2TB.
I tried to test the phone’s limit by playing Honor of Kings with the highest possible setting, and upon launching the game, the HyperBoost Game Engine would be turned on, which optimises the device performance while activating Pro Gamer mode. As such, even at the highest settings, the game is still able to run smoothly and consistently near 60fps most of the time, and only some minor stutters happen during those more graphic-intensive interlude animations. So overall there should not be any issue in fulfilling your casual gaming needs.
Battery
The OPPO A60 comes with a large 5000mAh battery and normal usage and entertainment could easily last you a full day. An hour plus of non-stop gaming at highest settings and Performance Mode drains 16% of the battery, so with appropriate adjustment I can say the battery should have no issue in handling your basic entertainment and casual gaming needs as well as some work throughout the day.
On the charging side, the A60 supports 45W SUPERVOOCTM Flash Charge, and official lab tests show that it is able to charge from 0-50% within 30 minutes. Actual charging test from 11% to 100% took around an hour and 30 minutes. The first 50% is quite close to the official results of 30 minutes, but the next 50% took around an hour which is slightly longer than what I expected but considering the phone as a budget model, I would say it is still acceptable.
The A60 battery is also designed to last for long, and according to OPPO, the battery is able to maintain optimal performance for up to four years, provided that the phone is charged once per day on average. Like we all know, too much charging does hurt the battery, which is why the A60 also has Smart Charging, where “Intelligent Services” learns and adjusts charging patterns according to your usage habits. You can also activate the function to make charging stop at 80%, and all these do help slow down battery ageing.
Camera
The A60 features a 50MP+2MP dual lens rear camera and a 8MP selfie camera. Overall photo quality is still quite nice under normal lighting conditions. All the details are nicely captured, and the colours are also accurately restored. Performance at low light and night mode is slightly off even with night mode, but I personally think it is more than enough for a budget phone.
Software
The A60 also comes with a few additional features that makes it a very good choice for users from all age groups. Other than the Smart Sidebar which packs the very convenient File Dock, you can also activate Split View and Flexible Window which allows you to view multiple apps at the same time, all very functional features that can greatly help with multitasking.
It also features a Kids mode, which is designed to care for children's digital wellbeing. Parents can select a list of allowed apps and set respective screen time limits so children could be more disciplined in using their smartphone. There are also some eyesight protection features which help to protect children during their growth development stage.
Last but not least, the A60 also has a Simple mode, which is designed to cater for the elderly users’ needs. It has larger text, bigger icons and louder sounds, which greatly increases the accessibility while using the phone. The settings menu is also repurposed to show more commonly used settings but rest assured functions are not limited under simple mode and everything is still accessible as usual.
Verdict
Overall saying, although the OPPO A60 does not pack the best hardware, it is still a very all-arounder phone given its price tag and is very sufficient for daily use. Other than all that we have mentioned, the A60 even has an audio jack at the bottom of the phone, so you just don’t need to break your bank to get some Bluetooth earbuds. The A60 is priced at RM699 for the 128GB variant and RM799 for the 256GB variant, and for this price tag, I would say it is really best value-for-money, and you definitely couldn’t ask for more from a budget phone.
