OPPO has announced the launch of its OPPO A33 early-mid-tier handset in India, boasting a combination of stunning display specs with a very ordinary chipset. The 6.5-inch HD+ (1600x720) display clocks in at an impressive 90Hz refresh rate, likely a first in this price range. But for some reason, the Chinese giant has paired it with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor, released in January this year as an unashamed entry-level offering that will stop you from getting much of the benefit from that supercharged display.

Oppo A33 (2020): Specifications

Specification

OPPO A33 (2020)

Build

Plastic

Dimensions & Weight

  • 8.4mm height
  • 186g

Display

  • 6.5" HD+ (1600 x 720) LCD
  • 269ppi pixel density
  • 90Hz refresh rate
  • 120Hz touch sampling rate
  • Punch-hole camera

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 460

RAM & Storage

  • 3GB + 32GB
  • MicroSD expandability up to 256GB

Battery & Charging

  • 5000mAh battery
  • 18W fast charge

Security

Rear fingerprint sensor

Rear Camera(s)

  • Primary: 13MP
  • Secondary: 2MP, depth
  • Tertiary: 2MP, macro

Front Camera(s)

8MP

Port(s)

USB-C port

Audio

Twin bottom-firing speakers with Dirac 2.0

Connectivity

  • Wi-Fi 2.4/5
  • Bluetooth 4.0

Software

ColorOS 7.2  based on Android 10

Other Features

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The OPPO A33 is certainly a pocket-friendly device, with a mere 8.4mm thickness, and with a 120Hz touch sampling, it should be super-responsive. The punch-hole front camera leaves room for the display to sprawl all over the front with thin bezels. That front camera boasts 8MP, enough for high-definition selfies, whilst the triple-camera array on the rear maxes out at 13MP, flanked by a 2MP depth camera and 2MP macro lens. As you’d expect, there are plenty of beautification filters available including Bokeh, Portrait, and Dazzle Color.

For audio, there are dual, downward-firing speakers with Dirac 2.0 digital sound correction, which, we’re told, will enhance the enjoyment of your movie or music. Other features include a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, 32GB of internal memory, plus a MicroSD slot for expansion up to 256GB. The 5000mAh battery can be charged with an 18W fast charger. Sadly, there’s no sign of OPPO's trademark VOOC charging here.

Now, before we go further, we need to talk about that Snapdragon 460. It’s tuned to 1.8GHz and although its quad-core, it’s only backed up by 3GB of RAM, well below what we’d hope to take advantage of the feature set. We haven’t been able to test one yet, but we’d expect any kind of heavy use to show up the limitations very quickly, through lackluster performance.

All in all and at first glance, the OPPO A33 feels like a wasted opportunity which could lure people in with its first-in-class display, before they realize the number of compromises that have been made to bring it to a phone at this price. Make no mistake - this is a budget handset with a good display and mid-tier pricing. We'd suggest holding on for the rumored OnePlus Clover, which is likely to be a far better-specced version, including a 6000mAh battery, in an almost identical chassis (though beware of the Snapdragon 460 processor once again), or even the OOOP A53 which offers a more-rounded range of specs for a little more money. And of course, there are always options from the likes of Xiaomi, POCO, and Realme, which are in a different game of their own.

Pricing and Availability

The OPPO A33 (2020) will be available this month across India in either Moonlight Black or Mint Cream. There’s a single specification variant charged at ₹11,990 (~$163) and available from the OPPO Website or the usual retailers such as Flipkart. If you do decide that this is the phone for you, buy with care - an OPPO A33 was released 5 years ago and the specs on that one are even less impressive!