OPPO has officially started selling the recently unveiled OPPO A93 in Kenya for Ksh. 30,999. The smartphone has all specs needed for the price, but given Kenya’s consumer spending power, the price might become the biggest hinderance of what could’ve clearly been one of the best devices from the manufacturer. That’s not to say people won’t buy it; in fact, I’m really excited the device has one of the best display panels you could ever ask for except for the refresh rate which is somehow still lackluster and stuck in the days of yore.
There are a couple of things consumers lookout for when shopping for their next smartphone, and price is usually on top of the list; but if you have enough savings to go above and beyond, there are some features that ultimately come into play. In my case, the display panel just has to be above average if not the best I can get. OPPO’s decision to slap a 6.43-inch AMOLED panel on the A93 might just pay off. The panel has an ample screen resolution of 2400×1080 and the decision to utilize dual cutout for the selfie camera instead of a notch or bezel makes the real-estate good enough for some of us looking for a large panel in a small package.
Even though OPPO A93 is using AMOLED tech that I so much love and has a decent amount of pixel density to ensure text appear crisp and images look vivid, I’m a little sad we don’t get next gen refresh rate that many companies are now using. For most of us the refresh rate might not be a deal breaker, but given a choice, I’d drop the old 60Hz for a higher refresh rate in a blink. There’s so much we’ve discovered that is somehow just a notch higher when it comes to panels supporting a higher rate like let’s say 120Hz. The difference can be felt from playing games to the general user experience while interacting with the interface.
OPPO has been known to offer some brilliant approaches when it comes to smartphone photography and we don’t expect the OPPO A93 to be anything less. There’s a total of six cameras on this device with two selfie cameras and four rear cameras. For some of us who’d do anything to get best selfie shots for social media or for any other reason, there’s a 16MP sensor and a 2MP depth camera to make sure those photos pop. But if you’d like to be a little bit adventurous in the general photography, OPPO placed a 48MP wide sensor on the device coupled with additional 8MP ultrawide, 2MP mono and 2MP mono to handle any situation that arises accordingly.
Other features;
I’ve always been a little skeptical on fingerprint sensors placed at the rear panel of a device, after using Apple’s touch ID for so long, I just couldn’t transition to rear sensors as if find them not efficient for a single hand use. I’m thrilled to know that OPPO A93 has an in-display fingerprint – not my favorite placement but something I can work with. Personally, I’ve come to appreciate sensors placed within power buttons for the simple fact that they are practical and often easier to reach even with a single hand.
In Kenya, we get the 8GB model with 128GB internal storage that can be upgraded using a MicroSD card. Under the hood is a MediaTek Helio P95 processor that should be enough for most situations. But something I didn’t understand is OPPO’s choice for a 4000mAh battery when everyone is going above 5000mAh at that price point.