OPPO A72 Review: In December, 3 OPPO smartphones and a smartwatch came to test us. For each of them you will find a review on the site, and any other questions you have about the devices, do not hesitate to write them in the comments. This article focuses on a mid-range phone, ideal for online schooling. For those interested in benchmarks, we also performed tests in this regard, compared to OPPO Reno4 Lite and OPPO Reno4 Z. 
OPPO's market share in Europe is quite small, with a percentage of 3%, and in Romania the company is at the beginning of the road. The manufacturer launched on our market earlier this year, and unfortunately the event overlapped with the lockdown period. Even so, awareness campaigns are not lacking online, and more and more users have heard of the Chinese producer at their favorite content creators. 
Gradually, the number of reviews has increased, which helps each of you to make the most informed purchases possible. And last but not least, we need to take into account the general context of the phone market. One of the biggest players in 2019, Huawei, lost its position in 2020, and things do not seem to be going too soon. Given this, OPPO and Xiaomi are two Chinese manufacturers that will be in the purchasing preferences of many users in the coming period. 
I promised you that we will talk more about OPPO at Noobz when we have the opportunity to test enough products to form an opinion. So, after three smartphones and a smartwatch, we are open to questions from you. 
OPPO A72 Review - Specifications
We are talking about a smartphone with a plastic design, but with some finishes and a pretty attractive color scheme. Of course, we've seen these gradient color schemes in other manufacturers, but there's no need to go into details. If you really want to focus on something, focus on memory, display, and battery. If you don't like the purple shade of OPPO A72, you can choose the black version. 
The phone has a generous 4GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage. Although you will find that it does not have microSD expansion on eMAG, find out from the manufacturer's website, because you also have support for SD card. This is especially helpful if you store a lot of documents on your phone and don't want to waste memory. For example, I always use a 256GB memory card on my personal phone. 
Android 10 with ColorPO interface from OPPO, version V7.1
Now, some would say "wow, Android 10, when the competition barely has Android 9?". I recommend that you do not rush to emphasize such details. They do contradict, indeed, but rather in the case of premium terminals and less so in entry and mid-range phones. In addition, the manufacturer's interface matters more than the operating system version. 
On all OPPO phones we tested, the interface is the same. It's clean, intuitive, a little friendlier than even the one from Xiaomi. If you are currently using a Huawei and plan to replace it with OPPO, you may not feel a major difference during use. I could say that the ColorOS interface is very similar to Huawei's EMUI. 
Personally, I would have preferred a more modern interface. The icons seem to me from the years 2014 - 2016. But, if you can get over this aspect, you get used to the ColorOS interface quite quickly. 
The processor on the OPPO A72 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665. As I said at the beginning of the article, it makes the phone ideal for online schooling. But don't expect the clouds to break in games. If you play on the phone from time to time for relaxation, the phone will cope without any problems. On the other hand, I can't say the same for hard-core gamers. Equally suitable is the OPPO A72 for watching Netflix series and entertainment on YouTube. 
Sound is the strong point of the OPPO A72
Of all the three OPPO models tested at Noobz at the same time, the A72 delivers the best sound. Reno4 Lite and Reno4 Z play sound only through a speaker placed at the bottom. Meanwhile, the A72 plays sound through both the bottom and the top of the screen. For those who consume videos on the internet, this is quite an important aspect. As a matter of fact, for online classes it is quite important how the sound is played, to hear everything the teachers say. 
Reno4 Lite and Reno4 Z also have their advantages, but we will talk about them in the dedicated articles on the site. 
OPPO A72 Review - Security is not bad either
In the process of setting up your phone, you can set your PIN, face scan, and fingerprint scan. This way, you secure your phone in 3 ways, and the chances of any stranger entering your device are almost impossible. 
Both the A72 and Reno4 Z have a fingerprint sensor built into the power button. As I said in the case of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 from Samsung, this type of fingerprint sensor is my favorite. Some prefer the sensor in the display, others have become accustomed to it on the back of the phone. Personally, I think it is most convenient to have a fingerprint sensor on the edge of the phone, in the power button, if the design allows. 
The fingerprint sensor on the A72 is responsive, it can be operated quite quickly. If you keep your phone on the table, facial scanning doesn't work (you need to pick up the phone), but you can enter the six-digit PIN. 
What else do you need to know about setting up an OPPO phone for the first time?
If this is your first time using an OPPO phone, it's a good idea to set it up as a new phone. To transfer documents, photo galleries, contacts, you need to use the OPPO Clone Phone application. 
In the notification bar you will see that you need to use OPPO Clone Phone, an application pre-installed on all OPPO phones, if the phone is new, to transfer all the data you need. You also need to make sure that you have the Clone Phone application installed on your old phone. 
Last but not least, if you know you have a large number of documents on your old phone, make sure you have enough space on your new phone to transfer data. For example, on my personal phone I have data exceeding 128GB, so I had to select which data to be cloned from the old Android phone to the new OPPO A72. 
The OPPO Clone Phone application works very well, and in about 10-15 minutes you can transfer your phonebook, photo gallery and all the applications of interest to you. Of course, for things to move fast, you need a very good wireless connection. In addition, the configuration of the new phone will be done only once, and this is required regardless of the chosen phone model. What I can tell you for sure is that it's easier to move data from your old Android phone to an OPPO than to do it with an iPhone. I say it from experience.
Colors on an OPPO A72 screen with 100 brightness
OPPO A72 Review - Benchmark Results
On single-core I got 308, on multi-core 1264. The results are a bit poorer than those of Reno4 Lite. The latter released 404 on single-core and 1503 on multi-core. Of course, the phone processor contributes significantly to this difference. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person. They are not notable for the camera either, so if you don't know which one to choose between the two, consider the design and the price.
I will leave here images with benchmarks, compared to OPPO A72, Reno4 Lite and Reno4 Z. Not another, but maybe you need something more to convince yourself which is best for you.
OPPO A71 camera
It's as good as you know how to use light. From an entry-mid-range you shouldn't expect the clouds to break in photos. The phone has a 48MP sensor that you can use as a standard Instagram format. If you don't pretend to take 16: 9 or Full pictures, you will get really decent results, only good to share with friends. On ultrawide you play with 8MP, in depth you have a 2MP sensor, and standard also 2MP. While, on the selfie you have 16MP, and with enough light on your face and Instagram filters, you can be really satisfied.
To give you an idea of the pictures taken with OPPO A72, I leave some in this article. Some are in low light, some are in standard light, and some are in high light, so you can see how much the camera sensor absorbs.
The phone's battery lasts a whole day without any problems. If you use it for video conferencing, 4-6 has you don't have to upload it, but in the end you should definitely do it. You know that the biggest power consumer is the display, and as long as you use the camera, the battery drains pretty quickly. However, 5000 mAh copes well with a day of study. In addition, most of us are at home, and we all have a charger socket.
Which phone under 1000 lei to buy?
Officially OPPO A72 has entered the list of recommendations I have for phones priced under 1000 lei. Until recently it cost 1400 lei, but during this period it costs 990 lei. Honestly, the current price is also the real price. In addition, the product comes with a silicone protective case, headphones, cable and charger, plus a SIM card slot.
For someone who has a budget limited to 1000 lei, wants a decent phone, with an attractive design, good battery, good sound and also a decent screen, OPPO A72 is an inspired choice. What would you suggest you buy between OPPO A72 and Huawei P40 Lite? Definitely, OPPO A72. Yes, you have 2GB of extra RAM at Huawei, otherwise you don't miss anything on the A72.
Why did I just say Huawei P40 Lite and not another phone? Simple, it's the only one that lacks the defining element that every Android phone user needs: Google services. OPPO and Xiaomi do not have such problems.
If you have other curiosities about OPPO A72, write me in the comments! Also, tell us what other OPPO phones you are interested in testing at Noobz.