How far budget phones have come is remarkable. Features that were meant for mid-level and flagship phones continue to trickle down, making budget phones remarkably well suited for most needs. Here is the latest, OPPO K10, which is affordably priced, packed with specs and should work fine for most people.
The mainstay of the phone is its design and processor. If you were to use the phone without a back cover, it will attract attention thanks to the dual tone finish, well-rounded corners, is light and feels good to hold. What’s not very exciting is the model number of the phone being splashed in the camera panel.
That brings us to what’s inside the phone. Running the show is the power-efficient Snapdragon 680 processor that manages most tasks well, including gaming. There are no lags while switching between applications and most apps remain alive in the background. While gaming, most titles will be able to run smoothly though not at its highest graphic settings or frame rate.
In terms of display, it’s a biggish 6.59-inch FHD+ LCD panel. It’s a decent quality panel that gets bright and colours appear true to life. You also get 90Hz refresh rate on the display, which will make everything appear to be running smoothly, especially scrolling. There is Widevine L1 support for Netflix while stereo speakers are a big bonus on the phone. Good audio separation and loudness make movie watching a joy.
Sample picture taken on the OPPO K10
The camera set up has a compromise. The main 50MP snapper works fine in bright sunshine while at night, you can take advantage of the night mode. But there is no ultra-wide here. One may argue that even the iPhone 13 SE doesn’t have the same but what the iPhone does have is extreme AI software algorithm and an insanely fast processor to handle the same. Instead, OPPO has gone with a 2MP macro and 2MP bokeh. Video is restricted to 1080p.
It’s a 4G phone and that’s fine because by the time 5G arrives, it will be time to upgrade your phone anyway. The K10 also does well in way of battery life. The 5,000mAh battery easily lasts a day and a half. Though I am sure the phone will get Android 12 at some point, out of the box you have Android 11 and ColorOS 11.1. In tech, it’s always safe to go by what you get and not what you may get.
So, who is OPPO K10 meant for? Anyone looking for a decent, well-priced performer; it handles most daily tasks well.
At a glance
Device: OPPO K10
Price: Upwards of Rs 14,990 (6+128GB)
High notes
• Battery lasts more than a day
• Good design and display
• Efficient processor
Muffled notes
• Ultra-wide camera missing
• Android 11 out of the box