Oppo K3 First Impression: A Fresh Face In The Lot

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The mid-range smartphone segment in India has witnessed some stiff competition lately. The latest entrants such as the Redmi K20 and the Realme X have been grabbing the headlines ever since they saw the light of day.

 
Oppo K3 First Impression: A Fresh Face In The Lot

Now, Oppo has introduced a new K series smartphone, the K3 that will go against these devices. Sporting a pop-up selfie camera with a good set of internals, the smartphone is a major upgrade over its predecessor- the Oppo K1.

The Oppo K3 has been priced at Rs. 16,990 for the 6GB/64GB variant, whereas, the top model with an 8GB+128GB configuration for Rs. 19,990. However, with offers, the base variant can be purchased for Rs. 14,990 and the top variant for Rs. 17,990. The sales start on July 23 at Amazon.

We used the handset for a brief period at the event and Here's what we think about Oppo's latest entry.

Gradient Design Similar to Oppo F11 Pro

Gradient Design Similar to Oppo F11 Pro

The Oppo K3 borrows some design traits from the Oppo F11 Pro. You get a gradient design pattern in Aurora Blue and Jade Black color. As with most of the gradient designed smartphones, the Oppo K3 is instant in picking up fingerprints and is a bit slippery. Thankfully, you get a soft TPU case in the retail box.

The rear panel consists of the dual-cameras arranged vertically followed by Oppo logo at the bottom. The dual-tone paint job look might attract the youth.

The left panel accommodates the volume adjusters, while the right consists of the power key and the dual SIM tray. The top houses the pop-up selfie camera and you also get a 3.5mm audio port, a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille at the bottom.

The big form factor doesn't interfere with single hand usage and it's easy to use the device for basic day-to-day tasks, but reaching the corners will need some efforts. Overall, the aesthetics seems pretty neat but has nothing new to offer besides the pop-up selfie camera.

FullView Display Looks Good
 

FullView Display Looks Good

The device adorns a big 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 2340 pixels. The display offers a 91.1 percent screen-to-body ratio and thin bezels. The brightness levels appeared to the point, but we haven't yet checked the sunlight visibility.

The display also incorporates a fingerprint scanner which we found to be quick and accurate. The viewing angles are good and the texts also look sharp. The high-resolution support makes the content appear crisp and delivers a good overall viewing experience.

We will be testing the display performance with streaming platforms and gaming in our comprehensive review. Overall, the huge AMOLED panel with high-resolution support makes it optimum for media consumption.

AI-Backed Cameras With Sony IMX Sensors

AI-Backed Cameras With Sony IMX Sensors

The smartphone accommodates dual-cameras at the rear with a 16MP Sony IMX 519 primary sensor and a 2MP depth lens. Amongst the highlight camera features, there is an Ultra Night Mode 2.0 which claims to capture quality low-light shots.

Besides, it is packed with some standard features such as HDR, Portrait, and Panorama. We did expect a triple-camera setup on the back panel which has become standard for the mid-range segment.
The 16MP Sony IMX 471 pop-up selfie camera is another highlight of the phone.

The AI-backed snapper offers smart beautification and Portrait Mode 2.0 features to enhance the selfie quality. The camera pops up within 0.74 seconds and appears to be quick to retract upon detecting a fall. As per the company, the slider can be operated over 2,00,000 times within five years which sounds impressive.

Coming to the image quality, both the rear and front cameras deliver well on performance. The images seem to have less noise with good-edge detection and sharpness. We haven't pushed the camera to its full potential yet, but it seems to do its job quite well.

Decent Hardware With Android Pie

Decent Hardware With Android Pie

The Oppo K3 is built around an octa-core Snapdragon 710 chipset with 6GBRAM+64GB storage and 8GB RAM+128GB storage configuration. Notably, there is no support for a microSD card, a feature also missing from the Redmi K20 and the Realme X. So, select a variant depending on your storage needs.

The Snapdragon 710 SoC is a potent mid-range chipset that powers some popular devices including the company's own R17 Pro, Realme 3 Pro, and HMD Global's Nokia 8.1. It is powerful enough to offer smooth multitasking and user experience.

Besides, the device comes with a Game Boost 2.0 that combines Frame and Touch Boost tech for lag-free gaming. We expect it to deliver good on gaming and other heavy tasks, moreover, the FHD+ display should further enhance the visual experience.

Software onboard is Android Pie with Color OS 6 interface on top. You get the key Android Pie elements such as gesture support, battery optimizer, and others. The UI is pretty much the same as seen on the Oppo F11 Pro. You also get the app drawers saving you from a cluttered appearance on the screen.

The battery powering the device is 3,765mAh non-removable unit with VOOC Flash 3.0 charge support. The battery is smaller in size compared to what you get on current mid-range devices.

The battery is yet to be tested to its full potential and see how long it lasts with a single charge. We will review the battery performance in the coming days.

Is It A Good Bargain?

Is It A Good Bargain?

The Oppo K3 ticks all the boxes for a smartphone priced under Rs. 20,000. A high-resolution display and competent hardware make it a promising smartphone. What it lacks is a triple camera setup and a slightly bigger battery which most of the popular mid-range smartphones offer nowadays.

But, at the asking price of Rs 14,990, this device is worth considering. But, we will rest our final verdict for later, once we are done testing it thoroughly.

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