Oppo A40 Review: Low Price, Low Power

Worth When Reviewed

Not out there within the US

Greatest Costs At the moment: Oppo A40

Chinese language producer Oppo has launched a wide selection of mid-range and funds smartphones in recent times, starting from the highly effective Discover X8 Professional to the massively reasonably priced A78 5G. As confusingly named as they generally are, they often provide good specs and options for the cash, offering a lower-cost various to main manufacturers.

That is the custom that this 12 months’s A40 goals to proceed. Carrying an enticingly low price ticket of £129 (below £90 on provide), it brandishes a big 6.67in show with a 90Hz refresh price, in addition to an enormous 5,100mAh battery, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen1 chip, and a 50Mp rear digicam. At first look, this looks as if a recipe for achievement, however simply how effectively does the cellphone mix its elements?

We discover out on this evaluation, testing the A40’s efficiency, cameras, battery and software program, whereas additionally weighing in on its design and sturdiness.

Design & Construct

• Easy design
• Pin-hole selfie digicam
• Headphone jack

The Oppo A40 seems to be good for a £129 smartphone. Its design might not win any awards, however by holding issues to a minimal, it has a tastefulness that many different funds and mid-range telephones lack. It incorporates a rectangular plastic chassis with flat edges and curved corners, whereas a squircle digicam module is the one function on its again, save for a small Oppo emblem.

Its 6.67-inch show is punctured by a pin-hole selfie digicam at top-centre, whereas the encompassing bezel is comparatively thick beneath and above the display, at about 5mm. You will discover a wake/energy button and quantity up/down button on the cellphone’s left-hand aspect, whereas the bottom incorporates a USB-C port, a most welcome headphone jack, and three holes for the only speaker.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

When it comes to construct high quality and sturdiness, the plastic rear and aluminium body belies the cellphone’s value, not feeling (or wanting) low cost in any respect. However, the A40 carries solely an IP54 ranking, which can shield it towards splashes, however not towards submersion in water. The system’s display additionally lacks the type of upgraded Gorilla Glass that protects costlier fashions (eg the Discover X8 Professional), though it does include a pre-applied display protector and does carry a MIL-STD-810H ranking (implying fundamental shock resistance).

One plus is that, regardless of being comparatively giant, the cellphone weighs solely 186g. This places it on the decrease finish of telephones of its dimension, which might usually prime 200g, and makes it comfy to carry for prolonged durations.

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.67-inch LCD show
• 90Hz refresh price
• Max brightness 1000 nits

The A40’s show is the primary signal that it isn’t a flagship smartphone. This isn’t to say that the display is subpar for a cellphone in its value bracket, however sure variations are noticeable in case you’re used to one thing extra succesful. As an illustration, the icons and graphics of its OS are typically a little bit grainy across the edges, whereas using an LCD panel signifies that colors aren’t as wealthy or as deep as one thing with an AMOLED or OLED display.

Brightness can also be beneath common, with a max studying of only one,000 nits. For comparability, the Samsung Galaxy S25 has a max brightness of two,600 nits, whereas the cheaper Galaxy A36 has a peak brightness of 1,900 nits. To be truthful to the Oppo A40, nonetheless, the Galaxy A26 additionally maxes out at 1,000 nits, and that’s over £100 costlier than the Oppo mannequin. 

Simon Chandler/Foundry

Whereas it does sustain with its funds rivals, you’ll nonetheless discover the dearth of brightness. Chances are you’ll wrestle to see the display clearly when exterior on sunny days, whereas extra usually the dearth of brightness robs the cellphone of vibrancy and color. 

Regardless of the occasional dullness, the display does present a 90Hz refresh price. That is arguably superb for a cellphone priced at solely £129, notably when the usual iPhone 16, for example, makes do with a 60Hz refresh price. And whereas 90Hz isn’t as spectacular as 120Hz, you’ll usually recognize the smoother scrolling and display updating.

As for audio, the Oppo A40 supplies a single speaker at its backside edge. That is completely positive for calls and social media, however anybody anticipating to get pleasure from music or TV could also be left disillusioned. There’s an absence of depth and readability to audio when pushed to increased volumes, so that you’d be higher off connecting the cellphone to a good speaker through its Bluetooth 5.0 interface.

Specs & Efficiency

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen1
• 4GB RAM and 128GB storage
• Micro-SD card slot

There’s little doubt that it’s with efficiency that the low value of the A40 turns into most obvious. The cellphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1, which regardless of the spectacular identify is definitely a rebrand of the Snapdragon 662, which was already a decrease mid-range chip when it was initially launched in 2020. And when coupled with solely 4GB of RAM, it signifies that the A40 suffers from some fairly sluggish efficiency.

This goes past an incapability to play extra intensive or latest video games. Apps might be sluggish to open and cargo and, whereas the cellphone does have a 90Hz refresh price, it’s usually undermined by stuttering. It may well really make for a irritating expertise, particularly if you should use the system for work, or for something past fundamental calls and social media.

Nevertheless, it’s completely doubtless that the A40 will find yourself within the palms of those that need it solely as a social media system, so maybe it’s a bit unfair to anticipate something extra from a cellphone that prices solely £129. Nonetheless, its benchmarks have been very unhealthy (even for a funds cellphone), and it might be one thing of a tradition shock to somebody coming from a extra highly effective system.

By the identical token, you would additionally say that the 128GB of inner storage will not be too unhealthy, because you’re unlikely to obtain plenty of video games and apps to the system. On the identical time, its reminiscence might be doubled through its Micro-SD card slot, so most of its goal customers will most likely have sufficient to work with.

Oppo A40 benchmarks

Only a notice that in case you spot that the PCMark battery life check is lacking, that’s as a result of the check failed thrice. I assume the cellphone didn’t prefer it.

Cameras

• 50Mp essential rear digicam
• 5Mp selfie digicam
• 1080p video at 30fps

The A40’s cameras are most likely the opposite large space wherein the cellphone lives right down to its low value. It gives a 50Mp essential rear lens, in addition to a flicker sensor that serves to cut back interference from flickering mild sources. There are not any different rear lenses, which is probably a very good factor, since an ultrawide or telephoto lens at this value level would most likely be extra of a box-ticking train than one thing genuinely helpful.

And with regards to its essential 50Mp digicam, it does a good sufficient job of capturing images you may need to share on social media. After all, this is determined by the prevailing situations, because the cellphone usually wants clear daylight to achieve its potential. When it does have good pure mild, photos reveal a very good steadiness of element, color and shadow. Processing veers extra in the direction of the naturalistic finish of the spectrum, whereas portraits strike a very good compromise between trustworthy and flattering, even with a theoretically underpowered 5Mp selfie lens.

Nevertheless, in case you start to problem the principle digicam, flaws and noise change into extra obvious. It doesn’t take kindly to motion, with the cellphone utilizing an open-loop focus motor that underperforms relative to closed-loop equivalents. It additionally doesn’t cope too effectively with overly vivid lights, regardless of the sparkle sensor, and neither does it fare notably effectively when issues darken. That is much more apparent with the digicam’s evening mode, which in all honesty is usable solely on well-lit streets. And even then the outcomes aren’t notably spectacular.

Lastly, the cellphone’s rear lens is able to capturing 1080p video at 30 frames per second. Once more, this isn’t something to jot down residence about, and you’ll actually want a gradual hand in taking movie, however it could possibly produce usable outcomes in case you’re cautious sufficient.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5,100mAh battery
• 45W wired charging

The Oppo A40 fares significantly higher within the battery division, packing a 5,100mAh cell that’s greater than able to dealing with the calls for most customers will make of the cellphone. So on condition that there’s no 120Hz refresh price, and given which you can’t actually play latest video games on it, it ought to be capable to final effectively right into a second day.

This was usually my expertise. The trick is to not use the system for something notably intensive, and to focus totally on messaging and calling, with some social media. Nevertheless, in case you’re one thing of an everyday or compulsive social media person, then you could discover that the cellphone’s battery is nearly flat by the tip of a single day.

Certainly, on days after I put the A40 by means of its paces and watched Netflix, browsed round on YouTube and performed some video games, its battery did run beneath 20% or 15% by bedtime. Thankfully, the system is suitable with 45W wired charging, though Oppo doesn’t present a suitable charger within the field. And in my expertise, utilizing an 18W mains adaptor, charging was not notably speedy (see benchmarks).

Software program & Apps

• Android 14 and ColorOS 14
• Two years of core updates, three of safety updates
• Some bloatware

The A40 comes out of the field with Android 14 preinstalled, and with Oppo’s ColorOS 14 operating on prime. With Android 15 already launched and being rolled out for main producers, the A40 is already behind the curve so far as core updates go. That stated, Oppo is promising two of those, which can take you to Android 16.

When it comes to its design and choices, ColorOS is a good Android pores and skin. It’s straightforward and acquainted to navigate, with the Fast Settings pulldown and the App Tray being the one main screens apart from the Residence menu. There’s some bloatware (eg AliExpress, Reserving.com, plenty of mini-games), however you may uninstall all the things apart from native apps, so I didn’t discover it an excessive amount of of an issue. 

Simon Chandler/Foundry

There’s additionally loads of room for customisation, in addition to some useful (in concept) particular options, such because the Good Sidebar, floating home windows and cut up views. Nevertheless, the place these – and the OS as an entire – fall down is in efficiency, with the A40’s chipset and RAM usually struggling to open apps and function easily. As an illustration, scrolling inside a floating app can usually end in stuttering and slowdown, and the identical goes for cut up views.

The cellphone additionally gives face recognition, along with the sidemounted fingerprint scanner. On the whole, this function does work pretty effectively, though you could discover that it takes just a few milliseconds longer to work than on extra premium fashions.

Worth & Availability

The Oppo A40 is now out there within the UK for £129. It’s additionally on the market in Latin America, China and Asia, albeit below completely different names (Oppo A3 4G, Oppo A60, Oppo A40m). As with each different Oppo system, it’s not formally offered within the US.

You should buy the cellphone both from Oppo’s official web site or from Amazon, amongst different third-party retailers. On the time of writing, it’s lower than £90 at quite a lot of retailers.

Alternate options to the A40 embody the Oppo A60 5G, which for an additional £30 provides 5G compatibility. You might additionally contemplate the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G (at £199), the Nokia G22 (at £149), and the Motorola Moto G04 (£89). All of those are arguably higher than the Oppo A40. In any other case, check out our round-up of one of the best funds telephones for our prime suggestions.

Do you have to purchase the Oppo A40?

The Oppo A40 is a strong funds cellphone. For a really low value of £129, it supplies robust battery life, respectable seems to be, and a usable essential digicam. However whereas its software program is simple to make use of, the system is let down by its underpowered chip and RAM, which might usually make issues sluggish and laggy.

Finally, because of this players ought to actually keep away, as ought to anybody who wants a sturdy, responsive cellphone for work. As a substitute, it’s a good funds mannequin that will attraction to informal cellphone customers. So in case you’re somebody who makes use of their cellphone primarily to do a little bit of buying, messaging/calling and social media, it will be a very good purchase, particularly at its present, discounted value.

Specs

• 6.67inLCD (1604×720) 20:9, 90Hz;
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen1
• 4GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128GB RAM UFS 4.0 inner storage;
• Cameras:
• 50Mp essential/large sensor
• 5Mp entrance dealing with
• Facet-button fingerprint scanner
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz+5GHz, VHT80
• Twin SIM (Nano-SIM)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 5,100mAh battery
• 45W wired charging
• 165.7 x 76.1 x 7.7 mm
• 186g