OPPO A54 5G review: The Verdict
The OPPO A54 5G is a solid affordable 5G smartphone let down by inconsistent performance. While the day-to-day experience is smooth for the most part, instances of extreme slowdown and load time blow out hamper the overall experience. There's not much else to complain about when it comes to the OPPO A54 5G, but most will be better off spending a little less or a little more.
What we love
- Solid battery life
- Affordable
- Great display
What could be improved
- Occasional noticeable slowdowns
- Secondary cameras feel like token inclusions
The essentials
- Performance: Fine most of the time, but marred by occasional hitches, load time blow outs, and unresponsiveness
- Battery: Solid. Up to five hours of screen time with 5G on, which should be a day of moderate-to-heavy use.
- Screen: Lovely, especially for the price. No complaints.
- Camera: Not bad, but performance drops off in low light and the ultra-wide and macro lens underperform.
70/100
Many budget phones are cut from a similar cloth, but the OPPO A54 5G manages to stand out in a rather crowded market. Well, at least for now. As it stands, the OPPO A54 5G is the cheapest 5G-ready handset you can buy in Australia, coming in at just $399 outright. Previously you'd be looking at a minimum of $499. It's inevitable that someone will undercut the OPPO A54 5G - maybe even OPPO itself - but right now, it's as cheap as 5G phones come.
Of course, there's always the question of if you actually need a 5G phone right now. 5G is still in its infancy, coverage is far from ubiquitous, and we're not really seeing any new use cases yet. Realistically, there isn't any urgency to rush out and upgrade for that sweet, sweet next-generation connectivity. It's a nice bit of future-proofing, but you shouldn't buy a new phone just because you've got the need for 5G speed.
It's great that 5G is now featuring on more affordable devices, but phones like the OPPO A54 5G still need to represent value for their price regardless of whether they can connect to the latest generation of mobile network. You still want it to be a device you're happy using.
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To start, the OPPO A54 5G is a nice enough device, aesthetically speaking. It has a solid build, only slightly betrayed by a "glastic" back that's a little too prone to fingerprints. The gradient effect is rather cute however, and gives the phone a touch more personality than you get on a lot of budget phones - even when it comes to the black version.
The screen itself is a treat. It's bright, sharp, vibrant, and exhibits minimal colour distortion off-axis. For the money, it's a lovely display.
Battery is another strong point for the OPPO A54 5G. With 5G switched on, I was able to get about five hours of screen time per charge. That's not amazing, but very few 5G smartphones last longer. OPPO's Find X3 Pro would only last between three and four hours when connected to 5G networks in my testing, for example.
Five hours of screen time translates to roughly a day of moderate-to-heavy usage. Disabling 5G or spending more time on WiFi will help extend this out, but it's nice to know you don't have to switch off one of the phone's key features to get a usable amount of battery, as I've had to do with some other 5G devices.
The OPPO A54 5G camera goes about as you'd expect for a $399 phone. You can get pretty decent shots from the primary camera in good light, with performance fading as your environment gets darker. Low light shots aren't awful, but they're prone to camera blur if you don't have steady hands and heavy noise. They're also limited in dynamic range - even when you're using night mode; strong light sources blow out quickly. You'll also find an ultra-wide lens and macro lens on the back of the OPPO A54 5G, but both feel like token inclusions to boost camera count. Neither capture strong results, although the ultra-wide can do okay in broad daylight.
Where the OPPO A54 5G falls down is performance. While it's unfair to expect miracles from a $399 phone, I ran into a few more hitches than I'd like with the OPPO A54 5G. The day-to-day experience is fine for the most part, but this was punctuated by moments where the phone would lock up entirely for a tick, the odd overly long load time, and instances where I'd need to tap an app at least two times for it to open. Not every phone is going to be a pocket rocket, but I'd expect a more consistent experience at the least.
OPPO A54 5G - Final Thoughts
The OPPO A54 5G certainly isn't a bad phone, but it isn't great either. It fits firmly in the good category, which isn't an ideal position given the crowded smartphone market. Performance hitches mean it’s a better choice to go for a device that's a little cheaper like the $249 Moto G10 which has a similar processor at a more affordable price tag but is missing 5G. Alternatively, it could be worth spending a little more on a phone like the $449 OPPO A74 5G which has more RAM or the $499 Moto G 5G Plus which has a far faster processor.
I'm genuinely thrilled about 5G making its way to cheaper smartphones, and if you really want the cheapest 5G device you can get, the OPPO A54 5G is certainly it. There are no major dealbreakers, there are just a few small quirks like the occasional spike of lag you'll need to put up with in return for getting a 5G handset on the cheap.
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