Just a few weeks ago, OPPO Philippines launched a slightly carbon-copy of the OPPO F5 Youth, which is the OPPO A83. Lots of great midrange smartphones were released last year and it may be hard to pick which is the best both for your budget and liking. So, today we present two midrange smartphone of which you can get on the market: The Huawei Nova 2i and the OPPO A83.
| SPECS | Oppo A83 | Huawei Nova 2i |
| Display | 5.7-inch HD+ (1440 x 720) 18:9 display, 2.5D curved glass | 5.9″ 1080 x 2160 IPSLCD (~409 ppi) |
| Dimensions & Features | 150.5 × 73.1 × 7.7, 143 | 156.2 x 75 x 7.5 mm, 164g, Hybrid Dual SIM Tray |
| Chipset | MediaTek MT6763T Helio P23 2.5GHz octa-core processor | HiSilicon Kirin 659 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2.5 GHz Cortex-A53 | Octa-core (4×2.36 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| GPU | Mali-G71 MP2 GPU | Mali T830-MP2 |
| Memory | 3 GB RAM, 32 GB | 4 GB RAM, 64GB |
| Connectivity | LTE, 802.11n, BT 4.2, GPS, microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go, 3.5mm audio jack | LTE Cat. 6, 802.11n, BT 4.2, GPS, microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Battery | 3,180mAh battery | 3340mAh battery |
| Price | PhP 9,990 | PhP 14,990 |
Table of Contents
Design
Even with both of our models covered in black, it’s not that hard to differentiate especially with Huawei written on the chin of the Nova 2i. Front cameras also differ in placement, one for the A83 and two for the Nova 2i.
Unfortunately, the fingerprint scanner is only available on the Nova 2i, placed at the back with its dual camera. Again, one for the Oppo and 2 for the Huawei. At the bottom bunk of the phones are the speakers and headphone jacks and charging ports.
Display
The OPPO’s screen is at 5.7″ while the Huawei is at 5.9”, the OPPO A83 only having 1440 x 720 while the Nova 2i has a 1080×2160 display. Colors look more dynamic on the Nova 2i compared to the look of the OPPO’s colors. The OPPO features only 1440 x 720 display but it still looks good, well, it may be one of the ways to keep the price under Php 10,000.
Camera
The OPPO has an 8 MP rear camera while the Huawei has a dual 16MP + 2MP rear camera. Day-lit assisted shots were more vibrant on the Huawei with the OPPO sticking to a cooler toned result. But with both having as much detail clarity.
This next shot proves the same case as the previous shot, although it seems that the Huawei has more detail sharpness and brightness on this one.
Next is a test how well the phone’s shooters can take lighting sources on a closer length. Both phones show the exact same result as of the previous shots with a cooler tone on the OPPO and warmer on the Huawei.
Night-lit shots are very identical, though the darker result is from the Oppo. The Nova 2i also has a night-mode which produces bright and detailed result if done correctly.
Selfies have brighter and pinking result on the Nova 2i while the A83 was able to balance color between the face and neck to the chest area. By turning on OPPO’s AI beautification mode, it really made the selfie “less-stress looking” and still looks natural, making OPPO live up to its “Selfie Expert” name.
Depth effect on the Oppo may sometimes result to a blurry edge compared to the Nova 2i which was still capable of showing small details on edges.
When it comes to low-lit and night-time shots the A83 has brighter results than the Nova 2i. Also, the selfies on the Nova 2i looked a little warmer than the OPPO. See and judge for yourselves.
Video recording on both phones can also go up to 1080p at 30 fps. When it comes to details, see for yourselves.
| Phone | Rear Camera | Front Camera | |
| Oppo A83 | 8 MP, f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, AI Beautification Technology | 13 MP, f/2.2 | |
| Huawei Nova 2i | Dual 16 MP + 2 MP phase detection autofocus, LED flash | Dual 13 MP, f/2.0 + 2 MP |
Chipset/Processor/Rom
The OPPO A83 is powered by Mediatek Helio P23 while the Nova 2i has a HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, with 3 GB of RAM on the Oppo and 4 for the Huawei. Using the following benchmarking tools, we received these results in the process:
| Device | AnTuTu | PCMark Work 2.0 | ||
| Oppo A83 | 67,496 | 3,754 | ||
| Huawei Nova 2i | 62283 | 4916 |
Playing video games is pretty amazing on both phones not showing any lags whatsoever. Although the OPPO A83 doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner, it features Face Unlock, which by the way, is also now available on the Nova 2i.
Battery
The Huawei packs a 3340 mAh battery, while the OPPO comes with a 3,090mAh battery pack.
| Device | Battery | Battery Time | Charging-Time |
| OPPO A83 | 3,090mAh | 31h 28m | 2h 30m |
| Huawei Nova 2i | 3340 mAh | 39h 43m | 2h 15m |
Audio
Loudspeakers both are located at the bottom portion of the phones, with the Nova 2i having a significantly louder audio output than the OPPO. Take a listen here.
Price
Both the OPPO A83 and Huawei Nova 2i are available in local and online stores with the A83 retailing at ₱9,990.00, while the Nova 2i at ₱14,990.00, although prices will differ in countries after taxes. Which is your pick? The Nova 2i is a great choice but if you’re a little tight on budget, we suggest you take the OPPO A83. A smartphone that can take amazing selfies, good to play games with, and with a long battery life but with that price tag? Surely worth it. What do you think? Share your thought in the comments below.
