The new Oppo A18 is aimed at those who are satisfied with a solid base at a reasonable price. The device wants to be characterized by a long battery life.

With its A series, Oppo offers a large selection of affordable smartphones. The Oppo A18 presented today takes the word “budget-friendly” very seriously: with a price of just 169 euros, the device remains well below the 200 euros limit. It is the second addition that Oppo has made to its budget line this year: the A79 was released in mid-January and flirted with the price limit of 300 euros.

The Oppo A18 is likely to attract attention with its glossy back, available in blue or black. The device has an IP54 protection rating and has been subjected to several torture tests in the manufacturer’s laboratories. Additionally, the Oppo A18 features a 6.56-inch HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, which is more than acceptable in this price range.

The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek G85, from which you can’t expect the greatest performance, but just enough for everyday use. Oppo adds one of its own Dynamic computer engine to improve the lifespan of the processor. With 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, you have enough storage for most applications.

Good battery condition

In the announcement, Oppo placed particular emphasis on battery life and installed a robust 5000 mAh battery in the device. After 12 hours of active use, if you start with a full battery, there is at least twenty percent left. If you’re below and don’t have a charger readily available, you can use this Save energyThe mode keeps the device in standby mode for another 25 hours. Charging protection uses AI to learn users’ charging habits and intelligently plan charging for safe and efficient charging overnight or during longer charging times.

Cameras can sometimes be a sore point on budget devices, and we’re not immediately impressed with the Oppo A18’s camera specs. The main camera has an 8 MP sensor, flanked by a 2 MP sensor for bokeh effects.

No Android 14 yet

Just like the Oppo A79, the A18 will also ship with ColorOS 13.1 at launch, as the number suggests, the software is based on Android 13, and there will also be two software updates and three years of security updates. That’s a shame because Android 14 has been available for a few months now, so you’re already missing out on a software update just to keep your device up to date. In particular, we hope that Oppo will refrain from installing advertising apps on this device.

The OPPO A18 is now available in Belgium for 169 euros (including VAT).