Slimline Cellular

Tested

OPPO R5

When Oppo first revealed the Oppo R5, it had been widely touted to be ‘the thinnest smartphone in the world’. While the R5 is no longer the holder of such a title, it is still one of the thinnest I have worked on. So let’s see if the Oppo R5 is everything packed in a slim package or just plain anorexic in general.

Razor Thin

Measuring at just 4.9mm, the Oppo R5 is the slimmest smartphone that I’ve ever held in my hands. Apart from the slim factor, the R5 feels great when I held it. The white shell on the unit has a nice smooth finish that gives it a premium feel. However, the rear camera does jut out from the back of the smartphone. Indeed an inevitable situation when one designs the Meizu smartphone to be as thin as possible.

Home in the Mid-Range

Of course a smartphone that is all looks and no muscle is useless, so how does the R5 fair? For a mid-ranger, the R5 performs what is needed of it well. The smartphone is able to handle any day-to-day tasks with minimal fuss while the camera on the R5 is pretty standard as far as smartphone cameras go – 13MP at the back and 5MP for front-side image snapping. The battery life is a bit on the low side though as a full day’s use almost depleted the full charge. If you frequently use your smartphone throughout the day, remember to charge it before you sleep.

Hot Blooded

One drawback when you’re designing a thin phone is heat dissipation. Because of the thin form factor of the R5, the heat builds up really quickly on the upper half of the smartphone.

After running benchmarks on it, the upper half gets uncomfortably hot. Even simple low stress usage, such as using the Web browser is enough for the R5 to generate enough heat to make it noticeable.

It’s Hot

There is no denying that the Oppo R5 is an attractive looking smartphone. However, that attractiveness does come with a cost. If you can put up with the low battery life and the heat generated by it, then you should consider the R5.

Value: 7/10
Performance: 8/10
Feature: 9/10
Design: 10/10
Usability: 8/10

Specs:
Dimension (W x H x D): 148.9 x 74.5 x 4.9mm
Weight: 155g
Processor: Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615
Graphics: Adreno 405
Memory: 2GB RAM
Display: 5.2in AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
Camera: 13MP rear-facing, 5 MP front-facing
Storage: 16GB internal
Operating System: Android OS, v4.4.4 (KitKat)
Battery: 2000mAh Li-Po Battery