There is no shortage of budget smartphones out on the market today, with many of them competing to be the best value they can. However, as we all know, all of them manage to cut edges to reach those appealing price points.
With the release of the Oppo A16e, we yet again have another budget smartphone reaching the Indian market that is sure to rile up the competition. Promising impressive hardware specs, mixed with Android 11 support, all bundled together in an impressive chassis, it’s not surprising that this phone is creating waves in the smartphone market.
Yet, does the Oppo A16e stack up to the competition? Can you even get your hands on one, at a good price?
Today we’ll be exploring everything you need to know about the Oppo A16e, including its hardware and software specs, its price, release date, as well as seeing how it compares to many other phones around its competitive price point.
Oppo A16e – Release Date
The Oppo A16e is set to release by the end of March 2022 in India. It will likely be hitting stores by the time you read this article. Yet, due to widespread chip shortages, the overall availability of the phone over the next few months may be strained.
Many stores are already taking pre-orders, as well as reservation spots, to help you pick up the Oppo A16e if you’re looking to buy it. However, if you’re unlucky, and don’t manage to get your hands on an Oppo A16e at launch, don’t panic!
Stores are expected to be stocked throughout 2022 with new Oppo A16e models. So, you’ll be able to get your hands on one quite quickly.
Oppo A16e – Price Point, Variant Breakdown
The Oppo A16e is expected to cost roughly Rs 9,990, or an impressive $131USD. An incredible price point for a phone in 2022. If you’re looking at picking up the extended storage model, you’ll be looking at Rs 11,990.
The Oppo A16e itself provides you with a standard thin chassis, much like almost every other budget smartphone on the market. It mirrors the design of many budget Samsung, and Realme models.
Whilst there is nothing all that special about the external design of the phone, this is to be expected for such a low-cost model. That does not, however, mean it doesn’t offer you a range of color customization options, which can be found in stores on release.
Oppo A16e – Hardware Specifications
With such an impressive price point, it’s exciting to see what the Oppo A16e has managed to pack into their hardware specifications. Whilst we don’t expect the cutting-edge, we hope that they haven’t cut back on important areas.
Here are the hardware specifications of the Oppo A16e:
Model Specs
| Brand | Oppo |
| Model | A16e |
| Released | March 2022 |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 4230 |
Display Specs
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Screen size | 6.52inch |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Resolution | 720×1600 |
Hardware Specs
| Processor | Octa-Core |
| Processor Chipset | MediaTek Helio P22 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Internal storage (Expandable) | 32GB |
Camera Specs
| Rear Camera | 13 megapixels |
| No. of Rear Cameras | 1 |
| Front Camera | 5 megapixels |
| No. of Front Cameras | 1 |
Software Specs
| Operating System | Android 11 |
| Skin | ColorOS 11.1 |
Connectivity & Auxiliary Specs
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Wi-Fi Supported Standard | 802.11 AX |
| 5G Support | No (4G Only) |
| GPS | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Micro USB | Yes |
| Fingerprint Scanner | No |
| Compass | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes |
Oppo A16e – Specification Expansion Options
The Oppo A16e, outside of the standard case options, offers very little in the way of customization. Even for after-market retailers, you’ll find yourself with very few options to expand the capabilities of the Oppo A16e.
The only way to expand the Oppo A16e is through its internal storage. With only 32GB offered on the base model, you’ll need to pick up a Micro-SD card to expand the storage further, which can provide you with up to 1TB of space.
Although, due to Micro-SD card prices, you’ll likely only want to expand its storage up to 512GB instead.
Oppo A16e – Market Comparisons
Let’s see how the Oppo A16e compared to many other phones in its price point. There is no point putting the Oppo A16e up against a cutting-edge Apple or Samsung phone, but for such a low price, it will be interesting to see how its beats out its competition.
Oppo A16e VS Realme Narzo 50
Display
The Realme Narzo 50 boasts a slightly larger display over the Oppo A16e, with a 6.60inch display.
Processor
The Oppo A16e, with its MediaTek Helio P22 processor, will clock higher compared to what the Realme Narzo 50 can offer, by almost 24%.
Camera
In both the rear and front cameras, the Oppo A16e cannot compete with the similarly priced Realme Narzo 50. As it offers a range of four cameras in total, all far above what the Oppo A16e provides.
RAM
The Realme Narzo 50 is just steps ahead of the Oppo A16e, with 4GB of RAM, compared to the Oppo’s 3GB.
Storage
The Realme Narzo 50 offers twice the onboard storage, at 64GB, compared to the Oppo A16e’s 32GB.
Battery
The Realme Narzo 50 is only slightly better than the Oppo A16e, with a 5000mAh battery, compared to Oppo’s 4230mAh.
Operating System
Both phones run the same operating system, with Android 11. No winner here.
Resolution
The Realme Narzo 50 has a better display here, with a 1080×2400 resolution, compared to the Oppo A16e’s 720×1600.
Price
The Oppo A16e is cheaper than the Realme Narzo 50, but only by about 10%. This is whilst the Realme Narzo 50 manages to beat out the Oppo A16e in almost every category when it comes to hardware specs.
Oppo A16e VS Samsung Galaxy F23 5G
Display
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G provides a slightly larger display over the Oppo A16e, with a 6.60inch display.
Processor
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G has a significantly better processor inside of it, using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G. This is roughly 25% faster in benchmarks than the Oppo A16e’s MediaTek Helio P22.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G provides four different cameras on its base model, with the highest resolution sitting at 50 megapixels, and the lowest setting at 5 megapixels. This completely demolishes the Oppo A16e in all respects.
RAM
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G just manages to beat out the Oppo A16e, with 4GB of RAM, compared to the Oppo’s 3GB.
Storage
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G provides four times the base storage, at 128GB, compared to the Oppo A16e’s 32GB.
Battery
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G is only slightly better than the Oppo A16e, with a 5000mAh battery, compared to Oppo’s 4230mAh.
Operating System
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G offers Android 12 support, whilst the Oppo A16e is still running Android 11.
Resolution
The Oppo A16e, with its 720×1600 resolution, can’t compete with the Samsung Galaxy F23 5G’s 1080×2408 resolution.
Price
The Oppo A16e is, again, slightly cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy F23 5G. Yet, this margin is only about 15%, whilst managing to not even come close to many of the hardware specs provided by the Samsung model.
Oppo A16e – Is It Worth Buying?
Having looked at how the Oppo A16e stacks up against similar phones in its price point, it’s hard to recommend it. It appears to be a phone designed for those looking for a cheap, non-smartphone solution.
If you’re looking to run any games, enjoy a range of apps, take a lot of pictures, or use processes that will require computing power, then the Oppo A16e is not the best option on the market right now.
However, if you just want a phone that works, and can call your friends and family, as well as send some messages, then you simply can’t beat the value provided by the Oppo A16e.
