Passing time and ever-changing technology often results in a phase change that recasts the landscape in question. Niche technology makes its way onto mainstream gadgets making a worthy upliftment in an expectation driven market. Flagship features are passed down the segment lineup to revitalize its sheer existence and to bring in the cash flow the company intended to generate. Oppo`s recent resolution at bringing the In-Screen display fingerprint sensor to a budget price point reinforces this paradigm.
Oppo unveiled its K1 smartphone which marks its newest series that offers an In-Screen display fingerprint sensor at a value that’s doesn’t even come close near the cheapest In screen fingerprint phone. This bold display of might also packs some serious specs that make it a worthy overall proposition.
Let’s dig in and find out!
Design
The design follows the company’s lineage with gradient back that’s prepared by a 3D injection mould to create some cool light effects. Buttons are correctly placed and do provide solid tactile feedback. The sim tray on the left accommodates a two Nano-Sim + microSD card setup (up to 256GB).
The front is flaunted by a massive 6.41-inch Full HD+ display that comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Oppo decided to go with an AMOLED display to house the fingerprint sensor which is a tasteful setup as the screen renders true blacks and punchy colours. The water drop notch provides plenty of screen real estate to play with.
Processor and Performance
Internals include a reliable snapdragon 660 octa-core SoC that manages to fair through some pretty intensive apps and background processes. The chipset is tried and tested to deliver raw power with frugal battery consumption in day to day use age. Oppo`s Hyper Boost game optimization offers increased fps and lag-free gaming experience. Multitasking through apps was a breeze due to optimized UI that’s based on Android 8.1 Oreo.
The In-Screen Fingerprint sensor was accurate and quick in response. It recognized the user 8 out of 10 times, as long as you keep your finger inside the allocated area. The form factor is quite big for single-handed use, but not as feeble as you would expect.
The K1 runs a skin of its proprietary ColorOS on top which comes with its fair share of pros and cons. The pros being Smart Slidebar – App shortcuts, Smart Scan – Multilingual translation, and roaming – Virtual Sim Card. Cons come in shape of unnecessary bloatware that floods through the UI in the form of notifications and spams.
Camera
Images come through a standard 16MP+2MP camera setup that accurately gauges the depth of an object and delivers detailed shots under good lighting conditions. Pictures were crisp and the colour reproduction was spot on.
Low light didn’t put K1 off its game as the images under decent light were colourful and detailed. True darkness however shattered the image quality as graininess began to swoop through the shots which were disappointing.
Coming to the front, Oppo used their 25-megapixel sensor with an f/2 aperture, much like the one on the selfie-centric F series. The AI beautification mode does well to hide the age factor of the user by blending out the facial ridges. Bokeh mode provided an acceptable level of edge detection that enhanced the overall image quality. Auto HDR mode paved way for a better exposure driven shot that was perfect for social media
The camera app comes with a host of interesting features like Panorama mode, AR stickers, and an Expert mode, that lets you manually adjust the ISO, focus, and shutter speed. The Oppo K1 can shoot 4K videos while keeping the subject in focus.
The Oppo K1 packs a 3,600 mAh battery that is sufficient enough to last a day worth of heavy use age. The phone misses out on VOOC fast charging that’s why Oppo includes a 10W power adapter, that takes about two and a half hours to fully charge the smartphone.
Gizmo Verdict
The revolutionary In-Screen fingerprint display at this price point is an unexpected feature at this price point. As if this wasn’t enough, Oppo packed the best internals to make this package a desirable one.
Coming in at around Rs. 16,990 for a 4GB+64GB storage this device is a hard sell attempt to persuade a user with a budget under 20K. With a colour option of Astral Blue and Piano Black, this device is one of the best-looking smartphones we have come across. Our final verdict rests on the sole desire to opt this device as a daily driver for your everyday use.
