Oppo F19 Review: Should You Buy It?

A short interval after the upper rung Oppo F19 Pro+ (review) and F19 Pro launched, the vanilla F19 is here in India, thus completing the series. This one is relatively modest in its offerings compared to the other two. Unlike the MediaTek heavy lifters in them, the F19 comes powered by a Snapdragon 662. This is coupled with 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, and Android 11 software up top. It also happens to be the brand’s slimmest phone with a 5,000mAh battery. So, let’s see what else are you getting for the ₹18,990 price tag.

Oppo F19 Specs

And here are the in-box contents —

Oppo F19 Unboxing

• Handset
• Charger
• Earphone
• USB-C data cable
• IM ejector tool
• Protection case
• Quick guide and Safety guide

Page Jumps

• Oppo F19 Design and Display
• Oppo F19 Audio, Calls, and Connectivity
• Oppo F19 SD662, ColorOS 11, and 5000mAh battery
• Oppo F19 Cameras

Oppo F19 Design and Display

Say hello to this slim boi, who is just 7.95mm thick and weighs around 175 grams. Oppo claims the F19 to be the Slimmest phone with a 5000mAh battery it has made. The thing definitely feels so in hand and in pocket.

It is available in two hues viz. Prism Black and Midnight Blue. Ours is the latter. Now, although this thing is a looker, it is too glossy for my liking. While taking shots of it, its mirror-like back was reflecting me. But, if you fancy such a finish, or say do plan on slapping on a case, this shouldn’t bother you. The case should also fix the camera bump wobbliness.

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Coming to the front, there is a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with FHD+ resolution. It presents a good amount of colors, with decent viewing angles, contrasts, and outdoor legibility. The lack of a high refresh rate is disappointing but isn’t something you’d necessarily notice. What you might notice is however though the lack of HD streaming on DRM-protected platforms. You see it has Widevine L1 certification, but still, I couldn’t get Amazon Prime to play HD videos. Perhaps, a software update might fix this. Also, another thing that irked me a lot is the inconsistent in-display fingerprint reader. Gladly, the face-unlock works pronto.

The sides have the usual set of volume and power buttons. They are tactile and easily accessible. The card slot on he left supports 2 SIMs and 1 micro-SD card. Rest, up top, it’s bald. So, you are getting a mic hole, a 3.5mm jack, a USB-C port, and a speaker grille.

Let’s see how they sound.

Oppo F19 Audio, Calls, and Connectivity

The speaker output is tiny and feeble. So, plug in the supplied earphone or any other pair you have for enjoying audio. The Dirac 2.0 tuned equalizer modes (within Settings > Sound & Vibration) is fun to tweak the audio dynamics. I like the Game profile for its open and clear effect.

Calls were fine for parties on both ends. And as far as other connectivity options are concerned, you get dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, dual SIM 4G VoLTE, etc. What’s missing in this list is carrier aggregation.

Oppo F19 SD662, ColorOS 11, and 5000mAh battery

Oppo F19 ships with Snapdragon 662 chip found within various affordable mobile machines in the market. It is fabbed on an 11nm architecture, consists of eight cores, and has a top clock speed of 2.0 GHz. The rest of the setup comprises Adreno 610 GPU, 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and 128GB UFC 2.1 internal storage. There is also support for microSD expansion.

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I have been using the device for a week now and during this time, the phone was up to most tasks I ran. But, occasionally whilst multitasking you would come across lags and jitters.

As for gaming, COD Mobile endows High Graphics at Medium FPS and High FPS at Low Graphics. Pick your poison. Rest, Asphalt 9 wasn’t available for download, and Genshin Impact is playable with slow frame rates. Half an hour of gameplay cost 7% of juice.

The 5000mAh cell touched the 9-hour mark in our PC Mark Work 2.0 battery test. So, this should easily be an all-dayer. The bundled 33W charger assists it like a shot (full tank in about 72 minutes). Even the software has some tricks up its sleeve to ensure longevity such as Optimized Night Charging, Super Power Saving Mode, Sleep Standby Optimizations, etc.

ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11 is armed to the teeth, feature-wise. You can customize and enhance the experience to your liking with options like Game Space, Expandable Quick Settings Toggles, Enhanced Dark Mode, Wallpaper Creator, and several privacy locks and permission managers. My only thumbs down are to the few bloatware it comes with. Still and all, the new Oppo skin is tastily done.

Moving on.

Oppo F19 Cameras

Oppo F19 is equipped with a triple camera setup by the back which includes a 48MP primary sensor and two 2MP token cameras. On the front, there is a 16MP sensor for selfies and video calls. Speaking of video, recording is limited to 1080p30fps from both sides.

In proper daylight, you get to click some decent photos with bright exposure, lively colors, and pleasing tonal range. The sensor is slow to lock focus. Details are just about enough.

To add more flair and pop to your images, tap on the AI Color Enhancement mode. But mind you this can make the result look gaudy at times.

Macro camera is good to have in the once in a blue moon use case. But, when you do, don’t expect too much from the 2MP sensor.

Digital zoomability up to 5x magnification can also come handy, provided there is enough light for it to work with.

As for portraits, before taking one, do turn off the default smoothening. The results thereafter will carry ample details. Edge detection is a little spotty. But when it works, you will find a striking subject separation.

Indoors and situations with less ambient light, make use of Night mode. The result, although takes some time, is better exposed, contrasty, and has crispier details. But sometimes if you have a bright light source in the camera view, you would see lens flare (hazy reflection in the sky). Also, keep an eye out for HDR overcooking and mind the smaller depth of field while capturing human subjects.

Oppo F19 Review: Verdict

Oppo F19 brings a homey and handy design, a long-lasting battery life, high-speed charging, feature-stocked software, an FHD+ AMOLED face, and passable performance. Even the camera can please you under appropriate settings. Meanwhile, on the other side, we have the finicky low-light optics, paltry speaker output, and a lack of high-refresh-rate display, which puts the F19 at odds with its online competitors. Things however change if you purchase offline, cause there you may be able to hold and feel the device; take a quick tour of the aforesaid offerings, and also reap the retail offers and benefits. So, know your options before making the purchase.

Pros

• Slim and Svelte design
• Large battery with fast charging
• Feature-rich software
• Good OLED display

Cons

• Only 60Hz refresh rate
• Middling speaker output
• Finicky low-light optics

Oppo F19 FAQ

Q. Does Oppo F19 support carrier aggregation?

A. No, the Oppo F19 doesn’t support carrier aggregation.

Q. What is the protection offered on Oppo F19 display?

A. Oppo F19’s screen protection is unspecified.

Q. What is the screen refresh rate of the Oppo F19?

A. Oppo F19 screen refresh rate is just 60Hz.

Q. What are the SAR values of Oppo F19?

A. Oppo F19 SAR values are: 0.92 W/kg @ 1gm (Head) & 0.84 W/kg @ 1gm (Body).

Q. Does Oppo F19 support dual-band WiFi?

A, Yes, Oppo F19 supports dual-band WiFi (2.4GHz + 5GHz).

Q. Does Oppo F19 support HD stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime?

A. Oppo F19 has DRM Widevine L1 certification and you should be able to HD stream on Prime Video and Netflix.