So the Oppo A1k, another ”budget-oriented” smartphone from Oppo officially launched in the country on Friday 21. HMD Global also launched the Nokia 3.2 some few weeks back, aiming at the same market category. But spec-wise who is offering better value for money? Let’s jump into it.
Body & Design
Both devices have an impressive body design with a stunning look. However, the Nokia 3.2 feels lighter than the Oppo by a few grams. The volume rockers and the power button are on the right and left side, respectively. Additionally, Nokia 3.2 has a dedicated Google Assistant button on the right side and a fingerprint sensor at the back. Whether you choose the dewdrop in the 3.2 or the water drop display in A1k, ‘that’s more about preference, but they are all notched displays, so ‘there’s no specific advantage here.
Display
Nokia 3.2 features a 6.26-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with a 720 x 1520 pixels resolution which is against the 6.1-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with 720 x 1560 pixels resolution in A1k. The display sizes are much okay; there’s nothing to complain about.
Chipset
Under the hood, Oppo A1k is stocked with the MediaTek MT6762 Helio P22 (12 nm) SoC clocked at 2.0GHz paired with a PowerVR GE8320 GPU which is a powerful setup compared to the Quad-Core Snapdragon 429, SoC in the Nokia 3.2. If you want to go for performance then A1k should be fine with you.
Battery
Both devices are powered by a 4000mAh Li-Po battery which should give you no reason to recharge the device along the day. But the 3.2 gains the upper hand with their 10W fast charging tech something which the A1k lacks.
Camera
In matters photography, both devices have 5MP selfie cameras which definitely ‘won’t be satisfactory to selfie lovers. Primary camera in the Oppo A1k is an 8MP lens with LED flash, HDR and panorama while Nokia has a 13MP lens as the main snapper with LED flash. As much as it is about the megapixels and the aperture, the 3.2 will get the job done better for the main camera than the A1K.
Memory
Memory-wise Oppo is offering less having only one variant with a 2/32GB memory setup while Nokia 3.2 has a 2/3GB RAM option paired with either 16 or 32GB of internal memory respectively. But still you can extend the memory via MicroSD card up to 256GB for the Oppo, but with Nokia, you can expand to as much as 400GB.
Platform
‘There’s nothing much to talk about the platforms since both phones pack the latest Android 9.0 Pie but Oppo has Color OS v6 on top. The significant difference here is the 3.2 being part of Android One giving a clutter-free Android experience while for the Oppo A1k ‘you’ll get some clutter on top of Android. So it’s much of a tie depends on your preference.
Price
For the Price, Nokia 3.2 has a base price of Ksh 13,999 for the 3/32GB model while the 2/16GB model costs Ksh 12,500. Oppo A1k costs Ksh 15,900 having 2/32GB memory configuration, which is more costly than the high-end Nokia 3.2 model.
Verdict
So which should you go for? Nokia 3.2, in this case, gives better value for money if you consider its camera, dedicated Google Assistant button, 2-year Android OS updates and even has a fingerprint sensor.
The Oppo A1k is okay, but the company missed it in terms of pricing, which makes the device downplayed by the current budget-oriented phones in the Ksh 12,000 to Ksh 17,000 range. Instead, there are many other options one can opt for like the Infinix S4 or TECNO Spark 3 Pro. The Nokia 3.2, on the other hand, is retailing at Ksh.13,999
We have the Nokia 3.2 with us so a review should be up in the coming week (You can watch the unboxing video here). Hopefully, we will also be able to get our hands on the Oppo A1k so that we can do an in-depth review as well.
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