OPPO K series got refreshed this year with a new 5G model called the OPPO K10 5G. The device arrived in the country with different internals compared to the Chinese variant. For the unaware, the OPPO K10 5G is announced with the Dimensity 810 chipset instead of the Dimensity 8000 processor. It still caters to the mid-range audience in the country looking for a phone under Rs. 20,000 backed with 5G network connectivity.
The OPPO K10 5G price in India has been set at Rs. 17,490 for the single 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model. It is one of the most feature-rich and affordable 5G phones that you can currently buy in the Indian market.
Is the 5G network connectivity the sole USP of this OPPO mid-range handset? Or does it pack some extra punch that makes it one of the best options in its segment? We used the OPPO K10 5G for a while and have broken down all the pointers that make it a good buy in its segment.
Pros
Premium design with a slim form factor
Massive 5,000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging
5G phone under Rs. 20,000
Cons
Standard HD+ display
Pre-installed bloatware
OPPO K10 5G Long Term User Review
Design And Display Performance
The OPPO K10 5G brings a refreshed design language with flat edges and a slim profile. It is available in two different shades including Midnight Black and Ocean Blue. We have received the latter for review. The K10 5G flaunts the iconic Reno Glow design which is a mix of gradient and matte texture. The blue color variant looks vibrant, whereas the black shade gives a subtle appeal.
Nevertheless, the design of the handset is premium and with the ideal placement of the keys and a thin profile, it is easier to use. The phone isn’t too big or bulky despite packing a large display and battery. Single-hand usability is decent with this handset. You don’t have to struggle to reach the nooks and corners. But that’s for basic operations.
The OPPO K10 5G has a fingerprint scanner embedded within the power key. It is swift and accurate with the device unlocking which has been a respite. Another positive aspect of the K10 5G’s design is the fingerprint and smudge-resistant back panel. Thankfully, despite a shimmering surface, the device doesn’t pick up dust or fingerprints and you can easily flaunt the handset.
Moving on to the display panel, OPPO has used a 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen on the K10 5G. The display on the handset offers a standard 720 x 1612 pixels HD+ resolution. Now, this could be a bummer for most of the users. That’s specifically considering the fact you can easily get an FHD+ display phone under Rs. 20,000 price bracket.
But this doesn’t hamper the visual quality drastically. The panel’s output is decent with all kinds of content. You will be able to enjoy your favorite TV show or movies via online and offline directories. The big screen size and a higher 90Hz refresh rate save the day here. The OPPO K10 5G’s display colors are vibrant with the default color temperature being on the cooler side.
By default, the screen color mode is set to Vivid, but you can also switch to Natural mode if you wish to lower the color saturation slightly with the panel. Our experience using the OPPO K10 5G’s display has been decent throughout. The only drawback in our opinion is the standard HD+ screen resolution.
How Is The Day-To-Day Performance, UI Experience?
The OPPO K10 gets its power from the octa-core Dimensity 810 chipset. MediaTek has designed this 5G chipset for mid-range Android phones and several models have already been released by different brands with the same SoC in recent times. This mid-range 5G processor on the K10 5G gets Mali-G57 MC2 GPU which can smoothly render some extensive graphics.
As mentioned above, the K10 5G has been announced with a single 8GB LPDDR4X RAM which is ample for extensive multitasking. Additionally, the virtual RAM feature supplements an additional up to 5GB RAM with which the total RAM capacity expands to 13GB.
We have no complaints about the OPPO K10 5G’s general performance. We are able to surf the web, make calls, and text smoothly. Even app loading has been instant on this phone. No issues majorly with switching between running apps. You won’t be disappointed with the OPPO K10 5G’s performance while using it extensively with heavy apps; specifically, gaming.
Despite being a mid-range chipset, the Dimensity 810 SoC delivers well on gaming. No hiccups or consistent lags with graphic-rich games. We played a bunch of gaming titles on this device including BGMI, Shadow Fight, and Asphalt 9, and can bet you will have a premium experience with all the games if the settings are tuned accordingly.
The firmware with which the OPPO K10 5G ships is Android 12 OS. The device comes further pre-installed with the Color OS UI which brings several customizations and upgrades over the previous-gen UI. Thankfully, the UI is free of any irrelevant ads that could hamper the user experience. But it still has bloatware that clutters the UI to some extent. Of course, you can manually uninstall a few of the apps for a cleaner interface. Scrolling through the app drawer is also a smooth experience.
Decent Optics
The OPPO K10 5G’s imaging setup comprises an AI dual rear camera module featuring a 40MP main lens with an f/1.7 aperture. The big primary camera here is paired up with a 2MP bokeh lens that has an f/2.4 aperture. Now, if you are wondering if the camera quality is any good. Well, this dual camera module is capable enough to handle your photography requirements. It can click some high-resolution images with high levels of clarity.
The camera setup does justice to all the shots if the background has good lighting conditions. The colors produced are also balanced with no oversaturation in direct sight. If you wish to further enhance the imaging output, you can use the different preset modes from the camera app. Amongst the several camera modes that you can use are HDR, Portrait, Expert, and AI. The camera app also consists of an Extra HD mode which brings out vibrant colors and clarity with each click.
The OPPO K10 5G’s rear camera can record Time-lapse and Slow-Motion videos as well. The recording quality is good; so is the stabilization of the video recording. The autofocus works fine and you don’t have to deal with its adjustments throughout your photography session. If you are concerned about the low-light shots, the Ultra Night Mode will be your savior. It manages to eradicate the noise and grains with the night shorts to a great extent.
In terms of the selfie camera, the sensor packed inside the waterdrop notch measures 16MP. The selfie camera module is adequate for self-portraits that you can easily flaunt at social media platforms.
Battery Backup And Fast Charging Speeds
With basic usage, the OPPO K10 5G’s 5,000 mAh battery unit can deliver an entire day of backup. This includes general tasks such as web browsing and occasional media playback or gaming. You can expect the backup to drop if your are using the device extensively either with gaming or while using heavy apps consistently.
That’s when you might actually need to plug it to the charger twice. The 33W fast charging technology helps with quick refills. Expect a recharge time close to an hour (zero to 100 percent).
OPPO K10 5G Final Verdict
The OPPO K10 5G is a decent mid-range phone that fits your bills and can give you a premium user experience. In our opinion, it could have been a complete package. Not just that but also it could have been one strong contender in the sub Rs. 20,000 price bracket if it offers an FHD+ display instead of the standard HD+ resolution.
If you can look past the display, the OPPO K10 5G has good camera hardware, chipset, and a powerful battery with fast charging. That’s more than enough you can ask from a budget 5G phone.
