Oppo A16s vs. Galaxy A12: entry-level smartphones in comparison

People in Germany spend an average of 500 euros on a new cell phone! If that is too expensive for you, you do not have to fall back on used offers or contracts. There are solid everyday cell phones for less than 200 euros. We have two of them for you today in comparison – the Oppo A16s and the Samsung Galaxy A12. For both you pay between 150 and 200 euros online.

Before we start, one more thing: This article was created as part of a cooperation with Oppo. The topic has therefore been agreed, the manufacturer has no influence on the exact content or the results.

	Counterparty 1	Counterparty 2
product
Illustration
Display	6.52 inch LC display with 60 Hertz | 720 x 1,600 pixels	6.5 inch LC display with 60 Hertz | 720 x 1,600 pixels
power	MediaTek Helio G35	MediaTek Helio P35
Storage	64 GB / 4 GB RAM	64 GB / 4GB RAM
camera	head: 13 MP | f / 2.2 | 26 mm | 1 / 3.06 “PDAF macro: 2 MP | f / 2.4 depth: 2 MP | f / 2.4	head: 48 MP | f / 2.0 | 26 mm Ultra wide angle: 5 MP | f / 2.2 | 123 ° Macro: 2 MP | f / 2.4 depth: 2 MP | f / 2.4
Selfies ??	8 MP | f / 2.0	8 MP | f / 2.2
Connectivity	WiFi 5 | Bluetooth 5.0 | USB-C with USB-2.0	WiFi 5 | Bluetooth 5.0 | USB-C with USB-2.0
NFC	Yes	Yes
Fingerprint sensor	Yes, in the on button	Yes, in the on button
battery pack	5,000 mAh | 10 watt charging	5,000 mAh | Charge 15 watts
benefits	decent camera chic design good battery life good display
disadvantage	partly choppy performance just a “real” camera
evaluation	To the test report
To offer*

While we have already published a review of the Oppo A16s, the review of the A12 is still in progress. However, we have the cell phone for this comparison test, which means that we can also accurately assess the processing quality and design. We will go into more detail on the individual aspects of smartphones in the next few paragraphs.

Models and prices

The Oppo A16s is also available without an “s” – and then comes without an integrated NFC chip. In terms of price, the two models hardly differ, the Oppo A16 costs 154 euros according to the RRP, while you had to pay 174 euros for the A16s. In terms of color, you have to choose between the variants Pearl Blue and Crystal Black. There are no storage variants here, there are always 64 gigabytes on board.

For the Galaxy A12, according to the Samsung homepage, you pay from 169 euros. In addition to the version with 64 gigabytes of internal storage, you can also find a version with 128 gigabytes of storage space on Amazon. This costs you just under 200 euros. The colors you choose between polycarbonate backs in black and white.

Design and display

Neither Oppo nor Samsung dared to make big leaps in the design of their smartphones. You get smartphones with a simple back made of polycarbonate, displays with water droplet notch and about 6.5 inches from one display corner to the next. However, if you take a closer look, the two cell phones differ in size:

The size differences are due to the slightly larger display in the Oppo A16s (6.52 inches). In terms of quality, the two cell phones hardly give each other anything. LC displays are used in each case, but both are beautifully bright and offer great colors. In the 20: 9 format, the two displays each have a resolution of 720 x 1,600 pixels.

There are still differences on the back of both phones – because Samsung’s camera module looks a little tidier. While Oppo arranges the cameras in a rectangle and installs an additional lens apart from the row of the three main cameras, Samsung relies on a square. The back of the A12 is also slightly grooved, which makes the phone slightly more handy in everyday life.

What else is there to say about the design? Both phones come with a 3.5 millimeter jack and mono speakers on the underside. These are more suitable for hands-free telephony than for great music enjoyment. Nothing special in this price range. In comparison, I like the vibration motor of the A12 better. It’s far less spongy and a little more subtle than Oppo.

With these vibrations, both cell phones show you, for example, that your fingerprint has been recognized. This is scanned using a scanner in the on button and that works equally well with both mobile phones. Fingerprints are recognized within an instant and the path to the operating system is opened.

Hardware and performance

There were hardly any differences between the phones in terms of design and displays. The same applies to the built-in power components. Both manufacturers trust the manufacturer MediaTek for the SoCs. A Helios P35 is used in the Samsung Galaxy A12 – the Helios G35 in the Oppo A16s. According to the manufacturer, the latter should be optimized for gaming, but the same graphics unit is used with the PowerVR G8320. The two phones are on a similar level in the benchmarks:

Apart from the computing power, you have to be satisfied with eMMC 5.1 as the storage standard for both phones. In Germany you always get 64 gigabytes of it at Oppo – Amazon also offers an option with 128 GB of storage space. According to the manufacturer, the RAM measures 4 gigabytes in both devices. If the internal memory of the two cell phones is insufficient, you can use microSD cards to get more gigabytes into the cell phones.

Both smartphones are not yet ready for the new 5G cellular standard, but that’s not a problem either. Both smartphones have an NFC chip for this, which enables you to make mobile payments, for example. Other interfaces include Bluetooth 5.0, the aforementioned jack connection and USB-C including the USB 2.0 standard.

Cameras

We have already talked about the different camera humps on the back – and the cameras also differ on the two phones. The main camera of the A12 has a resolution of 48 megapixels, while Oppo has to be content with a maximum of 13 megapixels. In reality, however, the difference is far less serious. Because Samsung uses pixel binning to downscale the 48 MP images to 12 megapixels.

However, the A12 offers a decisive advantage if you like to explore new perspectives. Because only with Samsung you can switch to an ultra-wide-angle camera. This extends the field of view to 123 degrees, which is particularly advantageous for group pictures or architecture. In addition, both phones offer macro and depth cameras with 2 megapixels. These are less helpful in everyday life.

You take selfies with 8 megapixels, the Oppo model shines here with a slightly higher light intensity. Instead of an aperture of f / 2.2 you snap with an open aperture of f / 2.0.

Batteries and quick charging

You can almost imagine it: The Oppo A16s and the Samsung Galaxy A12s offer the same battery capacity! At 5,000 mAh each, this is really generous. And since the two cell phones use energy-saving hardware, the battery life is long-lasting. After buying both cell phones, you can look forward to two days or more.

A charger with a German plug is included with both smartphones. However, the charger of the Galaxy A12 does more and charges the smartphone with 15 watts. Oppo only charges the A16s with 10 watts and that makes a real difference with such large batteries. Therefore, the Samsung model has the edge when it comes to the battery.

Software and update guarantee

Before we draw a conclusion and more or less recommend one of the two cell phones, a few more things about sustainability. The Oppo A16s comes with ColorOS 11 from the factory, which in turn is based on Android 11. Since Oppo promises two more Android versions for the smartphone, Android 13 will stop – the operating system is expected to appear in 2022. In addition, security updates only come every three months.

The future looks much brighter with the Galaxy A12. Because the smartphone is included in Samsung’s new update schedule. This means that there are security updates for four years, which, like Oppo, only appear quarterly. But keep in mind that the Galaxy A12 was released in 2020. If you buy the phone in 2021, Samsung’s update promise will decrease a little, as the count starts with Android 11 and not Android 12.

Conclusion

So which cell phone should you buy if you are looking for a cell phone for less than 200 euros? If you stand between the Oppo A16s and the Samsung Galaxy A12, the decision is not that easy. Because both cell phones offer comparable or identical properties in many respects. However, Samsung shines with a longer update promise that should please long-term mobile phone users.

As you can read in our everyday test of the Oppo A16s, we are not very confident that you will keep a cheap cell phone for four years. So in the end it is a matter of taste which cell phone you will choose. Personally, I would choose Samsung – if only because I like the design of the back and OneUI 4.0 better.

Which model would you choose? Let me know in the comments!