The OPPO A98 5G is a mid-range phone that OPPO announced in Malaysia on May 15, 2023. It went on sale there on May 19. Launches in the Middle East, Europe and other Southeast Asian markets followed in the same weeks. In Italy, the only 8GB + 256GB version launched at €449.99. In Spain, it cost €399. The phone is not sold in the US. In India, the same phone was sold as the OPPO F23 5G.
Design and display
The A98 5G uses a 6.72-inch LTPS LCD panel. Its resolution is 2400 x 1080, or 391 ppi. It refreshes at up to 120Hz and reaches 680 nits in sunlight. Panda glass covers the screen. The phone measures 165.6 x 76.1 x 8.2 mm and weighs about 192 g. OPPO sold it in Dreamy Blue and Cool Black. Its global product page also lists a third color, Bold Gold, which was a regional option. The European and Middle East launches offered only Dreamy Blue and Cool Black. The phone has no official IP rating for water or dust resistance.
Performance
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 runs the phone. Its eight CPU cores reach up to 2.2GHz, and an Adreno 619 GPU handles graphics. The phone has 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. A microSD card slot adds more space. In Geekbench 6, the chip typically scores about 900 single-core and 2,010 multi-core.
Cameras
The rear setup has three cameras. The main camera has a 64MP sensor and an f/1.7 lens, but no optical stabilization. A 2MP mono camera assists with depth. A 2MP microscope camera offers 20x and 40x magnification for close-up shots. Rear video tops out at 1080p at 30fps. The 32MP front camera also records 1080p video.
Battery and charging
A 5,000mAh battery powers the A98 5G. It supports 67W SUPERVOOC wired charging, and OPPO includes the charger in the box. According to OPPO, a full charge takes about 44 minutes. The official specs list no wireless charging.
Software and updates
The phone shipped with ColorOS 13.1 based on Android 13. OPPO’s product pages do not state how many OS upgrades it gets. Other features include NFC, stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a side-mounted fingerprint reader. It supports Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 with LDAC and aptX HD.
Should you buy the OPPO A98 5G?
The A98 5G suits buyers who want a large 120Hz screen, fast 67W charging and a lot of storage. Its headphone jack and microSD slot are useful extras. However, it uses an LCD panel instead of OLED and lacks water resistance. It also has no ultrawide camera. Because it launched in 2023, buyers should compare it with newer mid-range models first.
