Comparing Galaxy A05s with POCO M5 and OPPO A57: Which Smartphone Reigns Supreme?

In the budget segment, where manufacturers vie fiercely for attention, renowned brands like [brand] or [brand] still fall short. Even smaller brands like [brand] or Infinix. Therefore, regardless of who you are, you must be more comprehensive and better to stand a chance in this fiercely competitive segment. And [brand] has achieved that with its long-standing reputation. So, let's compare the Galaxy A05s with [brand] and [brand] right here in this article.

Design

Even in the budget segment, inheriting the impressive design style of the [series] series gives the Galaxy A05s a sense of luxury and sophistication beyond its competitors in the mid-range segment. Not only that, Samsung meticulously refines every detail, providing a better grip experience than before.

As for the other two contenders, OPPO and POCO still lack the luxury appeal of top-tier phones. Their distinctive design language sets them apart in the budget realm, differentiating from the flagship offerings of other brands. Nevertheless, they remain stylish, modern, and commendable for delivering quality devices in the budget segment, despite being constructed from plastic materials.

Turning to the front, the display of Galaxy A05s is quite similar to the POCO M5, both featuring a 90Hz refresh rate and Full-HD+ resolution. Meanwhile, the OPPO A57's screen remains at HD+ resolution with a conventional 60Hz refresh rate.

Galaxy A05s earns relatively higher praise from me due to its larger size, measuring 6.7 inches compared to the 6.58 inches of POCO M5 or 6.56 inches of OPPO A57. While not significantly larger, it provides a more comfortable user experience, especially for reading or watching.

One noticeable aspect of using the POCO M5 is its underwhelming display quality. The IPS LCD panel fails to impress, with noticeable black borders around the screen resembling water droplets and colors lacking vibrancy, settling for neutrality.

Meanwhile, the display panel of OPPO A57 offers higher quality, but the HD+ resolution is no longer adequate, and the 60Hz refresh rate further slows down the experience. In my opinion, Galaxy A05s provides the best experience with vibrant colors, assured quality display for watching movies or gaming, especially with the 90Hz refresh rate.

Specifications

Before delving into the specifications, let's briefly touch on the cameras of all three products. Both POCO M5 and Galaxy A05s feature a main sensor resolution of up to 50MP along with two 2MP auxiliary cameras. However, OPPO A57 is slightly conservative, offering only 13MP and 2MP resolutions for its main and auxiliary cameras, respectively.

However, Samsung and OPPO's cameras are generally rated higher than POCO M5. Samsung impresses with good color reproduction and detail in well-lit conditions. The quality of highlights, shadows, and dark areas is clearly defined and distinct. Additionally, Samsung's dynamic range is quite good for various tasks.

Meanwhile, OPPO A57 still demonstrates its strength in color reproduction, which is very good and vibrant. However, it falls slightly short compared to Samsung Galaxy A05s, with only a 13MP resolution instead of 50MP. As a result, the detail quality may be slightly inferior, but not by much.

As for POCO M5, the camera quality falls short of expectations. While the image detail is passable, the colors are very dull. I initially thought it was due to the phone's screen, but even when viewed on a computer monitor, there was no improvement. Additionally, the dynamic range is not high enough, so the sky and dark areas are still unclear.

Regarding specifications, Galaxy A05s features the mid-range Snapdragon 680 processor, a popular choice in the mid-range segment 1-2 years ago. It was notably featured in the OPPO Reno8. Samsung's performance is quite decent for basic usage or gaming at moderate intensity. Tasks run smoothly, and the 90Hz refresh rate is utilized well.

I'll skip discussing the performance of OPPO A57 with the Helio G35 processor, a budget and relatively weak processor. Laggy experiences are unavoidable even with the most basic tasks. The highlight in terms of performance must be the Helio G99 on POCO M5, built on a 6nm process.

Helio G99 represents a remarkable improvement by Mediatek, maintaining the impressive performance of the Helio G95 found in previous mid-range devices from the Chinese market. Now, with a reduced 6nm process instead of the previous 12nm, both performance and temperature are much more balanced.

If you're looking for a good camera along with decent performance, Samsung Galaxy A05s is the way to go. Meanwhile, with POCO M5, you can comfortably game for hours without worrying about lag. Ultimately, there's hardly any reason to choose OPPO A57.

Battery Life

All three phones come with a 5,000mAh battery paired with processors that are not overly powerful but energy-efficient, resulting in impressive battery life. Galaxy A05s and OPPO A57 both offer over 7 hours of continuous usage with moderate gaming and web browsing.

Meanwhile, with the same tasks, POCO M5 falls slightly behind despite its latest 6nm process. This is due to its superior performance compared to competitors and POCO's battery management not being highly rated. Nevertheless, the phone can still last over 3 hours of continuous gaming.

In terms of fast charging, this is where Samsung deserves praise. It's commendable that the company maintains a fast charging power of up to 25W, allowing for a full charge in just over 1 hour. Particularly in this budget segment, it's the first time Samsung has moved away from the previous 15W or 10W charging.

Meanwhile, OPPO continues to lead in fast charging with a consistent 33W power output. The high power results in a full charge time of around 1 hour, with even 80% charging happening faster. On the other hand, due to POCO M5's heavy investment in performance and gaming capabilities, the power is limited to 18W.

Conclusion

If you want the most comprehensive smartphone from sharp smooth displays to stable performance and impressive battery life, then Galaxy A05s is the choice that's hard to ignore. Additionally, Xiaomi's representative, despite being released for over a year, still ensures the most impressive performance but may have to compromise on some essential features that should be there.