The Oppo F23 5G is priced at ₹24,999, but for that amount, it doesn’t quite stand out in the highly competitive mid-range smartphone market. At this price, you can find many alternatives that offer stronger performance and better cameras. However, if you’re looking for something a little different and aren’t too focused on raw power, this device has a unique feature that may just catch your attention.
The Mid-Range Smartphone Battle
The mid-range segment in India is crowded with options, often overlapping with features usually seen in flagship devices. Buyers in this category today are spoiled with choices. Brands like Xiaomi, iQOO, Realme, OnePlus, and Samsung dominate the sub-₹25,000 to sub-₹30,000 space, offering power-packed devices. Oppo, while a well-known brand, has been less aggressive in this segment, preferring to focus on looks, feel, and experimental features rather than sheer performance. The Oppo F23 5G follows the same approach. I spent a couple of weeks testing it at our Noida lab, and here’s what I discovered.
Design and Build
The Oppo F23 5G looks quite similar to its sibling, the Oppo A78 5G. It comes with a polycarbonate back panel and an oval-shaped camera module, complemented by a glossy strip that runs down the panel for contrast. While the design is pleasing to the eye, the plastic finish doesn’t feel as sturdy or premium as one might expect at this price point.
The phone is available in two shades – a classic black and a bold gold, both featuring the same glossy strip. On the front, the design is simple with a hole-punch display and slim bezels, though the chin is slightly thicker. The flat edges combined with a curved back panel make it fairly comfortable to hold, and at 192 grams, it feels light enough for daily use. Overall, the design is clean and minimal, but the build quality leaves room for improvement.
Display Performance
The Oppo F23 5G sports a 6.7-inch IPS LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. While the high refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and fluid navigation, the panel itself is average for this price. Colors appear overly saturated, and highlights often seem too strong while watching videos. Another drawback is the lack of HDR support on streaming platforms like YouTube and Netflix, which takes away from the viewing experience.
Brightness levels, however, are decent. In our tests, the display reached up to 576 nits, which is good enough for outdoor visibility. While the panel isn’t exceptional, it gets the basics right with smooth responsiveness and sufficient brightness.
Performance and Hardware
Under the hood, the Oppo F23 5G runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, paired with 8GB of RAM. This chipset is common in devices priced below ₹20,000, which makes it underwhelming for a phone in this bracket. Competing smartphones in the same price range offer more powerful processors, leaving the F23 at a disadvantage.
Benchmark scores reflect this. On AnTuTu, the device scored 412,540, which is decent in general but below par for its price range. Geekbench results showed 899 in single-core and 2,080 in multi-core performance, again falling short compared to rivals. GPU scores were also unimpressive, making this phone less suitable for gaming enthusiasts.
Storage is based on the UFS 2.2 standard, which delivers average speeds. While it’s not slow, it lags behind competitors that offer UFS 3.1 or higher, meaning app loading and data transfers aren’t as quick as they could be.
Battery and Charging
The F23 5G packs a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging support. Battery life is one of its strongest points, easily lasting through a day of heavy usage. In tests, a 15-minute gaming session drained only 4 percent, and half an hour of video playback at full brightness consumed another 4 percent. Charging is also fast, taking just around 45 minutes to reach 100 percent. For users who prioritize battery reliability, this is one area where the Oppo F23 5G performs really well.
Camera Features
The Oppo F23 5G comes with a triple-camera setup, including a 64MP main sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP microscope camera. The last one is its most unique feature. The microscope mode lets you capture close-up details of everyday objects, from leaves to textures like wood, leather, or even skin. It’s a fun addition and certainly a conversation starter.
The primary camera does a decent job, capturing sharp and vibrant photos in daylight. Low-light performance struggles with noise and grain, though the night mode helps to some extent. The portrait mode using the depth sensor is average, often missing fine details and edge detection. Skin tones also appear overly smoothened, which may not appeal to everyone.
The 32MP front camera, however, performs well, producing sharp and colorful selfies with good detail.
Final Verdict
The Oppo F23 5G is a good-looking phone with a lightweight design, dependable battery, and a fun microscope camera that makes it stand out from the crowd. However, it falls short in areas that matter most in this segment—performance, display quality, and camera consistency. At ₹24,999, there are stronger options available that deliver more value for money.
If you don’t prioritize speed or top-notch photography and simply want a stylish device with a unique feature, the Oppo F23 5G could work for you. But for most buyers, it’s hard to recommend over its competitors.
Disclaimer
This review is based on personal testing and observations. Smartphone experiences may vary depending on individual usage patterns, software updates, and regional differences. Always compare options before making a purchase decision.
