The Oppo A78 5G is coming to Malaysia on 14 Jan 2023, whereas the Oppo A96 was launched on 23 April 2022.
Based on the listing price on Shopee and Lazada, the Oppo A78 will be selling starting at RM1059, which has a very similar price point the to Oppo A96.
No doubt, the Oppo A78 5G is newer, but is it better?
Let’s compare the new Oppo A78 and old Oppo A96 to see how they stack up in terms of specifications, design, camera, performance and battery life.
Key Takeaway:
The biggest differences between the Oppo A78 and Oppo A96 are the Oppo A78 has a 720p LCD screen with a waterdrop notch design and a MediaTek Dimensity 700 Soc that supports 5G.
Comparing the Oppo A78 5G vs Oppo A96 Specifications
| Oppo A78 | Oppo A96 | |
| Design |  |  |
| Size | 163.8 x 75.1 x 8 mm | 164.4 x 75.7 x 8.4 mm |
| Weight | 188 g | 191 g |
| IP rating | IP54 | IP54 |
| Display | Waterdrop notch 6.56 inches LCD, 90Hz, 480 nits (typ),269 ppi, | Punch hole 6.59 inches, LCD, 90Hz, 480 nits (typ), 401 ppi, |
| SIM slot | Dual SIM (nano) | Dual SIM (nano) |
| OS | Android 12, ColorOS 13 | Android 12, ColorOS 12 |
| Chipsets | Mediatek MT6833 Dimensity 700 (7nm) | Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G (6nm) |
| Memory | 128GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, |
| Card slot | microSD | microSD (dedicated) |
| Main Camera | 50 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), PDAF 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) | 50 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), PDAF 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) |
| Selfie Camera | 8 MP, f/2.0, 27mm (wide) | 16 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide) |
| Sound | Stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack | Dual speakers, 3.5mm jack |
| Fingerprint | Side-mounted | Side-mounted |
| Battery | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Po 5000 mAh |
| Charging | 33W wired | 33W wired |
| 5G | Yes | No |
| Price | Shopee RM1059 Lazada RM1059 | Shopee RM1099 Lazada RM1099 |
Oppo A78 5G vs Oppo A96 Price in Malaysia
As of January 2023, Oppo A78 will have only one variant:, which sells:
- 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM – RM1059
Oppo A96 comes in three variants, each priced at:
- 128GB 6GB RAM – not available
- 128GB 8GB RAM – not available
- 256GB 8GB RAM – RM1099
The Oppo A96 is clearly a better deal here since it has more storage capacity for about the same price as Oppo A78.
From time to time, Shopee and Lazada offer promotions and discounts for smartphones, so be sure to keep a close eye on them to snap up cheap Oppo deals.
Oppo A78 5G vs Oppo A96 Design
As for the Oppo A78 5G, it is available in two colours: glowing black and glowing purple; whereas the Oppo A96 is also available in two colours: black and pink.
The Oppo A78 is slightly thinner and has a more square-ish design, similar to iPhone 14. It definitely looks more modern and stylish than the Oppo A96.
On the front, unfortunately, the Oppo A78 5G has a 6.56” LCD screen with a waterdrop design, which is poorer than the punch-hole design of the Oppo A96’s 6.59” LCD screen.
Not only that, Oppo A96 offers a higher screen resolution of 1080p than the Oppo A78, which has 720p.
On its back, the Oppo A78 has a pretty, round camera bump. In contrast, the Oppo A96 uses an outdated rectangular bump design.
In my opinion, the Oppo A96 is better overall better than the Oppo A78 because the waterdrop notch design on the Oppo A78 is very unsightly.
Oppo A78 5G vs Oppo A96 Performance
According to nanoreview.net, the Oppo A78’s Mediatek Dimensity 700 has an AnTuTu score of 338k, higher than the Oppo A96 Snapdragon 680 AnTuTu score of 268k.
But the Snapdragon A96 has slightly better GPU frequency than the Mediatek Dimensity 700, which is 1114Mhz to 950Mhz.
However, Oppo A96’s Snapdragon 680 is fabricated in a 6nm process, giving it a slight advantage in battery consumption. The battery life of the Oppo A96 is expected to be slightly better than Oppo A78 if you’re using it for gaming.
One major difference between these chips is that the Mediatek Dimensity 700 supports 5G whereas Snapdragon 680 do not.
Oppo A78 5G vs Oppo A96 Camera
The main cameras on both Oppo A78 and Oppo A96 are similar, which are: 50 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), PDAF 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth).
The difference in camera between Oppo A78 and Oppo A96 is the selfie camera of Oppo A78 is only 8MP. Compared to the 16MP selfie camera on Oppo A96, it has fewer megapixels.
Oppo A78 5G vs Oppo A96 Battery Life
Based on official Oppo data, both Oppo A78 and Oppo A96 has a built-in battery of 5000mAh. They both support 33W supervooc charging which can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes.
With regular usage, Oppo A96 along with its Snapdragon 680 chipset is expected to last about a day and a half, about 9 hours of screen time. With this phone, you don’t need to bring that heavy power bank ever again.
As for the Oppo A78, it should last about the same hours as long as it does not turn on 5G connection. Connecting to 5G may shorten Oppo A78 battery life by 1 to 2 hours.
Oppo A78 and Oppo A96 Video Review
Conclusion: Which is Better, Oppo A78 or OppoA96
In conclusion, both Oppo A78 and Oppo A96 have very similar performance and camera quality.
The main advantages of Oppo A78 are that it supports 5G and it has a cleaner and more stylish design, but it sacrifices its display with a waterdrop notch.
On the other hand, Oppo A96 has a slightly better 16MP selfie camera and a punch-hole screen display. However, it comes with an outdated design.
Personally, I prefer the Oppo A96 over Oppo A78 because of the Snapdragon 680 chips (despite being weaker, but more efficient) and its punch-hole screen of higher resolution.
Other than the Oppo phone, there are many good budget smartphones under RM1000. Click here to check them out.