The two other parts that make it a good choice are the combination of a large 5000mAh battery and a Snapdragon 665 processor. That processor handles GPU melters like Fortnite better than either the MediaTek or Samsung alternatives. This phone plays games well, without having to worry too much about the battery draining before bed.
At this price the main competition is the Moto G8 Power. Same battery capacity, processor. So which is better? It, as ever, is all about your priorities.
The Oppo A72 has an interface called Color OS. It’s fine, but those who want to get as close to a clean and plain Android feel as possible may prefer the Moto.
The Motorola also has a nifty 2x zoom camera, which is one of the only half-decent “third” cameras in this entire group. Their primary cameras are similar. The Moto sharpens more, the Oppo juices-up colours a little. But, at night, the Oppo takes the lead as, unlike the Moto G8 Power, it has a dedicated night mode.
Want more? Both have decent stereo speakers, but the Moto’s are louder. Still, the Oppo A72 has a larger screen so we’d pick it for Netflix movie streaming.
Picking a phone isn’t easy these days, however, if you’re looking to spend around £200 rather than closer to £300, the Oppo A72 and Moto G8 Power are two of our favourites.
Pros: Snapdragon performance, long battery life, stereo speakers Cons: Color OS won’t be everyone’s favourite UI
Price: £169 | Amazon | Currys | Argos
Motorola Moto G Pro
For digital note-taking on a budget
Screen: 6.4-inch 2300 x 1080 | Processor: Snapdragon 665 | Battery: 4,000mAh | Camera: 48MP/16MP wide/2MP macro | OS: Android 10/Android One | Weight: 192g | Charging: 15W fast charging
There’s a solid argument Motorola has too many 2020 budget phones. In the Moto G line there’s the standard G8, the Plus, G 5G, Power, Play, Power Lite and Pro. It’s enough to give you a headache, especially when all are pretty good.
The Motorola Moto G Pro (£160) is an oddball stand-out, with some unusual extras packed in.
The Moto G Pro has a slot-in stylus like the Galaxy Note 20, and it can tell when the pen is removed, loading a note-taking and doodling overlay. This is just a basic capacitive stylus with a ball of gauze over the end. There’s no pressure sensitivity, so it’s little use for real digital art on-the-go. However, basic doodling is just fine and you can use it to handwrite in place of tap or swipe typing.
