If you’re seeking an affordable yet high-performance smartphone, consider the Oscal Tiger 12 by Blackview. This budget-friendly phone has been creating a buzz in the market due to its remarkable specifications for the price. We will explore every aspect of this smartphone, from unboxing to design, hardware, and performance. We will discuss the camera quality, gaming capabilities, audio features, and more. By the end of this review, you should have a clear understanding of whether the Oscal Tiger 12 is the right choice for you. So, let’s dive in and uncover all that this budget smartphone has to offer.
Unboxing Experience
The Oscal Tiger 12 comes in a vibrant lilac-colored box, setting the tone for a promising unboxing experience. The exterior of the package highlights the smartphone’s key specifications, hinting at an impressive configuration—128GB internal memory and a whopping 16GB of RAM. However, it’s important to note that it has 8GB of RAM, despite claims of virtual storage functionality.
Upon opening the box, you’ll find a gift screen protector, a quality USB-C to USB-C cable, and a 33W charger, a rarity for phones priced over $200. The package also includes a plain plastic case, a standard manual, and a pin for removing the SIM tray. Now, let’s delve into the design.
Design and Build Quality
The Oscal Tiger 12 boasts an impressive design philosophy coupled with a durable and aesthetically pleasing build. The smartphone features a sleek, dark blue matte plastic finish that minimizes fingerprint smudges. Despite its budget-friendly price, this modern design, along with sturdy construction, gives the device a high-end look and feel. The use of high-quality materials provides a robust yet lightweight feel, with the smartphone being 8.35mm thick and weighing 198g.
The front showcases a 6.78-inch Full HD+ display, offering vivid and vibrant visuals. The display integrates seamlessly into the overall aesthetic, with a 13MP front camera and slim bezels for an immersive visual experience. However, the phone’s boxy shape and lack of smooth, curved edges may not be the most comfortable for prolonged usage.
The Oscal Tiger 12’s body is made of polycarbonate, with a metallic-like finish on the back panel. The camera module on the back features Oscal branding, and the device includes volume buttons, a screen lock button with an embedded fingerprint scanner, and a SIM tray on the sides. The bottom section houses a 3.5mm audio jack, a microphone, a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, and a singular speaker.
Display Experience
The Oscal Tiger 12 boasts a 6.78-inch IPS display delivering a Full HD experience with a resolution of 2460 x 1080. The display offers vibrant and sharp images, with a maximum brightness of 500 nits ensuring legibility even in well-lit environments. The screen’s clarity and luminosity make it suitable for various tasks, and users can adjust the screen’s refresh rate between 60Hz and 120Hz for smooth transitions and interactions. The capacitive touch system, combined with the display’s responsiveness, ensures a seamless and intuitive user experience.
The color reproduction on the Tiger 12 display is vibrant, with the IPS panel offering good color accuracy and impressive contrast. Users can customize the visual experience by adjusting brightness, color temperature, and applying night mode.
Playing Content & Audio
Playing content on YouTube is smooth, with the ability to play videos at a maximum of 1080p at 30 FPS. However, the lack of Widevine L1 certification limits video resolution on most streaming services to 480p, which may be a drawback for those who enjoy watching content on their smartphones. The device features a singular speaker that provides crisp and clear audio output, suitable for everyday activities, including media consumption, calls, and casual music listening. The Oscal Tiger 12 also supports a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio connections.
Performance and Gaming
The Oscal Tiger 12 is powered by the Helio G99 processor, a significant addition to MediaTek’s lineup for mid-range smartphones. With a 6nm modern process and octa-core CPU setup, the processor ensures a smooth, lag-free experience while balancing performance and energy efficiency. The Mali-G57 graphics processor and a maximum frequency of 2.2GHz make the Tiger 12 capable of handling various tasks.
Benchmark Performance
In terms of benchmark performance, the Helio G99 achieves Antutu scores ranging from approximately 400,000 to 410,000 points, indicating smooth performance and multitasking capabilities. The processor maintains stability, with minimal heating during tests. Geekbench scores for the single-core test range around 700 to 800 points, while multi-core test scores range from 1,800 to 2,000 points. Graphics performance, measured by 3DMark, demonstrates the Helio G99’s ability to handle gaming and graphical tasks efficiently.
Memory and Storage
The Oscal Tiger 12 comes with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM for smooth multitasking and fast app switching. The device also features “Virtual RAM Expansion,” allowing it to allocate a portion of its storage space (up to 16GB) as additional virtual RAM for improved multitasking and performance. With 128GB of internal storage (UFS 2.2), the smartphone offers ample space for apps and data.
Game-Specific Performance
In gaming tests, the Oscal Tiger 12 handles PUBG Mobile well at balanced settings and Ultra FPS, providing a fluid and smooth gaming experience. Genshin Impact, a more demanding game, may experience some frame drops and slightly reduced graphics quality at higher settings but remains playable at lower settings. Emulation games, including Retro Arch for consoles like NES, Super NES, and Genesis, run smoothly. Portable consoles like PSP and Nintendo DS run perfectly, while heavier emulations like PlayStation 2 may require resolution adjustments for optimal performance.
Software and UI Experience
The Oscal Tiger 12 runs on Doke OS 4.0 based on Android 13, providing a customized interface without detracting from the core Android experience. Google services are pre-installed, ensuring a fluid user experience. Additional features include a notepad, workspace, Easy Share for data transfers, a children’s mode for parental control, and a focus mode to minimize interruptions. The device allows customization of the interface, icon arrangement, and themes, offering a stock Android feel with minimal bloatware.
Camera
The Oscal Tiger 12’s primary camera module features an impressive 64MP (Samsung®ISOCELLGW3) sensor, capturing detailed shots with room for zooming and cropping. The camera excels in various lighting conditions, making it suitable for photography enthusiasts. The 13MP front camera delivers crisp and clear selfies, ideal for video calls and self-portraits.
Video
Video recording with the Oscal Tiger 12 is decent, offering different recording modes from Full HD to 2K with decent frame rates and overall quality.
Battery Life & Usage
The Oscal Tiger 12 is equipped with a substantial 5,000mAh battery and supports 33W fast charging for efficient power replenishment. During testing, the phone maintained vitality for an extended period, enduring approximately 11.5 hours in various usage scenarios, including streaming videos, browsing, and productivity applications.
Connectivity
The Tiger 12 offers dual SIM card support and covers an extensive range of 4G global LTE bands. It supports various satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou), WLAN protocols (802.11 a/ac/b/g/n 2.5 & 5GHz Wi-Fi), Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC, making it compatible with services like Google Pay.
Price and Value
Considering the value for money is crucial when purchasing a smartphone, and the Oscal Tiger 12 stands out as a budget-friendly option offering exceptional value. Priced at $105.99 during promotional periods, this smartphone challenges the notion that premium features come with a premium price tag. The Oscal Tiger 12 demonstrates that budget-friendly smartphones can be capable and feature-rich, catering to budget-conscious consumers.
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