Blackview A20 Smartphone Review
A fully-featured smartphone for 70 Euros ($81)? Android Go and the Chinese manufacturer Blackview make it possible: The Blackview A20 has a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a dual camera system on the back, which takes very low-resolution photos.
Currently, the Blackview A20 is the cheapest Android smartphone that features a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The only other sub-100-Euro 5.5-inch device that we have reviewed so far is the Gretel GT6000. The 5-inch display of the Motorola Moto C Plus is significantly smaller. The same applies to the Nokia 1, which has a 4.5-inch screen, and the Xiaomi Redmi 5A, which has a 5-inch display. However, the Blackview A20 has almost the same size as the above-mentioned devices, because they all feature displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Case – The A20 has a surprisingly rigid case
These days, the removable batteries are only found in the cheapest of all smartphones or in the truly exotic devices such as the Fairphone 2. As a representative from the first category, the Blackview A20 has a removable back cover, under which you can find a user-replaceable battery. The back cover is made of plastic and has a turquoise color, which is officially called Blue. There are two additional color schemes: Gold and Black. The back is adorned with a shimmering texture. For such a cheap device, the case feels remarkably high-value and rigid. Applying pressuring to the back does not lead to distortions on the screen and the device can only be twisted with a lot of force.
The Blackview A20 has a modest weight and dimensions similar to other smartphones in this price range.
Connectivity – The Blackview A20 does not offer a lot of storage space
The Blackview has only 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. The storage space can be expanded by up to 32 GB with the help of a MicroSD card. You can put two SIM cards into the smartphone at the time. However, in that case, you will not be able to utilize an SD card.
There is not a lot of variety when it comes to the sensors. The Blackview A20 has a motion sensor and a proximity sensor, and that is it. The brightness has to be controlled manually.
Software – Blackview smartphone with Android Go
Android 8.1 Go is the trimmed-down version of Google’s operating system: The apps such as Google Maps are significantly cut down and, in most cases, are just simple web versions of the original apps. The standard versions of the apps can also be installed without any problems. The security patches were last updated on April 5th 2018, so they are a little out of date now.
Communication and GPS – No LTE, slow Wi-Fi
The Blackview A20 does not feature support for LTE, but it supports UMTS and GSM. The reception quality is quite good in the urban areas in the D2 network. However, the signal strength is much lower indoors.
The Blackview A20 supports IEEE standards 802.11 b, g and n. It does not support the fast AC standard and cannot operate in the 5 GHz networks. With a fast DSL connection, the Blackview A20 performs reasonably well. However, it takes last place in our Wi-Fi benchmarks with our reference-grade router Linksys EA8500. Here, it cannot even achieve a speed of 50 Mbit/s.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| Nokia 1 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Nokia 1 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Blackview A20 | |
The Blackview A20 cannot use geo-location indoors. Outdoors, it takes the smartphone a long time to acquire the user’s location. Here, the Blackview A20 has a margin of error of 5 meters (~16 ft).
The GPS of the Blackview A20 is not particularly accurate in practice. Our bike ride with the Garmin Edge 520 confirms this impression. If you look closely at the path tracking results of the Blackview A20 and the Garmin Edge 520, you will see that the Chinese smartphone often produces very inaccurate results. The Blackview A20 is suitable as an occasional navigator. Those who often rely on geo-location should get a high-value device.
Telephony and Call Quality – The Blackview A20 offers mediocre call quality.
The Blackview A20 has the standard Android phone app with all the usual features and functions.
The call quality is passable: The call partner is easy to understand. However, they sound somewhat tinny and there is a lot of background noise at high volume. The caller’s voice is also easy to understand. That being said, it is plagued by noise. Things are similar in speaker mode: You have to speak loudly to be understood.
Cameras – To be used in an emergency
The Blackview A20 has a 2 MP camera on the front. The resolution is too low for print-outs, but high enough for social media. Nothing is recognizable in images shot in dark environments. The bright areas also become overblown very fast. Under normal lighting conditions, some of the detail is persevered and the color accuracy is not too bad.
There is a dual camera system on the back. The first image sensor is 5 MP and the second is only 0.3 MP. The second sensor is used for depth detection. In the photos taken with the main camera, bright areas are overblown, objects look muddy, details are lost and the sharpness leaves a lot to be desired. Shots taken in dark environments look passable. However, they are very noisy.
The Blackview A20 can record HD video. However, the video quality is not very good, especially when it comes to fine details. Having said that, the exposure is quite balanced.
Even under controlled lighting conditions, the sharpness is very poor. Moreover, the sharpness is even worse at the edges. The text in front of the colored background appears blurry. The colors appear somewhat dim, but they are surprisingly close to the reference colors.
Accessories and Warranty – The Blackview smartphone has no accessories
You do not get a lot of accessories with a smartphone that has an MSRP of 69 Euros ($80). The Blackview A20 can be had for even less on the Internet. The box includes a charger, USB cable and a protective cover.
Because the device can be bought from European retailers, you can get a vendor’s warranty rather than a manufacturer’s warranty. However, because Blackview has no subsidiaries in Europe, the warranty situation is not entirely clear. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.
Input Devices and Handling – No gesture controls
Google’s GBoard, which comes with most Android smartphones, serves as the default keyboard. Therefore, typing messages and emails is very easy. However, the keyboard is somewhat laggy in very demanding applications. There are no other problems with the keyboard. The touchscreen reacts reliably and promptly to inputs, even in the corners and at the edges.
The soft keys can be found at the bottom of the screen. The hardware keys are located on the right side of the device. They are used to adjust volume and power on and off the device. They are comfortable to use.
The Blackview A20 does not feature any gesture controls.
Display – The Blackview A20 has a low-res display
The 18:9, 5.5-inch screen has a native resolution of 960x480. With 375 cd/m², the brightness is below average, but is acceptable. The brightness distribution of 90% is quite good. This is why solid colors seem relatively uniform.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Contrast: 513:1 (Black: 0.71 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.12 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.88
ΔE Greyscale 11.1 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
90.6% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.722
| Blackview A20 IPS, 960x480, 5.5" | Xiaomi Redmi 5A IPS, 1280x720, 5" | Nokia 1 IPS, 854x480, 4.5" | Gretel GT6000 IPS, 1280x720, 5.5" | LG K4 2017 854x480, 5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 29% | 60% | 77% | 36% | |
| Brightness middle | 364 | 503 38% | 256 -30% | 669 84% | 385 6% |
| Brightness | 375 | 499 33% | 251 -33% | 644 72% | 372 -1% |
| Brightness Distribution | 90 | 84 -7% | 89 -1% | 92 2% | 92 2% |
| Black Level * | 0.71 | 0.73 -3% | 0.12 83% | 0.36 49% | 0.35 51% |
| Contrast | 513 | 689 34% | 2133 316% | 1858 262% | 1100 114% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 10.12 | 5.44 46% | 4.82 52% | 4.4 57% | 6.2 39% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 19.63 | 10.01 49% | 11.75 40% | 9 54% | 12.6 36% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 11.1 | 6.8 39% | 5.2 53% | 6.9 38% | 7 37% |
| Gamma | 2.722 81% | 2.451 90% | 2.3 96% | 2.34 94% | 2.08 106% |
| CCT | 10121 64% | 6590 99% | 7107 91% | 6675 97% | 8257 79% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8549 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
The black value of 0.71 cd/m² is very high. This is why black hues appear grayish. The contrast ratio of 513:1 is also low. Nevertheless, the colors still look rich and saturated.
Our spectrophotometer reveals that the device suffers from an extreme bluish cast. Moreover, there are also wide deviations from the sRGB color space.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 22 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 9 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 45 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (20.8 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 46 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 25 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 21 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 77 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.6 ms). | ||
Outdoors, the smartphone’s screen has a lot of trouble coping with the reflections, because of the modest display brightness.
The viewing angles are very stable. The screen content can be read from any position.
Performance – The minimum amount of power
The MediaTek MT6580M is an old-school SoC that came out three years ago. With four cores and a 1300 MHz clock rate, it was not a fast CPU even back then. In the benchmarks, the Blackview A20 can keep up with most competing devices. However, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A is significantly faster.
The ARM Mali-400 MP2 serves as the graphics solution. It does not support any modern APIs. Users will have to make do with OpenGL 2.0. The GPU performance is quite average.
| AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Nokia 1 | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (15185 - 25237, n=10) | |
| AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Nokia 1 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (17073 - 21088, n=4) | |
| PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Nokia 1 | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (2516 - 3041, n=12) | |
| 3DMark | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value) | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (2841 - 2946, n=12) | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value) | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (2396 - 2485, n=12) | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value) | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (7498 - 8913, n=12) | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Nokia 1 | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (4.4 - 12, n=12) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (23 - 166, n=170, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Blackview A20 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A | |
| Nokia 1 | |
| Gretel GT6000 | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (4.1 - 11, n=12) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 791, n=170, last 2 years) | |
In terms of browser benchmarks, the Blackview A20 cannot be considered a fast device, even in this price range. It takes a long time for images to load.
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A (Chrome 67) | |
| Gretel GT6000 (Chrome Version 51) | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (10.8 - 14.5, n=10) | |
| Nokia 1 (Chrome 66) | |
| Blackview A20 (Chrome 67) | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=206, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A (Chrome 67) | |
| Gretel GT6000 (Chrome Version 51) | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (1645 - 2280, n=10) | |
| Nokia 1 (Chrome 66) | |
| Blackview A20 (Chrome 67) | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Gretel GT6000 (Chrome Version 51) | |
| LG K4 2017 | |
| Blackview A20 (Chrome 67) | |
| Nokia 1 (Chrome 66) | |
| Average Mediatek MT6580M (14579 - 21257, n=11) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 5A (Chrome 67) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=167, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
The Blackview A20 cannot use our reference-grade MicroSD card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501, because it only supports MicroSD cards with a capacity of up to 32 GB. This is why we had to use a slower MicroSD card from Kingston. Our review device can only achieve very slow data transfer speeds.
The same applies to the internal memory: It is significantly slower than the internal memory in the competing devices.
| Blackview A20 | Xiaomi Redmi 5A | Nokia 1 | Gretel GT6000 | LG K4 2017 | Average 8 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 328% | 244% | 144% | 282% | 101% | 8504% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 90.2 | 293.8 226% | 208.3 131% | 215 138% | 128.8 ? 43% | 2002 ? 2120% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 8 | 49.86 523% | 51.8 548% | 44.16 452% | 22.1 ? 176% | 1613 ? 20063% | |
| Random Read 4KB | 11.3 | 42.32 275% | 25.7 127% | 19.4 72% | 18.1 ? 60% | 283 ? 2404% | |
| Random Write 4KB | 3.4 | 9.28 173% | 9.1 168% | 8.46 149% | 5.35 ? 57% | 324 ? 9429% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 20.6 ? | 84.9 ? 312% | 36.76 ? 78% | 75.3 ? 266% | 43.1 ? 109% | ||
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 11.2 ? | 62.6 ? 459% | 8.29 ? -26% | 44.41 ? 297% | 29.1 ? 160% |
Gaming – Simple games are playable
The Blackview A20 cannot run a lot of our gaming benchmarks, because it only supports OpenGL 2.0. Most well-optimized games are playable with a few limitations. For example, music in “Arena of Valor” was disabled to improve performance. Whether or not you can enjoy the fast-paced “MOBA” on this smartphone is questionable, because, in some cases, stutters and lags might mean the difference between defeat and victory.
The touchscreen and the motion sensor work without any problems.
Emissions – The Blackview A20 gets hot
Temperature
Under load, surface temperatures reach 43 °C (109.4 °F). It is pretty hot, but not critical. Only the top of the smartphone gets hot. When idle, the front of the Blackview A20 is the warmest part. However, it is only slightly warm to the touch.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 42.2 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.5 °C / 89 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
Because the speaker on the back is not too close to the speaker grill, the Blackview A20 sounds good, even when it is placed on a flat surface such as a table top. Naturally, there are smartphones out there that offer a much better sound quality. However, for a smartphone with this price tag, the Blackview A20 sounds reasonably good with the clear highs and punchy lower mids.
The sound quality is good enough for watching occasional YouTube videos. If you use headphones via the 3.5-mm headphone jack or external speakers via Bluetooth, you will have a much better listening experience.
Blackview A20 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (74.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 8.2% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (8.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (32.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 81% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 17% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 91% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 8% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Nokia 1 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 61.2% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 61.2% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 61.2% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (127.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 97% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 0% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 99% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 0% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery Life – Okay battery life plus a replaceable battery
Energy Consumption
When the smartphone is powered down or is in standby mode, it draws almost no power at all, which is quite exemplary. However, the power consumption is relatively high when the device is in use. It consumes at least 1.1 watts when idle and up to 6.5 watts under full load.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.07 Watt |
| Idle |  1.1 / 1.5 / 2.3 Watt |
| Load |
4.8 / 6.5 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Blackview A20 3000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi 5A 3000 mAh | Nokia 1 2150 mAh | Gretel GT6000 6000 mAh | LG K4 2017 2500 mAh | Average Mediatek MT6580M | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 16% | 18% | 1% | 46% | 7% | -10% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1.1 | 1.2 -9% | 0.9 18% | 0.96 13% | 0.64 42% | 0.805 ? 27% | 0.872 ? 21% |
| Idle Average * | 1.5 | 1.5 -0% | 1.5 -0% | 1.8 -20% | 1.14 24% | 1.736 ? -16% | 1.438 ? 4% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.3 | 1.8 22% | 2 13% | 1.89 18% | 1.25 46% | 2.1 ? 9% | 1.589 ? 31% |
| Load Average * | 4.8 | 2.9 40% | 3.5 27% | 5.3 -10% | 2.26 53% | 4.82 ? -0% | 6.99 ? -46% |
| Load Maximum * | 6.5 | 4.8 26% | 4.3 34% | 6.15 5% | 2.36 64% | 5.68 ? 13% | 10.4 ? -60% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
The relatively high power draw is reflected in the battery runtimes: We could not confirm the manufacturer’s claim of 10 hours of battery life in day-to-day use in our practically oriented Wi-Fi test. However, the Blackview A20 came close to hitting the mark, achieving a battery runtime of 9 h and 16 m. The Blackview A20 takes the next-to-last spot in our comparison chart below, even though it has a 3000-mAh battery. However, the battery of the Blackview A20 can be replaced: If you have a fully charged second battery at your disposal then the battery life will be doubled.
The small charger takes at least 2 hours to fully charge the battery.
| Blackview A20 3000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi 5A 3000 mAh | Nokia 1 2150 mAh | Gretel GT6000 6000 mAh | LG K4 2017 2500 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 81% | -1% | 116% | 9% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 556 | 1009 81% | 552 -1% | 1201 116% | 606 9% |
| Reader / Idle | 2327 | ||||
| Load | 643 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict – Very simple, very cheap
The Blackview A20 is a smartphone for purists: No 4G, poor performance, a low-resolution display with a severe bluish cast. The camera can only be used in emergency cases and the memory is very slow.
The Blackview A20 is perfectly fit for simple daily tasks. Those who use the Internet very often should think long and hard about spending a little more money to get a faster smartphone.
But still: All the trappings of a smartphone are present. It can run simple games, the battery lasts for a fair amount of time and is actually replaceable. In addition, the case is surprisingly rigid. Those who are ready to make a few comprises will get a bare-bone smartphone that is fit for very simple tasks and that can be used as a secondary device.
Blackview A20
- 07/25/2018 v6 (old)
Florian Wimmer
Price comparison
