OPPO's latest budget phone has a faux leather back

Manufacturers often treat design as a secondary consideration when it comes to more affordable handsets, but OPPO has kitted out its $259 A17 with a similar faux leather finish to what it's previously used in its flagship Find phones.

Instead of using synthetic leather, the A17 has a plastic back that has been textured to make it look and feel like leather. While we've not had a hands-on with the phone yet, the back certainly looks nice in renders.

Key specifications for the A17 include a 6.56-inch 720p+ display, a MediaTek Helio G35 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and a 5,000mAh battery. In terms of cameras, you'll find a 50MP primary lens on the back, and a 5MP selfie camera on the front.

The OPPO A17 is available from today via retailers including JB Hi-Fi, Big W, The Good Guys, Officeworks, and Bing Lee. It comes in a choice of Midnight Black or Lake Blue.

Anyone who purchases the A17 before February 12 will receive a bonus SIM card from Konec. This SIM comes with 22GB and a 30-day expiry and is valued at $25. Konec is powered by the Telstra network.

Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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