Oppo A74 smartphone packs in a lot for a budget price

Apple and Samsung have cornered the market for high spec smartphones, but this brand has released a budget option which stacks up pretty well.

REVIEW

Did you know you can get a 5G android smartphone for less than $500 right here in Australia? OPPO has made this possible with its recent release of the OPPO A74 5G – but how does it stack up?

Unboxing

Inside the box you are greeted with the phone itself, a clear silicone phone case, white wired earphones with a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB to USB-C cable and charging brick. The phone comes in two colours – Fluid Black and Space Silver – and I got my hands on the silver model. This colourway is simple yet sleek and the silver back panel has a unique pearlescent shine which looks fantastic. The A74 is charged via USB-C but I was surprised (and delighted) to see an additional 3.5mm headphone jack port – which is just so rare on phones these days!

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Unboxing the OPPO A74 5G.

Display and specs

The OPPO A74 has a ‘hyper colour’ 6.5” screen, which is fairly crisp for a budget device. It’s running off a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 processor, with 6GB Ram and 128GB of internal storage – pretty decent specs for the price. The 90Hz screen refresh rate means the device is up to standard with today’s phones and scrolling and app switching is snappy.

I was disappointed to notice only one mono speaker is built-in to the bottom of the phone though. At least the volume of the device can be pumped up really loud, however, it doesn’t sound all too amazing though it will do the trick. Considering the in-built headphone jack though, it’s forgivable.

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The new OPPO has a crisp screen for a budget device.

On the other hand I was impressed that at this price point the phone has a face unlock feature and even a fingerprint scanner built into the sleep/wake button. These both functioned well and the fingerprint scanner was especially quick when unlocking the device.

Cameras

The OPPO A74 has five cameras in total including four on the back and a 16MP hole punch selfie camera on the front.

Selfies were pretty decent, though sometimes the colours were looking a little less true to life with more pink tones and cooler tones in the image, compared to other cameras that often skew warmer.

The portrait mode did a pretty good job all round though, doing well to blur the background while keeping most of my hair crisp around the edges. You’re also able to play around with a multitude of ‘beauty’ effects such as smooth skin, thinner face and bigger eyes. I’ll tell you now, the smooth filter seems like a cheeky hack for selfies but can be very welcome on your off days.

The OPPO has four back cameras and one selfie camera.

Although the phone boasts some pretty impressive specs camera-wise with a 48MP main camera, 8MP Ultra-wide angle camera, 2MP macro camera and 2MP mono back camera, sometimes the photos seem just slightly washed out.

I’m being fairly nitpicky here as the photos would suit the general consumer and you can still produce some impressive snaps (especially if you have a bit of skill).

Though for those who are fussy about their phone camera’s quality it doesn’t quite stack up next to a premium $1000+ phone. I feel similarly about the video recording quality – it’s great and even the stabilisation is really decent, it’s just not going to completely blow you away.

Should you buy it?

With all the features stacked up the phone is a pretty great all-rounder. Especially with its generous 5000mAh battery, that’s easily giving you a full day of battery life. For a phone that comes in at $449 this is an android phone worth considering if you’re on a budget.

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawwesome | YouTube