The OPPO A74 5G is the company’s latest 5G device that’s made for everyone. For just RM1,049 you get access to 5G connectivity and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G chip. But apart from just having 5G, how well does it perform as a smartphone on its own?
OPPO A74 5G – Specifications
| Model | OPPO A74 5G |
| Dimensions | 162.9 x 74.7 x 8.4 mm |
| Display | 6.5“ LTPS IPS LCD 20:9 Aspect Ratio FHD+: 2400×1080 PPI: 405 90 Hz refresh rate |
| Color | Fluid Black / Space Silver |
| Biometrics | Side-mounted Fingerprint Sensor |
| Platform | Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G 8nm process Octa-core CPU up to 2.0 GHz |
| Memory | 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM |
| Rear Quad Camera | 48MP Main Camera F1.7 8MP Ultra-wide Angle Camera F2.2 2MP Macro Camera F2.4 2MP Mono Camera F2.4 |
| Front Camera | 16MP Selfie Camera |
| Battery | 5,000mAh 18W Fast Charging |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.1 USB Type-C 2.0 |
| Operating System | ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11 |
What’s In The Box?
- OPPO A74 5G
- 18W Fast Charger
- Earphones
- USB Type-C Cable
- SIM Ejector Pin
- Quick Start Guides
- Protective Case
Design
The OPPO A74 5G may look like any other smartphone from the front, but once you turn it around the back, that’s where it really shines. The colour variant we got was the Space Silver colour, and it really looks incredible. I loved that it had a smooth matte finish on the back, which also gave the phone a nice premium touch. It does sort of make it a little fingerprint magnet, but at certain angles, you can’t even see them at all.
The sides of the phone has good grip, and is very comfortable to hold, even if you’re lying down flat or sideways. The camera bump is fairly thin, and the good thing is, it doesn’t wobble when you’re using the phone on a flat surface.
On the left, you’ll find the SIM card slot and the volume buton, while on the right side, there’s the power button which also has the fingerprint sensor side-mounted in. There’s nothing on the top, but on the bottom, there are the 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C port, as well as the speaker grille.
Display
The OPPO A74 5G has a nice-looking display that has vibrant colours, but leans towards the warmer tone. If it isn’t to your liking, you can always edit it in the Settings. Everyday scrolling looks great on the device, and watching movies on the phone is enjoyable. However, the phone wasn’t as bright as I thought it’d be. In harsh daylight, I had trouble seeing what’s on the display.
It has a large 6.5-inch IPS screen, which makes for great viewing angles. To sweeten the deal, the display also has a 90Hz refresh rate, which is higher than the industry standard 60Hz. This makes scrolling and navigation on the phone appear smoother, giving a more enjoyable user experience. And speaking of user experience…
User Experience
The OPPO A74 5G is overall a great device to use as a daily driver, however, there are some quips to it that bothers me a little. For one, I didn’t like the fact that the selfie notch was just a little too big and distracting. No matter what I’m doing or watching, I’d always notice it there and it doesn’t just psychologically “disappear into the background”.
However, I do like that the phone’s power button is placed in an optimal spot, and because of that, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor makes more sense. The volume buttons should have been on the same side as the power button, but I guess it’s something you can look past or get used to eventually.
Performance
The OPPO A74 5G runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chip, which is 5G ready. It is also paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB, which is more than enough for your daily tasks. During our testing, the device performed well in multitasking and app handling. Switching of apps were smooth, with the rare occasional screen hiccup here and there. Graphics wise, it may not be the best, but at least you’d still get to play certain games on “low” settings. E.g. Genshin Impact.
Because of the material used on the back, the device stays constantly cool. When you start gaming on it, you’ll tend to notice it warming up around the camera bump area. That being said, it has never gotten hot to the point of scalding, so you’re safe to game for prolonged hours.
Here are the benchmarks we ran on the OPPO A74 5G with 3DMark and GeekBench 5:
Camera
The camera on the OPPO A74 5G is my least favourite part of the phone. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t take ugly photos, in fact, they’re quite decent. But compared to the rest of the phone with the great display, comfortable design, the camera seems like it could have used more work.
The main 48MP sensor had trouble handling backlighting, which resulted in quite a number of dark photos taken in broad daylight. Without AI enhancement turned on, pictures looked washed out and a little “too natural”. With it turned on, the colours appeared oversaturated, but at least clarity was still intact. There’s also an Extra HD mode, but it seems to just increase the sharpness without messing with resolution.
The front selfie camera actually takes quite decent selfies. With AI beauty turned off, selfies were quite natural, and even if AI Beauty was on and set to about level 3/10, pictures still looked nice. It’s at level 10 where I become a totally different person.
When it comes to video recording, videos captured do have vivid colours and good clarity, but motion wise, it doesn’t do too well. The bopping motion can be seen quite obviously, and the phone doesn’t take panning shots too well. For more stable videos, it’d be better if you can pair it with an external gimbal/stabilizer.
Here are some of the initial photos we took with the OPPO A74 5G:
Audio
The OPPO A74 5G has a single speaker system, which is loud enough, but it does vibrate quite a bit. There’s also a little distortion when you’re above the 70% volume mark. For me, 50% volume level was the sweet spot to me that didn’t shake, had no distortion, and had decent volume.
loud enough but vibrates quite bad. lacks bass, but has too much highs, mids are pretty hollow and sounds “far”. quite a bit of distortion at loud volumes.
Battery Life
When it comes to battery life, the OPPO A74 5G performs as expected. It can get you through the entire day, sometimes even 2 days on very casual use. During my testing, I’ve set the phone on mobile data for the entire day, and it could last till bedtime, which is about 1AM with 15% left to spare.
The phone’s 5,000mAh does support 18W Fast Charging, so a zero to 100% charge took about 90 minutes.
Conclusion
The OPPO A74 5G is a very comfortable device to use as a daily driver, with the added benefit of having 5G. Although 5G may not be ready now, but your device would be future proofed for when it becomes available. It looks nice, performs great, and has a battery that lasts. Sure, it has its caveats, but nothing that’s dealbreaking.
For just RM1,099, the OPPO A74 5G is a decent mid-range performer,. So if you’re interested in getting one for yourself, check out the OPPO A74 5G right here. On the 25th of May, you can even get it for RM1,049!
