The OPPO A54 and A74 are two of the most significant and, dare I say, desirable phones in 2021. Why? Because they set new feature and price standards for affordable 5G phones at $399 and $449. What’s the catch? Nothing!
So, why are the OPPO A54 and A74 so significant? Let’s just say that until now, I have not seen a 6.5″ FHD+ 90Hz screen, Qualcomm SD480 processor, plenty of ram/storage/dedicated microSD, 5000mAh battery, Wi-Fi AC, BT 5.1 and NFC. Not to forget the quad 48MP camera setup. To borrow the immortal words of Darryl Kerrigan in the Castle, “Tell ’em they’re NOT dreaming”.
Undoubtedly more brands will follow. OPPO siblings realme and vivo have models in the works. Samsung has already slashed its A42 5G from $599 to $499. Motorola has it’s Moto G 5G Plus (Telstra locked) at $499.
A54 and A74 5G – same but different
So, what is the difference between OPPO A54 and A74 5G? A: Nothing really! There is a complete analysis in our announcement here, but these are twins from the same mother and father! The A74 has more ram and storage and an 18W fast charger at $49 more. Everything else is identical. As such, we will combine the review and note if there are any significant performance differences.
Please note that while we run more than 70 tests, this is a mini-review that points out the salient points and things to be aware of. All comments relate to the price bracket.
Details: OPPO A54 and A74 5G
Website | A54 here and A74 here |
Price | $399 and $449 |
Store | *From: OPPO Online and major CE retailers like JB Hi-FI, Harvey Norman, Good Guys, Officeworks, and Catch.com.au |
Warranty | 2-years |
Manufacture | Made in China |
Company | OPPO is now #2 for Australian Android smartphone market share. It has achieved that by excellent product and after-sales service. |
Notes | Other GadgetGuy OPPO news and reviews here |
* Grey market – no Australian warranty |
We issue the standard warning that you must buy the genuine model with Australian firmware. Why? Because 5G IMEI numbers are registered with the Telcos and must be activated here. It can also make a 000-emergency call (not 911) without a SIM. Look for the Australian and NZ regulatory mark under Settings, About Phone, Regulatory. We have named and shamed the prominent grey marketers here. Get a genuine ‘Made for Australia’ model. Note that this model uses the Qualcomm SD780 5G – there are similarly named models with MediaTek SoC.
First impressions
OPPO has nailed the OPPO look with fabulous, patterned vacuum-deposited paint over polycarbonate. Fantastic Purple is an aurora of night lights that shimmer, Fluid Black goes from titanium to black, and Space Silver is quietly elegant. I like the O-hole selfie at the top left, and the oversized power button/fingerprint reader recessed into the frame. It is good design.
As a reviewer who covered 76% of all sub-$1000 phones in 2020, it is hard to surprise me. I have to continually remind myself that these are $399/449 phones!
Screen – exceptional
- 6.5: 2400 X 1080, 405ppi, 90Hz LTPS LCD
- Brightness 450 nits (typical), Contrast 1500:1 and 100% DCI-P3
- Panda Glass MN228
Bright, colourful with Vivid Gamut (100% DCI-P3) and Gentle (100%+sRGB) are unheard of at this price. The screen has a 90Hz setting which gives it a 180Hz touch sensitivity. While it can play games, the processor is not up to medium or high frame rates.
Processor – just right
The Qualcomm SD480 5G 8nm is a new system-on-a-chip (SoC). It has an X51 3/4/5G modem (sub-6Ghz), an Adreno 619 GPU. The SoC includes Wi-Fi 5 AC MIMO, BT 5.1, GPS, Aqstic amp, aptX adaptive codec, True Wireless and enough AI power to provide computational photography.
Geekbench 5 puts it above the MediaTek Helio G80 and on a par with the Helio P90 and Dimensity 720 at single/multi-cire of 522/1725. Open CL (1089) and Vulcan (923) are excellent for the price. OPPO tends to follow Qualcomm reference designs – which is good. Think of it as a three-cylinder turbo car with tonnes of power for most city use.
Ram/Storage/microSD
- A54 4GB LPDDR4X and 64GHB UFS 2.1 (40GB free) and microSD top 256GB
- A74 6GB LPDD4X and 128GB UFS 3.1 (105 GB free) microSD to 256GB
Androbench (USB-C 2.0 speeds maximum 480Mbps or 60MBps half-duplex)
- Internal sequential read/write 507/245MBps (not constrained by USB-C 2.0) – excellent.
- Remember to turn OTG connection on for external storage. USB-C 2.0 supports a maximum of 480Mbps or about 60MBps half-duplex. Maximum external storage sequential read/write rate is about 30/30MBps
Throttling
Max 158,245GIPS, Average 154,736GIPS – no throttling. This is an exceptional result and shows OPPO has good cooling tech.
Comms – Wi-Fi 5 AC 1×1 MIMO
Signal Strength 5Ghz – distance from Netgear RAX200 AX1100 router
- 2m: -18dBm/433Mbps
- 5m: -30dBm/433
- 10m: -47dBm/433
- 15M: -52dBm/433
Test speeds show excellent antenna design, and it keeps data throughput stable.
- BT 5.1
- GPS
- NFC – Google Pay compatible and not usual at this price
- Combo Accelerometer and Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Proximity, Optical, Gravity, fingerprint (and 2D face unlock)
4/5G – very strong antenna strength
- Dual sim plus dedicated microSD, single ring tone
- LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/18/19/20/26/28/38/39/40/41/66 – world phone
- 5G: n77/78/38/40/41/1/3/5/7/8/20/28 (not all enabled – Australia uses n78 3500Ghz)
- Test – speed 22.4/6Mbps/41ms (typical 4G speed in a 3-bar zone)
- Finds nearest tower at -103dBm/100fW, second tower at -108dBm/63.1fW and third tower at -114dBm/50fW – excellent. Occasionally finds a fourth tower at -121dBm (unusable).
Sound – it is mono but has a 3.5mm port
- It has an earpiece and down-firing speaker for mono sound. It has one mic.
- BT 5.1 codex include SBC, AAC, APTX Adaptive and LDAC
- 3.5mm jack
- Volume is a maximum of 80dB, and the sound signature focuses on clear voice. BT and cabled headphones are loud and clear.
Battery
- 5000mAh
- A54: USB-C 2.0 5V/2A/10W
A74: USB-C 9V/2A/18W fast charge PD
In testing, we found that the A54 does support a 9V/2A/18W charger, so if you plug in any UCB-C PD charger, you get a fast charge.
We did not run the full suite of tests because it was clear that they have a massive battery for at least two days of use
- PC Mark 2.0 battery test: approx. 24 hours
- GFX Bench: T-Rex 485.5min (8hrs) and 3323 frames
- GFX Bench: Manhattan 436.6min (7.28 hours) and 1591 frames
- Charge time 5V/2A/10W 2 hours and 9V/2A 1 hour
Build – OPPO’s usual excellent quality
- 162.9 x 74.7 x 8.4mm x 190g
- Front: Panda Glass
- Frame: Polycarbonate
- Back: Vacuum deposited paint on polycarbonate
- IP: IPx4
- In box: Charger, 3.5mm Earphones, USB data cable, Protective case
Android 11 and ColourOS 11.1
We have commented many times on the excellent ColorOS 11 overlay to Android. Security patches are issued regularly – the last 14/4/2021. It comes with Facebook and TikTok – rubbishware that can easily be uninstalled.
OPPO apps are primarily replacements for Google apps where Google is prohibited. For example, there is File Manager (OPPO and excellent) and Files by Google that wants you to use cloud storage.
One handy app is Phone Clone that is now preinstalled. It allows you to easily copy information from Android, iOS and other OPPO devices. We tested copying from an old OPPO R9 and an LG G6 and copied data, settings, contacts, SMS, Whatsapp, Messages, photos and apps via Wi-Fi. You only need to enter login and passwords. It is similar to Samsung Smart Switch.
OPPO A54 and A74 5G Camera
OPPO has quite a camera prowess. To be able to offer a quad 48MP camera at this price is exceptional. In part, that is due to the use of an Omnivision 48MP sensor. It appears to be a suitable sensor from a new supplier, but it lowers the cost compared to a Sony or Samsung sensor. The images taken are amazing for this price bracket. It shoots well above its weight.
Wait one moment – different sensors indicated!
Our test software shows different sensors apart from the 48MP Omnivision OV48B. The 8MP Ultra-wide appears to be a Samsung S5K4HG7 8MP, 1.12um, contrast AF, not the Hi-846. The two x 2MP appear to be 5MP, S5K5e9 (colour) 1um Contrast AF and 5MP S5K5F1 (mono) 1um contrast AF. The selfie appears to be IMX476, 20MP, 1um, and FF scaled back to 16MP. Or it may be an S5K3P9 16MP, 1um PDAF – we hope for the latter as it has superior PDAF.
Now, this is not a big issue and probably relates to the shortage of camera sensors. But the two 5MP sensors are superior to the 2 x 2MP, and macro and bokeh photos may have more definition.
Specs
Camera | Primary 48MP Bins to 12MP | Ultra-Wide 8MP | Macro 2MP | Mono Depth 2MP | Selfie 16MP |
Sensor Advertised | Omnivision OV48B | Hi-846 | GC02M1B | OV02B10 | Sony IMX471 Exmor RS |
Focus | AF | FF | same | same | FF |
Aperture f-stop | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | same | 2.0 |
Pixel size um | .8 bins to 1.6 | 1.12 | 1.75 | same | 1.0 |
FOV° and cropped | (68.4) | 119 | 88.8 | 88.8 | 79.3° (68.1) |
Stabilisation | No | ||||
Flash | Single LED | Screen fill | |||
Zoom | 6X Digital | ||||
Video Max | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
Features Rear: Photo, Video, Night, Expert, Panorama, Portrait, Time-lapse, Slow-motion, Text scanner, Google Lens
Features Front: Photo, Video, Panorama, Portrait, Night, Time-lapse, Sticker
Bokeh
Selfie:
It’s a straight 16MP (no binning) that captures lots of detail and accurate skin tone colours. It has OPPO AI to post-process the image. It has a limited depth of field, so if you are shooting a group selfie, make sure you are close.
GadgetGuy’s take
The OPPO A54 and A74 5G redefine 5G entry-level price and features. There is no catch – just fantastic value, exceptional OPPO build and two-years warranty. We used the A74 for nearly two weeks (it could just have easily been the A54) and were never left wanting. That is quite an admission from someone that uses a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G at nearly five times the price.
At the beginning of this review, I had to keep reminding myself that these were $399 and $449 phones – exceptional features and value for the price. It is now the end, and nothing has changed and receive our coveted and unreserved buy recommendation.
Rating
We are rating in the $399-499 bracket. OPPO exceeds all current phones in every category. A pass mark is 8/10, and we add
- Camera quality – class leading
- 5000mAh and fast charge – better than waiting hours to charge
- 5G connectivity – couldn’t test
- Great build
- Terrific screen
- Very high antenna signal strength – the femtoWatts signal strength is well above the class
- NFC and more
Both are 10/10. Buy the A74, if only for the extra RAM, storage and fast charger. Or save $50 and spend it on a few months of low-cost mobile 4G data.
5G or not? Do not go to Telstra, Optus or Vodaphone and buy expensive 5G data packages. Coverage and speeds are still a sham. We predict that within the next 12 months, MVNOs like Boost, Woolies and Aldi, will come down to their $20 packages.
Hi GG,
I have only used Moto, pixel and sony from Android phones came out to Australia.
How is the OS compared to other near stock experience?
It is not stock Android that I have used on Pixel and Nokia. Moto is no longer stock Android either with its My UX. Let’s just say that it is Android 11 and there is a minimal learning curve. I actually prefer ColorOS to stock Android.
Thanks Ray, I guess I will wait for Pixel 6 then.
Hope you have seen the latest Samsung G21 Tradein+Bonus+signup Bonus deals floating around internet, OZB world :), worth an article I guess.
Hi Ray
Does ColorOS have any bloatware annoying features like Samsung’s Bixby that cannot be fully disabled ?
Are there any difference in the camera app features between the current Samsung and Oppo phones ?
Thanks
P.S. I think you should invest in a cable management tray.
Last point first – yes cable management under the desk is being addressed.
At OPPOs request (more a challenge) I am using the Find X3 Pro exclusively for a month to see the difference between ColorOS and One UI. Color OS has a suite of Google alternative apps for the Chinese market as well as all Google apps. You decide which you want and uninstall the ones you don’t need. They are not bloatware. I recall it had Facebook but I won’t sully myself using that rubbish so it was uninstalled. In using PhoneClone (OPPO program) to bring over my apps from the s21 Ultra I was surprised how many only work on Galaxy and needed to be uninstalled.
ColorOS supports Google Assistant – none of this Bixby that is really only useful for South Koreans.
Camera – it is too early to comment as I have only taken a few shots that have been superb. One thing I could not find was a QR reader but that is part of Google Lens and that is better than the hit and miss with the Samsung QR reader. It is early days but I k=have found the camera interface easy and comprehensive.
Thanks for the review, your site is great.
I picked up an A74 yesterday based on your comments, the battery, camera and reception ability key points.
I figure the battery will improve with a number of charges maybe? (it’s better than my old Xiaomi A2 Lite but not by much yet). The camera for stills seems quite good.
The video however seems lacking for a new release and at this price point, did you test it much yourself?
1080p on the main back camera seems to stutter on playback. More disappointing is the wide angle lens isn’t available for video. No mention in the specs of this limitation, but one would assume given (based on YouTube samples) if the older lower spec A53 does why not the A74 5g. Even half price competitor’s such as the Moto G10 offer this.
Sadly it is a feature I required too.
Oppo so far have been unhelpful, only directing me to the product site that is super vague in specs vs say Motorola or others.
A suggestion maybe comment or check video a little in future reviews, outside of that yours are awesome and better than most, great for us Aussies.
I admit that my video tests are not comprehensive and I will endeavour to do more in future. I will pass this comment to OPPO and see if we can’t get more information.
OPPO responded very quickly.
1. Wide-angle lens for video – this can be achieved on the A74 5G. The user just needs to go to [Camera] > tap Settings button in the top right corner > [Video resolution] > Set to 720P/30 fps. This will enable wide-angle video recording.
2. Stutter on playback – both customer service and ourselves have tested on the A74 and found that the playback worked fine. We believe it might just be an issue with the user’s device specifically, in which case we recommend him to get in touch with the OPPO Customer Service Centre for further investigation: https://www.oppo.com/au/contact/
3. Battery – we can confirm that it won’t improve from charging. But check the background tasks and disable those that you are not using.
Thanks for the response Ray.
Playing around I actually found this ability which good. I had been in contact with Oppo support and they told me it simply was available. After finding it I suggested they make it selectable even in 1080p mode (just flash up ultra wide 720p when one clicks it) to improve the user experience vs diving in and out of settings. It seems your Oppo response was more knowledgeable than mine.
With more testing think the stutter only occurs when the limited attempt at stabilisation is working hard. I’m possibly to spoilt but later Go-Pro stabilisation performance (That’s what a phone company should be aiming at, not that I’d strap a phone to my dog to get smooth footage, lol)
The battery is still good, I’m perhaps again spoilt from my past too Xiaomi phones with 4000mah units despite being old models. The 5000mah maybe only makes up for the bigger screen and a little more.
Old model phones were just fine with a 4000mAh battery but new phones with bigger screens, high resolutions, high refresh rates and faster processors need at least a 5000mAh battery.
AVOID these well known brands that market beautiful phones but have very small batteries!
Hi Ray, wondering what you think of this compared to the new Samsung A52 4G? If I’m not fussed about having AMOLED screen, are the other features worth the extra money ($599): The camera, UI software, IP67 rating, stereo speakers, 25W charger and 3yrs of updates for samsung A52 enough to rate this higher? I’m thinking the processors from both give fairly similar performance. I don’t particularly care for 5G but the oppo 74 5G is better than the oppo 74 4G specs. The samsung A52 4G has good enough specs not to need to go to the 5G version. So would do you think Oppo 74 5G vs Samsung A52 4G?
I have the Samsung A52 5G here for review so I can’t yet comment – give me a week. But remember that it is $749 (you must buy genuine if you want to use Australian 5G) and the OPPO is $399/449 so they are not a fair comparison (although amazing build and quality). Samsung uses SD750 5G chip and OPPO uses SD480 5G – its not an Apples for Apples comparison. The OPPO Find X3 Lite is a better comparison and may suit your needs.
Hi Ray, some people don’t care for 5G, but like the better specs of the oppo A74 5G version over the 4G version. So I’m interested in comparing this oppo A74 5G to the samsung A52 4G. Some differences I see are screen, LCD/AMOLED, processor has similar benchmarks, samsung camera with OIS and 4k video, samsung has IP67 and stereo speakers. But samsung is $200 more. Oppo 74 5G can be bought for $399 everywhere now so it seams like a steal. So I’m wondering if anything jumps out and says samsung is worth the extra $200?
Also the new Nokia X20 is interesting. Similar specs to this Oppo 74 5G. Do you have an opinion on this one? Samsung and Nokia providing 3yrs of android and security updates is great. I can’t find anything anywhere about what Oppo provide. Do you know how long Oppo support updates for? Thanks for your help. Great article on Oppo too.
The thing I most care about a phone is the battery size and the endurance.
The Oppo has a 5000mAh and a lot of features while the Samsung has the IP rating so you need to choose what is more important for you.
Storage speed appears to be UFS2.1 on oppo’s website specs so you may want to correct the article. Currently says UFS3.1. Cheers.
Done – thanks
Hey Ray, you forget the A74 too – it’s still showing UFS 3.1.
I’m tempted to say that your review also made me decide to buy an Oppo, but only an A54 I believe .. But I can’t really make such a purchase until some kind techo answers some of my pig-ignorant phone questions. {Hint hint ..)
(Hitherto I’ve had a phone for calls and texts and a laptop for all Internet usage; and I want to use my phone for the Web, too.)
I shall be 78 next month. Thus am I allowed to admit that I use the Web for crochet blogs and YouTube patterns, as well as for reading online news (ABC and The Guardian, with occasional reference to MSNBC). Oh ! – also for ABC iView, but no other TV. AND for my blog, as well as a few other people’s.
My mobile connection supplier suggested I replace my ancient Sony phone with an Oppo, but the range is bewildering ! So would you agree with an A54 would serve me best, please ?
Hi Margaret
As you are used to Sony Android you can rest assured that Android-based phone will do what you want so it is a matter of how much you want to pay. OPPO is one of the better ones with a 2-year warranty and great local support. At $349 the A54 5G is superb. If its any help its what I would give my mum!
Hi ray, I know this an older review but I am about to replace a much loved original Nokia 8 and as I’m not a heave/power user of a mobile phone as I don’t game, I don’t need the world’s best camera (I still use and prefer a DSLR) and I don’t really stream much (except Spotify) – and I don’t want to spend more than $500 so thie A74 sounds perfect.
I only replace my phones about every 2-3 years so one thing important to me is upgrades guarantees (which also looks good on the Oppo phones). Another thing is having a proper Dual SIM plus the SD slot for music and movies for when I travel so teh 256GB max size is also sounding very good.
Whilst I wanted vanilla Android like my Mokia 8, ColorOS11 sounds fine and the rest of the A74 sounds so good it’s hard not to just go out and buy one today but I am aware it’s now a slightly older phone and may be replaced soon – but right now if you had $500 to spend on an mid-level Android phone what would you go for?
Thanks very much for the honest and professional review.
Thanks to your data and suggestions I decided to buy this phone.
Good battery endurance, very high antenna signal strength, good camera, good processor, can run on any network, 5G WHO CARES!
It wasn’t easy to pick & find the right phone because the ones that I liked on GSM Arena were not available online since they are made in India, Philippines or out of stock.
But I’m more than happy with this Oppo A74 ($400) and I hope that the expectations will be satisfied.
Coming from a failed love, a POCO M3 made by Xiaomi which has some issues in Australia like not being able to receive MMS messages, blocking unwanted/scam numbers not working properly as they were still able to call me again and again!
The worst thing is both POCO & Xiaomi never ever replayed to my concerns.
Pity POCO’s statement “we want to hear from you”!!!
Stay away from these two scammers!
Hi Ray,
Would you be able to clarify if this Oppo A74 is suitable for regional cities and remote area use? The numbers don’t mean a lot to me, but your summary of where a phone will work well is rare and valuable, outside of Telstra’s Blue Tick. I am comparing this to the Nokia X20 5G where your summary is explicitly clear, “This is suited to city, suburbs, regional cities and remote area use.”
Thank you for the effort you put into these reviews. I have been finding them so so helpful.
It all depends on Telstra. I suggest you buy a cheap $80 Telstra locked phone (Telstra Essential Alcatel 1TL on BigW) and test the network then you can buy this Oppo phone. Otherwise your only choice left is a satellite phone.
Thanks very much for your professional and not biased review.
Thanks to your suggestions I bought this phone and I’m more than happy with it.
In my opinion it’s the best phone in its price range and no one can beat it.
I don’t understand why spoiled kids spend $1,500 for a phone that does the same things as a $400 one!
Update: as I said the phone is fantastic but the Camera OS is trash, at least in my case. Only two resolution options for video which make BIG size videos. Same problem with Camera settings, shots are too big and it’s hard to share by e-mail. But everything seemed fine until the system update popped up and I updated the firmware. Then one day I needed to take some shots and surprise, all Camera resolution setting totally disappeared! Dealing with Oppo chat operators was a waste of time because they know nothing so they just read scripts, they said that my only option was to go to a service centre that most probably would reset my phone. In my opinion an offline firmware file would fix the problem but the chat operator didn’t even know what I was talking about.
I realize this is an older review, but I’m looking to replace a beloved original Nokia 8, and since I don’t game, don’t require the best camera (I still use and prefer a DSLR), and don’t stream much (besides Spotify), the A74 sounds like the perfect replacement for me.