OPPO’s new A74 comes packed with features and tech for the new wave

First impressions and technical specs

The first thing you’ll notice when handling the OPPO A74 is its sleek AMOLED FHD+ punch-hole display. Its 6.43 inch screen is both elegant and immersive. Boasting a whopping 2400 x 1080 resolution, 409 pixel density, 600 nits peak brightness and a 90.8% screen-to-body ratio, you can watch movies and view pictures as they come to life on the display. It also has an eye comfort feature which adapts to your environment, whether it is day or night. This provides much needed care and respite for your eyes by automatically adjusting brightness levels and light temperature for gentle night-time use.

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The A74 features an advanced In-Display Fingerprint Unlock system. Though it took a bit longer than expected to fully scan my fingerprint, the responsiveness of this feature is quite impressive once it gets going, as it took only half-a-second for it to recognize my fingerprint during regular use. 

One remarkable thing about the OPPO A74 is that despite its size, length and dimensions, it’s actually sleek and lightweight. For reference, it is considerably lighter and its form factor easier to handle when compared to my Kata phone which has similar specs and dimensions. For those who are weary of bulky or cumbersome smartphones, the look and feel of the A74 allays those fears due to its slender, 3D curved body.

In terms of battery, the A74 comes with a powerful 5000 mAh package. An additional 33W Flash Charge feature lets you charge to 54% in just 30 minutes. Even with my usage of the A74 in different ways like social media, music, and videos simultaneously, the battery never let me down. 

A smartphone made for multitaskers and gamers alike

As far as performance, the OPPO A74 is a versatile smartphone for those who want no drop-offs or lag time. Its memory capacity comes in at a very generous 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of ROM, along with a top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 CPU. 

For all the gamers and even game-streamers out there, the A74 also features a Game Focus Mode that lets you keep your eyes on the prize. This feature allows you to play games without distractions while scrolling bullet notifications are still silently active in the background so you won’t miss a beat. 

A photographer’s delight

The OPPO A74 lets you express your artistic side and fully capture all the beauty within your world in high definition quality. It features not one, not two, but three rear cameras. The rear cameras consist of a 48MP Main Camera, 2MP Macro Camera, and a 2MP Depth Camera.

The 2MP Depth Camera in particular is impressive as it allows you to take Portraits with bokeh effects. Meanwhile, the front AI Beautification Selfie Camera with various AI Beautification effects ensure you can get that perfect look and jazz things up to your insta-worthy standards. During my testing of the cameras, I found that both the front and rear cameras both made my backyard and pool look glorious, while my out-of-bed face still looked rad and ready for action. 

Verdict

Overall, coming in at P11,999, the OPPO A74 delivers in virtually all aspects of a modern smartphone. Along with its fashionable color options (either the Midnight Blue or Prism Black both look stunning), handy camera functions, and technical specs that allow the phone to operate without hiccups, it will cater to both artists and gamers/streamers alike. Be it for those with an on-the-go lifestyle or for those wanting to get out of the “Apple and iPhone” mainstream bubble we live in, I couldn’t recommend it enough.