New Oppo A Series comes with 5G and 90 Hz display
Well, did you think there are no more mid-range phones in May? Far from it, because Oppo has just introduced the models A94 5G, A74 5G, A54 5G and A74. The four devices look promising thanks to 90-Hertz OLED screens and large batteries with fast Quick-Charging.
If you are interested in smartphones, it is now difficult to avoid Oppo. The Chinese manufacturer is currently going on the offensive when it comes to entering the European market and so we have recently already seen three exciting devices from the Find X3 series.
But while the Find X3 series is more in the upper-class segment, there is now also a new series for the mid-range. This because Oppo just unveiled the A94 5G, A74 5G, A54 5G and the A74 without 5G. Of course, since the two A74 models are quite identical, we'll summarize everything into three headings and add a quick comment about them.
Oppo A94 5G: Like a Find X3 Lite-Lite
I looked back and forth between the data sheet and price tag of the Oppo A94 5G, and I must say: The features on the 389 euros mid-range smartphone are noticeably sparse for a Chinese manufacturer. But one thing at a time, as the main focus of the phone is probably the 6.43-inch AMOLED display with its pixel density of 409 ppi.
The Oppo A94 5G is based on MediaTek's Dimensity 800U, which is at work in the Redmi Note 9T, among others, and provided good high-speed performance on the new network in the 5G test. Oppo pairs the SoC with 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 gigabytes of UFS 2.0 storage. You'll have to do without Wi-Fi 6 — but Bluetooth 5.1 is on board and it offers an in-display fingerprint sensor.
The quad-camera on the back is only electrically image-stabilized and thus lacks a feature that Samsung only just brought to the mid-range with the Galaxy A52 (5G). Instead, though, there's a 48-megapixel main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and two 2 MP snaps for macro and depth!
Last but not least, the integration of Oppo's VOOC 4.0 technology that charges the 4310 mAh battery at 30 watts caught my eye. The Oppo A94 5G is available in Fluid Black and Cosmo Blue colors starting at 389 euros, around 469 dollars.
Oppo A74 5G and Oppo A74
The only non-5G smartphone is found in Oppo's new lineup in the Oppo A74 series. The A74 features a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen that resolves at FHD+. The refresh rate is at 60 hertz — unlike the 5G model, which offers a 6.5-inch LCD panel at 90 hertz.
The 5G model also offers the more powerful camera in comparison on paper: here's a quad camera with 48 megapixels in the main camera, 8MP in the ultra-wide and 2 megapixels for macro and depth. Without 5G, of all things, the ultra-wide camera is dropped, and you're snapping away at 48 megapixels or just macros at 2 megapixels.
While Oppo equips the phones with different SoCs, with a Snapdragon 480 working in the 5G model and a Snapdragon 662 in the non-5G model, the storage configurations are identical with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. It's the same with the battery capacity, which is 5000 mAh in each case.
However, the Oppo A74 without 5G offers Quick Charging at 33 watts, while the A74 5G can only be charged at a maximum of 18 watts. Another difference is the lower IP certification. With 5G there is IPX2, without at least IPX4.
Price-wise, the Oppo A74 is priced at 249 euros ($300) and for the 5G model you pay 299 euros ($360).
Oppo A54 5G with 90 Hz LCD display
Completely confused by the two A74 models, we can now get a little groovy again with the A54 5G! The display measures 6.5 inches and here Oppo now offers 90 Hz in the finest LCD quality and FHD+ resolution again. The 5G processor is the same as in the A74 5G — that is, the Snapdragon 480.
However, Oppo has now adopted the main camera from the A94 5G. Means you benefit from a quad camera with 48 megapixels in the main camera, which is joined by 8 megapixels in the ultra-wide angle and 2 megapixels each for macro and depth. No image stabilization here too.
The battery capacity of the A54 is 5000 mAh and the memory configuration consists of 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The plastic-backed phone features IPX2 certification and has a fingerprint sensor on the side of the device.
For the A54 5G, you will pay 269 euros ($325) and 289 ($349) for the Oppo A74 without 5G.
Short commentary on Oppo's new mid-range devices
Well, what happened there? I was already confused after Xiaomi's new Redmi Note 10 models were unveiled in March, but with Oppo, not even the names make sense. Of course, you can't judge new smartphones until you see a review, but so purely by looking at the specs sheet, I think the new A-series will have a hard time.
Surprising, since the Oppo A72 from last year was the most successful Oppo model ever, according to the manufacturer. Samsung already offers optically image-stabilized cameras and a 90-Hertz OLED display for under 300 Dollars — Xiaomi adds 120-Hertz AMOLED and a 108-MP camera in the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Thus, Oppo has particularly tough nuts to crack for less than 400 Dollars this year.
