Oppo A74

This Oppo A74 is a 4G phone with a sharp borderless screen, a triple 48MP camera and a generous 5000 mAh with extra fast 33W charging. An ideal phone for those who don't necessarily need 5G yet. At least, so it seems. But whether that's really the case we're going to find out here.

Not necessarily more powerful, but faster

Those who read our review of A74 5G could see that the entry-level Snapdragon 480 processor was the biggest downside. In the A74 4G, there is a Snapdragon 662 from a slightly higher class. So is this A74 4G also more powerful than the A74 5G? No. Both chipsets are a match for each other, and on paper, the 480 scores even better. There are other reasons to choose for this A74 4G, and that is the speed with which the battery can be charged. With 33W instead of 18W. That's almost double, and ensures a half-full battery in only 30 minutes.

Screen with plusses and minuses

Like its 5G brother, the A74 has an almost equally sized screen with a sharp FHD+ resolution. Here is only the refresh rate limited to 60Hz which makes for less smooth transitions. But this A74 does have an AMOLED panel that is known for its high contrast. So black really is black. And the peak brightness of 800 nits is also considerably higher, making it easier to read outdoors. The screen is also where you find the fingerprint scanner. A screen with plusses and minuses.

Main Oppo A74 specifications

• Bright 6,43" AMOLED screen with fingerprint scanner
• Snapdragon 662 processor with 6GB of RAM memory
• 128GB of storage expandable with microSD card
• 48+2+2MP camera system with depth and macro camera
• 16MP selfie camera with AI effects
• Large 5000 mAh battery with 33W SuperVOOC fast charging
• Suitable for 4G for fast mobile internet

Camera: nice try

On the camera front, the A74 loses the 8MP ultra wide angle and are left with a 48MP main camera, 2MP macro and 2MP depth camera. The primary camera shoots pretty nice pictures but it is not impressive. The other 2 cameras are completely unnecessary and would have been better left behind. With the depth camera, you can indeed replace backgrounds, but that is something that can also be done with software nowadays. Oppo does try to get the best out of it with the help of AI (artificial intelligence). There is AI beautification to polish up selfies. Nice try but also no more than that.

Pro and cons Oppo A74

• Fast 33W charging
• Large battery life
• Bright AMOLED screen
• Lots of storage

• No 5G support