Oppo A74 5G review - Affordable 5G smartphone with long endurance
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Version | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82.4 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 08 / 2021 | Oppo A74 5G SD 480, Adreno 619 | 190 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.50" | 2400x1080 | |
| 80 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 07 / 2021 | Vivo Y72 5G Dimensity 700, Mali-G57 MP2 | 193 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.58" | 2408x1080 | |
| 80.4 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 06 / 2021 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G Dimensity 700, Mali-G57 MP2 | 190 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.50" | 2400x1080 | |
| 79.3 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 03 / 2021 | Samsung Galaxy A32 5G Dimensity 720, Mali-G57 MP3 | 205 g | 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 |
Case, equipment and operation
The Oppo A74 5G is mostly made of plastic, only the front is protected by Panda Glass. The build quality nevertheless leaves a good impression and is characterized by clean gaps and a pleasant feel. However, the volume buttons are unusually narrow.
The equipment of the A74 5G is on an appealing level. NFC is on board, and Oppo's smartphone also supports full-fledged dual-SIM. The storage can also be expanded via microSD card, but the exFAT file system is not supported.
Wi-Fi 5 is an appropriate Wi-Fi standard, which enables stable transfer rates in combination with our reference router Netgear Nighthawk AX12. The A74 5G shows ordinary connection properties on the move and offers a broad frequency coverage.
Google's Android 11 with ColorOS 11.1 is used as the operating system, which is an old acquaintance from other smartphones of the manufacturer. The security updates were updated on March 5, 2021, at the time of the test and are thus no longer up-to-date. The A74 5G is supposed to be updated quarterly for three years.
The Oppo A74 5G supports VoLTE as well as Wi-Fi calling and has a good voice quality when held to the ear. The speaker echoes audibly and the microphone range is only average. The noise suppression works well, but loud noise causes a very narrow frequency response, which makes the speaker sound very unnatural and hollow.
The touchscreen is supplied with a protective film and has good gliding properties. Inputs are implemented quickly and precisely via the touch-sensitive surface, and the higher refresh rate also makes navigating through the system pleasantly smooth. The fingerprint scanner in the power button and 2D facial recognition are available for biometric security. Both work quite reliably and have an appealing unlocking speed.
| Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT) | |
| SDCard Sequential Read 0.5 GB | |
| Average of class Smartphone (73.6 - 1269, n=67, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Oppo A74 5G (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Vivo Y72 5G | |
| SDCard Sequential Write 0.5 GB | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Oppo A74 5G (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (11.4 - 44.6, n=67, last 2 years) | |
| Vivo Y72 5G | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Vivo Y72 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A32 5G | |
| Oppo A74 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A32 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G | |
| Vivo Y72 5G | |
| Oppo A74 5G | |
Cameras - Additional ultra-wide angle in the Oppo A74 5G
On the spec sheet, the camera setup on the back is very similar to that of Oppo's A74, but it gets an additional ultra-wide-angle, which is a bit low in detail and blurred towards the edges, but has a decent imaging performance overall. We like the pictures of the main camera in the dark and the zoom a bit better than in the 4G model.
Oppo again relies on the same 16 MP model for the front-facing camera. Videos can be recorded in Full HD with 30 frames per second at best on both sides.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Wide-angleWide-angleUltra wide-angle5x ZoomLow-Light
Display - Oppo smartphone with LTPS panel and PWM
The 6.5-inch LTPS display of the Oppo A74 5G has a Full HD+ resolution and operates at 90 Hz. HDR support is not available. The brightness is quite good and the smartphone offers a strong contrast ratio due to the low black value.
The display is quite cool in the factory settings, but it can be adjusted via the settings. If you increase the color temperature accordingly, you will get a natural color reproduction without having to compromise on color space support.
Despite an LCD, Oppo uses PWM for brightness control. Its frequency is quite high, so few users should have problems.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 94 %
Center on Battery: 582 cd/m²
Contrast: 1663:1 (Black: 0.35 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 2 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
99.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.26
| Oppo A74 5G LTPS, 2400x1080, 6.5" | Vivo Y72 5G IPS, 2408x1080, 6.6" | Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G IPS, 2400x1080, 6.5" | Samsung Galaxy A32 5G TFT-LCD, 1600x720, 6.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | -10% | -38% | -101% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 39.6 ? | 42 ? -6% | 43.6 ? -10% | 66.8 ? -69% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 17.6 ? | 20 ? -14% | 29.2 ? -66% | 40.8 ? -132% |
| PWM Frequency | 2404 ? | |||
| Screen | -52% | -4% | -87% | |
| Brightness middle | 582 | 419 -28% | 550 -5% | 543 -7% |
| Brightness | 573 | 384 -33% | 515 -10% | 512 -11% |
| Brightness Distribution | 94 | 87 -7% | 86 -9% | 85 -10% |
| Black Level * | 0.35 | 0.7 -100% | 0.32 9% | 0.63 -80% |
| Contrast | 1663 | 599 -64% | 1719 3% | 862 -48% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.8 | 3.32 -84% | 1.8 -0% | 4.9 -172% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 3.4 | 5.06 -49% | 3.1 9% | 8.6 -153% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2 | 3 -50% | 2.5 -25% | 6.3 -215% |
| Gamma | 2.26 97% | 2.203 100% | 2.28 96% | 2.23 99% |
| CCT | 6736 96% | 7236 90% | 6326 103% | 8120 80% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -31% /
-44% | -21% /
-10% | -94% /
-90% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 17.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 6.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 10.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 37 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.6 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 39.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 20.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 58 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.3 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 2404 Hz | ≤ 14 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 2404 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 14 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 2404 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8426 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance, emissions and battery life
The Oppo A74 5G is powered by the entry-level SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G and has access to a generous 6 GB of working memory. The system delivers a good performance and is even faster than smaller models from the 600 series from last year. Games can be run without problems, but the details have to be reduced in more demanding titles. We cannot determine an excessive heating at any time.
The speaker on the chin side delivered a mediocre performance and is characterized by a metallic character that distorts with increasing volume. However, it is sufficient for occasional use in everyday life. Alternatively, a decent audio jack (SNR: 73.63 dBFS) or Bluetooth are available.
The A74 5G can positively surprise in terms of battery runtimes, because it is larger than the 4G model and often delivers better results than the competition.
| GFXBench | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Oppo A74 5G | |
| Vivo Y72 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A32 5G | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G (16 - 31, n=9) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5.5 - 166, n=201, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Oppo A74 5G | |
| Vivo Y72 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A32 5G | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G (17 - 19, n=9) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.4 - 321, n=201, last 2 years) | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Oppo A74 5G | |
| Vivo Y72 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A32 5G | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G (9.9 - 19, n=9) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 144, n=202, last 2 years) | |
| 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Oppo A74 5G | |
| Vivo Y72 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A32 5G | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G (6.4 - 6.7, n=9) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (1.2 - 129, n=201, last 2 years) | |
| Oppo A74 5G | Vivo Y72 5G | Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G | Samsung Galaxy A32 5G | Average 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 15% | 45% | 44% | 20% | 278% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 492.6 | 956 94% | 939 91% | 858 74% | 760 ? 54% | 2050 ? 316% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 265.3 | 13.6 -95% | 398 50% | 381.7 44% | 297 ? 12% | 1663 ? 527% |
| Random Read 4KB | 153.2 | 164.4 7% | 151.6 -1% | 174.6 14% | 152.9 ? 0% | 286 ? 87% |
| Random Write 4KB | 115.8 | 179.4 55% | 162.8 41% | 167.1 44% | 131.6 ? 14% | 328 ? 183% |
Temperature
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.8 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.3 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.6 °C / 89 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
Oppo A74 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.3% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.4% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 29% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 62% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 49% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 43% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy A32 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (93.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22.6% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.8% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 12% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 80% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 33% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery life
| Oppo A74 5G 5000 mAh | Vivo Y72 5G 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A32 5G 5000 mAh | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | |||||
| WiFi Websurfing | 1223 | 1084 -11% | 1113 -9% | 1235 1% | 1036 ? -15% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Not everything is better in the Oppo A74 5G
The Oppo A74 5G does a few things better than the A74 LTE and relies on a 90 Hz LCD instead of a 60 Hz OLED, among other things. However, Oppo leaves one advantage of the LC technology unused by using PWM. The SoC is newer, which not only means a higher performance, but also a better efficiency, which is reflected in noticeably longer battery runtimes. Furthermore, the 5G variant also has an NFC chip. The camera has also been supplemented by an ultra-wide lens.
The Oppo A74 5G improves in the right places, but makes concessions in other areas.
On the other hand, the manufacturer eliminates exFAT support for the microSD slot and a slower fast-charging technology (18 watts) is used. Nevertheless, Oppo manages a good mid-range smartphone at an appealing price. Strong alternatives in this segment are the Galaxy A32 5G and the Redmi Note 10 5G, which are also both equipped with LC displays.
Price and availability
Oppo A74 5G
- 08/18/2021 v7 (old)
Daniel Schmidt
Price comparison
