OPPO isn’t content with just photography with their latest move into the foldable segment. The new lineup that makes up the Find N3 series proves that the company is looking beyond the perfect selfie or photo. With the flagship Find N3, OPPO is taking its ambitions to be one of the best in all categories seriously.
The OPPO Find N3 is a book-folding foldable smartphone. The outer display of this device is a 6.3-inch LTPO display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 2,800 nits peak brightness. Unfolded the main screen stands out with a 7.8-inch LTPO display. Both share a 120Hz refresh rate and a pixel density of over 425 pixels per inch.
Display aside, the Find N3 comes with three powerful speakers for authentic stereo sound. The smartphone is also built for an immersive experience with support for Dolby Atmos and Spatial Sound. This is further enhanced by the performance-centred insides of the Find N3. The foldable comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 512GB of UFS4.0 storage and 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. All of this is powered by a 4,800 mAh battery which supports 67W SUPERVOOC Charging which gives you 80% charge in 30 minutes.
Durability is front and centre with the third-generation Flexion Hinge. The hinge is made of a Zirconium-based liquid metal which makes it 5x stronger than stainless steel. This durability is also been independently verified by TUV-Rheinland and is certified to last for 1,000,000 folds. The new design allows the Find N3 to be one of the slimmest foldable smartphones on the market coming in at only 11.7mm when closed and 5.8mm when opened. It’s also got to be one of the lightest with a weight of only 298g.
Finding that Perfect Photo with Hasselblad Camera Technology
The Find N3 comes with a triple camera setup co-developed by Hasselblad. It’s also one of the most powerful setups on the market with a 48-megapixel Sony LYTIA-T808 sensor as the main sensor. The new sensor can derive more detailed information from a single exposure thanks to the stacked CMOS sensors which process light better resulting in better dynamic range, enhanced details and reduced noise even for low-light pictures. The same rings true for video.
The LYTIA-T808 is complemented by a 48-megapixel Sony IMX581 sensor. This comes with an ultrawide field of view and has autofocus. It’s also 100% larger than other flagship sensors. Completing the trio is a 64-megapixel periscope sensor which comes with an f/2.6 aperture. The combination of the three sensors will allow users to get the best performance from the camera in both low light and day light conditions. It’s also bringing along OPPO’s now signature portrait photography.
Colouring You Productive with ColorOS 13.2 Optimised for the Find N3’s Folds
The Find N3 isn’t running vanilla ColorOS 13.2, instead, OPPO has introduced a bevvy of features designed to help you stay productive even on the go. OPPO itself is touting it as “PC-Level productivity in your pocket”.
Some of the optimisations of ColorOS 13.2 include the Global TaskBar, OPPO’s take on the taskbar from Android 13. This taskbar will not only give you your recent apps and quick start bar, it comes with a button for the app drawer in a manner similar to Windows’s Start button.
That’s not all though, OPPO is making it even easier to multitask with simple gestures to enable split-screen and other productivity modes. One of the unique features of the Find N3 is OPPO’s “Boundless View” which allows you to use up three apps simultaneously side-by-side with one of them just off-screen. You’ll be able to interact with the apps by simply swiping to see the app that is off-screen. But of course, being OPPO, this wasn’t enough. The company is also bringing an extension of this mode called “15-inch Boundless View” which displays all three apps in the 7.8-inch tablet view. OPPO touts this feature as a 15-inch display in your hands.
Pricing & Availability
The OPPO Find N3 will be available in Champagne Gold which comes with a glass back and Classic Black which comes with a Vegan leather finish.
The Find N3 will be priced at MYR7,999 in Malaysia. Internationally, it will be priced at S$2399 which is about USD$1,747.56 or EUR€1,652.48.
In Malaysia, pre-orders of the OPPO Find N3 will entitle you to a free OPPO Pad Air (4GB + 64GB) worth 999, a free screen protection warranty worth MYR799 and an extended warranty purchase with purchase (PWP) discount worth MYR300 on its original price of MYR599 and a MYR100 discount on the PU standing case worth MYR199. Pre-orders begin on 19 October 2023 and end on 20 October 2023.
OPPO Malaysia has introduced a new offering into their entry-level lineup – the OPPO A38. The new smartphone brings OPPO’s now signature SUPERVOOC charging to its lower-end devices. However, the new A38 is still packing the heat when it comes to the cameras.
The OPPO A38 comes with a design akin to the one we’ve seen on OPPO’s A78 and A98. Sleek, slender and ergonomically angled are the best descriptors for the A-series this year. The A38 has a sleek body and a textured back to help with grip and ergonomics. The back is also etched with OPPO’s Glow design technique that makes the smartphone shimmer under the light. It’s also got a matte finish to ensure that fingerprints don’t soil the details of the smartphone.
It’s not just about the design when it comes to the A38. OPPO is packing the entry-level device with enough features to make Santa Claus look stingy. When it comes to biometrics, the OPPO A38 comes with a side-mounted fingerprint reader which is embedded into the power button. The volume rocker and power buttons are also slightly raised for tactility.
The display on the smartphone is a 6.56-inch IPS LCD display. It has an HD+ resolution of 720×1612 pixels, a peak brightness of 720 nits and a 90Hz refresh rate. OPPO’s Sunlight Display also allows for better visibility under harsh lighting conditions and covers 96% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut for close-to-life colour reproduction.
On the back is a dual camera setup with a 50-megapixel main sensor. This is complemented by a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Up front, is a 5-megapixel selfie camera. The A38’s cameras are also feature-packed with AI-enabled features such as Portrait mode. The main camera sensor also uses pixel-binning technology for more detailed pictures even in low light. On the A38, this technology combines 4 individual pixels into a single pixel allowing more details to be observed by the sensor for better details in the picture.
The OPPO A38 is running on the Mediatek Helio G85 platform. The processor features two high-performance Cortex-A75 cores and six Cortex-A55 cores which allow it to strike a balance between performance and power efficiency. This is complemented with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
OPPO touts an all-day battery with the smartphone’s large 5,000mAh battery. If you’re ever in need of a top-up, the 33W SUPERVOOC charging gives you a full charge in about 75 minutes. Oh… did we forget? It also has IP54 dust and water resistance.
Pricing & Availability
The OPPO A38 is already available in stores in Malaysia. The smartphone will be available in 2 shades: Glowing Gold and Glowing Black. It will cost MYR599.
Buying a new smartphone is not necessarily the biggest decision of your life. There is still a long list of considerations though when you want to invest in one. There is the basic problem of budget.
There is more at stake in choosing the right smartphone for than your budget though. You need to think about manufacturer support for your smartphone. That means you want to ensure that they have official presence in your region. You also want proven track record and consistency from the manufacturer of your chosen smartphone.
We are not necessarily talking about Apple or Samsung. We are pointing to OPPO really. While OPPO have not exactly been sitting in the same limelight as Samsung and Apple, they have a proven track record of making quality smartphones that are reliable and lasts forever. They can also be proud of the fact that they have been consistently making great smartphones in every market segment at an accessible price. In our opinion, their smartphones offer some of the best value for your money.
Recently OPPO has verified that they have delivered their ColorOS 13 update to 33 of their smartphone models universally. In the timeframe that ColorOS 13 existed, there are 3 times more device covered with ColorOS 13 than ColorOS 12 globally. For them, it is a big win – ColorOS 13 is their biggest and fastest distributed Operating System (OS) update they ever had.
The next thing to do is to extend their update policy and they might be able to compete with the best in the industry. That is what they are about to do 2023 onward.
They have just made a commitment to updating ColorOS for selected flagship models for up to four ColorOS iterations. That also means that you get at least three Android iterations for OPPO’s flagships that announced in 2023, most likely the next OPPO Find X model. At the same time, you can be assured that your smartphone will remain relevant for the next five years with up to five years of security update support.
Why is this important? Buying a flagship smartphone is not a small decision. A flagship smartphone in is not exactly the cheapest thing you can buy. You want to make sure that you get your money’s worth when you spend that much on a small slab of electronics you carry around in your life. In that case, you want to ensure that you can stretch your budget out as much and long as you can. That also means that you need to ensure that you can hold on to your smartphone for as long as you can. That also means consistent updates for as long as the smartphone manufacturer supports it. In this case, you can hold on to your next OPPO flagship for at least the next 5 years before it becomes obsolete, and that is a mighty good thing for your wallet.
OPPO has announced on its official Chinese website the launch of its new Reno9 series of devices. Three devices have been named: the Reno9, Reno9 Pro and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-powered Reno9 Pro+.
Three variants announced for the Reno9 series. Image source: GSMArena
The Reno9 basics: 6.7-inch 120Hz display, dual camera-setup and 4500mAh battery with fast charging
120Hz OLED display, 12GB RAM and eye-catching Red and Pink Gradient colors for the Reno9. Image source: GSMArena
The vanilla variant of the Reno9 offers a 6.7-inch OLED display with FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It offers good visibility as the display reaches up to 800 nits of brightness, rated for HDR10+ content and has 2160Hz PWM dimming. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G and runs on the Android 13-based ColorOS 13 out of the box. Rear cameras are a 64MP main shooter with 2MP black and white sensor. The front facing camera is a 32MP selfie camera with autofocus. The device itself is pretty light and handy, weighing in at 174g with thickness up to 7.2mm. This space fits a 4500mAh battery that supports 67W fast charging with the adapter provided. The Reno9 is available in 4 colors: Black, Gold, Red and Pink Gradient. For memory configurations, there are two variants, both with 12GB of RAM and option of 256GB or 512GB of storage.
Reno9 Pro steps up performance with imaging platforms and 16GB speedier RAM
Powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 8100 and dedicated imaging platform MariSilicon X, the Reno9 Pro brings impressive photos and videos. Image source: GSMArena
The Reno9 Pro is an upgrade on the Reno9 hardware wise despite sharing the same body. They share the same body dimensions, 4500mAh battery and 6.7-inch OLED display. It is powered instead by the flagship Mediatek Dimensity 8100 platform, that promises better performance while still running ColorOS13. Photo taking gets a big upgrade with the improved dual camera setup. It now consists of a 50MP main shooter, and an 8 MP ultrawide-angle module. It also features the MariSilicon X Imaging NPU, an Oppo developed platform for image processing. This imaging platform also enables 4K AI night video, 20-bit ultra HDR and live preview on Android devices among other features. All variants of the Reno9 Pro come with 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, a capacity not seen since the Find X3, and options of 256GB and 512GB. The device is available in three colors: Black, Gold, and Pink Gradient.
Spearheading the series with Snapdragon 8+Gen 1
Headlining the new series is the Reno9 Pro+ that promises premium features and hardware. While sporting the same 6.7-inch display as its siblings, the display and the phone itself has a curved design. The highlight feature is the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 platform under the hood, making it the first Oppo flagship to run this platform. It is also coincidentally the first device to have both the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and Marisilicon X Imaging platform. By leveraging the image and video enhancements features of both platforms, we can expect enhanced image quality, color accuracy and clarity.
Improved cameras with Snapdragon and MariSilicon X platform-driven image enhancement. Image source: GSMArena
The camera setup is once again improved with a 50MP main shooter with autofocus and OIS capabilities and 2MP depth sensor. The secondary module is an ultrawide 8MP shooter with 120 degrees field of view and has macro capabilities when shooting close up to 4cm. The battery receives an upgrade to keep everything powered with 4700mAh capacity and 80W fast charging over USB-C. It is available in the same memory configuration of the Pro series, with 16GB RAM and 256GB or 512GB storage. As for color options, Oppo has done away with the Pink Gradient and introduced a new Mint Green option alongside the standard Black and Gold. Unfortunately the Mint Green is only available for the 256GB storage variant.
Stand out with the Mint Green color for the Reno9 Pro+. Image source: GSMArena
The entry-level smartphone market, in Malaysia at least, is a rather crowded space. The offerings can also be compared directly to mid-range smartphones, which just complicates things when you are looking for a new smartphone at under MYR 2,500 range. There is still a distinction though. In the mid-range segment, you want the best bang-for-buck you can get in terms of high-level performance, and innovations. In the entry-level segment, you want the best bang-for-buck and reliability; something that just works.
While there are plenty of players in the entry-level segment at below MYR 1,500, we can safely say not many can do better than OPPO and their A-series smartphones. Do not get it confused with Samsung’s A-series though, Samsung’s offerings are in the premium mid-range segment. When you take up OPPO’s A-series smartphones, you start to wonder what the extra money do for you in the mid-range segment.
Take this latest OPPO A96 for example. On paper at least, it is comparable to any mid-range devices you can pit it up against. It might as well be a mid-range device on paper.
Big Memory
It packs 8GB of RAM and 256GB in storage. With OPPO’s clever memory technology, the 8GB RAM can be expanded to up to 13GB temporarily for when you need the extra horsepower. This should mean much better multitasking experience comparable to even flagships of today. The only limiting factor should be its System on a Chip (SoC) that is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 platform. It does not pack 5G too, unlike most mid-range devices today.
Flagship Level Display
The SoC is the only thing that puts it squarely in the entry-level segment though. The main display is still a Full HD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate with up to 96% NTSC or 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. At 6.59-inch, it is not what you want to call a small display too.
Powerful Camera
In terms of camera, the front-facing camera lodged in a punch hole on the display packs 16-Megapixel, rather powerful for an entry-level device. Out the back is a high-resolution 50-Megapixel shooter that works together with a 2-Megapixel depth sensor to produce beautiful portraits with those essential ‘bokeh’. Sure, it does not come with additional lenses to get telephoto or ultra-wide photos, but a high-resolution camera is the one that is being used often.
Premium Glass Backing
The OPPO A96’s back plate is also a glass panel, not plastic like most entry-level devices at its price range. It has a unique texture and design that OPPO calls the Glow Design made with diamond-cut glass panel placed in a vacuum to bring out the crystal patterns you see on the Pearl Pink colour option. The unique texture produced by the process is also resistant to fingerprint stains, which is a bonus to keep your device looking fresh and pretty.
Beefy Battery
To top all of that is an all-day battery sandwiched by two glass panels. It is 5,000 mAh battery that should last you at least an entire day with heavy usage. Use it sparingly and you might get two or even three days of charge with it. When it runs out, 33W charging speeds should bring it to a full charge within an hour for you to get going the entire day again. The device is also clever enough protect its own battery shelf-life by limiting its charge speeds when you charge it overnight to keep the battery optimised for you.
Price and Availability
As mentioned, the OPPO A96 will be available in two colour options – Starry Black and Pearl Pink. The device will be available for pre-order today onward all the way to the 22nd of April 2022. It will set you back MYR 1,299 and you can get your hands on one from OPPO’s authorised retailers and official showrooms when it is available. More on the OPPO A96 on their website.
So, when we say 5G, the OPPO Reno7 series smartphone can take on 5G when it is available. That is not available yet in Malaysia; but at least it is nice to know that your smartphone is ready for 5G when it is. Now, we move on to the star device of today.
OPPO’s Reno series is not necessarily a new on in their line-up. When they introduced it a few years ago, the series is made with high-end photography capabilities in mind at accessible prices. It is OPPO’s photography champion for the mid-range market, a market they are very familiar with.
We quite like the OPPO Reno series when they started introducing them. The devices are easy to work with and takes great looking photos with powerful cameras that are usually reserved for flagship sort of devices. They were also OPPO’s more unique looking devices that introduces some of the newer mobile photography technology, when it can. Did you know that the first OPPO Reno was one of those devices that made pop-up selfie camera a thing?
The OPPO Reno series is in its 7th generation now. They just launched the OPPO Reno7 series with 5G capabilities yesterday in Malaysia. It will set you back MYR 1,999 onward. There is also a Pro variant for MYR 2,999.
What does MYR 1,999 today get you? A highly capable mid-range smartphone, that is what.
OPPO Reno7 5G
Source: OPPO
The vanilla OPPO Reno7 builds on a MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G System on a Chip (SoC). It is a 6nm architecture processor with a combination of ARM Cortex A78 and ARM Cortex A55 cores to make it an octa-core powerhouse. It comes packing 8GB of RAM and ample 256GB of storage for all kinds of things you can throw to the OPPO Reno7. Of course, the ample storage allows you to store all of your photos. You want this kind of storage though for the powerful camera you get on the device.
You get a powerful 64-Megapixel main camera. Alongside the powerful main camera is an unspecified ultra-wide-angle camera that offers 118o field of view for beautiful and stunning wide panoramic shots. There is also an unspecified macro camera to complete a triple camera set-up for the Reno7’s rear. Up front is a 32-Megapixel front camera that is supposed to offer great self-portrait capabilities.
For you to see these photos, pick and edit them, or even just admire and share them is a large 6.4-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display with up to 90Hz in refresh rate. At 180Hz touch sampling rate, OPPO’s Android 12 based ColorOS 12 will feel smooth and snappy with near instant response times. With 100% of DCI-P3 coverage too, you do not need to use a different display for all your edits and get accurate and vivid colours.
To keep everything going for an entire day, you get a 4,500mAh battery. When the battery starts to run out, it comes packing OPPO’s highly acclaimed SUPERVOOC charging at 65W. If you do not have access to a wall port on a long day, you have Super Power Saving mode and Super Nighttime Standby to keep your battery going even longer.
OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G
Source: OPPO
This costs MYR 1,000 more than the regular OPPO Reno7 5G. There is a reason for that price premium. While you may not see all of it on the outer skin, there are major differences between the devices.
For one, the Pro variant builds on a more powerful MediaTek Dimensity 1200 6nm SoC. The SoC packs eight ARM Cortex A78 cores that are tuned to run at 3GHz clock speeds. To ensure that the powerful processor is not bottlenecked by memory, there is a 12GB RAM fitted into the device to ensure smooth operations all-around. To ensure it has the storage for everything else, is a 256GB built-in storage. OPPO has also included something called a RAM Expansion technology that allows up to 5GB of unused storage space to be used as temporary RAM to keep everything trundling along when needed.
Up front is a nice, expansive 6.5-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display boasting 90Hz for that extra smooth feel. For the instant, snappy feel it also offers up to 180Hz in touch sampling rate. It looks great too with up to 99.94% of DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. You do not need to worry about your photos looking funky if you edit on this display.
On the top left part of the display is a punch hole camera that boasts and IMX709 32-Megapixel behind the portrait lens. The highlight camera array though is at the back. You get OPPO’s Flagship Portrait Camera System in the form of a powerful 50-Megapixel IMX766 sensor. The main camera offers a brilliant Portrait Mode that gives you the flexibility of 25 aperture stops (f/0.95 – f/16) for those beautiful bokehs when you want them. Alongside the main camera are an 8-Meapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2-Megapixel macro camera for up close shots up to 4cm distance to the subject, and a colour temperature sensor to ensure your photos come out correctly.
The Android 12 based ColorOS 12 device runs all-day with the same 4,500mAh battery that its vanilla twin gets. You also get the same SUPERVOOC charging at 65W allowing the battery to fully charge in a brisk 31 minutes. If all-day is not enough, you can turn on Super Power Saving mode or Super Nighttime Standby to extend its battery life.
OPPO’s Reno7 5G and Reno7 Pro 5G is now available for pre-order until 4th March, 2022. The devices will start shipping 5th of March 2022 onward. OPPO will be running a roadshow in Sunway Pyramid from the 28th of February 2022 onward all the way to 6th of March 2022. The vanilla OPPO Reno7 5G will set you back MYR 1,999 while the Pro variant sets you back MYR 2,999, as mentioned. Colours available for both the devices are Startrails Blue or Starry Black.
Every pre-order of the OPPO Reno7 series devices entitles you to free gifts worth up to MYR 1,406 in total. You get 1 year of OPPO Care screen protection plan, an exclusive OPPO Reno bag, My OPPO Membership with some free subscriptions, theme park admission tickets, airport lounge privileges, and what not. You also get an OPPO Enco Buds true wireless earphones for that money. If you do pre-order and are the first 100 customers to pick up their devices on the 5th of March 2022 at the roadshow, you are entitled to get yourself a free OPPO Watch Free. When you purchase the OPPO Reno7 series devices, you are also entitled to a 50% discount as well for the OPPO Watch Free and OPPO Enco Air2 from OPPO Brand Outlets. For more information on the OPPO Reno7 series smartph0ones, you can head over to OPPO’s website.
OPPO’s ColorOS has always been about customisability and self-expression. The company’s latest iteration: ColorOS 12 is no different but it does take a load off when it comes to OPPO’s visual customizations of the Android OS. OPPO said that the company’s decision to jump from ColorOS8 to 11 to match Android’s version number is a literal alignment of the OS with Android.
ColorOS is maturing as an OS. With ColorOS 12, the company is fine-tuning its approach to be able to adapt to multiple languages and layouts better than ever before. OPPO says the main theme of ColorOS this time around is “Inclusivity” and that changes made to the OS this round were mainly focused on catering to their 440 million users across 68 countries.
Source: OPPO
The biggest difference you will see in the approach is a reduction in OPPO apps and the use of many stock Android apps. The company has decided to reduce redundancy in its offerings by using Android’s built-in phone and messaging app and integrating more of Android’s built-in features for the new take on ColorOS. The company has “decoupled” the experience to allow users access to their own apps via an optional download from their app store.
Back to Basics with a Focus on Customization & Usability
However, that doesn’t mean that OPPO is leaving its own features to the wayside. Their approach to the design of the new iteration of ColorOS builds on their Infinite Design concept which carries forward from 11. Visually, the OS looks cleaner with more modern icons. On the backend, OPPO has optimised the OS to use a fraction of the resources it used before. ColorOS 12 sees a reduction of 30% of memory usage and 20% battery consumption – making it the most efficient ColorOS to date.
The efficiency doesn’t come at the cost of personalization. In fact, the latest iteration of ColorOS may be the most customizable yet. OPPO has enhanced customisation with more themes, icons and fonts in its theming engine. In addition, the company has also been working on optimising the OS further to be more intuitive and easier to use.
ColorOS 12 is focusing on the essentials. Instead of focusing on gimmicky features, OPPO has been working on enhancing more usable features like PC connect, FlexDrop and Phone Manager which allow users to have a more seamless experience across multiple devices. OPPO’s approach to providing a more seamless experience between phone and PC brings features like drag and drop, screen mirroring and even seamless file transfer between PC and phone. PC Connect only works with Windows for now.
OPPO is also focusing on device security. The company’s new OS brings Android’s privacy and security features front and centre. The OS makes features like Privacy Dashboard more accessible and comes with a better-optimised experience when to Approximate Location Sharing and Microphone and Camera Indicators. The company is also enhancing the security of their OS with in-house features such as private system, private safe, and app lock.
Open to Developers
OPPO is also committing to be open when it comes to the development of ColorOS. The company is making its camera SDKs openly available to developers moving forward. These SDKs will make some of the company’s best camera features such as Ultra Steady Video Shooting, HDR, and Super Wide-Angle available to developers.
Source: OPPO
Timely Update Schedule
OPPO is committing to updating its devices consistently moving forward. This applies to devices released from 2019 onwards. Their flagship Find X series will be getting three major Android updates. The mid-range Reno, F- and higher-end A-series devices will be getting two major updates. Lower end devices will be getting a single Android update. According to the company, the single update is due to the lower memory specifications of lower-end A-Series models.
In addition to major updates, OPPO’s Find X series will also be getting four years of security updates. The Reno, F-, and A-series will be updated for three years.
OnePlus started out very early on in its life as that one smartphone brand that was a little out of the norm. In its early days, they dubbed their first ever smartphone, the OnePlus One, the ‘flagship killer’. There is a good reason for that. The OnePlus One had killer specs, hardware that you can only find on flagship devices at the time. While remaining at the top of the food chain, they managed to keep prices low. The OnePlus One’s asking price was a fraction of what manufacturers at the time ask for their flagships.
They were a bit of a Cinderella story too, to be fair. The founders of OnePlus, according to legends, left the highly successful and progressive HTC at the time to start the brand. They had to figure out how to design a smartphone and manufacture the devices at ridiculously low prices within just a few months. They delivered the OnePlus One. But they were running off the production line of OPPO, which was understandable. They would not have had the time and money to build their own production line anyway.
OnePlus’ Reliance on OPPO
They have never moved to their own production facility though. That also means that they share the same part bin as OPPO. That is also why over the years, the OPPO flagship devices share plenty of similarities to OnePlus’ own. They usually share the same specs and hardware within their flagship line-up only to differ slightly in terms of how they look. Last year’s flagships were differentiated by Hasselblad’s involvement too.
While we are seeing more and more of OPPO in the other brand, both parties have remained steadfast and committed to staying distinct. They started out with offering CyanogenOS on their devices and later moved to their own OxygenOS. They have also remained distinct by having their own unique design languages. It is not clever for a manufacturing plant to be producing two completely different units of flagships though, so the devices share plenty of similar design cues too.
OnePlus 2.0
Source: OnePlus
It looks like the next phase for OPPO and OnePlus will not be a unique journey for each brand anymore though. OnePlus have announced their OnePlus 2.0 roadmap. The announcement basically entails that they are now a single entity with OPPO. That also means that while each brand may be selling devices with their own unique branding, the device that comes out of both may not be so unique.
The merge of both companies will cover the entirety of the engineering and development teams. That also means that OPPO and OnePlus will have access to the same patented technologies that may have been kept separate and unique from each brand. The merge will also cover OxygenOS and ColorOS though. According to the announcement, OPPO and OnePlus will be developing a single unified platform that is supposed to be the culmination of the best of both platforms. While the branding will remain separate, the platform’s underlying codes will be similar, which also means you should have similar experiences out of both brands, however they designed the platform. Of course, they are still Android based.
With the announcement also, OnePlus has also confirmed that there will be no new flagship smartphone from them this year. They will not be refreshing the OnePlus 9 in the 9T form. If you want to see a new OnePlus, you will have to wait until next year, in this case.
The Matter of the Merge
While it may not seem like a great thing for one brand, this merge is more beneficial to both OPPO and OnePlus than it may seem. The merger allows OnePlus to and OPPO to gain insights from each other. Both brands have served different market groups and have extensive knowledge on building formidable smartphones. While both brands offer highly distinctive smartphone experiences, they have the ability to offer similar experiences or merge to create a completely new one that could better serve new and old customers alike.
Of course, one cannot ignore the financial benefits that OPPO and OnePlus will be getting from the merger. More money for OnePlus means more development resources. The learnings from Hasselblad will also accelerate OPPO’s camera technology. Obviously, by merging two brands, they are hitting a larger group of audience and buyers.
While all that sounds like a great thing, especially in the battle for supremacy in the smartphone industry, it could easily backfire. Since both brands come from slightly different market segments, internal rife could happen. Engineers from both ends might not agree on how the device should be designed and its capabilities. On the User Interface (UI) end, how OPPO and OnePlus balance having the right features from their own platforms will also be crucial to the success of the merge.
Whatever it is though, it is definitely one of the most interesting development in the industry at this point. While we may not be seeing a smartphone coming out of this merger anytime soon, we can expect OPPO and OnePlus to be a lot more competitive in the flagship smartphone market. At least OPPO and OnePlus are optimistic about the merge, we should be too.
OPPO has been making waves in the mobile industry with their approach to cameras and their augmentation of their smartphones with their own camera algorithms. They’ve also been one of the best options when it comes to getting affordable smartphones which pack impressive performance.
The recently announced OPPO A74 is their latest iteration of the affordable OPPO A series which has, in our previous experience with it, performed commendably. The A74 (4G) is the lower specc’d version of the new device without 5G connectivity.
Does the smartphone keep OPPO’s legacy in the affordable space? Should you be investing your hard earned money in it? We’ll be breaking the whole experience down in our review.
Design
The OPPO A74 is a sleek, slim device with a pretty finish. It’s actually one of the better-looking smartphones in its category. OPPO has given it sleek curves on the back and a rather shiny finish. While it can be a fingerprint magnet, the finish of the A74 gives the smartphone a rather premium feel and look. In addition to that the curves make the phone a little more ergonomic; making it easier and more comfortable to hold and use.
The design cues of the OPPO A74, however, are very run-of-the-mill when it comes to the company’s design language. We’ve seen the same design cues from nearly all the phones that have been released from OPPO – and OnePlus – in the past few months. The lack of identity when it comes to the outlook of the many smartphone series that OPPO offers is a little bit of a let-down but they generally do make up for it with unique, cutting edge features.
Aside from that, the A74 is also one of the few smartphones that has opted to keep the pinhole design of the display. Thanks to this choice, users are in for a more immersive experience when it comes to the display and multimedia experience of the smartphone. That paired with the rather compact overall size also allows easy everyday usage and even a more comfortable experience when gaming.
Hardware
The hardware of the OPPO A74 isn’t that far off for an entry-level device. However, when it comes to processors, it comes with one that is slightly more powerful than others we’ve seen used in its competition. That said, specifications and the make up of any given smartphone is only one side of the coin, how they affect the overall user experience is another.
We’ve listed the complete specifications below and noted the configuration which we reviewed in the table. That said, we dive in deeper into the user experience in the following sections.
FRONT: 16-Megapixel (f/2.4, 27mm (wide),1/3.06”, 1.0µm) 1080p video recording (30fps)
Sensor
Accelerometer Proximity Fingerprint (Optical, under display) Gyroscope Face Unlock Compass
Miscellaneous
Dual SIM
Retail Price (Malaysia)
MYR 899
Retail Price (US)
USD$ 399.98
User Interface
OPPO’s ColorOS 11.1 comes baked in the OPPO A74. OPPO has made some good improvements in ColorOS 11.1 which enhance the user experience. The amount of customisability that OPPO brings into the software allows users to have a phone that is uniquely theirs. Things such as the lock screen, fonts and even the home screen is highly customisable and allow users to infuse their own personas into their smartphone.
One of the highlights during our review is OPPO’s implementation of dark mode. Unlike a lot of other smartphones out there, OPPO has included three degrees of intensity for dark mode. This is particularly useful if, like me, your eyes are sensitive to the contrast that dark mode can give – particularly when it comes to viewing white on black. During my time with the A74, I found myself using the phone with dark mode set on medium. This was the setting that allowed my eyes to be comfortable while allowing me to save some battery.
OPPO’s ColorOS also brings an amazing selection of Wallpapers with their Artist+ Wallpaper project. However, how useful this feature is to you will depend on your appreciation of artists and the arts. While it was novel in the beginning, we eventually went back to our normal wallpapers after a few days.
That said, the OPPO A74 does benefit from some of the performance enhancing algorithms built into ColorOS 11. Navigation and swiping through screens were very smooth with little to no jitters even when swiping between open apps. Launching apps feels more prompt and it was a lot more seamless than other smartphones in its category. In addition, having a good selection of customisable quick toggles in the notification shade allowed for quick and easy access all the important settings.
Performance
When it comes to performance, the OPPO A74 isn’t a slouch. It was able to handle day to day tasks pretty easily. However, when it came to more demanding tasks, it did take a beating. The phone’s hardware doesn’t really show many bottle necks – but we expect you might get a better experience with 8GB of RAM.
When it came to using heavier gaming apps, there was a noticeable slow down in the system’s performance. This was also followed by the phone getting a little bit warmer to the touch. We suspect that the many AI algorithms that OPPO employs for its performance enhancement may not be too fond of resources (i.e. RAM) being taken up by other processes. However, while this did occur, it only happened when RAM usage was obscenely high. Beyond that, the phone rarely lagged or heated much.
Call Quality & Connectivity
Call quality on the A74 is commendable. Of course, since the switch to VoLTE, the clarity of voice calls has increased tremendously in general. However, OPPO seems to have enhanced the clarity further. Calls on the phone sounded crisp and clear. However, when it came to speaker phone, the phone left quite a bit to be desired. Even in quieter areas, it was hard to hear the audio coming from the speaker phone. Calls over the ear piece were crisp, voices were clear and there was little disturbance. Users on the other end of the call noted that my voice was loud and clear on their end.
When it comes to connectivity, the OPPO A74 had more stable and stronger connectivity to 4G LTE that some of the other devices we’ve tested. During our testing it continually had either the same or one bar more than some of the other devices we had during the same period. On top of that it was able to keep a stable Bluetooth connection with our wireless headphones.
Gaming
Gaming on the OPPO A74 wasn’t too bad of an experience. It was able to keep up with some PUBG mobile. However, if you’re looking to play Genshin Impact with flawless graphics, you’ll be a little let down. That said, this isn’t unexpected for a phone of this calibre. Aside from some performance compromises, the phone can be a pretty good one for mobile gamers.
The display is large with vibrant colours. OPPO’s decision to have the pin hole front camera really lends to the experience being more immersive. It’s responsive enough even for FPS games. The sound quality on the speakers isn’t too bad too. Of course, don’t go blasting it on 100% or you’ll have tearing and pitching on the speakers. You’ve got a 3.5mm jack so you can be even more immersed when gaming.
Battery Life
The battery on this smartphone is one of the best we’ve seen so far. That is, of course, expected for an OPPO smartphone. The company has been able to squeeze every ounce of battery life of its phones for a while now. On the A74, we were able to get about 2 days of battery life with normal use without much hassle. With heavier use like gaming and multimedia consumption, we got about 18 hours with about 5 to 6 hours of screen on time. On standby, the phone was able to last about a week easily.
Display
The display of the OPPO A74 comes with a Full HD+ resolution and, to be very honest, it’s just the right resolution for its 6.43-inch size. You’re not straining as pixelated artefacts on the screen and the pictures and video displayed are crisp and sharp. The high pixel density also allows for a better, more immersive visual experience on the smartphone.
However, it’s not the best display out there. Even with 430 nits of brightness, the screen could get a tad bit dark when it comes to the outdoors. Under direct sunlight, it was a task to read messages and emails. If you’re looking to get into content, the display may not be the best in the market for it, colour accuracy isn’t the best but passable. You will need to do colour grading when it comes to having quality content.
Cameras
Ironically, the camera on the OPPO A74 felt like the biggest let down. While it’s not bad per se, the experience of the A74 feels like a serious step down from the A9 we reviewed previously. While using the camera has improved, OPPO seems to have sacrificed a lot when it comes to overall picture quality.
It was a little confounding when it came to the camera experience on the OPPO A74. The interface has improved and become more user friendly. Things are easier to access and it’s more feature rich than ever before, but the picture quality – particularly when it came to low light pictures seems to have taken a little bit of a dip between the A9 and A74. This, to be honest, wasn’t what we were expecting given the leaps and bounds that OPPO has progressed when it comes to their camera technology in their own Reno and Find X line up.
In good, bright lighting, the cameras were able to produce pictures with depth and detail. However, the minute lighting was dim, pictures became noisy and uninspiring. Detail was hardly present. You can see the amount of loss in detail even on the screen of the phone itself by simply pinching and zooming. This was the case with both the selfie and main sensors. Zooming was more of the same, even when using the optical zoom, pictures are noisy and lacked detail.
All in all, when it comes to the camera experience, it feels like OPPO didn’t really put too much effort into differentiating its entry level offering. We’ve seen the result of their efforts in their own Reno and Find X series, and it confounds us as to why some of that effort wasn’t present in the A74. It really feels like they were just ticking boxes in the features department.
A Near Complete Package for the Entry Level Missing that OPPO Magic
Overall, the OPPO A74 is an average package. It has a good display, a commendable processor but it’s let down by what feels like a lack of effort in the camera department. To be very frank, it’s let down by a standard that OPPO, itself, set. If the smartphone had the camera to back it, it would be a contender for one of the most affordable and best optimised phones in the market.
However, with that said, for the budget, it isn’t a bad device. It ticks all the boxes when it comes to features and provides an overall experience that is enjoyable and, most importantly, customisable to the user. It does provide some value for money at its price and is able to keep up with demanding tasks.
OPPO finally launches their flagship class OPPO Find X3 Pro in Malaysia. Thankfully, the OPPO Find X3 Pro did not take long to arrive to the Malaysian shores. The Find X3 Pro launched globally on the 11th of March 2021, which also means that it took exactly two weeks for the device to arrive Malaysia.
The OPPO Find X3 Pro is OPPO’s latest flagship smartphone to arrive in Malaysia. It packs the industry leading Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G platform for maximum attack. The powerful System on a Chip (SoC) is not for nothing though, other than the 5G connectivity of course. The powerful chip keeps two powerful 50-Megapixel sensors happy and taking great looking photos. The OPPO Find X3 Pro also features a unique microscopic lens that offers up to 60x magnification for the finer things in life. These cameras can take up to 10-bit photos too. That also means you get up to 1-billion colours in your photos.
The 10-bit photos can be viewed and appreciated via the 6.7-inch QHD+ (1440p) OLED display. The display also boasts 10-bit colours with OPPO’s Full-path 10-bit Colour Management System. With 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio for even more true to life colours and images. On top of that LTPO OLED that adapts between 5Hz to 120Hz also means that your OLED display saves battery power.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
On the subject of power-saving, the OPPO Find X3 Pro packs a 4,500mAh battery pack within its glass formed body. The 4,500mAh should last you longer than a day too, as per the Find X2 series. But when the battery goes flat, you get up to 65W charging via OPPO’s SuperVOOC 2.0 flash charge. You can charge wirelessly too at 30W via AirVOOC. If you have other wireless charging devices, you can share power via reverse charging at 10W too.
The new ColorOS 11.2 (Android 11) flagship form OPPO is available 9th April 2021 onward. The OPPO Find X3 Pro will be available in either Gloss Black or Blue. The OPPO flagship will retail at MYR 4,299. You can pre-order your OPPO Find X3 Pro today onward from. All pre-orders will also come with free gifts worth a total of MYR 1,935. For more information, you can visit OPPO’s website.
