The Chinese company OPPO has long established itself in the saturated smartphone market as a manufacturer of quality devices across various price ranges. One of the most popular lineups of this brand is the A series smartphones – budget models that have all the necessary features to keep users connected in the modern digital space. The latest model in this lineup is the OPPO A79 5G. Priced at around $420, the model offers a 6.72-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 50MP camera, MediaTek Dimensity 6020 processor with 256GB of storage, and a 5000mAh battery. Let’s find out if it’s worth our attention.
OPPO A79 5G specifications
| Dimensions | 165,6×76,0×8,0 mm |
| Weight | 193 g |
| Colors | Black, green, purple |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 6020 |
| Type of processor | 8-core |
| Operating system | ColorOS 13.1 on Android 13 |
| Screen size | 6.72 inches |
| Resolution | 1080×2400 pixels |
| Screen type | IPS |
| Main camera | 50 MP + 2 MP Glibini sensor |
| Front camera | 8 MP |
| RAM | 4/8 GB |
| Storage | 128/256 GB |
| Memory card slot | yes |
| Number of SIM-cards | 2 SIM-cards |
| Data transfer | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth v5.3, NFC |
| Navigation | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Battery capacity | 5000 mAh |
| Degree of protection | IP54 |
| Sound | stereo speakers |
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Package contents
The OPPO A79 5G smartphone comes with a modest package: the phone itself, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and a SIM card ejection tool. Therefore, when making a purchase, it’s important to consider that a little extra money will be needed to accessorize the model. And this is a bit disappointing, as most models in this price category offer a case and screen protector as part of the package.
Appearance
When you hold the OPPO A79 in your hand, you feel its largeness, yet it’s thin and light. The build quality is good. The edges have slight rounding. The phone fits well in the hand and doesn’t create discomfort even during prolonged use. The screen is narrow but tall, which may pose challenges for one-handed operation. However, currently, all phones on the market are like this.
The back cover of the model is made of plastic and comes in three colors: black, green, and purple. The black variant may come with 8/256GB or 4/128GB memory options, while the purple variant is only available with 8/256GB memory, and the green one with 4/128GB memory. There are also differences in the appearance of the rear panel: the purple one features beautiful “waves” that change in the light, the green one has stripes, while the black one is simply glossy – without any pattern and likely prone to fingerprint smudges.
The side edges are plastic but visually mimic metal. On the right edge, you’ll find the power button and volume rocker. The power button integrates a fingerprint scanner, which works excellently. On the left edge of the device, there’s a slot for the SIM card and memory card. At the top, there’s a microphone opening. The top speaker is located above the screen. On the bottom edge, you’ll find the second speaker, another microphone opening, a USB-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The camera unit on the back cover looks massive due to two large camera “disks”, but this is all a fashion influence, the lenses themselves are small. The platform on which the cameras are located protrudes above the cover, but not too much.
The screen bezel is narrow, the bottom part is slightly wider than the rest. The front camera is made in the form of a “dot”. Almost 91% of the front panel is used as a screen.
The screen is protected by toughened Panda Glass. The phone itself is water-resistant with an IP54 rating, which means it’s more protected against accidental splashes and droplets rather than full immersion in water, so it’s best not to soak it.
The overall impression of the exterior of the OPPO A79 5G: it feels light and sleek. I believe this effect is achieved through the screen aspect ratio, the slimness and weight of the model, and, in my case, the decoration on the back cover, which personally reminds me of the vibrant feathers of a tropical bird.
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Display
OPPO A79 5G has an IPS FHD+ display with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels and a diagonal of 6.72 inches. The display has a refresh rate of 90 Hz, maximum brightness of 680 nits.
Since we’re considering a phone in the mid-range price category, it’s difficult to highlight anything particularly special about the display. The color reproduction is quite pleasant for an LCD, viewing angles are decent, and it doesn’t fade too much in direct sunlight. However, for more than $400, competitors offer both AMOLED displays and higher refresh rates, so compared to them, the A79 may seem a bit lackluster.
The display offers standard settings:
- Choice of dark or light theme
- Brightness adjustment
- Selection of color saturation level and temperature
- Refresh rate selection ─ automatic, 60Hz, or 90Hz
- Separate “eye protection” function that reduces blue light irritation, with the option to schedule its activation.
OPPO A79 5G performance
OPPO A79 is powered by an 8-core MediaTek Dimensity 6020 processor with 5G support. It contains two fast ARM Cortex-A76 cores with a frequency of up to 2.2 GHz and six energy-efficient Cortex-A55 cores with a frequency of up to 2 GHz. It’s not the most advanced chipset, even losing out to the outdated Snapdragon 695, but it still easily copes with common tasks (Internet, social networks, document management, everyday applications like taxis and banks) and ensures smooth and comfortable operation of the device. The Mali-G57 MC2 video chip is responsible for graphics processing. You can run any game, but the graphics level will not be high.
The RAM capacity is 4 or 8 GB (LPDDR4x), with storage options of 128 GB and 256 GB (UFS 2.2) respectively. In 2024, having only 4 GB of RAM seems inadequate, especially considering the price tag. So, it’s better to opt for the higher model. In the settings, you can add up to 8 GB of virtual RAM using the storage, which is a feature found in practically any Android smartphone nowadays.
There is support for memory cards (the slot is hybrid – two SIMs or one SIM + 1 memory card).
Overall, an undemanding user won’t find much to complain about, but the low-level chip in a model priced at $420 is somewhat surprising.
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ORRO 79A 5G cameras
And here everything is extremely simple: a single useful 50-megapixel module with an aperture of f/1.8 and a viewing angle of 77 degrees. It is complemented by a depth sensor (purely for looks, otherwise no one will look at a phone with a single camera). The front camera is 8 megapixels.
In addition to the standard “photo” and “video” modes, the camera offers additional modes such as “portrait”, “night”, “panorama”, and “timelapse”. For experimental enthusiasts, there’s a “Pro” mode. The Camera AI function analyzes the surrounding environment and automatically adjusts settings to capture vibrant shots.
Both the main and front cameras of the A79 5G can record video at resolutions of 720p and 1080p. In both cases, the maximum frame rate is 30 frames per second. For video recording, there are modes for slow-motion and time-lapse.
Under good lighting conditions, the camera takes decent photos with acceptable clarity and pleasing color reproduction. However, in overcast weather, they could appear brighter. Optical stabilization is sorely missed, as even slight hand movements can result in blurry photos.
The digital zoom is best avoided altogether as the quality is poor. Up to 2x zoom is acceptable, but anything more becomes cumbersome and results in significantly degraded quality.
In the evening and at night, the quality of photos declines. There’s a decrease in image clarity, the appearance of noise, and glowing objects become blurred. Considering the price, the quality could have been significantly better.
Panoramic shots in sufficient light are quite decent.
The front camera performs its tasks relatively well. If you don’t create particularly challenging conditions and avoid shooting in low light, you’ll get images suitable for viewing.
The video is recorded at a maximum of 1080p at 30 fps, which is not good enough for 2024. There is no optical stabilization, and digital stabilization is poor, so the quality leaves much to be desired.
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Software
The OPPO A79 5G runs on Android 13 with the ColorOS 13.1 overlay. It’s a pity it’s not the 14th version; we’re eagerly awaiting updates. The overlay stands out with its user-friendly interface and multitude of settings. For instance, there’s a side panel for quick access to apps, a windowed mode, child and simplified modes, and numerous gestures. The manufacturer promises 3 years of OS updates and security patches.
Personally, I didn’t encounter any negative emotions while using the smartphone. The interface has a pleasant appearance and is well-optimized. The only issue is the significant number of unnecessary pre-installed apps and games – over 20 in total! They can be uninstalled, but the fact remains. The phone already costs more than it should, and they earn extra from consumers by installing bloatware.
Battery life
The OPPO A79 comes with a Li-Po battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh. Charging is relatively fast at 33W (although it’s unclear why it’s reduced, considering the A78 had 67W). It charges just over 50% in half an hour, and it takes about an hour and a bit for a full charge.
If you don’t overuse 3D games, a full charge will last a day of smartphone usage, and for less active users, it might even last two days. The screen-on time (SoT) ranges from 7 to 9 hours, which is quite impressive.
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Sound
The sound here is stereo, with one speaker located at the bottom and the earpiece serving as the second speaker. One of the advantages is that the speakers are loud (and if you activate Ultra Volume mode, you can even hear them clearly during noisy activities). However, I can only mention one positive aspect – the loudness of the speakers. As for the sound quality of music, it didn’t satisfy me – the sound is flat, poorly balanced, and lacks bass. However, if you connect good headphones (even through the wired 3.5mm jack), the sound quality will be better, although still far from ideal, despite the support for aptX HD codec. You can play games, watch videos, listen to news, or podcasts on the A79, but I recommend listening to well-recorded music on another device..
Data transfer
In this section, everything is standard: dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.3. The device ensures accurate positioning with GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, and QZSS. There’s also a USB Type-C 2.0 port and support for OTG..
Conclusions
Not every phone has to be a flagship, and not everyone needs an advanced “bells and whistles” device. Some people prefer a simple model that works quickly and allows them to take decent photos from time to time. Models like the OPPO A79 are created for such individuals. HOWEVER!
Models like the A79 should cost around $180-200! But for $410, there are competitors offering AMOLED screens, faster processors, better camera setups, higher quality photos, and better sound (for example, the POCO X5 5G, POCO M6 Pro, Moto G54 5G, Moto G72, Motorola Edge 30 Neo, Redmi Note 13, Redmi Note 12S, Honor Magic5 Lite, realme C67, realme 10 and the list goes on). Not to mention the charger and case included in the package, which OPPO lacks.
The hero of the review may stand out only in terms of design, but are there really few slim smartphones with interestingly designed back panels nowadays? There’s also the advantage of 5G, but competitors offer this too, and this technology isn’t essential for most users.
Overall, when the price drops, it might be worth considering this model again. But for now, we’re not ready to recommend it for purchase.
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Advantages of OPPO A79
- Beautiful thin body
- Good battery life
- 256 GB of memory
- Support for 5G
- Adequate performance
Disadvantages of OPPO A79
- The meager bundle, lacking a screen protector and case
- LCD screen
- Minimal camera setup, no stabilization, weak photos in low light, poor video quality
- Not the best sound quality, despite being stereo
- Over 20 pre-installed bloatware apps
- Not the best processor for this price
- Outdated Android 13 at launch
- The A78’s predecessor had faster charging