OPPO A79 Review: Bigger Is Not Always Better

Oppo has been on a launching spree and after introducing the likes of R11 and F5, that completely go with the current trend of bezel-less and camera-centric smartphones, OPPO A79 has been launched to further strengthen the line-up. That said, with so many launches, the Chinese manufacturer is on the verge of confusing its fan base as there is little to differentiate all its recent offerings from each other.

As for OPPO A79, it is basically an Oppo F5 with a bigger display, less battery backup and a lower-end front camera, which is the biggest USP of the Oppo line-up. However, from what we see, the company wanted to come up with a device that has the flagship design of R11 but less thrilling internals to compete in the mid-budget segment and this is what OPPO A79 is all about.

But, does OPPO A79 justifies its existence in an already crowded segment? Let’s see!!

OPPO A79 Specifications

• 6-inch (2160 × 1080) 18:9 FHD+ full-screen with AMOLED 2.5D curved glass display, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, offering 86% screen-to-body ratio and 402 PPI.

• Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P23 16nm SoC clocked at 2.5GHz coupled with ARM Mali G71 MP2 800MHz GPU

• 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256GB via microSD

• Android 7.1 Nougat with ColorOS 3.2 on top

• Dual SIM (Dedicated microSD card) and Fingerprint sensor at the rear

• 16MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.8 aperture, 2x digital zoom, PDAF, HDR, face detection, touch focus and Ultra HD mode.

• 16MP front camera with 1/2.8″ sensor, f/2.0 aperture with wide-angle lens, Screen flash and Depth effect

• 3000mAh non-removable battery with VOOC flash charge

• Dimensions:157.3 x 76 x 7.2mm and Weight: 140g

• 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack and FM Radio

OPPO A79 Price And Availability

The OPPO A79 will be available in Black, Blue and Champagne Gold colors with a price tag of 2399 yuan (Rs. 23,500 approx.). While pre-orders have already begun in China, deliveries will start from 1st December.

As for its availability in India, there has been no word whether the OPPO A79 will be launched globally but with the recent introduction of Oppo F5 in India, we really see the need of such a step as there is nothing much at offer apart from the R11-type design, which is also expected to launch in the country this year, itself.

OPPO A79 Review

What we like about Oppo A79

• Oppo F5 was by far the best bezel-less design from the company, but with a 0.1-inch increase in the display size and flagship built including curved edges, sleek unimetal body, and perfectly infused antenna lines, the OPPO A79 looks even better as well as is easy to handle with one hand.

• The display crisp, viewing angles are great and colors pop just right, even during outdoor usage, making it one of the best devices for multimedia consumption.

• The 16MP rear camera comes with A.I. beauty recognition feature which can scan 200 facial recognition spots for a perfect selfie shot and bokeh-effect shots. The front 16MP sensor also offers face unlock feature.

• A dedicated microSD slot is a highly appreciated feature.

• As for its performance credentials, it offers similar results like the Oppo F5, which is an already great smartphone.

• The software is a simple and clean, which trades an app drawer in favor of multiple home screens and a stylish notification bar. Despite the ColorOS 3.2 skin, OPPO A79 still manages to offer stock-Android-type experience, to some extent.

What we didn’t like about Oppo A79

• The 3000 mAh battery is simply not enough and considering the Always-On mode and a little heavy chipset, it should have offered more juice.

• Since we were disappointed with the absence of SD 660 SoC in the F5, Oppo could have differentiated the A79 with the introduction of this Snapdragon-based chipset.

• There is no word on an Android Oreo update.

• USB Type-C support has been ignored, once again.

• Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) is missed in the rear camera as it is a norm in this segment.

Verdict

OPPO A79 is a nice smartphone given the fact that you already don’t have the Oppo F5 and it was a chance for the company to redeem its failures in the performance department but it once again failed to do so.