Oppo has been in the spotlight a lot lately – the launch of several premium foldable phones in markets worldwide has certainly helped bring more awareness to the brand, especially for buyers in western markets who aren’t usually used to seeing Oppo’s selection of Android smartphones on store shelves. The company even recently declared that it will soon launch a new flagship device powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, one of the most powerful mobile SoCs that we’ve seen in a while.
With all that being said, a lot of Oppo’s popularity with its established audience also comes from a wide range of more affordable devices, which feature decent specs while not being too expensive. As such, the company recently expanded its latest addition to its 2023 smartphone lineup with the launch of the Oppo A79, a midrange device. Priced at around £200, the A79 comes with some interesting features that might be enough to attract folks shopping around for a new wallet-friendly phone.
Display and Design
Up front, one of the first things that you’ll notice about the phone is the large 6.72-inch LCD display, which comes with an FHD+ resolution, up to 680 nits of peak brightness, and a 90Hz display – there’s no AMOLED tech on here unfortunately, but the decent sharpness and smoothness of the screen should be enough for most users. It’s also protected by Panda Glass for added resistance against scratches and cracks.
Available in “Mystery Black” and “Growing Green” colour variants, the A79 resembles a lot of recent Android phones from Oppo, especially with the large camera island on the upper corner on the rear panel. For biometrics, there’s a fingerprint scanner located on the side of the phone in lieu of an in-display sensor, which further reveals the phone’s budget origins. The A79’s design also features IP54 certification, which should keep it safe from most accidental moisture and dust.
Internal Specs and Cameras
Inside, the phone is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 6020 chipset, a mobile SoC commonly used for a lot of affordable Android phones. It’s paired with a combo of 128GB of internal storage, as well as 8GB of RAM which should be more than enough for most daily tasks and even some occasional gaming. Thankfully, there’s expandable storage by way of a micro SD card slot, which supports cards of up to 1TB capacity.
The phone runs on Oppo’s ColorOS 13.1, which comes with some third-party apps pre-installed, as well as access to some exclusive Oppo apps and software features. Powering the A79 is a 5,000 mAh battery, with support for up to 33W wired charging speeds. For camera hardware, there’s a trio of cameras which includes two rear sensors and a front-facing camera. On the back you’ll find a 50MP main camera which is aided by a 2MP depth sensor, while the front camera houses an 8MP sensor for selfies and video calls.
At the moment, the Oppo A79 is available for Indian markets, and while Oppo hasn’t announced availability for other markets at the moment, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see the phone arrive in the UK later on.
