OPPO A77s Review: Good Looks & Decent Hardware Make It A Decent Purchase
October 16, 2022Performance: Snapdragon 680 5G, 8GB RAM
Main Display: 6.56-inch HD+ (720×1612)
Weight: 187 g
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 5,000 mAh
Features: 1080p
Rear Camera: 50MP Main, 2MP Depth
Front Camera: 8MP, 1080 Video recording
Colour: Starry Black
Rating: 8/10
Price: RM 999.00
If you are looking for an affordable phone that looks just as good as a flagship device, then the Oppo A77s might be just what you want. It features a unibody design with elegant curves that wrap around the edges. It’s textured to feel like the surface has been sandblasted, which feels nice to touch and improves overall grip.
The phone comes in Sky Blue and Starry Black. We have had the latter as our review unit for the past few weeks and though it may not look as mesmerizing as the former, It’s still impressive. It should come as no surprise to most people that Oppo has a gift when it comes to turning regular phones into absolute stunners.
Starry Black gives off a grayish hue when light hits the surface at certain angles. And this helps highlight the level of detail exhibited by the paintwork. The metallic frame that encompasses the phone’s circumference curves neatly around the four corners, creating an industrialized look. For a phone that costs just under RM1000, it’s impressive.
The phone’s thickness is just a hair under 8mm, which allows it to feel wafer thin and extremely pocket friendly. A large, blackened cutout houses two distinct rear camera lenses and a flash. There isn’t a fancy orbit lighting scheme like that of the Reno series, but the A77s shine with a cool understated look.
It’s very difficult for me to knock on Oppo’s design choices or styling because the company tends to over-deliver on every front. This is true of the elaborate color scheme and textures as it is for the impossibly slim dimensions. And it comes as no surprise that the A77s inherited the same traits of its A-Series phones that preceded it.
That said, I’m slightly perturbed by the fact that the A77s has a teardrop-shaped, 6.56-inch display. It’s presumed that in 2022, we’d be done with this dated look and instead have more affordable punch-hole variants. But with that said, the screen offers decent vivid colors despite it being an IPS LCD panel instead of the AMOLED variety.
Admittedly, a direct comparison would reveal that the A77s’ panel is a little less vibrant and features softer tones. This is only an issue for people who are accustomed to AMOLED panels but to everyone else, it won’t be much of a drawback.
The resolution is slightly under 1080P, but in comparison to an actual FHD panel, you don’t feel like you’re missing out on much. The edges on text and images look quite smooth and devoid of any apparent “pixelation”. The panel has a 90Hz refresh rate, which makes animations, transitions and initial app launches feel brisk and responsive.
Performance
It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, the phone jumps to it like it’s the only task on the list. This is despite the fact that it’s powered by a Snapdragon 680 chipset that’s built on a 6nm process. Oppo says that it’s geared toward efficiency while still being able to maximize performance for gaming, photography and streaming content.
Though capable in its own right, you shouldn’t mistake this chip for an actual powerhouse. It’s best suited to regular use such as media consumption, general multitasking and light gaming. As long as you keep the workload ‘moderate’, then the A77s will be more than happy to comply.
If you move between several different tasks at once, you’ll notice some slight hesitation. But this doesn’t progress into anything more severe. This can probably be attributed to Oppo’s software optimization wizardry. Through frugal use of hardware resources, the company’s phones are able to make even modest internals function well.
The phone works well with 8GB of RAM, however, if more memory is needed, then it can be supplemented by borrowing 5GB from the internal 128GB storage. It’s a clever way of compensating for certain shortcomings without affecting overall performance. These types of optimizations are what help keep the phone running smoothly throughout the day.
That said, it’s best to avoid heavy computational work like editing videos, playing demanding gaming titles or anything similar. The Snapdragon 680 isn’t built to handle those kinds of loads. If you want something that can take anything you throw at it, the Reno8 5G would be a far better option.
Cameras
The two large ear lenses house a 50MP main camera (f/1.8) and a 2 MP depth sensor (f/2.4). On the front, there’s a single 8MP (f/2.0) selfie unit that despite the lower megapixel count, can punch above its weight. Oppo’s A77s relies heavily on AI and image processing to produce decent photos.
When taking portrait shots, the software and hardware work together to produce decent bokeh results. The edges of a subject are neatly kept in focus while the background is blurred. Taking this a step further, shimmering lighting effects can be achieved by adding the Bokeh Flare Portrait filter within the camera settings.
Once enabled, it allows you to produce the artistic glow of neon or other types of lighting for an out-of-focus look for a more nostalgic feel. AI retouching helps produce pictures that cover up blemishes like pimples, scars and acne with a decent amount of precision. But this is either a hit or miss because the results can look pretty smooth and artificial, at times.
If you are into taking portrait shots or selfies, this would be of interest to you. The A77s is great for taking fun, creative shots that can be shared on social media platforms. They look professional enough that people won’t question your skills or the lack of proper camera hardware. Though it’s no match for the Reno series, it’s good for selfies.
The main rear camera can capture good shots with decent exposure and clarity. Post-processing software does enough to sharpen or smoothen certain areas to produce attractive photos. The contrast and brightness are well-balanced on most occasions. Sometimes, the results can be over done with too much “enhancement”.
Night-time photography produces mixed results. For the most part, the phone can take decent photos at night provided that there is adequate ambient lighting and you hold the phone with steady hands. In poor lighting conditions, shots look slightly overexposed and undersaturated. It’s a common issue with affordable phones with less-than-stellar camera hardware.
There is a plethora of filters that can be added to tweak the outlook of your photos. Some are tasteful while others cater to more Instagram-like results. There are so many options that you will not get bored quickly. It offers great opportunities to have fun, which can increase your interest in smartphone photography.
Due to the absence of proper optical image stabilization, this isn’t a great phone for videography. Limited to just 1080p, the rear sensor produces footage that looks ok in good lighting conditions. In poor ones it tends to trip over itself resulting in grainy underexposed results.
If you don’t hold the phone relatively steady while shooting, you’re going to get shaky and rather unsettling shots. For phones without OIS, this can be remedied by keeping your feet firmly planted to the ground, while making subtle, but deliberate movements as you pan the phone around the subject you intend to shoot.
Overall, the A77s produces moderately decent videos provided that you adhere to the tips mentioned earlier. This is a sub RM1,000 phone and as such you can’t expect the world from it. But if you understand its cameras’ limitations and work around them, they should produce decent, shareable results.
Battery Life & General Usability
Since the phone is fitted with a 5,000mAh battery, you should expect at least a full day’s worth of use out of it and still have about 20% charge in reserve. This can also be attributed to Oppo’s software optimization that consumes the least amount of power possible.
Super Nighttime standby allows the phone’s algorithm to recognize your sleep behavior and reduce overall power consumption if you are asleep. In fact, Oppo says that the A77s consumes only 1.68% of battery charge overnight, which is nothing short of impressive. When the battery level drops to 10% a system prompt will help you eke out the last bit of energy left over.
The battery supports 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging technology. This means that in just 30 minutes being connected to the charger, the phone can receive 50% battery charge. This coupled with the good overall battery life means that you should expect between 1 to 1.5 days of battery life without having to frantically look for a charger.
Special Deal
In celebration of its arrival, OPPO Malaysia is giving away an attractive gift with every purchase of an OPPO A77s. It’s called the Y.O.U beauty travel kit 3 and it’s worth RM99. Stock is limited so you might need to act quickly to stand a chance of acquiring this kit.
Should You Buy This?
The A77s is a very good-looking phone with somewhat capable hardware. For the average user looking for a decent phone that won’t burn a hole in their wallet, this should be one of the best devices to buy. It’s a mid-ranger that ticks all the right boxes and should be able to serve you for several years down the road. A big step up would be the Reno8 series.
