For RM1,199, the Oppo A79 5G promises a unique design, a bright display, loud speakers, fast charging, a large battery, and a 50MP camera with all the bells and whistles. After two weeks of using this midrange device, I feel like there are a lot of embellishments going on.

Here’s a link to the Oppo A79 5G official page for the marketing spiel.

The review unit that was lent to me has a silver frame and a back panel that looks like a mother of pearl with a purple hue and an ocean surface texture placed over it. It is beautiful enough to distract me from the large camera island with it’s two large black circles that hide three small cameras.

The large display does a good job trying to look better than it is. It adds sharpness, contrast, and smoothness where it needs to be, but it is noticeable. It doesn’t do well in direct sunlight either. Still, I like how the large display combined with its body makes the A79 5G easy to handle.

Phone speakers should not be used in public and to me making them louder does not a make the device better, putting a 3.5mm audio jack is. The A79 5G has both.

I would guess that most of the device’s weight comes from its 5Ah battery. Despite its size, it drained fast on initial setup, consumed by the colony of parasitic unwanted apps that comes preinstalled for your inconvenience. Uninstall or disable them (and there is a lot of them) and the A79 5GT actually works better and have a longer battery life. Good thing because the review unit I got did not come with a fast charger.

When it comes to the camera the photos takes with the A79 5G is an acquired taste. Objectively, the picture the pictures looks good at a glance on the display and is plenty good for social media. But when I look a little closer, I notice what I would call AI processing artefacts, like the camera is overcompensating and overcorrecting itself.

Subjectively, comparing the camera on the A79 5G to others is like comparing a film camera with a plastic lens and a digital camera with a premium optical lense. They are both distinctive and have their place, it depends on what the user is looking for.

To Buy Or Not To Buy

If you can find an Oppo A79 5G at a discount, I’d recommend it. I don’t think it is a strong contender in the mid range, but in the entry level bracket, it takes an easy win.