OPPO has recently officially launched its latest A-series device – the OPPO A94 in the Philippines and we’ve had a unit for about two weeks. We’ve gone through our initial gaming experience and unboxing + first impression ahead of this, in case you missed it.
Now it’s time for our full review after using the OPPO A94 as a daily driver.
Product photos courtesy of Rianne Ronquillo
Full Specifications:
| OPPO A42 | |
| Display | 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio P95 |
| RAM | 8GB, LPDDR4X @ 1866MHz |
| Storage | 128GB, expandable |
| Rear Camera | 48MP main, f/1.7 aperture |
| 8MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 aperture | |
| 2MP macro, f/2.4 aperture | |
| 2MP monochrome, f/2.4 aperture | |
| Front Camera | 32MP |
| Battery | 4310mAh, 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi |
| Bluetooth 5.1 | |
| GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS | |
| 4G LTE | |
| USB Type-C | |
| NFC | |
| 3.5mm headphone jack | |
| OS | ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11 |
| Weight | 172g |
| Dimension | 160.1 mm x 73.2mm x 7.8mm |
| Colors | Fluid Black, Fantastic Purple |
| Price | PHP 13,999 |
Design and Build
The OPPO A94 is a good-looking device, specifically the back. I’ve mentioned in my first impression of the device that gradient is nothing new but the way it is implemented through the Flowing Light Design, especially in the Fantastic Purple color, just makes it mesmerizing. Depending on where you look at the A94, you see purple, green, and blue. Adding to the already impressive colors is a softer look to the back of the device, making it more elegant than just plain loud.
I actually found myself keeping the phone face down when not in use just so I get to see the design. It does, however, attract quite a lot of fingerprints so be prepared to wipe it often or just use the included silicone case. I decided to go for the former because I just love how it felt in my hands.
The OPPO A94 built around a slim 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display which offers ample screen real estate for when you’re playing games or just watching videos. It is also easy to use with one hand thanks to its slim body. The only adjustment I’d make with one-handed-use is trying to reach the top for the notification bar, which isn’t that big of an issue for me.
On the right of the device is the power button, while on the opposite side are the volume rockers and the SIM tray. Its USB-C port is found at the bottom flanked by a mic, the speaker grill, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The last of which is always nice to have albeit the rise of TWS earbuds.
Performance
Under the hood, the new A-series phone has a MediaTek Helio P95 along with 8GB and 128GB, which is the same processor and memory configuration as its predecessor, the A93. It still is a good combination as it offered a very smooth experience. There were no stutters or delays throughout my time spent with the phone.
The OPPO A94 handled games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Asphalt 9 with ease even at max settings.
Black Desert Mobile, on the other hand, can be played at high but the device warmed up as I left it for a couple of minutes to auto-combat.
Like I mentioned in my initial gaming experience, Genshin Impact on the OPPO A94 was playable for the most part but I missed out on a couple of cutscenes which just totally glitched out on me. I had a couple of stutters here and there but again, I’m good with the fact that it is playable even if just at Low settings.
Camera
As far as optics go, the OPPO A94 has a 32MP front camera and a 48MP main rear camera joined by an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro snapper, and a 2MP monochrome sensor.
The main rear camera has a good dynamic range and detail in both well-lit and indoor settings. For darker environments, the A94 has Night Mode which performs pretty well.
It also includes a Macro Mode although it is more grainy. It does, however, give you the option of getting up to 4cm close to the subject. I personally preferred to use the main camera, albeit not get as close but at least the quality of the photo is still good.
The ultra-wide, while not as impressive, is always a welcome addition to any device. It allows you to include more in your picture albeit a bit more warped.
Both the front and rear cameras offer AI Color Portrait Mode which turns the background into grayscale while keeping the subject colored. This gives a pretty cool effect for social media posts but as I mentioned in my first impression, AI Color Portrait is an interesting addition but it could use a bit of improvement. The feature, in theory, is a pretty cool addition especially if you want to make your photos on social media a bit more dramatic. However, the separation of the subject and the background isn’t as perfect as it could be especially around the head and hair. It takes away from the overall effect of separating the subject from the background.
Battery
The OPPO A94 has a 4310mAh battery which scored 10 hours and 39 minutes on the PCMark Battery Work 2.0 battery life test. The test simulates common tasks like video and photo editing and browsing the web.
This score is pretty close to my experience with moderate use and some gaming which can give you a full day of use. In a long heavy gaming session, depending on the game, it will still offer a couple of hours of gameplay.
Even if it does die on you, the OPPO A94 supports 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 and comes with a 30W charger out of the box. The combination charges the phone to 0-100% in less than an hour. This is enough for you get a breather or maybe get back to work or eat a snack and wash away the salt after an intense gaming session and hop back in no time.
Software
The OPPO A94 runs on ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11. Quite honestly, it’s been a while since I used an OPPO device and I must say I’m impressed with ColorOS.
I like the level of customization the ColorOS has out of the box like being able to change the shape of the icons of apps, being able to change the font face, and being able to change the color scheme, to name a few.
In addition, the software has Game Space which is basically your one-stop-shop for your games. You can just open the app and open the games from there as well as set the power setup of the device of up to three choices – Low power mode, Balanced mode, and Competition mode. The last of which increases the resource usage but also increases the chance of heating.
Game Space also has a swipe-in window while in-game where you can adjust the power consumption on the fly, take screenshots, and record your gameplay. But my favorite feature is Bullet notifications which shows your SMS messages and Messenger messages as passing text on your display instead of dropping down from the notification bar. It allowed me to keep up with my conversations and be on top in case an important message comes in.
One bit of a downside though is that you do get some pre-installed apps. Some of which, like Facebook, Messenger, and TikTok, just saves you the time and effort to install it but others like Agoda, iQIYI, and WPS Office, I wish were just omitted from being pre-installed. Luckily, you can uninstall these as you please.
Ram found his love and appreciation for writing in 2015 having started in the gaming and esports sphere for GG Network. He would then transition to focus more on the world of tech which has also began his journey into learning more about this world. That said though, he still has the mentality of "as long as it works" for his personal gadgets.
