The new Oppo A73 has been made for the avid selfie taker with an emphasis on the front facing camera than the rear one.
The company is boasting AI technology giving users ‘flawless selfies’.
Oppo is known for its ColorOS, a Custom Android operating system that looks like the iOS’ long lost cousin.
This is the cheaper, alternate version to the R11.
In the box you’ll get the device, headphones, a micro-USB cable, with a case.
Camera
The A73 is equipped with a 16-megapixel front camera with AI beauty functionality and a f/2.2 aperture. The rear camera is 13-megapixels with a f/2.0 aperture.
It is rare to see a company place more emphasis and megapixels for the front facing camera compared to the rear camera.
But Oppo is pushing for the A73 to be about selfies and wants it users to focus on the front camera more than the rear camera.
As someone who enjoys a good selfie or two I was pretty much sceptical of the whole “flawless selfies” notion because getting good lighting is one thing but a camera able to perfect a selfie no matter the lighting is another.
Oppo says in its release, “capture flawless selfies with the AI Beauty technology, to give users the best possible photography experience right in the palm of their hand.”
Testing out their AI technology I took a selfie on both the normal photo function and beauty function.
Comparing the two images you could see a difference.
Basically, the photo version showed my freckles, moles and usual bits and pieces but the beauty camera either eradicates all signs of flaws or reduces them meaning it looked as if my moles and freckles were toned down.
Some of my moles were even removed completely.
The beauty function is similar to the app FaceTune where ‘flaws’ such as moles and freckles are toned down, your skin looks smoother and your lips are edited to look pinker.
Oppo says this is caused by the out-of-focus bokeh effect.
The beauty technology has more than 200 positioning pin points which Oppo says gives users their most natural selfies, with the images I have taken using the function they do not look natural since all my moles and freckles are blurred and my face looks like a clean slate.
I also noticed the camera made me look whiter when comparing the two images.
Oppo says no matter what the light you can take amazing selfies and the front-facing camera has been made to work no matter the lighting.
Using the camera, it looks like there is something smudged on the lens but no its just how the camera looks, this is with all functions on selfie mode.
ColorOS
Our friends at PC World have dubbed the Oppo the iClone for obvious reasons. Everything from the home screen, the layout of the main apps such as settings and weather even the call screen looks vaguely familiar for an iOS user.
It is like you bought a fake Louis Vuitton bag from Paddy’s Market, very similar to an iPhone but we all know it is not the real deal.
I have an iPhone 7 Plus and this is the first time I’ve used a ColorOS product and I was shocked at how similar the operating system looks to the Apple iOS.
On this phone ColorOS 3.2 is installed based off the Android 7.1. This software includes features sich as the split screen and night shield which dims down the screen during the evening reducing eye strain.
If you look below you’ll see two images, one showing both devices iOS and ColorOS on the home screen and on the settings screen. Same, same but different.
Copycat evidence aside, the operating system itself is responsive and at no time did I experience the phone freezing.
The A73 doesn’t have the split screen like its big brother the R11.
Android users will need some getting used to with this device as there is no dropdown menu, an industry standard for the operating system. To access quick controls, you need to pull up, like an iPhone.
It also doesn’t show notifications at the top of the screen, users will need to swipe through pages to see what apps have notifications – once again, like an iPhone.
Performance
The phone has 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage which can be expanded to 256GB with a microSD. The screen is 2160×1080 pixels with full HD.
The 32GB might seem like not much space compared to what the Samsung and Apple models can produce but with the micro USB option users won’t need to be stingy with space.
The battery takes just over two hours to fully charge and with continual use lasts a full day and, on some days, when I was barely using it i.e. a busy work day, the battery would last over a day.
One of the things I really loved was the face recognition function. To register your face, users need to move their face around the camera to get every angle. Once everything has been registered all you need to do is press the lock button, make sure your camera is pointing at your face and you unlock your phone.
It is a smooth, lag-free process which Oppo should be applauded for.
When it comes to apps you will have to download most of them including ones you’d think would be installed on the phone such as notes but Facebook is pre-installed.
All of the Google apps are installed except a few such as the Chromecast app.
Like every Android it doesn’t have a dedicated podcast app like Apple does so you have to find a third-party app to download.
For someone who listens to various podcasts this was a little bit annoying to not have a clean simple flagship app like Apple.
The A73 has phone manager where users can quickly clean-up and accelerate the phone, if they are experiencing any lag whatsoever. This app is supported by Cheetah Clean Master. To use just enter the app and you have the option to clean up cache junk, memory clean-up, uninstall residuals, advertising junk and APK.
Design
The device is light, sleek and the screen is a good size at 6 inches.
When the smartphone is unlocked and in use, the home, split screen and back button are virtual giving the device a clean, minimal look when locked.
The fingerprint scanner is at the back of the device, an inconvenient place to put it in my opinion, unless you have long fingers. As an Apple dupe I was a bit surprised they followed the route of the Samsung Galaxy S8.
It comes in two colours: gold and black.
Value
It retails in Australia for $359 with a cheaper price for Optus pre-paid. This smartphone is packed with the essentials and for what you pay for, it seems a bit of a steal.
Overall
I am impressed with this phone and for what you’re paying it is filled with everything you need except the multi-tasking split screen function, something the R11 possesses.
The AI beauty software does remove all your blemishes giving you a flawless look but be warned all your moles and freckles disappear giving a not so natural look as the company promises.
After all the emphasis the company has put on the camera it still isn’t up there with the Apple and Samsung flagships, but the offering is strong for the lower price point.
The ColorOS its Custom Android operating system is an iPhone knock off but with some great features like the facial recognition.
The A73 is available from Optus, Vodafone, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, The Good Guys and Woolworths Mobile.
