OPPO announces two new budget 5G phones

It's official - Realme has been eclipsed in the race for Australia's cheapest 5G phone. Released earlier this year, the Realme 7 5G blew us away with its $499 price tag. Now, OPPO has swooped in with not one, but two cheaper 5G-enabled devices as part of its revamped A Series, on sale today.

At just $399, the OPPO A54 5G shaves a clean $100 off the Realme 7 5G's RRP, while the slightly higher-spec OPPO A74 5G comes in at $449, still well below the previous record holder. Much like the A53 and A53s announced back in October, there's not much separating the A54 and the A74. The only real difference is that paying $50 extra for the A74 will get you extra storage (256GB vs 128GB), slightly more RAM (6GB vs 4GB) and 18W fast charging (compared to the A54's 10W).

Aside from those minor points, the two phones are pretty much identical. Both sport a 6.5-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz screen refresh rate and a 16MP selfie camera. They run OPPO's ColorOS11 (based on Android 11) on a Qualcomm 5G SoC processor with an Adreno 619 GPU, and both pack a generous 5,000mAh battery, which (5G willing) should carry you through a full day and then some. Around the back, you'll find the same camera setup - a 48MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro lens and 2MP mono lens.

The OPPO A74 5G is available at JB Hi-Fi and Officeworks in Space Silver and Fluid Black. The OPPO A54 5G comes in two colours, Fantastic Purple and Fluid Black, and is available at Harvey Norman, Optus, JB Hi-Fi, Woolworths Mobile, Officeworks and The Good Guys.

If you're keen to get your shiny new device with a shiny new plan, check out the most popular OPPO A54 5G deals through Optus and Woolies below. Keep in mind, however, that Woolworths Mobile has yet to gain access to Telstra's 5G network, so you'll be stuck with 4G speeds until the Big T rolls out its next-gen connectivity to its MVNOs.