Oppo and OnePlus have been sharing more and more in common over the past few years, and there’s nowhere that’s no apparent than the OnePlus Open and Oppo Find N3 foldables, which quite literally are the same device.
The Oppo Find N3 and OnePlus Open share basically everything. The same specs, the same cameras, the same hinge, the same displays. It’s all the same, and you can tell in person. Over the summer, 9to5Google got a brief early chance to spend a few minutes with the Find N3, and it is indeed the same device we ended up getting in the OnePlus Open.
At the time, Oppo even said that the OnePlus Open is essentially the “global version” of the Find N3.
That’s certainly good news, as Oppo’s book-style foldables have never launched outside of China. The Find N and Find N2 both never made it to global markets, and from the looks of it, the Find N3 technically won’t either unless it’s called the OnePlus Open.
The only real differences come down to the software and the fit and finish. The Find N3 is sold in gold, red, and some other colors, while the Open is only available in black and green. The Find N3 has ColorOS, and the Open has OxygenOS (not that those are different).
The only real difference is the logo on the back.
So, yeah. These are the same phones, just for different markets. Will that continue into future releases? We’ll see! If it’s for flip phones, I hope that we see more crossover, but I would prefer if OnePlus’ main flagships retain at least some personal identity.
Oppo K7 5G is the company’s first K series phone to support 5G. Oppo K7 is the successor to Oppo K5. Adding more about the phone, Oppo K7 5G includes a 6.4-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display. Under the hood, the phone has Snapdragon 765G SoC coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Oppo K7 5G is backed by a 4025mAh battery with a 30W fast charger out of the box. Let’s read more about Oppo K7 5G in detail and see how the phone stands against its competitors.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Display and Camera
Oppo K7 5G is fitted with a 6.4-inch color AMOLED multitouch display with a waterdrop notch. The panel has a Full HD+(1080×2400) resolution which amounts to 411 PPI. The aspect ratio of the phone is 20:9 which means you get a decent screen size to treat your eyes. Biometrics features include an in-display fingerprint sensor and face unlock. Also, the display has a protective layer of Gorilla Glass5.
Oppo K7 5G has vertically aligned quad-rear cameras. It features a 48MP primary sensor coupled with an 8MP ultrawide lens and two 2MP’s of B/W sensor and a depth sensor with autofocus. It does offer a wide variety of popular lenses that you can experiment with to capture decent photographs. As far as the recording is concerned, you can record UHD 4K videos @30fps using the rear cameras. For selfies and video calls, it has a 32MP camera with f/2.0 aperture.
Performance and Battery
Oppo K7 5G runs on Android 10 based on color OS7. The phone has Qualcomm’s mid-range gaming Snapdragon 765G SoC coupled with 8GB of RAM. This ample size of RAM is likely to handle multitasks smoothly and help run demanding applications. To meet the graphic demands it houses Adreno620 GPU which is capable of rendering high-end graphics to give a stable performance. These specifications can be appealing to gamers looking for a performance gaming phone.
Oppo K7 5G is backed by a 4025mAh Li-Po battery which may last a day depending upon your usage. Also, it supports a 30W flash charge out of the box which means you can charge it quickly.
Storage and Connectivity
Oppo K7 5G has 128GB of internal storage capacity which is enough to store in your pictures, photos, videos, music, and documents. However, the phone lacks any external sd-card slot which limits the storage capacity.
Oppo K7 5G has the usual sets of connectivity options that includes 3G 4G VoLTE that enables HD voice and video calls on supported Jio networks, WiFi, Bluetooth v5.1, USB v2.0 with Type C connectivity, NFC for sharing small amounts of payloads. Online constellations like GPS with A-GPS, QZSS, Glonass, Galileo, and BDS are supported.
The Oppo A53 could have been a forgettable budget phone, but thanks to its 90Hz display and decent battery life, it stands out a little from the competition. Don’t expect miracles but do expect a competent device for the price.
Oppo isn’t a hugely well-known name still despite having an extensive range of phones under its belt, among the latest of which is the Oppo A53, a solidly budget model. That’s no bad thing but it does mean that already, we need to temper our expectations.
This isn’t a phone that will revolutionize the market but nor should anyone expect that from such an inexpensive device. On the plus side, it does offer some neat extras that mean it occasionally stands out a bit amongst a busy crowd of cheap phones.
While it’s the low price that’s the main selling point of the phone, the Oppo A53 also bundles in a 90Hz refresh rate, which isn’t entirely unique in this field with the likes of the Realme 6 also sporting that refresh rate, but is still a welcome addition to spruce up an otherwise fairly ordinary phone.
Besides the classy display, the Oppo A53 actually looks pretty nice for the price. It has a premium look reminiscent of the Honor 10 Lite, with a curved back that is somewhat eye-catching and ensures you’re not simply stuck with the same old tedious back that so many other phones stoically stick with it.
Elsewhere, it’s perhaps more unremarkable looking, with the standard bevy of buttons and a conveniently placed fingerprint scanner right where your finger is likely to linger.
At around 186g and 8.4mm thick, the Oppo A53 is quite bulky, but the aforementioned curved back means it sits comfortably in your hand at least, even if your hands are quite small.
Performance wise, the Oppo A53 is about what you’d expect for the price. In our tests, it slightly outperformed the similarly priced Redmi Note 7 when it came to multi-core performance, but it was a fair way behind in single-core performance. In daily use, we weren’t irritated by what the Oppo A53 accomplished but it wasn’t exactly a wizard either.
That’s the general trend with the Oppo A53. It works well enough but it lacks a bit of magic. In general daily use, it does what you need, allowing you to easily switch between apps and games without too much slowdown, but it’s not exactly a revolution in design. We were pleased to see that it arrived with little bloatware attached though, with only the likes of Facebook and WPS Office potentially superfluous to one’s needs.
When trying out the camera, it’s another functional moment for the Oppo A53. It works just fine but don’t expect anything more advanced than a macro mode. Even a night mode isn’t included and we wouldn’t recommend taking snaps in low light with this phone. Again though, it suits the budget reasonably well.
Cutting back on features is a key pattern here, with other absences including waterproofing and wireless charging, but again, these concessions keep the price down. Fast charging is an option at least though and we were pleasantly surprised with how long the Oppo A53 lasted without needing a top up.
So then, the Oppo A53 isn’t everything you could want and more, but your bank balance will like the price and you’ll certainly appreciate how dependable it is.
With some stylish looks and the bonus of a superior screen than some others can offer at this price, it’s not too shabby at all for the money. Just remember to temper your expectations accordingly.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Design
Smart design
Four color choices
Sensibly placed fingerprint sensor
The Oppo A53 immediately reminded us of the Honor 10 Lite and that’s certainly a good thing. Our review unit had the Electric Black color scheme and the back of the unit caught our eye quite well. Rather than simply being a dull black color, it has a glint to it that looks rather appealing, although it is prone to attracting fingerprints and smudges.
UK markets have the choice of Mint Cream or Electric Black, with the former typically costing more depending on where you look. Other markets also have Fairy White and Fancy Blue, with white seeming like the one to go for if you want to avoid marks.
Whichever one you go for, the Oppo A53 is a little on the chunky side at 8.4mm but its curved edges and corners mean it still feels reasonably comfortable in your hands. A fingerprint sensor located on the back of the phone just underneath the camera is ideally suited for unlocking your device with minimal hassle.
lsewhere, the volume buttons are on the left edge near the dual-SIM slot, while the right edge has the power button. It’s all perfectly functional and exactly what feels comfortable to use.
The 6.5-inch display is recessed slightly to give it a bit of protection, with a small notch for the selfie camera. We didn’t mind losing that tiny amount of screen space and it all feels reasonably sturdy. The casing doesn’t give away a sense that this is a budget phone, although it’s worth remembering that the phone isn’t rated as waterproof or dustproof.
Along the bottom you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB type-C port, and a single speaker grille. It’s all business as usual then.
Display
6.5-inch 720 x 1600 screen
90Hz refresh rate
It’s a mixed bag for the Oppo A53‘s display. On the one hand, it has that 90Hz refresh rate. What that means for you is it refreshes the screen 90 times per second rather than the 60 times that many other screens offer.
It means a smoother experience while you’re scrolling through things or playing games, and it’s certainly a big plus when considering this phone.
However, the resolution of the phone isn’t Full HD at only 720 x 1600, and that’s not great. It’ll do, of course, but it means in certain cases that videos and text won’t look as sharp and you’ll probably wish you prioritized resolution over refresh rate. Unsurprisingly it’s also an LCD screen rather than OLED.
This isn’t a terrible display by any means but it’s nothing great either. You’ll also find you need to bump up the brightness to full if you want to use the Oppo A53 effectively in bright sunlight outdoors.
Is it a big deal on a phone of this price? Not so much, with movies and shows certainly watchable, but it’s not exactly a shining example of what smartphone screens can offer.
Camera
13MP + 2MP + 2MP rear camera
16MP selfie camera
Poor in low light
Let’s get this out of the way – the Oppo A53 isn’t made for photographers. Its camera is fine and functional but it’s nothing special. The rear camera offers a 13MP primary lens, 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensor. There’s no wide-angle lens but honestly, we’re not convinced it would be great if it were there.
The 13MP f/2.2 main camera is just fine, with okay photos but nothing exceptional, and it’s a little slow to shoot. It’s good enough for uploading to Facebook but there’s a certain lack of detail once you look up close.
That’s a similar story for the macro camera, which does the job but feels like it would appeal more to someone less knowledgeable about what smartphones can offer now. Light is key to a good macro shot if you want to avoid any noise on your images.
An up to 5x digital zoom sounds enticing but the picture simply gets less clear the more you zoom, so we wouldn’t recommend using it unless you absolutely have to.
Night shots meanwhile are particularly disappointing here with no dedicated night mode and very underwhelming results.
On the plus side, Oppo‘s software goes some way to improving your photography experience. It includes features like HDR, Dazzle Color, portrait mode and AI improvements. Dazzle Color and HDR in particular are a huge help when trying to get more of the colors of what you’re snapping, even during a clear day outside.
For selfie addicts, the 16MP selfie camera is one of the better parts of the camera here with decent color reproduction, although not as much detail as we’d like to see. Also, it’s worth noting that switching off the AI beautification mode generally improves results.
Like we said, the Oppo A53 isn’t made for photography, although it is functional enough. Predictably its photos don’t really stand up to pricier fare but nor would we expect them to. Still, a night mode would have been appreciated.
Specs and performance
Average performance
Expandable storage
Android 10 OS
The Oppo A53 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor, which is distinctly entry-level stuff. 4GB of RAM also means it can’t rely heavily on memory to make up for any shortcomings. We played Call of Duty Mobile to see how it performed and it was fine but rather slow to load. Ultimately, it shouldn’t bother you too much unless you’re impatient.
Geekbench 5 scores came in at 253 for single-core performance and 1,266 for multi-core performance. That’s not great but it is better than some other budget options such as the Alcatel 3L (2020). It also beats the Redmi Note 7 for multi-core performance, but not for single-core.
Benchmarks are irrelevant in day to day use though and we didn’t actually have much trouble with the responsiveness of the Oppo A53. It does everything at a reasonable speed and without any lag or crashes to be seen. We wouldn’t fancy its chances with multiple browser tabs open, but that’s unlikely to be too much of an issue for the average user shopping for a phone at this price.
The Oppo A53 comes with 64GB of internal storage, with expandable memory of up to 256GB being an option. The internal storage isn’t great but it should get you started without any trouble before you consider whether an upgrade is needed.
Android 10 comes pre-installed here and the Oppo A53 isn’t too heavy on pre-installed apps. Beyond the standard stuff, there’s simply WPS Office, Facebook and Oppo’s Game Space app that you may wish to remove.
The last of those aims to speed up gaming performance by clearing the cache and RAM before you play a game. It potentially does improve performance ever so slightly but you’ll probably forget all about using it soon enough.
As a budget phone, the Oppo A53 keeps things simple elsewhere, so of course there’s no 5G.
Battery life
5,000mAh battery
18W fast charge
Decent battery life
With a 5,000mAh battery, the Oppo A53 performs fairly admirably. That’s a big battery for a phone of this price and size. It easily lasts more than a day even during heavy usage, such as extensive gaming or binge-watching.
On those days where you use the Oppo A53 a little less, it should last a couple of days, although it’s likely that you’ll find yourself recharging it to be on the safe side.
There’s no wireless charging here but we found it took just over 2 hours to recharge fully. That’s not amazing but it’s good enough.
Software features such as Super Power Saving Mode and Sleep Standby Optimization go some way to helping you prolong the battery life.
Suggestions are offered about where you can extend the battery life and they’re usually pretty intelligent, avoiding reducing what you can actually get done with your phone. Just watch out for Oppo‘s Game Space which is likely to hammer the battery life if you use it a lot.
Should I buy the Oppo A53?
Buy it if…
You’re on a budget The Oppo A53 is cheap but cheerful. Nothing about it is quite as exciting as you’d probably like, but it’s dependable enough for the money.
You want a stylish budget phone We were quite taken with how the Oppo A53 looks thanks to its vibrant back that looks a bit nicer than a simple black exterior. You can pretend it cost more than it did.
You’re desperate for a 90Hz refresh rate We’re not sure why you’d be so desperate for a 90Hz refresh rate (more on that in a moment) but if you really want the extra smoothness, then the Oppo A53 is an inexpensive way of gaining that.
Don’t buy it if…
You want a great display The resolution of the Oppo A53 isn’t really up to scratch and the refresh rate can only go so far. It’s fine but don’t expect greatness.
You want to take a lot of photos The Oppo A53’s camera is okay but far from special, and the weak macro mode and lack of night mode is likely to grate after a while. If you love to document your life visually, you’re going to be disappointed here.
You have a bigger budget
If you can afford more, you should buy more. The Oppo A53 looks nice and does the job, but it’s rather forgettable in the long term.
We’ve grown to appreciate Oppo‘s relentless drive for breaking the mold and introducing unorthodox innovations – be it a swivel or a pop-up camera, geometry-inspired panels, the VOOC fast charging, or even soccer-themed phones.
The latest Find X3 Pro flagship doesn’t shy away from innovation either – in addition to the cutting-edge specs and design, the new Find also bets big on 10-bit color by pushing 10-bit cameras and a 10-bit screen to make sure you are viewing what you’ve captured in its full glory.
Indeed, the Oppo Find X3 Pro was presented under the Awaken Color slogan, meaning you can capture and see 1 billion colors with the hit of a button – something you can’t do anywhere else, not that easily, at least.
There is a curved 6.7″ 10-bit OLED screen of high resolution and high refresh rate, while on the back, you’ll find a quartet of snappers that can capture the world around you with 10-bit color.
The whole Find X3 Pro was thoughtfully designed to envelope these two key features into one extraordinary-shaped and waterproofed body. Everything looks so well designed, and the organic curves around the rear camera are something we haven’t seen so far, so kudos for that!
The quad-camera on the back is also bringing surprises – while it looks like your typical quartet of wide/ultrawide/tele/macro, it is, in fact, more than meets the eye. The two wide snappers use identical 50MP Sony IMX 766 sensors, with different optics, of course, then we have a 13MP 2x tele, and a 3MP microscope camera with 60x magnification and a LED ring flash around the whole things. The micro camera will let you to see details that are invisible to the naked eye and sounds really cool on paper. We just can’t wait to test it. Is it another gimmick? Maybe! But color us intrigued as we haven’t seen such type of shooter on any phone.
The Oppo Find X3 Pro offers the current best Snapdragon 888 chipset with a 5G modem and support for thirteen 5G bands.
The phone is sold in a single configuration, but it is more than fitting for a flagship – 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM with 256GB of UFS3.1 storage.
You also get Dolby Atmos-certified stereo speakers and a large 4,500mAh battery with the latest 65W VOOC fast charging. It can even do fast wireless and reverse wireless charging if that’s your thing.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
A quick look through these specs, and we are already intrigued by the 10-bit promises and the microscope camera. We appreciate Oppo throwing in official IP68 certification, and it seems Xiaomi is the last one of the major makers that still stubbornly refuses to get that for its phones.
The Find X3 Pro will be sold in many international markets, and Oppo is offering a free global warranty to go with it, one similar to what Apple is promising for its iPhones and Macbooks. It is one of the concerns when buying a Chinese phone, and we like that Oppo is stepping up its game.
And now, without further ado, let’s unbox our Gloss Black Oppo Find X3 Pro.
Unboxing the Oppo Find X3 Pro
Unlike them Galaxies and iPhones, the Oppo Find X3 Pro arrives in a big fat retail box jam-packed with stuff. In addition to your new Find X, inside, you’ll also find a 65W VOOC 2.0 power adapter and a 6.5A-rated USB-A-to-C cable that you’ll need to reach the max wattage.
The retail bundle also contains a USB-C EarPods-like headset and a black protective case made of rubber with a nice matte finish.
The Oppo Find X3 Pro comes with a thin plastic film applied on the screen, but this can hardly pass for a screen protector. There is a Gorilla Glass 5 shielding the screen, so you are well covered. This cheap film gets smudgy in seconds, so we’d suggest peeling it off immediately and opting for a proper protector, if you decide you need one, that is.
The competition
The Find X3 Pro seems like a meaningful upgrade over the X2 Pro, even if it doesn’t look as major as some might have hoped. We can see a point there – after all, the 6.7″ AMOLED is great, but the old one wasn’t shabby either. The jump to the next-gen Snapdragon is great, but it doesn’t bring breath-taking performance benefits.
But, the camera, on the other hand, has seen a lot of improvements, including new high-end sensors and this unique 3MP microscope snapper. The larger battery and the fast wireless charging complete the list of the major upgrades.
Find X3 Pro and Find X2 Pro
Oppo will be selling the Find X3 Pro globally with an international warranty not unlike Apple’s. Purchasing it won’t be as easy as opening, say, Amazon, and clicking Buy, as not all countries will have a regional seller. But we do hope Oppo will be able to expand its market reach even more with the Find X3 Pro. And while we are on the topic of availability, for now, only the Find X3 Pro will be available outside China, and you won’t see the other Find X3 options as alternatives in this section.
So, the first phone that comes to mind as a viable alternative to this €1150 Find X3 Pro is the €750 Xiaomi Mi 11, which we reviewed just recently. The Mi 11 matches the screen and the chipset of the Oppo, as well as the speaker quality, the battery capacity, and the charging speed. It runs on MIUI, which is a lot more popular and gets regular updates for years. But there is no zoom camera on the Mi 11, no micro snapper, and no official water-protection. It makes up for those deficiencies with a price tag that’s some €400 cheaper than the Find X3 Pro, and we can easily forgive the missing zoom in and zoom out cameras.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra costs as much as the Find X3 Pro, and while it has a similar screen, chipset, and speakers, it impresses with zooming capabilities. The Ultra features a 3x and a 10x telephoto camera, both with OIS. Its 40MP selfies camera with PDAF and 4K capturing is superior, too. Finally, the Galaxy has much better battery life, and unless you need the microscopic camera, the Ultra might be your better choice.
Huawei P40 Pro costs only €640, and it is quite the treat if you can live without Google services and stereo speakers. The water-resistant P40 Pro packs a great 1200p 90Hz AMOLED, a powerful Kirin 990 5G chip. Still, its camera prowess is what makes it such an attractive offer – all four snappers – the 50MP main, the 40MP ultrawide, the 12MP 5x tele, and the 32MP AF selfie excel in photo and video quality. Zooming across these cameras while shooting video is quite smooth, too.
Finally, we want to mention the upcoming vivo X60 Pro+, which might be a niche smartphone, but what a phone it is. The X60 Pro+ is expected to cost the same as the Oppo on the international markets, and it will match its screen, processor, main camera, and battery specs. But the vivo will offer a more versatile imaging setup by accompanying the 50MP primary with a 48MP ultrawide shooter with a second-generation gimbal stabilization and two zoom cameras – 32MP 2x portrait one and 8MP 5x OIS telephoto. That’s something we’d like to try for sure.
Finally, the OnePlus 9 series announcement is just around the corner, and the Pro model should be a close match to the Find X3 Pro. The OnePlus phones enjoy a wider availability, they run the fan-favorite Oxygen OS, and they are usually more reasonably priced, so they may be worth looking into.
Xiaomi Mi 11 • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G • Huawei P40 Pro • vivo X60 Pro Plus
The verdict
We liked the Oppo Find X3 Pro and the time we spent together. It has a marvelous screen and design, powerful hardware, and a multi-camera setup that delivers on every promise. The fast battery charging is something many will appreciate, too.
The Find X3 Pro is not without competition; in fact, it’s an all-out war. And while the Find X3 Pro delivers on its promises, it’s not a perfect phone either. The Mi 11 is cheaper, the Galaxy – heavier but better spec’d, the P40 Pro – quite attractive but Google-less, while the vivo X60 Pro+ and the OnePlus 9 are yet to hit the shelves.
But that’s the great thing about the market and the rich competition – you are free to buy the phone that suits you best.
Pros
Remarkable 1440p OLED HDR10+ display with 120Hz refresh.
Exquisite, water-resistant design.
Fast wired and wireless charging.
Loud stereo speakers, equally balanced.
Flagship-grade performance, 5G.
Outstanding photo and video quality, day and night.
Intriguing one of a kind microscope camera, gimmick or not.
Fluid ColorOS on top of Android 11, rich customization options.
OPPO presented the new one in March Find X3 series, where especially that Promodel with the extremely good equipment and the high recommended retail price of 1.149 euros. It’s without a doubt one of the best smartphones out there, but the MSRP seems a bit high, especially when you compare it to the cheaper OnePlus 9 Pro compares, which has hardly any disadvantages. So it seems like the X3 Pro hardly a chance in this country and that becomes even more apparent when we take a closer look at the normal OPPO Find X3.
Compared to Promodel, there are hardly any significant differences. Under the hood is “only” the Snapdragon 870 instead of the 888, which is also “only” supported by 8 GB RAM and it is not officially protected against the ingress of water and dust according to IP68. Otherwise it offers the same hardware as the X3 Pro and does not cost more than 650 euros in Chinese shops, which sounds good, but customers must remember that this is a Chinese smartphone without Google apps ex works, because the regular X3 is unfortunately not available in Europe. Whether the X3 due to the significantly lower price compared to the Promodel is perhaps even the better option or whether a Chinese smartphone is not worthwhile in this country, you will find out in the following lines.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Haptics, design and processing
Comparing the OPPO Find X3 with the Find X2 Pro from last year, you will quickly notice the minimally more compact form factor, which is not only suggested by the numbers on the paper of 163,6 mm in height and 74 mm in width, but is also noticeable in everyday life. Due to the slightly rounded edges on the front and back, the smartphone looks even a tad narrower in the hand, which definitely facilitates one-handed operation. Nevertheless, the X3 is anything but small and those who have not been able to make friends with larger smartphones in the past, the X3 is not the right choice either. Nevertheless, I would like to praise OPPO for making the device relatively compact despite the huge 6,7 inch display. The weight of 193 grams is absolutely okay and the thickness of 8,26 mm also fits perfectly with the rest of the design.
The frame is made of high-gloss metal and feels extremely high quality. However, the transition to the back is not perfect, which gives a minimally sharp-edged feel in the hand, but that is really grumbling on a very high level. Due to the high-gloss finish, the frame is also very susceptible to fingerprints and should probably have minor scratches over time.
Both the front and the back are made of glass. The color I tested, white, is even matt and therefore extremely immune to fingerprints. Even after days without cleaning, you can hardly see any annoying fingerprints. OPPO has managed that as well as hardly any other manufacturer. The blue color is very similar, whereas the black model is the complete opposite. The surface is shiny and extremely reflective. As long as the back is not smeared with fingerprints, which is almost inevitable with this color, the smartphone can be used as a mirror.
In summary, I can say that the OPPO Find X3 – due to the choice of materials of glass and metal – feels very high quality, which is unfortunately no longer too understandable nowadays, even in this price range.
Standalone camera design or iPhone copy?
In addition to the beautiful colors, the camera design immediately catches the eye, which was already very controversial before the launch. Is it an iPhone copy or a standalone design? This is exactly the question I asked myself shortly after the performance and at first I wasn’t sure until I picked up the device for the first time. The positioning of the individual sensors is of course very much reminiscent of that of the current iPhones, which cannot be denied, but I also see OPPO‘s own ideas: not only the camera hill, but also the area around it, rises slightly from the back, what about the looks beautiful on the one hand and feels very smooth on the other. The word “sharp-edged” is absolutely out of place here.
Personally, I like the new camera design very much, because it is something newproand implemented it well. The similar positioning of the sensors as with Apple doesn’t bother me at all, but that’s a matter of taste.
Front nothing special anymore
A 6,7-inch display dominates the front, the quality of which we will take a closer look at in a moment. It is interrupted by a small punch hole in the left corner, in which there is space for the front camera, and the edges around the screen are pleasantly thin, even if hardly anything has changed here compared to last year. Most smartphones now look like this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the front. On the contrary, I really like it, which is also due to the slightly rounded edges that never bothered me in everyday life.
Good workmanship and positioning of the keys
I have absolutely no reason to criticize the workmanship. The Find X3 makes a high-quality impression, the keys have a good pressure point, sit bomb-proof in the case and are easy to reach.
Display – (almost) one of the best OLED panels
The screen has a diagonal of 6,7 inches, has a razor-sharp resolution of 3.216 x 1.440 pixels and supports a fluid refresh rate of 120 Hertz, which means that the image is updated up to 120 times within a second. Paired with the Snapdragon 870, the Find X3 feels extremely smooth to use.
Thanks to the OLED technology, the black level is at an extremely high level and there is also the excellent color rendering, which can be adjusted to your own taste in the settings with just a few clicks. While the colors are rendered realistically in the “Gentle” color mode, they appear a little too saturated for my taste in the “Vivid” mode. The white value is also great.
However, there are a few other smartphones with the maximum brightness, especially the Samsung Galaxy s21 ultra, OnePlus 8 Pro and even that P40 Pro+, even a little better, although of course you have to consider the significantly higher RRPs of the respective smartphones. For less than 650 euros, the maximum brightness is really good, because I didn’t have any even in direct sunlight Proproblems with readability. Last but not least, I would like to briefly report on the viewing angle stability, which I really liked. The colors only change color a little from extreme viewing angles from the side. White content in particular then appears slightly yellowish.
Software – ColorOS
The in-house user interface ColorOS in version 11, based on Android 11, is used as software. The in-house software has less to do with stock Android because it is quite colorful and sometimes confusing, especially the settings. Otherwise, I actually really like ColorOS, as there are many additional and personalization functions. For example, you can adapt the colors of the UI to your own taste or change the symbol style. There is also a good night mode and ingenious gesture control.
No Google Play Store pre-installed from the factory
Since this is a Chinese smartphone, no Google Play Store is pre-installed from the factory, although the online shop, for example TradingShenzhen this pre-installed. If you buy the Find X3 and can’t find a Google Play Store, you can easily install it:
Opens the in-house browser.
Search for “APK Pure”. APK Pure is an app store from which almost all apps can be downloaded.
After installing it, open the app and search for “Google Play Store”.
Click on “install”.
You should now be able to find the Google Play Store on the start screen or in the app drawer. Now you can open it, log in with your Google account and then delete the APK Pure Store, as we no longer need it.
Once you have successfully registered, you can start installing your apps.
No German as a system language
Unfortunately you can only choose between English, French and Chinese for the system languages. Unfortunately, the Find X3 cannot be used in German. If that bothers you, you should probably not use the OPPO Find X3.
Otherwise you don’t have to make any further compromises, not even with the reception, because luckily the Find X3 Band 20 is on board. I had very good reception in everyday life and I couldn’t see any differences to global smartphones.
Performance – the box runs despite the Snapdragon 870
Under the hood, the Snapdragon 870 from Qualcomm works with 8 GB of RAM and either 128 or 256 GB of internal storage that cannot be expanded.
The Snapdragon 870 is a slightly better Snapdragon 865+ from the previous year. So on paper it is a bit weaker than the Snapdragon 888, but in everyday life and probably also in the next few years you should probably not notice this minimal difference. The Snapdragon 870 is completely sufficient, especially for the offered price of less than 650 euros.
Apps start and close extremely quickly, stuttering and delays are virtually in vain here and the operating speed is at a very high level overall. In addition, there is the smooth refresh rate of 120 Hertz, which makes animations noticeably smoother. It’s just fun to use the Find X3 in everyday life. Even with more complex games, the smartphone never reaches its limits. With a little more intensive use it gets a little warmer, but that is completely normal. A Xiaomi Mi 11, for example, gets significantly warmer with more complex things, and now and then also in everyday use.
Only in terms of RAM management can the X3 not quite keep up with more expensive Android smartphones. Sometimes apps in the background are closed a little too early for my taste, but it doesn’t really bother me in everyday life.
Battery – full extremely quickly
OPPO has equipped the Find X3 with a 4.500 mAh battery that can be quickly charged with up to 65 watts using the included power supply. The battery is fully charged in just under 30 minutes, which is extremely impressive. Samsung and Apple can learn a slice of this from here. The Find X3 is also right at the top when it comes to wireless charging. It can be charged quickly with up to 30 watts.
The battery life then doesn’t stand out quite as positively as the extremely fast charging times. However, it is not bad either, as my measured screen-on-time values of 8 and sometimes even 9 hours show. If you use it more intensively, the screen-on-time drops to about 7 hours, which is still enough for me to get through a day without a charge. However, if that’s not enough for you, you can set the display resolution to FHD + and / or the refresh rate to 60 Hertz. That takes you about 1,5 hours more. Overall, I am satisfied with the battery life considering the capacity and the power-hungry display.
Camera – good with daylight, very good with lowlight
When it comes to cameras, the Chinese manufacturer goes with the Find X3 and X3 Pro a slightly different way than last year. They focus on the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras, neglecting the zoom camera, which doesn’t seem to matter that much to the majority. While the X2 Pro from the previous year still had a 5x optical telecamera on board, unfortunately objects can now only be optically enlarged 2x. The resolution is 13 megapixels. For the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras, OPPO uses the same 766-megapixel IMX 50 sensor. This setup is supplemented by a 3 megapixel microscope camera. The front camera has a resolution of 32 megapixels.
Starting with the main camera, which is convincing across the board in good lighting conditions. Both the dynamic range and the sharpness are very good. Occasional lens reflections do appear in direct backlight, but this is limited and is no better with other smartphones. The sharpness is very natural, so unlike some other manufacturers, there is no artificial sharpening at any time. Nevertheless, I find Huawei a little better in terms of sharpness and OnePlus can keep up very well. Unfortunately, the color reproduction is typically OPPO unnatural. The X3 tends to have very saturated colors despite disabled AI scene detection, which I don’t really like, but that’s a matter of taste. After all, you can edit the color rendering according to your own taste, so it’s not that bad. It would be much worse if the sharpness wasn’t good, because sharpness can hardly be improved with editing. The greatest strength, however, comes from Lowlight. The night mode exposes for a few seconds and creates extremely natural and sharp images. Here I even like it much better than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and even the Huawei P40 Pro+ has to admit defeat to the Find X3 in poor light conditions.
The ultra-wide-angle camera is also absolutely amazing in low light, especially in terms of color reproduction and sharpness. Even last year’s Huawei P40 Pro+, which in my opinion had the best ultra wide-angle camera in low light, has to admit defeat to the X3. However, the tide turns in good light conditions. The sharpness is convincing here, too, but the P40 Pro+ I still think it’s a bit better here, whereas the dynamic range is almost unrivaled.
I would also like to positively highlight the good color balance between the main and ultra-wide-angle camera. It’s not perfect, but no other manufacturer is currently doing it as well as OPPO with the Find X3.
The 2x zoom shots are okay for the price, but I would have liked at least a 3x optical zoom. Up to 5x magnification, the photos are still reasonably usable, but even then the expandable sharpness and the color reproduction that is too pale are noticed negatively. However, the current iPhones and the Find X3 Pro not really be any better.
With the microscope camera, you can take totally impressive pictures. It is extremely difficult to get the focus and the images could of course be a little sharper, but it is still impressive and I hope that we will see this more often in the future.
The front camera is completely sufficient for one or the other selfie, but nothing more. Despite the high resolution of 32 megapixels, there is a lack of sharpness and faces are reproduced too softly despite deactivated filters.
Others – speakers, vibration motor and more
The stereo speakers ensure a very loud and clear sound. A OnePlus 9 Pro or Mi 11 are a bit better here, but overall I was very satisfied here.
The built-in vibration motor is neither the best nor the worst in the price range from 600 to 700 euros. It gives a very high quality feeling in the hand and sounds anything but disturbing. A OnePlus 8T, for example, is a little better here, but where a Vivo X60 Pro is significantly worse. Overall, I was quite satisfied here.
The smartphone can be unlocked via the fingerprint sensor integrated into the display, which is positioned a bit too far down for my taste, but I got used to it after just a few days. It reacts extremely quickly and unlocks the device very reliably. Along with that of the OnePlus 9 Pro For me, it is currently one of the best optical in-display fingerprint sensors.
Finally, let’s look at another difference compared to the X3 Pro, namely the water resistance. during that Promodel is IP68 protected against the ingress of water and dust, the regular X3 lacks such official certification, although it is said to be just as waterproof. OPPO probably only saved the money for the certification.
Summary
The OPPO Find X3 is basically a slightly weaker Find X3 Pro, which has no major weaknesses for less than 650 euros. Especially the main and ultra wide-angle camera at low light, the unique microscope camera, the beautiful and high-quality design, the grandiose performance and the extremely fast charging are extremely positive. It convinced me across the board and I think it’s a shame that it’s not available in Europe, because it would probably have been enough for most people.
If the points just mentioned are important to you, you don’t necessarily want to spend 1.000 euros on a high-end flagship smartphone and gets by with a Chinese smartphone (no German as the system language and no Google Play Store ex works), is very happy to use the OPPO Find X3. The current surcharge of at least 80 euros to the Chinese X3 Pro and OnePlus 9 Pro wouldn’t be worth it to me.
However, if you don’t want to import a smartphone from China and/or need German as the system language, you shouldn’t use the Find X3 and rather get a global OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 9, Xiaomi Mi 11 or Samsung Galaxy S21 for a similar price take a closer look.
As tech companies continue to release new phones on an almost annual basis, it can be daunting to choose which is the right one for you. This is especially true for entry-level smart smartphones that midrange price.
One of the newest contenders in that segment is the OPPO A57. Launched last 2022, the A57 comes with a 6.56-inch HD+ display, 64GB storage, 4GB of RAM. But is it a worthy contender against all other smartphones within the same price point? Well, I suggest you keep reading to find out.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Conclusion
If you’re in the market for a new smartphone for under PHP 10,000 then the OPPO A57 is a great choice. It looks and feels premium compared to other models within the same price range. At the same time, it has a big battery. While the camera could be better at night or in dark places, it is great in well-lit environments. The only downside would be playing games. Graphic intensive titles have a hard time with the phone, and there is noticeable lag too.
All in all, I think the Oppo A57 is a great phone if you’re looking to get a new unit. If you do need more space, OPPO says storage is expandable up to 1TB.
A non-exhaustive list of the devices in the Oppo Reno7 family in our database includes 7 models and differentiating them takes some deliberate effort. This one we have for you today, with the most vanilla of names, is the Reno7 proper.
There are no other monikers, and the absence of 5G in the title implies no next-gen connectivity – which is indeed the case. The Reno7 Lite is 5G-capable despite its lite name, but aside from that, it shares most of its DNA with this 4G-only handset. And while we’re on the topic of family connections, essentially the same handset as the Reno7 is sold in India under the F21 Pro moniker, so our findings here should apply to that one as well. Just make sure you don’t confuse it with the F21 Pro 5G – the other alias of the Reno7 Lite. If we managed to clear things up – great, if not – we can easily shift the blame to Oppo.
Oppo Reno7 • Oppo F21 Pro • Oppo Reno7 Lite • Oppo Reno7 5G
The Reno7‘s specs don’t sound overly exciting, but it’s still decently well equipped. You get a 90Hz OLED display, 8GB of RAM and at least 128GB of storage, while the Snapdragon 680 should be powerful enough even though it’s lacking 4K recording.
Still, perhaps more notable is the camera experience is the omission of an ultrawide unit, though a dedicated ‘microscope’ camera, complete with a ring light, might make up for it. The main camera is 64MP, which is par for the course, and the 32MP selfie shooter is a popular choice, too.
We are liking the fact that the Reno7 runs Android 12 – most other non-flagship Oppos/Realmes we’ve had this year were still on Android 11, even though the ColorOS overlay stood at 12. The 4,500mAh battery sounds like an adequate companion to the 6.43-inch display and 6nm chipset, and the 33W charging should bring decently speedy top-ups, though breaking speed records is off the table.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Oppo Reno7 unboxing
Our Reno7review unit arrived in a phone-only state – sometimes we get a suitcase full of accessories, sometimes it’s like this. But retail Reno7s do ship with a 33W adapter to match the phone’s spec, as well as a cable to go with it. A protective case is also included.
Competition
The Oppo Reno7 is priced at around €330 in Europe, while its F21 Pro alter ego goes for INR 23K in India. Naturally, that’s a very competitive market segment, and there’s no shortage of rivals.
Left to right: Reno7 • Reno7 5G • Reno7 Lite
Oppo‘s got plenty of its own models here too, and we tried to point out similarities and differences with the Reno7‘s stablemates as we went along. But basically, the selection depends heavily on whether you must have 5G and where you are in the world. If the answer to the first one is ‘yes’, then the vanilla Reno7 is obviously a no-go.
5G-capable Oppos roughly around this price point include, well, the Reno7 5G and the Reno7 Lite (a.k.a. F21 Pro 5G/Reno7 Z 5G), though they still come at a certain price premium over the Reno7 proper. All of them have beefier chipsets, but the Lite and its various reincarnations have 60Hz displays, unlike the Reno7. The Reno7 5G, meanwhile, matches the 4G version for refresh rate, charges faster and has an ultrawide camera – none of the others do. You can’t have 5G and a microscope, though (okay, you could, if you manage to dig up a Find X3 Pro and are willing to pay several Renos’ worth).
Oppo Reno7 5G • Oppo Reno7 Lite • Oppo Reno7 Z 5G • Oppo F21 Pro 5G
You could have 5G for Reno7 money, though – even less, in fact. And it’s even sort of coming from Oppo, too – the Realme 9 Pro offers you the next-gen connectivity, plus an ultrawide camera; you’ll just need to live with an LCD instead of an OLED display.
The Realme 9 Pro+, meanwhile, is a bit pricier than the F21 Pro in India, but retailing at essentially Reno7 money in Europe, and in addition to 5G it gets you an ultrawide and a higher-grade main camera, stereo speakers and faster charging. That’s a win for Realme, the way we see it.
Our go-to choice for midranger, the Galaxy A52s is still widely available despite coming from 2021, and it’s cheaper than the Reno7. It’s a no-brainer, really – a vastly superior chipset (with 5G), a better display, proper IP67 rating, a more versatile camera system (no microscope, but yes ultrawide and macro) – the Reno7 can’t win this one. Well, the F21 Pro could in India, where the Galaxy is 30-ish percent more expensive – that’s not an insignificant difference.
The Redmi Note 11 Pro (4G) is up to €100 cheaper than the Reno7, while it roughly matches the F21 Pro’s sticker in India. Going for the Redmi, you’d be looking at a better display (higher RR and brightness), stereo speakers, faster charging, and a slightly superior camera system. However, the Redmi can’t match the Reno’s battery life. Still, the Redmi is a better deal.
Realme 9 Pro • Realme 9 Pro+ • Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G • Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
Verdict
The Reno7 left a pretty positive impression on us after a couple of weeks of reviewing. It feels nice in hand, the faux leather and color team up to create a design unlike the mainstream midranger, and the splash resistance is a welcome checkmark on the spec sheet. The roomy 128GB base storage and the 8gigs of RAM don’t hurt its case either, while battery life is a particularly strong suit. We even got more than what we expected out of the camera, particularly in terms of zoom results, and even the microscope is fun, if a little gimmicky.
The microscope is no ultrawide camera, unfortunately, and the omission of that particular camera, which we know to be one of the cheaper components (for a modest one befitting the Reno7’s stature), is rubbing us the wrong way. Low-light results out of the main camera aren’t spectacular either, and the barebones video recording capabilities are another manifestation of what is a relatively low-end chipset.
All things considered, the Reno7 can’t be a straight-up recommendation simply because more well-rounded alternatives exist, often at the same or lower price. It’s still an interesting proposition, though, and worth having a look at if you happen to like its peculiarities.
Pros
Standout design on this Sunset Orange colorway, reasonably light and compact too.
IPX4 rating is nice to have, even though the phone is not rated for submersion.
Long-lasting battery, decently fast charging for the money.
Generous RAM and storage capacity.
A few small niceties – 3.5mm jack, dedicated microSD slot, NFC (not on the F21 Pro, though).
Surprisingly good results at 2x zoom in daylight.
The microscope camera is fun.
Cons
Chipset is underpowered, does not support 5G (admittedly there are a bunch of Renos that do).
Oppo is launching the Reno7 5G under two names in Europe and India. The Reno 7 5G is launching in India (and probably some parts of Eastern Europe), whereas the rest of Europe is getting it as the Find X5 Lite. The two models are identical in specs as you can see.
We won’t pretend we can make any sense out of the Oppo’s Reno7 midrange series, but we can surely review them just like they were made official – in no particular order. So, today we have probably one of the most interesting specimens of the Reno7 bunch – the Oppo Reno7 5G.
The Reno7 5G is not just a 5G-enabled version of the global Reno7 smartphone as it has a different camera setup, different chipset, different charging speed, and even different storage.
Oppo Reno7 5G • Oppo Find X5 Lite
The Oppo Reno7 5G/Find X5 Lite is quite an interesting offer. It’s a lightweight plastic phone built around a 6.43-inch AMOLED with 1080p resolution, 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support. The Dimensity 900 5G chipset is underneath, which should do great for casual gaming and smooth overall performance.
The camera setup is quite familiar as it has become somewhat of a golden standard for the midrange – there is a high-res 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP imager for closeups. On the other side, within a small perforation on the display, is a 32MP selfie camera.
The Reno7 5G/Find X5 Lite is powered by a 4,500mAh battery that supports 65W VOOC charging. The power adapter is bundled with the phone, and it should do a full charge in half an hour. You bet we’d put that to the test.
Oppo advertises the Reno7 5G/Find X5 Lite for its camera skills and portrait capabilities, fast charging, and gaming-friendly chipset with adequate cooling. And it is indeed a rather palm- and pocket-friendly device that’s 160mm tall and 173g of weight.
If you are familiar with the Oppo Reno6 5G, you may notice that this Reno7 5G is pretty much the same phone with updated storage, increased battery capacity, HDR10 screen certification and an audio jack. Lack of sensible upgrades is somewhat a theme in 2022, quite common actually. So, the Reno6 5G users are skipping this one for sure.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
The Reno7 5G has one thing that’s been downgraded since the Reno6 5G – the frame. It’s now made of plastic, a step down from the metal one on the Reno6.
Still, the Reno7 5G seems like an adequate all-round midranger – it even covers niche fan-favorite options like an audio jack, a tri-card slot with microSD expansion, NFC. In fact, the only obvious omission is the lack of any ingress protection whatsoever. But if priced right, that should not be an issue.
So, without further ado, here is the Oppo Reno7 5G unboxed.
Unboxing the Oppo Reno7 5G
The Reno7 5G/Find X5 Lite comes packed within one of these cool greenish Oppo boxes. It contains a 65W VOOC charger and a USB-A-to-C cable that’s needed for the VOOC charging to work.
There is also a transparent soft case inside the box, you can find it within the black paper compartment that sits on top of the phone. And finally, once you pop the phone out of the box, you will see that it comes with a thin protective film on its screen – it was applied in the factory.
The film is a smudge magnet and not our thing, but we always appreciate having the extra scratch protection, and we are sure there are many people that will also find value in having it.
The competition
The global model of the Reno7 5G is available in India and Europe, though it is sold under the name Find X5 Lite in Western Europe.
The phone is priced at about INR 28,500 in India and €450 in Europe, and it is positioned between the Reno7 Pro and the Reno7 Lite.
Reno7 Pro 5G, Reno7 5G and Reno7 Lite
Going through our review conclusions, the Oppo Reno7 5G doesn’t seem to have improved on the Reno6 5G that much, if at all. Sure, we appreciate the audio jack, the faster storage, and extra battery juice, but these are not enough of an update to make Reno6 5G owners switch. And that’s fine.
The Reno7 5G is for those wanting to purchase a good midrange phone today, and they will probably be switching from a 2- or 3-year-old smartphone.
The first phone that comes to mind as a direct competitor is the Galaxy A52s, as it offers a faster 120Hz display, complete ingress protection, faster performance, and OIS on the main camera. The A52s costs the same as the Reno7 5G in India, while it’s about €120-€150 cheaper in Europe.
The vivo V23 5G is its biggest threat in India, as it is pretty much the same phone with a similar screen, chipset and battery. The vivo V23 5G has slightly faster graphics (thanks to the updated Dimensity 920 chipset) and impresses with a dual selfie camera with a 50MP primary eye with autofocus and an 8MP ultrawide secondary. This one is great for those taking many selfies throughout their day, and for that – it is probably the better offer. It is available in India only.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, also known as Xiaomi 11i 5G Hypercharge in India, costs as much as the Reno7 5G (or slightly cheaper in the EU) and is a good alternative. It offers a better 120Hz OLED, slightly faster Dimensity 920 5G chipset, stereo speakers, and unbelievably fast 120W charging. It also offers basic ingress protection and similar camera performance.
The Reno7 Pro 5G is more expensive than the 5G, and for the extra cash, you will get flagship-grade speed thanks to the Dimensity 1200 Max chipset, a slightly larger display and an improved dual-glass design.
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G • vivo V23 5G • Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G • Oppo Reno7 Pro 5G
The Realme 9 Pro+ is a great alternative for its great pricing and largely similar specs. It seems the phone has almost disappeared on the official channels, and it’s not easy to find.
Another similar smartphone is the OnePlus Nord 2T – it has a similar 90Hz OLED screen and 4,500mAh battery, but it features the fast Dimensity 1300 chipset, OIS on its 50MP primary camera, stereo speakers, and supports up to 80W fast wired charging. The Nord 2T is priced at €400 in Europe, and it makes more sense than the Reno7 5G/Find X5 Lite.
Realme 9 Pro Plus • OnePlus Nord 2T
Our verdict
The Reno7 5G a.k.a. Find X5 Lite is an excellent smartphone with a well-rounded feature set and reasonable pricing. Sure, there are better phones out there at the same price, but there are weaker, too.
The Reno7 5G/Find X5 Lite offers an excellent 90Hz AMOLED screen, bright and responsive. The Dimensity 900 5G chipset is more than adequate for smooth gaming on the go, and coupled with the large battery, it delivers great battery life. We can also praise the cooling and the overall stability of the device.
The camera is another aspect that gave us only positive experiences. The photo and video quality across all cameras are very good, and the hardware is consistently reliable.
We liked the design, too, even if it’s mostly plastic. The LDI process on the blue version is cool and makes for a unique effect and feel on touch. And while flashy, it is still pleasant to look at and can easily match any style – official or casual.
Not all is perfect with the Reno7 5G – there are no stereo speakers, no obvious updates over the Reno6 5G, and no ingress protection whatsoever. We also think the Dimensity 920 5G would have been better for faster graphics.
Still, the Reno7 5G is a solid competitive offer, and we do recommend putting it on your shortlists. It has enough to make for a perfect daily driver, as well as a gaming phone and a cameraphone when needed.
Pros
Attractive design.
Great AMOLED screen, bright, 90Hz, HDR10.
Superb battery life, 65W fast charging.
Solid performance, excellent stability.
Great photo and video quality across the board (for a mid-ranger).
3.5mm jack, standalone microSD expansion, NFC.
Cons
No ingress protection.
No stereo speakers.
Arrives with Android 11, when A13 is already around the corner.
The Reno8 series has been out in China for almost two months now, but this is the first time the Reno8 and the Reno8 Pro step outside of their home country. The global versions of the handsets are slightly different from their Chinese counterparts, although the changes are rather negligible.
The focus of this review would be the vanilla Reno8, and it swaps out the depth sensor on the Chinese version for a full-fledged camera – an 8MP ultrawide one, to be exact. The rest of the specs are pretty much identical.
The handset features a bright 6.43-inch 90Hz OLED panel, which would most likely attract users looking for something more compact because, let’s face it, 6.43″ in 2022 is in the lower size range. Being small doesn’t mean being small on features, though. The Reno8 runs on a very potent Dimenstiy 1300 SoC and has two standout cameras.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Oppo is particularly proud of using Sony’s 50MP IMX766 sensor as the main shooter, which is fairly large- 1/1.56″ and offers 1.0µm pixels. On the front, the Reno8 carries an Oppo-exclusive 32MP IMX709 sensor with an RGBW filter allowing for an improved selfie performance. That’s one of the phone’s selling points, after all. It’s important to note, though, that the Reno8 Pro has the same exact camera setup, so if the camera performance is your main priority, the Reno8 would probably do while being significantly cheaper than the Pro.
The vanilla option also doesn’t skip the blazing-fast charging. The same 4,500 mAh battery supports 80W SuperVOOC charging protocol from Oppo, although countries with 110V power grids can get only 66W out of the same brick.
It’s probably worth noting that the Oppo Reno8 is almost identical to the OnePlus Nord 2T. The main difference between the two is the design and the OS. OnePlus’ OxygenOS is still somewhat cleaner than Oppo’s ColorOS, so it strongly depends on one’s personal preferences towards Android skins.
So in a sense, this review can be used as a reference when looking for OnePlus Nord 2T-relevant information. Most, if not all, of the results from our tests, would be applicable to some extent.
Unboxing the Oppo Reno8
The Oppo Reno8 ships in a standard box containing all the usual user manuals along with the corresponding 80W SuperVOOC charger and a USB-A to USB-C cable.
Oppo has included an extra case for the phone, which is transparent, so it doesn’t conceal the overall design. And it’s a great option until you find a case that fits you best.
Competition
The Reno8 is a solid all-rounder with a good chipset, nice screen, long battery life, blazing-fast charging and excellent camera performance, including the selfie. However, as it’s usually the case with Oppo smartphones, it’s its pricing that keeps us from recommending it straight up.
The Indian pricing of around INR 30,000 makes sense (somewhat), but we have a good reason to believe that once the device goes global, it will be priced in the mid-€400. That’s because the current Oppo Reno7 (for Eastern Europe) / Find X5 Lite (for Western Europe) is priced around there, and so is the OnePlus Nord 2T, which is an identical phone for €439.
This leads us to our first set of alternatives. And surprisingly enough, those alternatives come from the same BBK Electronics corporation. The OnePlus Nord 2T is the first to come to mind as it’s essentially the same exact phone with a different design and software on board. OxygenOS still remains one of the cleaner Android alternatives out there, and the reason why many go to OnePlus. Admittedly, things have changed in the last year or two, but that’s an entirely different topic. Moreover, the Nord 2T can be found for as little as €370 from third-party sellers, rendering the Reno8 completely obsolete. OnePlus’ offering is also around the INR 30,000 mark in India.
Another option for Indian consumers would be the Realme 9 Pro+, which undercuts the Reno8 by about INR 5,000. It offers largely the same user experience and even adds a set of stereo speakers and a bit of battery endurance. However, the Dimensity 920 isn’t on par with the Dimensity 1300, and the selfie game is nowhere near the Reno8‘s.
OnePlus Nord 2T • Realme GT2 • Realme 9 Pro+ • vivo iQOO Neo 6
The iQOO Neo 6 is yet another BBK Electronics-made option for around INR 30,000, and it’s arguably the better choice. It has a more powerful chipset, a faster and brighter 120Hz screen and similar battery endurance and charging speed but lacks the Reno8‘s camera proficiency, at least when it comes to the main shooter.
The Realme catalog has another similarly priced option in the European market. The vanilla Realme GT2 seems to be quite similar in terms of features, but it’s undoubtedly the better of the two since it has stereo speakers, a faster chipset, a bigger battery, a better display and comparable main camera performance. They share the same sensor and software, after all. The Reno8’s only advantage is the stellar selfie performance.
Looking outside the BBK circle, Xiaomi has two rather enticing alternatives. The Xiaomi 12 Lite and the Poco F4. The first one could be particularly interesting to those who come for the compact nature of the Reno8. Like the latter, the Xiaomi 12 Lite boasts a lightweight and compact design, which is better-looking, although this is strongly subjective. However, it’s not as powerful as the Reno8, and it’s not as good at taking photos.
Xiaomi 12 Lite • Xiaomi Poco F4 • Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The Poco F4, on the other hand, succeeds where the 12 Lite fails. It’s a more powerful alternative to Oppo‘s offering, has a better display, a set of stereo speakers and charges just as fast. Don’t expect a camera performance close to the Reno8, though. Then again, the €400 price tag in Europe or the Indian pricing of INR 28,000 may convince you, though.
And last but not least, the European market offers Samsung’s popular Galaxy S21 FE for around €480, which is probably a bit more than the Reno8 in the same region, but there’s a very good reason why. Samsung’s phone is much more versatile in terms of photography (immensely better ultrawide camera and proper 3x telephoto camera), has a vastly better display, good-sounding stereo speakers, ingress protection, and runs on a more powerful chipset. The Reno8 edges out with slightly longer battery life, marginally better selfie performance and faster charging. It’s up to you to decide whether or not the extra cash is worth it, although we believe it is.
Verdict
Compact design, long battery life, stellar camera performance (including the selfie camera), fast charging, bright OLED display and powerful yet efficient SoC. Sounds great on paper, right?
Sadly, that’s not nearly enough to stand out from the competition, which often comes with even more high-tech displays, stereo speakers, some sort of ingress protection, and even sometimes bigger battery and/or faster chipset.
Oppo‘s pricing of its mid-range devices is not competitive in the mid-range market segment. Not to mention the Reno8 faces some fierce in-house competition from brands such as Realme, OnePlus and even iQOO. If only the Reno8 was cheaper, it would have punched above its class with its impeccable camera performance.
Pros
Fresh new design, compact and lightweight.
Flagship-grade main camera performance, especially at night.
Good selfie game.
Dependable battery life, fast charging.
Latest ColorOS 12, customizable and snappy.
Cons
Competition often has brighter and faster displays.
The software commitment of Android OEMs has been getting much better in recent years, with Oppo now the latest brand to commit to four years of major Android updates and five years of security patches.
In a press release this week, Oppo announced that its Android 13 rollout has been the fastest in the company’s history.
ColorOS 13 has rolled out to 33 devices so far, over 50% more during the same time period as Oppo managed with its Android 12/ColorOS 12 upgrade last year. The rollout started with the Find X5 series back in August, just days after Pixel phones, and has expanded widely in the time since.
But the bigger news from Oppo this week is that ColorOS is getting a new update policy, with Android updates promised for longer periods of time on select devices.
Oppo says that this new policy will guarantee four major Android updates and five years of security patches on “flagship” devices launched in 2023 and beyond. It stands to reason that the Find X6 series and perhaps the Find N2 Flip will be among those eligible for the new policy.
OPPO also announced the new ColorOS update policy. This includes the commitment to guarantee four major ColorOS updates with 5 years of security patches for global users on selected flagship models starting in 2023.Through it, OPPO aims to bring longer-lasting and more stable intelligent experiences to global users by continuing to build on ColorOS.
This policy mirrors that of OnePlus, which also committed to upping its software support timelines starting next year. Samsung, meanwhile, has offered the same guarantee on its flagship devices since early 2022, and extended that back to devices launched in late 2021 as well. Google offers a similar, although slightly lesser policy with three years of major Android updates and five years of security updates, though Google’s policy also extends to its more affordable A-Series devices.
The Fastest Rollout with ColorOS 13
• ColorOS 13 rolled out faster than any other version in its operating system’s history.
• OPPO guarantees four major ColorOS updates with five years of regular security patches for selected flagship models starting in 2023
SHENZHEN, Dec 20th, 2022 — Today, OPPO officially announced that ColorOS 13 rolled out faster than any previous version in its operating system’s history. The company also expanded its update policy for ColorOS to guarantee four major Android upgrades with five years of security patches for selected flagship models in 2023.
ColorOS 13 is the latest Android-Based operating system from OPPO. Designed for simplicity and comfort with its brand-new Aquamorphic Design, ColorOS 13 includes a series of impressive features such as Smart AOD, Multi-Screen Connect, and Home Screen Management that provide intelligent, and user-friendly experiences to global users.
Since launching on August 18th, 2022, ColorOS 13 has been delivered to 33 smartphone models globally, making it the fastest and biggest update in the history of ColorOS. During the same four-month time frame following their official release, over 50% more handset models were compatible with ColorOS 13 (data from August 18 to December 18, 2022) compared with ColorOS 12(data from October 11, 2021, to February 11, 2022).
OPPO also announced the new ColorOS update policy. This includes the commitment to guarantee four major ColorOS updates with 5 years of security patches for global users on selected flagship models starting in 2023.Through it, OPPO aims to bring longer-lasting and more stable intelligent experiences to global users by continuing to build on ColorOS.