Buying a new smartphone is not necessarily the biggest decision of your life. There is still a long list of considerations though when you want to invest in one. There is the basic problem of budget.
There is more at stake in choosing the right smartphone for than your budget though. You need to think about manufacturer support for your smartphone. That means you want to ensure that they have official presence in your region. You also want proven track record and consistency from the manufacturer of your chosen smartphone.
We are not necessarily talking about Apple or Samsung. We are pointing to OPPO really. While OPPO have not exactly been sitting in the same limelight as Samsung and Apple, they have a proven track record of making quality smartphones that are reliable and lasts forever. They can also be proud of the fact that they have been consistently making great smartphones in every market segment at an accessible price. In our opinion, their smartphones offer some of the best value for your money.
Recently OPPO has verified that they have delivered their ColorOS 13 update to 33 of their smartphone models universally. In the timeframe that ColorOS 13 existed, there are 3 times more device covered with ColorOS 13 than ColorOS 12 globally. For them, it is a big win – ColorOS 13 is their biggest and fastest distributed Operating System (OS) update they ever had.
The next thing to do is to extend their update policy and they might be able to compete with the best in the industry. That is what they are about to do 2023 onward.
They have just made a commitment to updating ColorOS for selected flagship models for up to four ColorOS iterations. That also means that you get at least three Android iterations for OPPO’s flagships that announced in 2023, most likely the next OPPO Find X model. At the same time, you can be assured that your smartphone will remain relevant for the next five years with up to five years of security update support.
Why is this important? Buying a flagship smartphone is not a small decision. A flagship smartphone in is not exactly the cheapest thing you can buy. You want to make sure that you get your money’s worth when you spend that much on a small slab of electronics you carry around in your life. In that case, you want to ensure that you can stretch your budget out as much and long as you can. That also means that you need to ensure that you can hold on to your smartphone for as long as you can. That also means consistent updates for as long as the smartphone manufacturer supports it. In this case, you can hold on to your next OPPO flagship for at least the next 5 years before it becomes obsolete, and that is a mighty good thing for your wallet.
It is here, the new OPPO Find X3. We initially thought that we had to patiently wait for another year before OPPO releases their Find flagship series. We did not though, and the OPPO Find X3 series has launched to replace the OPPO Find X2 series of 2020.
OPPO Find X3 Pro
We start with the usual headline figures at the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G enabled System on a Chip (SoC) and up to 12GB of RAM paired. Up to 256GB in storage; UFS 3.1 of course for faster read and write speeds. Android 11 with ColorOS 11.2. We all know what the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 can do at this point.
That is just the tip of the iceberg that is the OPPO Find X3 Pro. All the powerful internals are wrapped by a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display that boasts 1,440 by 3,216 pixels (1440p/WQHD+). That display also features one of the world’s fastest response time at about 5-10ms in touch response time. On top of that, 120Hz refresh rate ensures that graphics are super smooth at all times. It is not a full time 120Hz display though. The Find X3 can turn the refresh rate down all the way to 5Hz for less intensive usage. OPPO says that the display also covers 10-bit colours and features 100% DSI-P3 colour gamut for even better colour reproduction and accuracy on top of HDR10+. OPPO being OPPO, the display can be calibrated to adjust for specific colour blindness too, neat.
Source: OPPO
Wrapping around the display and framing the back of the OPPO Find X3 Pro is a beautifully sculpted glass back. No ceramic trickery this time, just normal glass that is shaped to conform the curves and bumps intended for the back of the device. The glass back is not a regular glass back that has a cut out for the entire camera module though. The glass back stretches throughout the back of the device with cut outs made only to fit the lenses. The result is an amazing looking back that is available in either the classic black or a unique blue with a sort of fingerprint resistant texture.
The glass back not only hides the 4,500mAh battery with SuperVOOC 2.0 (65W) and AirVOOC (30W) wireless charging technology. It also seamlessly houses the quad camera set-up that is a newly developed 50-Megapixel IMX789 main camera, an also newly developed 50-Megapixel IMX766 ultra-wide camera with Free Form lens, a 13-Megapixel telephoto camera capable of 5x optical zoom, and an impressive 3-Megapixel macro camera for those amazing close-up shots. You get 10-bit colour high-resolution photos with both 50-Megapixel sensors on the OPPO Find X3. Thanks to the Free From lens technology on the ultra-wide camera, the photos come out distortion free. Of course, the camera is also capable of shooting videos at 4K 60p with 10-bit colours.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Of course, they did not forget the front-facing camera. It is OPPO, after all. The selfie camera then is a 32-Megapixel unit. The high-resolution front camera is also given some extra tweaks like an enhanced ‘night mode’ to capture more natural, more detailed selfies even in low-light. That also means better looking Instagram photos.
Price and Availability
OPPO’s latest Find X3 Pro is said to be available globally toward the end of March 2021 at EU€ 1,149 (US$ 1,373*) which is about MYR 5,641** with the current conversion rate. The OPPO Find X3 Pro will be available in Gloss Black and Blue (yes, just ‘Blue’; no fancy naming this time) colour options. Alongside the OPPO Find X3 Pro, OPPO also announced that the OPPO Enco X is now available globally at EU€ 179 (US$ 214*), which converts to approximately MYR 879** currently.
There are no mentions to indicate specific local availability dates and official pricing. If we can take a guess though the OPPO Find X3 Pro might set you back MYR 5,899 and the OPPO Enco X will set you back between MYR 699 (based on CN¥ 999 pricing) all the way to MYR 899 (based on EU€ 179 pricing). We are also expecting that Malaysia’s availability for both devices to be somewhere at the end of March 2021 to early April 2021. For more information on the OPPO Find X3 Pro and OPPO Enco X ANC TWS earphones you can visit OPPO’s website.
*Approximate value based on conversion rate EU€ 1.00 = US$ 1.20 on xe.com as of 11/03/2021
**Approximate value based on conversion rate EU€ 1.00 = MYR 4.91 on xe.com as of 11/03/2021
Samsung with their Galaxy S21 series has sort of won the flagship market in the first quarter of 2021. There is the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 11 that was very recently launched too, which was touted to be better than the South Korean flagship in every way, on paper. They also sell the device with a charger, a bonus.
Xiaomi is not the only one vying for the top spot in the premium flagship space though. There is also OPPO. To attempt to dethrone Samsung, they are launching the OPPO Find X3 series in 2021.
There is not much information at this time regarding the OPPO Find X3 series. The only thing we know for certain is that OPPO is launching their OPPO Find X3 Pro on the 11th March 2021. It is also most likely going to be launched with Android 11.
The OPPO Find X2 series really pushed Samsung in terms of specification. They proved that a high-resolution display with high refresh rates is possible. They also proved that high refresh rates does not mean a terrible battery life with the 2020 flagship.
The replacement, the OPPO Find X3 Pro continues on that recipe with a supposed high-resolution 1440p display with up to 120Hz. That is technically not a huge upgrade over the 2020 flagship that it replaces. We are also expecting it to come with up to 12GB of RAM, again something that we have seen before in the OPPO Find X2 Pro.
What is new with the OPPO Find X3 Pro though is supposedly its heart. When we say heart, we are mostly referring to powerhouse that is the SoC. We are expecting the OPPO Find X3 Pro to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 flagship class SoC of course.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC is first seen in Malaysia on the Xiaomi Mi 11 flagship smartphone. While you have seen the Xiaomi Mi 11 perform, it does not mean that the OPPO Find X3’s inclusion of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC is any less significant. The OPPO Find X3 Pro could really benefit from the new powerful SoC.
For one, we really like OPPO’s camera application and optimization. We find that they really are among the best in the industry when it comes to camera technology and innovation. We are saying that they really know how to make smartphone cameras work.
With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, the OPPO Find X3 Pro might just be one of the best camera smartphones in the Android space. Even with the Xiaomi Mi 11 series, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC has boasted better sensitivity for low-light conditions. OPPO’s Find X2 series was one of the best low-light shooters we have tested in 2020. That also means that added sensor sensitivity in low-light will just make the OPPO Find X3 Pro an even better low-light shooter than before.
With the Snapdragon 888 in the OPPO flagship as well, the camera AI should benefit from Qualcomm’s Hexagon 780 dedicated AI engine embedded within the chipset. That could also mean better colours, better temperature adjustment, cleverer angle detection and recommendation, and an overall improvement in scene detection. It could also mean better depth in your photos. In that sense, what could you have asked for more?
Of course, we loved the OPPO Find X2 series for their gaming capabilities. We have used it as an alternative display in completing most of Death Stranding. We also played other games with it of course. Games like PUBG Mobile, and even Mobile Legends really benefit from a fast display.
The OPPO Find X3 Pro should deliver even more gaming performance with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Qualcomm’s latest processor is supposedly able to cut down your reaction times in games like Mobile Legends and even PUBG Mobile by 20%. The display is supposed to react to your touch inputs faster than before thanks to the new ultra-fast processor. Of course, even better performance and faster clocks on the SoC does not hurt gaming. They even tout desktop PC level of performances on the SoC.
Of course, all these are still yet to be confirmed. We can only confirm all of the information when the product launches on the 11th of March 2021. Are we excited though? For a smartphone that could give Samsung a run for their money, heck yes.
We all know OPPO as the brand that makes really good entry-level and mid-range Android smartphones. While their early days are filled with devices that are outrightly outrageous in design and concept, they started making headlines when they started moving into the iPhone-esque design language later.
To be fair though, we do really like the OPPO Smartphones that came out a little longer than two years ago. I had the privilege of owning an OPPO R9s Plus and loved the device. A poor man’s iPhone, if you might; it has all the things that the fruit brand has at the time, with nearly the same interface (it is still and Android device by the way). The ColorOS at the time was very much driven by what the iOS looks and feels like.
While that is very pretentious of them, we do not think that the similarities are a bad thing. It is lighter than most Android overlays, simple to operate, and smooth. This is not a review of the older OPPO devices though. This is a review of a brand new OPPO flagship. This is a review of the OPPO Find X 2.
The OPPO Find X2 is two years in waiting since its first iteration in the OPPO Find X. It is a successor to what can be described as OPPO’s most premium device of its time. That design language that OPPO took on also spawned other beautiful looking devices like the OPPO Reno range. It inspired other smartphone manufacturers to go on the charge toward a borderless, notch-less displays with pop-up drawer mechanism for the front- facing cameras.
It was also very expensive, the OPPO Find X. In Malaysia, it sold for MYR 3,699 – unheard of from an OPPO device. While spending more than MYR 3,000 on an OPPO, at that time, is quite absurd, the OPPO Find X was no doubt OPPO’s breakthrough device. It brought OPPO into the premium smartphone market game and the discerning European market.
The new OPPO Find X2 though is a little more expensive than what it replaced. It is now MYR 3,999. This is just a standard OPPO Find X2, mind you. The Find X2 Pro variant is MYR 400 more than this regular Plain Jane edition, beyond the MYR 4,000 range. Ridiculous? We think so too, for an OPPO of all things. Is it worth it though? Should you spend MYR 3,999 on an OPPO smartphone? We dive in and find out.
Design
The OPPO Find X at launch was a looker of a device. It was like nothing we have seen before with a swagger of a display that has not notches or disturbances along its smooth, straight bezel. The back is nicely curved in for better ergonomics. The glass that curved though reflected lights differently from every angle. It was available in two unique colours and they were gorgeous. The Lamborghini edition was also stunning. Of course, the special collaboration edition was also staggeringly expensive.
The OPPO Find X2 has none of that drama. The bezel lines are still undisturbed. There is a gaping hole in the display instead. That is also to say that there are no hidden mechanisms to surprise you with a front camera. Less moving parts, less worry; they say. But that also means that it is now an IP68 rated device. You can bring it to the swimming pool, and it will be okay. You can soak it under the rain, and it would not matter.
Its display is bigger, but the device feels no bigger, or heftier than the OPPO Find X. All this though, is not saying that the device is an ugly one. It is not an ugly device. In most consensus, it is a pretty looking device. It curves in all the right places to make it feel less unwieldly that it actually is. They even offered it in the right colours. Its Ocean Blue is stunning to look at. The Black, well, it is black except in more durable ceramic finish.
It does not give a sense that it is a special device though. At the back is a camera module that houses three cameras like nearly any other flagship you find in the shops today. There is nothing that makes this device stand out from the rest of the smartphone market like the original OPPO Find X. It looks plain, it looks regular. Still, good looking, but nothing special or out of the ordinary, a little bit safe.
Unlike some manufacturers that puts the volume and power button on the same side, OPPO still goes for the one button per side layout. There are no recesses on the device to indicate a fingerprint sensor. You can access that fingerprint sensor under the display though. No problem. That also means that they can have clean, smooth surfaces around the device, save for the camera bump.
Like any other manufacturer, OPPO can make the Find X2 even thinner. They did not though, and instead fit more things under the hood for better cooling and what not. Sadly, that did not include a 3.5mm jack. Although, this has been quite expected. At least there is the Stereo speakers on the device which is actually quite powerful. More on that later though.
Hardware
What greets you out of the box is a wrapped smartphone. Of course, it is. If you bought your new smartphone and open it to find an unwrapped smartphone, you should contact your vendor and get it replaced. Anyway, under the plastic wrapping is a 6.7-inch display that is one of the most wonderful displays I have ever come across.
More on that later, though. A powerful display requires great hardware to put it through its paces and take full advantage of it. So, this comes with the most powerful one in Qualcomm’s stables at this time – a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. That ultra-powerful System on a Chip (SoC) is packing some power with 12GB of RAM in tow.
Accelerometer Proximity Fingerprint (in-display) Ambient Light Gyroscope Face Unlock Compass
Miscellaneous
Stereo Speakers Dolby Atmos sound
User Interface – The ColorOS 7.1
The new ColorOS 7.1 is based on Google’s latest Android 10. In our opinions as well, it is the best ColorOS to date. Of course, it should be, since it is the latest. That is not what we are talking about though.
ColorOS has gone through some very drastic transformations over the years. It started out and sort of grew as an alternative to other Chinese Operating System (OS) overlays. It was still an Android, correct. But it had its fair share of quirks. Most of the time, its known for its mimicry of Apple’s user interface.
Even its colours schemes matched the fruity brand from Cupertino most of the time. Its layout is super similar until you get into the settings panel where it is all Android. There were some differences between this device and an Apple device though. You still can use widgets for example.
Now, on ColorOS 7.1, you can choose to have an app drawer. Instead of endlessly scrolling to the sides, now you can endlessly scroll the interface vertically. Technically this started from ColorOS 6.
There are some additional settings you can pull up from a small notch on the left though. That notch is quite finnicky; I occasionally open it when I do not mean to, and when I mean to, it is difficult to open. With a little bit of practice though, you can figure it out.
That little side panel gives you access to your favourite apps though, kind of like Samsung’s quick launch panel. Except, from that panel you can also quickly get a screenshot or record your display. Very useful sometimes when you are trying to explain something to your parents or friends on your smartphone, especially during this whole quarantine period.
Everything else within ColorOS 7.1 resembles a near vanilla Android 10. Save for the fact that you have to dig into the settings to have your app drawer. Despite that, the similarities to a stock Android interface is a good thing.
Being as vanilla as possible also means that OPPO’s ColorOS is light on Android, very light. That also means that it is fast and smooth and reliable. We’ve only noticeable encountered two lags when using the device. Once when we were trying to switch out from PUBG Mobile to Telegram, and another time trying to exit Netflix to reply WhatsApp. Just those two times though. We tried replicating the lags and stutters but cannot seem to do it after.
Still, you do not have to exit your apps to reply WhatsApp though. You can open WhatsApp as a separate floating window when you are watching your movies on Netflix, or entertaining yourself on YouTube, or even while resting in PUBG. When a message comes in on WhatsApp on the OPPO Find X2, you can choose to reply in floating at the notification pop-up. That is something nice.
That is not a feature that is exclusive to OPPO’s ColorOS though. Still, having that on ColorOS 7.1 is a big welcome. You technically do not have to stop what you are doing just to reply a message.
120Hz, 240Hz Experience.
The big part that contributes to how smooth and snappy the device feels in your hands is the display itself. We will dive into the colours and other technical aspects of the display later. But we are talking now about that experience of a hot knife slicing through butter. The 120Hz, while some may call a gimmick, really works wonders on the operations.
Scrolling never felt messy with the display, everything looks so smooth you can catch details on the icons. Because of the 240Hz response rate too, everything feels even more instant and snappy. Everything you touch is registered as is. The display follows your fingers, never a delay like you see on other devices sometimes. If you have a pen, you are going to see every dotted line forming as your stylus tip touches the display. It really feels good.
Launching apps never felt slow with the combination of a powerful SoC, fast responding display, and large RAM. When I picked up the device and first scrolled through the app drawer, I fell in love a little bit with ColorOS suddenly. Keep in mind, while I have high praises of ColorOS in the past, it is never my favourite interface.
Smart Assistant and OPPO App Market
Everyone is preparing for an eventuality of losing Google’s ecosystem support. It cannot be helped with the situation that HUAWEI is facing. That is also why OPPO developed their own Smart Assistant that is kind of based on Google’s Assistant. They also developed their own App Market which houses apps mostly from the Google Play Store anyway.
We feel that the Smart Assistant page is a little bit of a waste though. You access it by scrolling to the left of your home screen. We would appreciate things like news and what not, like Google’s implementation of their own assistant page.
Performance
From the User Interface experience itself, we have to say that this is a performer. It packs the latest, most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, performance is an expectation from that name alone. It also packs 12GB of RAM, which means multitasking on this thing should be a breeze.
Benchmarks
The benchmark scores are pretty much expected from a high-end SoC like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. Thing is, we are cannot look into benchmark scores too much. Big numbers may not equal to big performance in some cases. We still ran the benchmarks though and here they are.
Call Quality and Connectivity
Making calls is as easy as any other smartphones you have on you right now. The phone calling interface has not changed for the past 10 years so that should be the easy part. The less easy part is sometimes the phone call itself.
We never had an issue with OPPO devices when we tested all their mid-range or entry-level devices before this. Keep in mind they are all clad in aluminium, which was said to cause a lot of problems for Apple’s iPhones in the early days when they started using the material.
In terms of call experiences then, the OPPO deserves no complains. As expected, the dual mics that are used in the device filters out noise nicely and the caller at the other end of the line never complained that I was drowned out by noise. Volume levels are good too. Probably the earpiece could be a little softer than what I am used to, even when volume is turned all the way up, but I can still pick up voices and words in the conversation just fine.
If you are planning to use this in a conference call, you can. The speakers are actually very loud in those calls. You can fill a medium sized conference room with the volume from the OPPO Find X2. Although the mics might not be able to pick up your voice if you are standing more than 1.5m away from it. Not properly anyway. Loud speakers also means that you miss your calls less.
5G Ready
If you are thinking of purchasing the OPPO Find X2, whichever you choose are 5G compatible. While we do not have 5G just yet, preparations never hurt anyone. In the case that 5G is readily available, all you need to do is get the SIM card and plans from your service provider.
Unlike the other chines brand that has been touting 5G connectivity forever though, there is no switch for 5G here. That also means that if you get a 5G SIM card and push it in, 5G will be on by default. That could also be a worry in the future in terms of data usage patterns and even battery life concerns. So far, we cannot comment much because we have nothing to test it against yet.
O Roaming
If you are a travel bug (I know, we cannot travel at this time, at least we are discouraged to), you may appreciate this feature. It is a feature OPPO introduced last year for their smartphones. It is basically a roaming plan and you can do all your purchases from your smartphone itself. You do not need to head to a kiosk and get a local number and then just dispose it after use.
It is technically a more ecologically conscious way of getting a roaming data plan. That way also you do not need to manage another SIM card. Pulling out the SIM tray can be a pain sometimes.
Thing is, as far as we can see, the plans are still more expensive than getting a local number in some areas. The rates are also all calculated in US$. That also means that your credit card might charge you more than you bargained for.
We cannot deny its potential usefulness though. Having O Roaming or using it can be convenient for you. It is an on-demand service as well anyway, so as long as you need it, you can have a subscription and cancel anytime you do not need it.
Gaming
During the period of quarantine, we play a lot of games. Not that many mobile games though, sadly. However, we still do have some games on the OPPO Find X2. We installed PUBG Mobile, quite a staple to test devices with Battle Royale games like that these days. We loved Brawl Stars too, so of course that gets installed and played. I am also a fan of the Sky Force Reloaded personally.
The thing with modern smartphones with modern, ultra-powerful processing chips is that smooth gaming comes as a pre-requisite suddenly. There is a reason why gaming smartphones has not picked up that much since we first see the BlackShark device and even the ROG Phone. They are all technically the same things with some extra features that may or may not change the way you used your smartphone. All that, while looking tacky and loud.
With the OPPO Find X2’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 then, this device is expected to shred the games and let you play at 120 fps with no issues. Of course, the OPPO flagship does not disappoint. It manages to do all that while looking elegant and subtle. Lesson, you do not need a gaming smartphone.
Talks of gaming smartphones aside though, Brawl Stars is nice and smooth to play with. While you may not be able to tell if you are not paying attention, the game looks like it is somehow running smoother. Thanks to 240Hz response rate too, everything suddenly becomes a little more instant.
That goes for PUBG Mobile and Sky Force Reloaded as well though. On PUBG Mobile, gun shots are supposed to be slightly faster since the display responds faster. At the end of the day, the difference is in milliseconds and is hardly noticeable really. Still, the games look good with great vibrant colours. Brawl Stars looks fun and amazing with its pastel colour choices.
Even Sky Force, a messy game at times run smoothly, smoother than we thought it could run, and looks good. The colours of your plane are vivid, the projectile clearer, and suddenly the plane is more responsive to your touch. Not bad at all. Thing is though, these are very subtle differences that you might be able to overlook on other displays.
All this is thanks to OPPO’s very advanced, very pretty OLED display. We will talk about what makes gaming on the 120Hz panel such a pleasure with O1 Vision Engine in the later part of the review. This also makes us think that display panels now will make the difference between a regular smartphone and a gaming one.
Fingers and Faces
The OPPO Find X2 can easily unlock via your face. Well, as expected from a modern smartphone, facial recognition is quite standard now. 3D facial recognition is also more accurate and secure than ever now. It is also very much like OPPO’s first implementation of facial recognition on their OPPO Find X with 3D sensors and infrared floodlights. As with any other technologies, it is supposedly more accurate now too.
What is impressive to us was that the device was still able to recognise my face in low-light conditions. That, and it was able to unlock at about the same time as when it recognises my face in bright conditions. That is to say that the device does its facial recognition almost the instant you turn on the device. Then again, it recognises my face whichever way I oriented the device to my face anyway. That also means that fingerprint sensor and PIN numbers that I have set on the device are quite underutilised.
The fingerprint sensor is under the display though, which also means that there are no recess or creases to fit a regular fingerprint sensor. Under display fingerprint sensors have come a long way too, there is no reason to doubt its capability and accuracy at this point. They are faster than ever too. If all else fails, you have your PIN numbers to fall back on.
Battery Life
When we first saw how much this flagship is packing, we had major concerns on its 4,200mAh battery. It is not small for a battery, but it is certainly not that big. The Samsung Galaxy S20+ Ultra has a 4,500mAh battery with 5G and 120Hz display in tow. It is expected that 5G usage might drain batteries faster than ever too.
We decided to push the OPPO Find X2 through its paces a little bit with letting the display run on full 120Hz and QHD+ resolution. We let OPPO’s battery optimisation algorithm run on its own though, since it is turned on by default. We used the device as normally as we possibly can too. We ran WhatsApp on it, Telegram, some phone calls, some Netflix, quite a little bit of YouTube, and some camera action in a single day.
The result is a battery life that could last us longer than a day of full use. We had more than 18 hours in battery life on our first day with the OPPO Find X2. We never had any battery anxiety with the device on the first days. Mind you, this was the period before the state-sanction quarantine started; means we were still out and about.
On the worst day, we had to charge the device after 10 hours of use. That was thanks to a few PUBG sessions on long commute and train rides. Even leaving Netflix on for a 30-40 minute journey home from work still gives me a few extra hours with the device away from a charging outlet. I only had to charge the device when I get to bed on a typical day. While that could be anywhere from 11.00 p.m. to 2.00 a.m., having the confidence of leaving it for a charge overnight and get it going a full day is kind of refreshing. It is like experiencing new freedom.
Mind you, we have not even begun with VOOC FlashCharge. They said that it could be charged from zip to full within 40 minutes. We believe that, because our charged within 30 minutes most of the time, and the best part is that there is not much heat in the first place. So, it is safe to handle your device anytime it is charging.
That is not to say that it is flawless though. We would very much appreciate wireless charging. We use wireless chargers in the office now and with the Find X2, it is pretty much useless. While it has a long battery life, we could extend our daily use with wireless charging. We still think that they could fit a bigger battery in the device, the Find X2 Pro makes do with a 4,260mAh by the way; not that much bigger from this regular Find X2.
Display
The office actually agrees that this is probably the most impressive display of 2020. Mind you, we also pitted this against another flagship that launched at the same time, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. We still think that this display is on another level.
It should be, you can project at QHD+ while pushing 120Hz, it has HDR10 certification, it has a 100% DCI-P3 certification, it is a 10-bit display with 1 billion colours, it is OLED and it is large at 6.7-inch. It is the same display across the series as well if you do not know yet. It is everything that a flagship display should be.
It is not an AMOLED display, simple OLED. But it is more than just another OLED display. It refreshes at 120Hz, and it pushed 10 billion colours into your face, not the usual 16.7 million. It is, in my eyes, the best display you can have on an Android device at this time.
They call the display their O1 Ultra Vision display. With that, comes an engine within the display that accelerates your visuals to match the refresh rate of the display at 120fps. That works for YouTube, Netflix, and even Prime video. That means you get extra smooth footages with very little chop and motion blurring. We were surprised with the result, to be very honest.
When a visual engine accelerates a 30fps video to 60fps, you usually can tell. You can tell by the occasional colour bleeding, or motion blurring of a specific object. On the OPPO’s display, you can hardly tell. We suspect that we can hardly tell also because the display is not large enough for us to scrutinise on a microscopic level.
Colours are very real on the device. You get highly vivid and saturated colours. While that is a mark of OLED displays, this is something else. With 10-bit format, colour gradients blend so well that you see them as a single progression with no separation. With 1 billion colours, colour contrasts are even better than before.
Those features create a whole avenue to watching videos and enjoying Netflix and other video streaming platforms on the OPPO. Yes, we are saying we enjoy using this device as our go to device to stream videos.
You have not even begun to consider the stereo speakers that this thing packs. They are Dolby Atmos certified too, which means you get top notch movie audio out of this. Find a title that could match the certification, you get really good personal immersion. Quite sad that you cannot put your old 3.5mm jacked headphone into the device though. Well, Bluetooth audio it is.
Cameras
They say that the OPPO Find X2 Pro, before the launch of HUAWEI’s P40 series, tops the charts on DX0Mark. That also means that the OPPO Find X2 Pro, at one point, was the best a smartphone camera can get. What about the Find X2?
Technically, you can get the same sort of results. They both run on the same primary hardware and software. The regular Find X2 that you see here packs a 48-Megapixel main shooter supported by two other less powerful lenses. The ultra-wide shooter is a 16-Megapixel sensor while the telephoto lens is a 12-Megapixel shooter capable only of 2x optical zoom. You get up to 5x hybrid zoom with that too.
Does that mean that it is a worse camera than the OPPO Find X2 Pro though? In terms of numbers, it is collectively a worse camera. In practice though, the differences are less than you think. If you are comparing the main camera, nothing separates the two. Both have the same 48-Megapixel cameras and both should get the same results. The resulting photo from the 48-Megapixel camera is crisp, detailed images with very natural colours. The AI know how from OPPO does help in plenty of the scene recognition and settings on the camera. Even in low light, colours are saturated and pretty. My only complain is probably the oversaturation of certain colours like the reds. Still photos look stunning enough on the display of the OPPO at least.
There is a small flaring issue when the OPPO Find X2’s camera is exposed to a naked light source, but most smartphone cameras will have that issue anyway. Under the right conditions, you can get a creative shot. If you like to do night photography though, you might want to consider pointing your device toward a softer light source than what we see in the sample photo. Still, night photography with the 48-Megapixel camera is great thanks to OPPO’s clever night mode enhancement.
With the other two lenses, there are nothing much to shout about really. They are not great, but they are not bad either. They produce pretty standard results in their own class. You will not get a super clear 10x zoom shots from the OPPO Find X2. At 5x though, photos are still clearly usable. The final results of the long shots from the 5x hybrid zoom function is really not bad at all. You still get plenty of details with it, like shooting from a conventional lens.
The ultra-wide angle lens is not the best, but it is still good to work with. You may not get 48-Megapixel in detail from the 16-Megapixel ultra-wide lens, but it is not going to blow any minds. It is still detailed enough to use and appreciate though. Colour profile across the cameras are pretty much the same, which also means that you are still getting very natural looking ultra-wide shots and zoomed in shots.
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The OPPO Find X2 – The OPPO Flagship to Have
The OPPO Find X2 we have here will set you back MYR 3,999. It is the cheaper of the two flagship devices from OPPO too. The Find X2 Pro will set you back MYR 4,599, MYR 600 more than the OPPO Find X2.
While being the more affordable of the two, you are not getting that much less than the Find X2 Pro. The OPPO Find X2 still packs the same power unit, the same display, the same sort of design language. The only difference is the battery size (60mAh smaller on the Find X2), storage size, (256GB vs 512GB), and the camera sensors you get (48MP + 12MP +16MP vs 48MP + 13MP + 48MP). In a sense, it is not that big of a difference that you can find though. You are essentially getting identical performance numbers and experiencing the same OS and device.
MYR 3,999 though is a lot of money to ask for. The OPPO Find X that was launched last year was just slightly cheaper at MYR 3,699. Still, that was two years ago. For about the same money as the OPPO Find X2 as well, you can get your hands on a Samsung Galaxy S20 and a HUAWEI P40 Pro. Get this though, the OPPO Find X2 is probably a better deal with the 120Hz QHD+ display alone.
As a device, we feel that the OPPO Find X2 is one of the most accomplished and complete devices out there. It is an impressive device, and we can say that we really like the device. It is still difficult to get over the fact that you are spending more than MYR 3,500 on an OPPO device. You are spending a premium amount of money on a smartphone brand that has built itself on value mid-range offerings.
We can overlook that part though, just because we have experienced the device. If you are looking in the price range, we do urge you to take a look and experience this OPPO Find X2 itself. It might change your mind about what OPPO devices can do. In short, this is a device that we do not mind using as a daily driver.
Malaysia is on lock down order. Well, more like a partial lock down. All the paperwork calls it is a ‘restricted movement’ order. All non-essential services and businesses are order to close, or all its staff are supposed to work from home. This is fine for businesses like ours, with all our contents and services being digital and online. We can easily work from home. But businesses like car service centers, manufacturing of goods, shops, and even restaurants are going to be affected.
Well, in a broader sense, restaurants and food outlets can operate
under the circumstance that it only does takeaway orders. Supermarkets, hospitals
and clinics, broadcasting, police stations, and fire services are still open.
Some of them on a limited capacity too (not hospitals, they are front lining
the COVID-19 situation. To that, thank you to all doctors and nurses who are
working tirelessly).
Instead of the whole mess of a launch gambit and roadshows
all over Malaysia and its countless malls, OPPO is starting their first sale
gambit with nothing but a simple service of delivering the devices right to
your doorstep. Obviously, you would have to buy one of it to get the device
sent to you.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G, to recap, is one of OPPO’s flagships that is launched this year to replace the now two years old OPPO Find X. The OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G, as its name indicates, packs 5G readiness from its Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 System on a Chip (SoC). It is also OPPO’s most powerful device to date with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of on-board storage. Its camera is supposed to be the best camera ever on a smartphone, topping the charts of DX0Mark with its 48-Megapixel main camera flanked by a 48-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens and a 13-Megapixel lens.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Unlike the OPPO Find X, the X2 and X2 Pro does not have a motorised
pop-up mechanism. That also means you are not getting a full edge-to-edge display
like the FullView display of the OPPO Find X. Instead, you get something they
call an O1 Ultra Vision display with a 32-Megapixel camera punch hole on the
6.7-inch AMOLED display. It pushes out QHD+ at up to 120Hz. That may take a
toll on its 4,260 mAh battery. With 65W SuperVOOC charging though, there is
nothing to fear, especially in this lockdown anyway.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G is available for pre-order now for
MYR 4,599 until 20rd March 2020. Devices should start shipping to
customers the day after. The device will be available in two finishes – Ceramic
Black and Vegan Leather Orange.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
All pre-order customers are entitled for a free VOOC powerbank,
1-year extended warranty, and 3 months of screen protection. Of course, you must
make full payment before the 18th of April to secure their free
gifts. If you made your full payment before the 23rd of March, you
are also entitled to a free OPPO Enco Free True Wireless Earbuds worth MYR 599
(review coming soon). On top of all the free gifts, OPPO will be offering an MYR
200 voucher to be used in OPPO’s official web store. Of course, you have to
spend more than MYR 200 to use the voucher. Additionally, if you have made your
pre-order and committed the booking fee of MYR 300 at any OPPO’s offline store,
you are entitled to an MYR 300 digital code to make your full payment; in other
words you are getting MYR 300 off your OPPO Find X2 Pro 5G. Of course, terms
and conditions apply. More information on OPPO’s website.
In this week’s Tech & Tonic Podcast, we have Jason Goh of @Smashpop! Jason Goh is one of the more prolific figures in the digital content creation industry. He has a vast experience in the field and is one of the guys behind Tricycle TV, a social media channel that focuses on reviewing tech in Bahasa Melayu. He is also very active in Social Media with @Smashpop across all platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. He is also on TikTok, but not very active; as he says. All good things must be shared, and that is why Jason also conducts workshops for you to better your Social Media presence and skills.
Last week saw one of the most anticipated smartphones (to us anyway) launch globally and in Malaysia. It is the OPPO Find X2 series, a flagship that is two years in waiting now. We had our hands on the OPPO Find X2 as well as Jason with the OPPO Find X2 Pro. We spoke at length about the device; what we like, what we do not like, and what we found interesting. Still, at MYR 3,999 (starting from), it is not what you would call ‘affordable’. Are the features enough to justify its price tag though?
On the subject of smartphones, we revisit the topic of smartphone cameras vs proper cameras. Fitting topic, since we have another very experienced content creator that focuses plenty of visuals. The OPPO Find X2 series also triggers the topic with its claim on topping the DX0Mark charts (OPPO Find X2 Pro). Of course, we would want to know what his opinion is on this subject. We did an editorial on this subject too.
If you ask us last week about what was the most anticipated smartphone was to us this week, we would all in agreement say the OPPO Find X2. We will tell you why.
The OPPO Find X is now about two years old, if you have not noticed. The OPPO Find X was also OPPO’s first device to hit the MYR 3,000 price range. At the time, it was an expensive device. You get a thoroughbred device for that money though. It was a smartphone that is worthy of its ‘flagship’ moniker in every way. Its clever motorised pop-up mechanism is also one that captures plenty of eyes. Of course, there were some fundamental flaws with the design that is eventually solved in other iterations of similar implementations of the mechanism.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
In short; we liked the OPPO Find X. Its pretty looks, large display, capable camera, and long battery life being the main reasons of it winning our hearts. Still, that was two years ago and there was no follow up model until now.
We have covered the global launch so we will not go on and on about its hardware. We did not see the device in our hands too, blame COVID-19 concerns for that. But still, the device has come to Malaysia just a few days after its global launch. That is a good indication of how much OPPO is betting on the local market at this time.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
To jog your memory a little bit. The OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro, replacing the OPPO Find X, has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC shoehorned into a 6.78-inch 2K AMOLED display body that refreshes at 120Hz and samples touch at 240Hz. Through the fast display you are looking through a 48-Megapixel main shooter. There are some differences in the paired cameras in the array between the two variants. All the powerful hardware is given life by a 4,260mAh battery that SuperVOOC fast charges at 65W. As the live demonstration in Barcelona shows, it charges from flat to full in 38-minutes.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro will be available in Black and Orange colour options. The Black will come with a ceramic finish while the Orange is a vegan leather finish. The OPPO Find X2 on the other hand will receive Black and Ocean colour treatments. The Ocean option would be a glass finish. Both models are 5G ready.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
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Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
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Source: OPPO
The OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro will be available in Malaysia 14th of March 2020 onward for MYR 3,999 and MYR 4,599 respectively. If you want to be some of the first people to own one of these flagship goodness, you might want to get on the pre-order boat. The offer lasts until 13th of March 2020, so you still have time. No official word on their Lamborghini limited edition ones though.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
If you do pre-order the OPPO Find X2 series, you get a VOOC Flash charge powerbank and an extended 1-year warranty programme with 3-months screen protection. If you are one of the first 300 customers to pick up their OPPO Find X device on the 14th March 2020, or the OPPO Find X2 Pro on the 21st March 2020, you get a set of OPPO Enco Free TWS earphones. Of course, terms and conditions apply. For more information, do visit their website.
OPPO’s Find X was something else from OPPO. It was something
quite extraordinary to come out from OPPO’s stables. It was OPPO’s game changer
also their first device to hit the premium market segment. It sold for MYR
3,699 when it was launched; more expensive than any OPPO devices that came before
it.
It was not like any other OPPO devices that came before as
well. Instead of a familiar Apple-esque design they employed with their best-selling
models, the OPPO Find X was a device they could proudly call their own. It was
a device they could really identify as an OPPO device. It was also OPPO’s first
European ready device.
In all fairness it was also the first smartphone in the
world that was truly bezel-less. While whatever premium devices came with ‘bezel-less’
devices, you still get the notch to house the camera. OPPO’s implementation
made sure that your bezel-less experience is truly bezel-less. How? Quite ingenious,
a motorised pop-up mechanism that slides a whole part of the device to reveal a
front facing camera.
It did not sell for MYR 3,699 merely for that feature though.
It was a world beater with a high-end System on a Chip (SoC). It had other
flagship class specs as well, large RAM and storage. It had a larger than life
battery too at the time. Even its camera array is flagship class. Was it worth
MYR 3,699? It surely looked like it.
Source: OPPO
Now, there is the brand new OPPO Find X2; the evolution of
the iconic flagship from 2018. Instead of just a single device though, the Find
X2 is a series of devices. They are all 5G ready too. The 5G capabilities are
thanks to the most powerful processor available to them in the world today. They
are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.
The OPPO Find X2
There is not that much difference between the two devices that was launched by OPPO today. Even the price (in Euro anyway). The difference in price is only about EU€ 200 (*MYR 946); which is not that much.
Source: OPPO
There are still some differences to justify the higher price point
of the OPPO Find X2 Pro though. Starting with the storage, the OPPO Find X2 tops
out at 256GB. Mind you, that is not expandable; kind of a bummer, but 256GB is
plenty anyway.
One of the cameras, the ultra-wide lens; you only get 12-Megapixel
out of it. While that is not bad, it will not be the most powerful sensor you
can find on the OPPO Find X2. Then there is the battery which tops out at
4,200mAh for the OPPO Find X2. It still charges as fast as the Find X2 Pro
though.
This is where the differences end though.
OPPO Find X2 Pro
We start with the storage at 512GB of storage, double of the OPPO
Find X2. The OPPO Find X2 Pro also packs a very slightly bigger battery at
4,260mAh. This is no where near as big as we think it would be. Still, it
charges very quickly at 65W (SuperVOOC). It fully charges the device from an
empty battery to full within 38 minutes.
Source: OPPO
The biggest difference between the device is within the camera
array. The OPPO Find X2 Pro packs a 48-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor instead of
12-megapixel. It is supported by the same 13-Megapixel telephoto lens and 48-Megapixel
main shooter as the OPPO Find X2. The difference? 48-Megapixels obviously
captures more details in its ultra-wide shots and its macro shots from at least
3cm away from subject. This camera array is the one that puts OPPO at the top
steps of DX0Mark.
The Find X2 Series Powerhouse
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 paired to 12GB of RAM is not just
keeping the OPPO Find X2’s 5G kicking though. It is also a powerhouse to keep
the Android 10 based ColorOS 7.1 running as smoothly as possible. You can see
that smooth and snappy performance from the large 6.7-inch display that pushed
QHD+ resolution at 120Hz. If you are into gaming, you will benefit from the
240Hz sampling rate; or mor commonly known as touch response these days.
It does not stop there for its display though. The display is in a
class of its own with a 100% DCI-P3 certification. This is also the first OPPO
device to pack a 10-bit display. That also means that you get one billion
colours on the display. The O1 Ultra Vision Vision Engine on the Ultra
Vision display is also the world’s first
engine in the world of its kind on a mobile device. The engine is a hardware
based upscale mechanism that scales 30fps videos to up to 120fps videos with
minimal motion blurring and tearing. With HDR10+, the OPPO Find X2 series’
display is easily the most advanced and most accurate out there in the market.
Immersive too with Dolby ATMOS certified dual stereo speakers.
Source: OPPO
While we have spoken about the camera’s hardware capabilities, there is more to the camera than meets the eye. The 10x hybrid zoom is nothing new technically. What is new though is OPPO’s All Pixel Omni-Directional PDAF that is supposed to increase the Auto-Focus speeds with even better accuracy than regular PDAF systems. The camera also shoots at 12-bit, meaning you get even more details in your shots. Out the front is a 32-Megapixel shooter housed in a small punch-hole on the display.
You get to shoot even better in low-light conditions too
with their new Ultra-night mode 3.0 across all lenses. Your main camera though
gets Ultra Dark Mode treatment to help the camera see even better in near blackness.
While regular Optical Image Stabiliser functions would be enough for photos, videos require a little bit more than that. That is why OPPO has the Ultra Steady Mode 2.0 that combines OIS and EIS on the OPPO Find X2 series. Plus, the Live HDR mode helps you visual your videos without having to take a picture or video first. It samples HDR on top of your display once you fire up the camera. For videos also the OPPO Find X2 devices are equipped with three mics for even better and more advanced noise cancelling functions. Once you shoot, you can edit all of the footage in SoLoop app included within the device.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
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Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
The OPPO Find X2 Pro will be available in Black (ceramic material) and Vegan Leather for EU€ 1199 (*MYR 5,671). The OPPO Find X2 will be available Black (ceramic) and Ocean (glass) for EU€ 999 (*MYR4,725). As expected there is a Lamborghini edition for the OPPo Find X2 series too. Both devices is expected to be available globally in May 2020. Malaysia’s launch is just in a few days away next week though. We should get more information regarding the OPPO Find X2 series’ availability and prices in the coming week. Meanwhile, stay tuned!
*Based on current exchange rate of EU€ 1 = MYR 4.73 as of 6/3/2020
