Oppo Find X5 Pro Review: Excellence, Refined

When Oppo unveiled the Find X3 Pro, its design was once… just a little of a surprise, to mention the least. The unmarried pane of reflected glass at the rear that curved up, round, and over the digicam module appeared in contrast to the rest available in the market.

There’s no such surprise this time round, because the Find X5 Pro (no, there was once no X4 – we’ll get to that) is a case of refinement fairly than reinvention. And now not simply within the design – lots of the phone’s specifications are half-steps ahead from Oppo’s 2021 flagship, however tweaked and advanced simply sufficient to justify the replace.

And sure, there was once by no means a Find X4 collection. Oppo says that that is all the way down to the truth that final yr’s Find N foldable was once the collection’ fourth technology, making this the 5th – however possibly the corporate simply doesn’t wish to admit that it’s a tad superstitious, with 4 thought to be an unfortunate quantity throughout a lot of Asia.

Design and construct

• Unique curved ceramic construct
• Gorilla Glass Victus at the show
• IP68

So yeah, Oppo hasn’t modified an excessive amount of concerning the extensive strokes design of the Find X5 Pro – which remains to be just a little like it or hate it – however there were some sensible tweaks during.

The most evident one is the newly slanted digicam module. This is extra than simply trade for trade’s sake even though – the theory is that the perspective higher fits the place customers are more likely to relaxation their index finger at the phone’s again. It will provide you with now not just a comfy spot to take a seat your finger, however simply as importantly helps to keep it from blockading and smudging your digicam lenses.

I’ll admit I used to be a sceptic, however I’m a large fan of the trade – and actually want Oppo had long gone slightly additional, with a sharper perspective, even though that can be a quirk of the way my palms take a seat.

It’s a small tweak, however has an incredibly affect on how the phone is to carry, with the burden of the digicam and the higher a part of the phone now ready to relaxation with ease. That issues greater than same old, however Oppo’s different large trade – a transfer to a ceramic rear – has made the Find X5 Pro rather heavy at 218g.

That’s now not essentially a nasty factor – even though for sure the phone will now really feel too cumbersome for some – because it is a part of making the phone really feel particularly top class within the hand. It’s price noting that whilst the 2 colors are Glaze Black and Ceramic White, each actually use ceramic – now not simply the white fashion.

The ceramic end must end up more difficult than maximum glass choices, even though it’s no less than as unhealthy for choosing up fingerprints. Meanwhile the show is safe through Gorilla Glass Victus, and an IP68 ranking method this must be protected from maximum mud and water harm.

The different evident visible addition is a Hasselblad emblem that sits along Oppo’s at the rear. I’ll speak about that digicam collaboration extra later, however I do want the brand have been left out – or no less than reduced in size. Between the 2 corporate emblems, the ‘Powered through MariSilicon’ mark at the digicam, and the slew of criminal marks required in the United Kingdom and Europe, the again of the phone seems particularly cluttered and busy this time round, which does detract from the design.

Display and audio

• Large 6.7in AMOLED show
• 1-120Hz variable refresh price
• Powerful stereo audio system

The previous few Find X flagships from Oppo have flaunted their show high quality, and whilst the Find X5 Pro isn’t as dramatic a step ahead as we’ve observed sooner than, it nonetheless boasts one of the most easiest presentations within the trade.

At 6.7in it’s on the better finish of Android flagships, however the specifications are exhausting to argue with: a WQHD+ LTPO AMOLED with variable refresh price from 1-120Hz and HDR give a boost to.

That’s numerous jargon, however it boils all the way down to the truth that you’re getting an in depth, prime solution show with nice color protection and distinction, and a variable refresh price that delivers each tremendous clean animations and superb battery optimisation.

One artful contact this is new to this phone is the power to alter refresh price around the show. This will handiest in point of fact kick in for split-screen multi-taskers, however in principle shall we a part of the show run at a prime refresh price for video or a recreation, whilst working some other section down at just a few Hz in your WhatsApp conversations to preserve energy.

As you’d be expecting in a flagship you’ll additionally get stereo audio system, and those in point of fact aren’t unhealthy. Of route there’s a prohibit to their bass output, however sound is crisp, transparent, and not muddled, making this masses just right sufficient for gazing YouTube and even the peculiar spot of tune should you don’t have a speaker at hand.

Specs and function

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset
• 12GB RAM and 256GB garage
• Dual-SIM 5G

The Find X5 Pro is powered essentially through the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, the most recent flagship from Qualcomm. There’s in fact additionally a variant the use of the Dimensity 9000, from rival MediaTek, however for now no less than this fashion stays unique to China.

The 8 Gen 1 handiest introduced in December, and so it is going to take a while to determine precisely what it’s in a position to, and the way more than a few phone producers employ it. Some early 8 Gen 1 telephones appear to combat with thermal control, however Oppo has taken this in its stride with a 75% better vapour chamber and I haven’t spotted the Find X5 Pro warmth up any longer than I’d be expecting.

As with maximum flagships right here, efficiency right here in point of fact falls into two distinct camps. If you’re anything else like a regular phone person – most commonly frightened about social media, being attentive to tune, possibly some mild gaming – then this has greater than sufficient energy. The 8 Gen 1 can take care of absolutely anything you throw at it, and the phone is slick and clean to make use of.

If you’re a multi-tasking energy person or extra dedicated cellular gamer, then that is nonetheless probably the most tough telephones in the marketplace, however the 8 Gen 1 doesn’t ship any massive soar on final yr’s Snapdragon 888 flagships. In truth its Geekbench 5 rankings are even crushed through a few of final yr’s handsets, even though it impresses extra within the graphical GFXBench exams, the place it is with ease forward of Snapdragon 888 telephones on the similar solution – observe that the Galaxy S22+ integrated for comparability has an unfair benefit right here, because it runs at a decrease solution.

Oppo has determined to provide only one model of the phone, so that you’ll get 12GB of RAM and 256GB of garage whether or not you adore it or now not – and without a microSD give a boost to, that garage isn’t expandable both.

5G is supported after all, and the dual-SIM slot will permit you to use two 5G SIM playing cards immediately (or one card and one eSIM). Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC give a boost to around out the connectivity options.

Battery and charging

• Large 5000mAh battery
• 80W stressed charging (charger integrated)
• 50W wi-fi charging

The Find X5 Pro’s sheer dimension offers Oppo the danger to incorporate a capacious 5000mAh battery. Still, with the prime specifications integrated her the phone can burn via that sooner than you may suppose, so that is nonetheless a phone that may desire a rate each day.

With mild use you may with reference to be capable of stretch it additional, however for probably the most section you’ll most likely handiest get someday at a day out of it, with 5 hours or so of screen-on time.

Fortunately charging is speedy, with give a boost to for 80W stressed charging and 50W wi-fi. A brand new ‘Battery Health Engine’ is helping give protection to the battery whilst charging, and Oppo says the phone must retain 80% of its complete capability after a whopping 1600 charging cycles – even though after all I haven’t been ready to check that declare myself.

With the integrated 80W stressed charger I crowned the phone up through 56% in simply quarter-hour, and as much as 94% in 1/2 an hour. If you might be more likely to want to use third-party chargers too, the phone helps the PPS same old at as much as 30W speeds.

Oppo says the 50W wi-fi charging can ship a complete rate in 50 mins, however for that you just’ll want an reliable AirVOOC charger. Standard Qi wi-fi chargers are supported too, however at a lot decrease speeds – the max is 15W over the EPP same old.

Camera and video

• 50Mp major and ultrawide cameras
• 13Mp 2x telephoto
• No microlens or periscope zoom

Oppo has made some fascinating possible choices with the digicam device at the Find X5 Pro, even though I’ll admit to having blended emotions about a few of them.

First up, here is what you get: a couple of 50Mp major and ultrawide lenses, a 13Mp 2x zoom telephoto lens, and a 32Mp selfie digicam.

There’s no signal of the unconventional microlens digicam used at the Find X3 Pro, nor of any 5x or 10x zoom periscope lens. Oppo says that it thinks shoppers are extra focussed at the high quality and coffee mild efficiency of the primary lenses, and so has focussed its efforts there.

There are two different parts to pay attention to sooner than we dive into the effects. First is {hardware}: Oppo has integrated its first in-house silicon right here within the type of the MariSilicon X NPU. This is an additional 6nm chip dedicated to symbol processing, which the corporate says is vital to the digicam’s efficiency – particularly in low mild.

The different trade is device. As given away through the large emblem at the again, Hasselblad has helped right here, however handiest in providing the similar kind of options discovered on final yr’s OnePlus 9 Pro. That method the digicam app now has Hasselblad’s orange accents and unique shutter sound, along side a couple of new color filters and an XPAN that shoots within the extraordinary 65:24 side ratio. That’s in point of fact about it even though – do not get too hung up at the Hasselblad stuff.

Camera efficiency in point of fact is superb. Images are sharp and detailed around the 3 lenses, with heat colors that appear true-to-life – and with spectacular color consistency between the 3 lenses.

Any digicam device at this worth will nail it in just right mild even though, so low mild is the place issues in point of fact topic. Here the Find X5 Pro is just right – however it isn’t the easiest, in spite of Oppo’s insistence that that is the place it is focussed its efforts. The Vivo X70 Pro+ stays head and shoulders above the contest in low mild, even though the Find X5 Pro holds its personal in opposition to the likes of the Galaxy S21 Ultra or Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, and nonetheless with ease beats the iPhone 13 Pro.

Low mild photographs are sharp and impressively detailed, however dynamic vary can also be missing. Some black spaces keep very black, and lightweight resources can also be extraordinarily over-exposed – even though that is advanced whilst you use the devoted evening mode, fairly than depend at the default digicam mode.

The major digicam fares easiest of the 3, for sure helped through its vast aperture and 5-axis OIS stabilisation – without a optical stabilisation in any respect at the different lenses, they are able to’t compete when the going will get darkish.

This most likely sounds extra important than is truthful – the 3 rear lenses all take superb low mild photographs (or even the front-facing lens holds its personal). But when Oppo has justified ditching a periscope to ship on low mild, it is disappointing to look that it isn’t in point of fact any higher than its key opponents in that house.

If digicam is your major fear then the Find X5 Pro is indubitably within the combine, however it isn’t the be-all, end-all, particularly should you care concerning the additional zoom choices in other places. But should you simply desire a new flagship with a digicam you’ll consider, then this totally delivers, after which some.

Software and updates

• Android 12 with ColorOS 12.1
• Three Android OS updates

The Find X5 Pro ships with Android 12, and runs Oppo’s ColorOS pores and skin on most sensible.

Mandatory Android 12 options like icons to provide you with a warning to when the digicam and microphone are in use, or the brand new privateness dashboard, are integrated right here. However, Oppo has opted to thoroughly omit Material You, the brand new Android 12 function that tweaks person interface colors in accordance with a palette drawn out of your wallpaper – even though you’ll no less than simply pass in and tweak the colors manually, as I’ve.

There’s nonetheless so much to love about ColorOS even though, which stays one of the most higher Android skins round. It’s easy and simple to make use of, with a obviously laid out settings menu and a wealth of customisation choices during the OS.

Oppo additionally guarantees 3 years of Android OS updates for its flagships, with a fourth yr of safety patches, which must see this phone replace to Android 13, 14, and ultimately 15. That’s now not rather the long-term device give a boost to introduced through Apple, however it’s up there one of the best for Android manufacturers, with handiest Samsung doing higher presently.

Price and availability

While the Find X5 Pro has already been published in complete, it gained’t in fact be in the stores for some time – in the United Kingdom no less than, the phone doesn’t pass on sale till 24 March, even though it is going to be to be had to pre-order from 10 March. It will likely be to be had throughout Europe and Asia, however don’t be expecting it to unencumber in the USA – Oppo telephones by no means do.

In the United Kingdom it is going to value £1,049, whilst in Europe it’ll set you again €1,299. In the United Kingdom that’s in fact a slight worth drop from the Find X3 Pro, even though the fee has long gone up in Europe, and there it is without delay up in opposition to top class flagships just like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra or final yr’s Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and Sony Xperia 1 III.

If the Find X5 Pro goes to combat right here, this is because maximum of the ones opponents be offering tough periscopic zoom cameras, which this does not. If that is a key function for then you glance to these opponents, but when the Find X5 Pro’s 2x zoom feels like sufficient then the well-rounded package deal right here is usually a winner.

Check out our round-ups of the most efficient flagship telephones and easiest Android telephones to look the important thing opponents, or the most efficient Oppo telephones for extra from the emblem.

Verdict

The Oppo Find X5 Pro is lovely, tough phone that delivers with reference to in all places it counts.

Compared to different contemporary flagships, this looks like an all-rounder: you get a very good show, sturdy efficiency, respectable battery and charging, and a strong digicam – all wrapped in a quite distinctive design.

Outside of that aesthetic I’m now not certain there is a unmarried house that the Find X5 Pro is the very best of any phone available in the market, so if in case you have explicit priorities you might to find that some opponents provide you with extra of that you need. But few nail with reference to each side of the phone the best way that Oppo has right here, which might give the Find X5 Pro extra wide-ranging attraction.

Specs

Oppo Find X5 Pro: Specs

• Android 12 with ColorOS 12.1
• 6.7in WQHD+ LTPO AMOLED show, 120Hz, HDR10+
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB inner garage
• 50Mp, f/1.7, 5-axis OIS major digicam
• 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digicam
• 13Mp, f/2.4 2x telephoto digicam
• 32Mp, f/2.4 selfie digicam
• Stereo audio system
• Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Wi-Fi 6
• GPS
• NFC
• 5G
• Dual-SIM
• Gorilla Glass Victus show coating
• Ceramic rear
• IP68
• 5000mAh non-removable battery
• 80W SuperVOOC stressed charging
• 50W AirVOOC wi-fi charging
• Glaze Black or Ceramic White
• 163.7 x 73.9 x 8.5mm
• 218g