Oppo has done something similar with its latest smartphone Oppo F5. The design of this phone has also dominated the special front camera feature of the company’s F series.
Perhaps there is nothing surprising in this, because this change is quite obvious. Most people will be attracted to the phone at first glance because of this feature. No matter which feature of this phone you like. But we will test it on every scale.
Oppo F5 Design
Companies that have started offering large displays with 18:9 aspect ratios somehow fail to make phones with almost no borders. Oppo F5 is one of them. There is almost no material on the edges. But since the review unit is white in color, the remaining material is clearly visible. The top and bottom part of the display still reminds of older phones. Especially the front camera part which is next to the earpiece.
We don’t like this strategy of companies that bundle a plastic screen protector with their phones. This is good for the consumer as they don’t have to buy a screen protector that fits. But we think it ruins the look of the phone. The “borderless” effect is lost in the extra lines of plastic. Something similar happens with the Oppo F5.
The rear is gold in colour, with a matte metallic texture. At times, it appears pinkish in colour, depending on the lighting. The shiny chrome ring is on the edge of the phone where the metal back and the white front panel meet. The phone also has iPhone 7-style antenna lines. Overall, the phone looks pretty good, but we think it would look better in black.
On the right side you will find the dual SIM tray along with the power button. On the left side, the volume buttons are present. There is nothing on the top except the mic pinhole. On the other hand, the lower part is a bit full. Here you will find the 3.5mm audio socket, micro-USB port, mic and speaker grill. The fingerprint sensor present on the back is easy to reach. Unfortunately, the rear camera is raised and its metal edges are a bit rough.
The Oppo F5 feels slim at 7.5 mm and its weight of 152 grams is not too much. Due to the texture of the rear part, there is no problem in holding the phone in hands. Due to the screen size, you will not be able to reach every corner of the display with your thumb. The screen of the phone is very big. But the usage experience is good.
Oppo F5 specifications and software
The screen has a 6-inch edge-to-edge distance. But there is no doubt that it is extremely compact compared to the phablets of old. Its resolution is 1080×2160 pixels. This is due to fitting the full-HD resolution into an 18:9 aspect ratio.
The phone uses the MediaTek MT6763T processor which was launched recently. The maximum clock speed of the processor is 2.3 GHz. Mali G71 MP2 GPU is integrated for graphics. In Oppo F5, users will be able to use 4G network from only one SIM at a time. Apart from this, if you change the position of the SIM, the phone reboots again and again which is annoying.
Oppo F5 has been launched with 4 GB RAM and 32 GB storage. The company has said that a 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant will also be launched in December. It is worth noting that the 6 GB RAM variant will be available in black and red colors.
Other specifications include a 3200mAh battery, 16MP rear camera, 20MP front camera and dedicated microSD card slot. Connectivity options include dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS. We were disappointed to see a micro-USB port. Apart from this, the phone does not support fast charging.
Oppo’s custom skin is known as ColorOS. The phone runs on version 3.2 which is based on Android 7.1. It is one of the most detailed custom user interfaces and is very polished too. Many things seem to be inspired by iOS. All the app icons are part of the home screen. Photos, Music, Video, Browser, Clock and other apps are present in custom avatars. You will find Facebook, WPS Office and Amazon Shopping and Prime Video apps preinstalled. By the way, the phone is Flipkart exclusive.
The Settings app is quite different from stock Android. In such a situation, you will have to do some research before taking any action. You will also get a glimpse of many exclusive features of ColorOS. One of these is clone apps. With the help of this feature, you will be able to use many apps with two IDs.
Oppo has also provided face recognition security feature in this phone. We were initially very excited because this feature has been a topic of discussion after the iPhone X. During the review, we found that the registration process failed several times. Even after setting up, there was a slight delay in unlocking the phone. In general use, the fingerprint sensor is faster and more natural.
Oppo F5 performance
The bigger screen takes some getting used to. Sometimes apps don’t scale perfectly. For example, YouTube videos in landscape mode looked like they were being played in a black box.
Apart from that, the display is really good. It is crisp and bright. The colours are punchy and the viewing angles are great. Whether it is writing or watching videos, our experience was great. We were immersed in it. We think this experience will be even better in the black variant. The main drawback is the pre-supplied screen protector. It gets scratched and fingerprints are easily left on it.
The built-in speaker is powerful. The sound is clear and full while playing games and watching videos. The bundled headset is also fine. But the bass is completely missing. After a few minutes, it starts to sound a bit odd.
The Oppo F5 scores better benchmark scores than rivals like the Honor 9i (Review) and Vivo V7 Plus (Review).
The 16-megapixel rear camera takes good pictures in daylight as well as at night. There is no lack of detail. There is an appropriate amount of colors and the camera also focuses quickly. Even at night, if there is some light, the pictures turn out good. Videos are also recorded quite sharp and remain smooth in different conditions.
Oppo F5 has a 20-megapixel front camera. The company has said that it has an AI powered beautification mode. Faces come out well in selfies but the same cannot be said about the objects in the background. You will be able to capture good pictures for social media. According to us, this is also the main reason for taking selfie cameras. Despite being a selfie-centric phone, the absence of flash seems surprising. But the screen flash works to some extent. The AI powered beautification mode will identify facial features. And Oppo has said that it has trained the algorithm on different types of people. So that different beautification techniques can be used for different subjects. According to us, there was no significant difference in the pictures taken at different levels. Perhaps this technology does not bring any major change, which is its important feature. Hopefully, its AI feature will improve over time.
Battery life also does not disappoint. We were able to use the phone for about one and a half days. During this time, we also played some games and did web browsing. Unfortunately, the phone does not have quick charge support. In our HD video loop test, the battery lasted for 11 hours and 24 minutes. Considering the screen, this is considered good. The disappointment is about the lack of quick charge support. It took about 1 hour to charge the battery from 10 percent to 65 percent, which is fine.
Our verdict
Oppo has launched a winner in the form of F5. The screen is big and immersive. The look is attractive. Battery life is great. Performance is also good for most tasks. The drawback is facial recognition which seems more of a show-off. Apart from this, the storage capacity of Oppo F5 is also less compared to other phones of this price range. It should have had 64 GB storage. Oppo will bring its 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant, but the price will be Rs 5,000 more.
The Oppo F5 will compete directly with the Vivo V7 Plus and Honor 9i. But you have options like the Xiaomi Mi Max 2, Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017).
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