Oppo Find X review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

The Oppo Find X features innovative design and excellent battery life, but it's a weird mix of some very good features and some annoying omissions.

Oppo has long been known as a manufacturer of mostly iPhone-like Android handsets at very attractive price points. It's a strategy that has allowed the Chinese phone maker to take a significant chunk of the mid-range phone market in Australia.

However, the Oppo Find X is something different. It's Oppo's first take on a truly "premium" handset, with cutting edge specifications, an entirely new design idea and a price point to match. Where once Oppo could be criticised for copying design ideas, there's no doubt that the Oppo Find X is an entirely new and innovative phone, but it's also one with incredibly mixed performance.

Design

• True all-screen design
• No headphone jack
• Camera module gathers dust easily

• Read more on the Oppo Find X's design

  

  Where Oppo's prior designs generally had a touch of Apple to them, the Oppo Find X is very much its own creature. Premium handsets do sell on their looks, and there's no doubting that the Oppo Find X is a bit of a looker.

  Oppo retails the Oppo Find X in Glacier Blue or Bordeaux Red finishes. I've tested with the Glacier Blue, but the Bordeaux Red is also quite striking if you prefer carmine tones. In finish, it's rather close to the blue finish of the HTC U12+, but without that phone's near-transparent back. I'm something of a sucker for lightly blue-toned phones, but it's pretty undeniable that the Oppo Find X is a good-looking handset.

  The predominant style for handsets in 2018, premium or otherwise, is to opt for a "notch" display. That's the case for Oppo's existing Oppo R15 Pro, and indeed the dipped-notch look of the upcoming Oppo R17 and Oppo R17 Pro. You can usually "blank out" the camera module by darkening the sides of the notch, but it's always there.

  That's not the approach Oppo's taken with the Oppo Find X, which features no notch at all, and as a result essentially no bezels or onscreen elements whatsoever. What you're looking at is a 6.42-inch 1,080x2,340 pixel AMOLED display, and you get to look at all of it without exception. Like other Android phones that stretch upwards – in Oppo Find X's case, to a 19.5:9 ratio – you will have to choose "full screen" display for some apps, and you may see unusual results for some apps, but it's all there to see.

  Oppo manages this trick by placing the Oppo Find X's camera array in a pop-up tray that slides up whenever you open the camera app for photography or verification purposes. It's a neat trick, and certainly one that you can use to impress your friends, at least the first time that they see it. The one downside here that I've noticed during my testing is that the camera module is very prone to collecting dust, which rather spoils the premium effect.

  The camera module's existence also means that there's no camera "bump" at the back of the Oppo Find X. In fact, there's nothing there at all, not even a fingerprint sensor. That's because Oppo has followed the iPhone X's lead by dropping fingerprint biometrics in favour of facial biometrics. You can still opt for a standard PIN or passcode if you prefer.

  Because the camera is by default concealed, Oppo's take on facial ID (dubbed "O-Face", and I'll let you make the jokes yourself) works in the exact opposite way to the iPhone X. Instead of having it recognise you and then swiping up to unlock, you instead have to swipe up to raise the camera so that it can recognise you.

  I haven't hit any particular issues with the Oppo Find X's unlocking this way during my tests. Indeed, it's rather rapid, which does make me wonder how particularly carefully it's checking my facial features. Lacking an on-hand doppelganger, I can't really say how well it's matching either way.

  The pop-up camera module at the top and the curved edges of the Oppo Find X's display means that the only place that Oppo could have placed the SIM card tray is on the bottom. It's a dual-SIM (4G) tray, but there's no capability for microSD card expansion. Its existence alongside the USB C charging socket also means that the Oppo Find X joins the growing family of premium handsets to skip out on a headphone jack.

Camera

• Swipe-up camera is slow to start
• Very wide in the hand due to pop-up camera module
• Good quality camera with plenty of options

• Read more on the Oppo Find X's camera

  

  The design of the Oppo Find X makes it special, but it also has some rather profound effects on how you actually use its camera.

  Standard Android shortcuts, like a double tap of the power button, don't invoke the camera because in every case, it has to pop the camera module up before it can take any shot. This means its time to take a shot in a hurry is markedly slower than competing premium handsets, even if you do use the dedicated camera shortcut on the lock screen.

  The camera module popping up also means that the already large Oppo Find X becomes even bigger when used for photo taking. That's less of an issue for vertical photos and selfies, but it's much more noticeable if you're taking landscape shots. The Find X feels massive in the hand, and you're always aware of how close your hands have to be to the front and rear lenses to take photos.

  If you do drop the Oppo Find X, the camera retracts to protect itself, although it's only at the same speed it comes out. I only tested dropping it on soft surfaces and can imagine that worse damage could occur if you dropped it on something hard before it had a chance to retract. Oppo does provide a clear protective case in the box, but the pop-up nature of the camera means that no Oppo Find X case will ever protect that end.

  It's also a design that could have seriously used a side shutter button. You can use the volume buttons as standard, but they're not quite in a comfortable place for snapping shots.

  Physical constraints aside, Oppo's done a fine job with the Oppo Find X's essential camera capabilities. At the rear, you'll find twin lenses (16 MP f/2.0 with OIS/20 MP f/2.2), while the front lens features a 25MP f/2.0 sensor.

  The front-facing "selfie" camera features the usual automatic beauty modes that can quickly turn you into a mannequin if you're not careful, alongside a 3D facial scanning feature that evokes memories of Sony's 3D model creation. However, it's not quite that because while you can create a 3D model of the front of your face, there's no easy way to export that model. Instead, you "save" it with tweaks so that the Find X can apply your choice of artificial cosmetic procedures to your selfies. It's at least cheaper than actual plastic surgery, I suppose.

  You can also apply a series of artificial lighting effects to your selfies, again similar in style to Apple's approach for the iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X. Again, caution is advised, especially for some of the more "out there" lighting effects.

  

  On the plus side, if they ever make a sequel to Braveheart, I'm certain to land a role.The rear-facing cameras use an app that (you guessed it) largely apes Apple's design style. Not terribly original, but it does mean that it's easy to understand how to flick between automatic, portrait, sticker, slow motion or any other camera mode. You can use Oppo's take on Animoji (naturally, they're O-Mojis) if you like the style, and equally you can surrender shot parameter selection to the Find X's inbuilt AI features. Like most, they can add extra punch to your shots as long as they identify what you're looking at properly.

  Oppo does include an Expert mode for those who prefer to fiddle with settings manually, but it's clearly not a priority as it's tucked away at the side and requires multiple taps just to access manual controls.

  That being said, the Oppo Find X's cameras do actually deliver solid results once you get past the lag factor of waiting for the camera to pop up.

  Here's some sample shots taken using full Auto modes with the AI feature enabled:

  

  

  

  

Performance

• Snapdragon 845 delivers predictably good results
• ColorOS has been toned down
• Lacks NFC
• Lacks water resistance
• No expandable memory and lower storage than international versions

• Read more on the Oppo Find X's performance

  While Oppo's pushed heavily in design terms for the Oppo Find X, it's otherwise following the 2018 recipe for a premium smartphone rather precisely. The Oppo Find X features a Snapdragon 845 SoC with 8GB of RAM, and for the Australian version, 128GB of onboard storage. That's a cost-cutting measure without a shred of doubt because international variants feature 256GB. It's worth keeping this in mind because the Oppo Find X doesn't feature any expandable storage via MicroSD at all.

  Pitting the Oppo Find X against its immediate competition shows it to be a solid performer. Here's how it compares using Geekbench 4's CPU test:

  It sits a little lower than other Snapdragon 845 solutions, although it's still an appreciably fast phone. Using 3DMark's Slingshot Extreme test, the Oppo Find X comes out near the top of the pack:

  Benchmarks give us a baseline for comparison to work from, but they're not the whole story. For years now, Oppo has used its own reskinned Android overlay, dubbed "ColorOS", giving its phones a very iOS-like feel. ColorOS is still present on the Oppo Find X, but it's been notably toned down from its usual overly glossy look. If you're used to plain Android, you may well struggle to find specific settings. The flip side of that is that if you're using the Oppo Find X to switch away from iOS, many details will seem somewhat familiar.

  Oppo has shown it can incorporate NFC into a phone, given it did so with the excellent Oppo R15 Pro, but it's sadly absent from the Oppo Find X.

  The Oppo Find X is apparently compatible with biometric authentication for Alipay in China, but that's not going to be useful for any but a very small niche of Australian Oppo Find X buyers. No NFC means that the Find X won't work with contactless payment systems such as Google Pay.

  Also notably absent is any degree of water resistance. It's a natural consequence of that pop-up camera array because keeping all of those innards sealed would be a nightmare otherwise, but it's also a missed feature in a comparative sense. Lacking a spare Oppo Find X to test with, I didn't try seeing what would happen if you dropped it into water, but I can easily imagine it would end poorly.

Battery life

• Great battery life
• USB C charging
• Lacks wireless charging

• Read more on the Oppo Find X's battery life

  The Oppo Find X's larger frame allows Oppo to throw a 3,730mAh battery into play. That's far from the largest in a premium smartphone today, and to be honest, the combination of that capacity and the large display on the Oppo Find X didn't fill me with optimism for exceptional battery life.

  I was wrong because the Oppo Find X's battery life is simply superb. Here's how it compares using Geekbench 4's battery test:

  The Oppo Find X is narrowly edged out by the Samsung Galaxy Note9, but that's a phone that runs on a 4,000mAh battery. Geekbench 4's battery test is very linear and often brutal, but after a couple of weeks of testing, I can confirm that the Oppo Find X lasts through a single day's solid usage very well. For lighter users, I could see it lasting two days between charges.

  While it's running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, there's no compatibility with Qualcomm's Fast Charge technology onboard. Instead, you get an Oppo VOOC charger to top it up. That can work very quickly as long as you're using both its charger and cable, but it does mean slower charging from any other charger. Thankfully, it's using the USB C standard, which makes it easier to quickly plug in.

  For a phone in the premium space, the Oppo Find X is notable for omitting wireless charging. Sure, it's slower than standard charging, or even Oppo's own rapid VOOC charging, but it's also very handy to have as a feature and common on many competing premium smartphones.

Verdict

• A unique take on a premium smartphone held back by its lack of core features like NFC and water resistance

• Read our full Oppo Find X verdict

  

  I like what Oppo has tried to do with the Oppo Find X. It could well have applied the same internals to the design of the existing Oppo R15 Pro if it wanted to play it easy. True, you'd then have what would amount to a rebadged OnePlus 6, but I'm sure it's an approach that occurred to Oppo's designers at least once.

  Instead, the Oppo Find X serves up a unique design, complemented with excellent battery life, and that's commendable for its first true premium handset.

  However, it's also a design that introduces a number of issues that aren't a factor for competing premium flagships. The pop-up camera will always be slower to launch than competing designs. There's no expandable storage, water resistance or NFC onboard. If you don't like ColorOS, you'll find it a harder smartphone to get on with. The Australian model has a lower price than the European model, but half its storage.

  It's hard not to look at the Oppo Find X and see a "version one" of its take on what a premium should be there. It has some great design notes but also some notable flaws, and in the hyper-competitive premium space, that might not be enough to make it worth your while.

  It all boils down to that design. Love it, and you'll find the Oppo Find X fabulous, but that love will have to blind you to its weak points.

  Oppo Find X: Alternatives

  If you wanted to keep it within the family, so to speak, you could save a few hundred dollars and opt for the Oppo R15 Pro, which we've reviewed here.

  

  Buy the Oppo R15 Pro from Amazon AU

  Oppo's R15 Pro includes features such as IP-rated water resistance and NFC, along with excellent dual camera and stylish design.

  View details

  It's not Oppo branded, but the brand itself is owned by the same head company, so you could also opt for the OnePlus 6:

  

  Buy the OnePlus 6 from Amazon AU

  The latest premium phone from OnePlus offers the latest Qualcomm processor, improved camera and a large display at a much lower price than you'd expect for a flagship phone.

  View details

  At the Oppo Find X's $1,099 outright price point, you've got a range of premium competitor choices. You could opt for the exceptional camera prowess of the Huawei P20 Pro:

  

  Buy the Huawei P20 Pro 128GB from Amazon AU

  The Huawei P20 Pro packs a 6.1-inch display, 6GB of RAM, a 2.4GHz octa-core processor and a 40MP camera.

  View details

  Or you could opt for the HTC U12+:

  Oppo Find X: What the other reviewers say

  Site	Comment	Score
  Pocket Lint	"Smartphones just got interesting again."	4/5
  Tom's Guide	"The Oppo Find X is arguably the most beautiful phone ever, and its stealth camera impresses, but this flagship has some weaknesses."	8/10
  AFR	"The Find X is a phone full of surprises."	N/A
  CNET	"Sexier and more innovative than the Galaxy S9."	8.8/10

Pricing and availability

Oppo Find X

A premium smartphone with a unique Oppo spin

Oppo's first stab at a truly premium smartphone is unlike any other handset currently on the market.

• The Oppo Find X is available from JB Hi-Fi and Mobileciti.