In this review, smartphone expert Curtis Moldrich delve into the Oppo Find X5 Pro and its place within the world of Android smartphones, showcasing how this device competes in a Darwinian landscape of innovation. While Oppo may not have the same name recognition as industry giants like Apple or Samsung, the Find X5 Pro boasts an impressive array of features, including a camera system developed in partnership with renowned Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad.
Priced at £1,049, this smartphone goes toe-to-toe with the top Android contenders, and it has a premium construction, stunning AMOLED display, and impressive performance driven by the Snapdragon 8 processor and 12GB of RAM. In our test, we challenged the camera's strengths and weaknesses, and found alot of love for the notable sharpness and vibrant rendering. The Oppo Find X5 Pro is presented as a compelling alternative to the more established players in the smartphone market, offering a blend of design, performance, and unique features.
Verdict: The Oppo does so much right, but the camera is a missed opportunity.
Pros
- Premium feel
- Quick and smooth UI
- Good battery, super-quick charging
Cons
- Tough competition at this price
- Weak zoom sets it back
- Design isn't for everyone
| Dimensions | 164 x 74 x 8.5 mm |
| Display size | 6.7-inches (92.7% screen ratio) |
| Resolution | QHD+, 3216 x 1440, 120Hz refresh rate |
| Rear camera | Main 50MP, Ultra-Wide 50MP, Telephoto 13MP |
| Front | 32MP |
| Video | Rear: 4K/60fps, Front: 1080p/30fps |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Memory | 256GB |
| Weight | 218g |
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About the Oppo Find X5 Pro
If Apple smartphones are a clockwork process of tightening and polishing, then Android smartphones are a Darwinian free-for-all – and the Oppo X5 Pro sits towards the top of the pile.
Although the Oppo name doesn’t command the respect of Samsung, OnePlus or HTC – let alone Apple – the cameras on the Find X5 Pro certainly should; they’re part of a technology partnership from Hasselblad, the prestige Swedish camera manufacturer.
The Oppo Find X5 Pro has the specs throughout to tussle with some of the best Android smartphones around, but at £1,049, it certainly expects you to pay for it. Is it worth its iPhone Pro Max money? Does its flagship Snapdragon processor actually do the business, and does that protruding Hasselblad array actually live up to its name? Keep reading our review of the Oppo Find X5 Pro to find out.
Build
• Sculpted smoothness
• Discreet raised camera array
• Bright AMOLED screen
Apple’s iPhones take on an industrial, chamfered look, but the Oppo’s appearance sits very much in the shiny, organic camp. Pick it up and you’ll immediately notice its weight, thanks to its mainly ceramic and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus construction. Next, you’ll notice its sculpted, smoothness; the X5 Find Pro is all curves, feeling more like an eroded pebble than a phone.
At the back of the handset, the Hasselblad lens array – which houses a 50MP f1.7, 50MP f/2.2 wide lens and a 13MP f/2.4 telephoto lens – sits on a discreetly raised platform. The overall feel is premium, though our black model certainly suffered from fingerprint smudges within seconds – and felt perilous to use without a case.
Slip the phone around to the front, and you’ll find a 6.7in 1440 x 3216 AMOLED screen, albeit punched with a small camera for selfies in the top left-hand corner. It’s what you’d expect at this price range.
Usability
• 120Hz refresh rate, RAM and chip make for good performance
• Oppo's own version of Android
• Fingerprint magnet
The handset’s narrower dimensions and 120Hz refresh rate make internet browsing buttery smooth. To cut to the chase, all aspects of the Oppo’s operation are fluid. Of course, that’s not just because of the screen, that’s also because of the Snapdragon 8 and 12GB of RAM driving everything in the background.
Oppo doesn’t let you use the cleanest version of Android, so you’ll have to make do with the brand’s own ColorOS UI on top of the Google stuff – but the difference is small in practice.
Although a fingerprint magnet, the Find X5 Pro looks great too – both because of its ceramic rear – and the vibrant 6.7-inch screen on the front. Its 1300 nits feel extremely bright – and when combined with 525ppi, and saturated colours, the Oppo can punch out a good performance in sunlight or well-lit rooms.
At the rear, the Hasselblad array looks as good as you’d expect on the surface, but it does have one key issue. We’ll get to that shortly.
Performance
• Super-fast charging
• Slightly inconsistent experience across lenses
• 4K footage recording
Pictures from the Oppo’s Hasselblad array are extremely sharp and sit on the vibrant end of the scale – especially when compared to the iPhone Pro Max, for example. Everything is more vivid from the main 50MP lens, and when combined with rendering, the results are spectacular – if not a little too spectacular. In contrast, we found the ultra-wide camera to do the opposite and offer a more muted tone.
It’s all down to preference, and it is possible to edit afterwards.
In low-light, the camera performs admirably, but it’s fair to say the results are less impressive than the competition: at a daytime football match the Oppo was able to produce slick, well-lit and detailed shots that kept up with the iPhone Pro Max in our pocket – but we saw some unwanted artefacts in lower-light snaps.
The ultrawide and 1:1 lends are great – less impressive is the X5’s poor zoom. Despite that Hasselblad branding and that good quality, neither Oppo nor Hasselblad decided to add anything stronger than a 2X optical zoom. That puts it well behind the competition and crucially means you need to rely on digital zooming – not what you ought to be doing on a £1,000+ phone.
The stills and 4K 60fps (going up to 8K) footage you do get is good, but it might be a little further from the subject than you’d like. At least you’ve got 256GB of storage to hone your photography.
Aside from the processor and camera array, the X5’s other claim to fame is its super-fast charging. Once the 5000mAh battery is done (usually in a day) it takes less than 15 minutes to charge the phone halfway. There’s also 50W wireless charging if you have a compatible charging dock.
Price and verdict
At £,1049 the Oppo immediately thrusts itself into the same conversations as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the iPhone Pro Max 13 – and it certainly delivers if you’re comparing spec sheets. It’s up there in practice too; fast, bright and quick-to-charge – and good at most photography too. It may not be a game-changer, but it’s an interesting alternative to Samsung and Apple – especially with its interesting design and ColorOS UI.
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How the product was tested
The Oppo Find X5 Pro was used for a number of weeks in varying circumstances. It was used to browse the web and social media, and perform other day-to-day tasks. The camera was tested regularly in daily situations but was also taken to various events and tested in unusual and challenging lighting conditions.