The Oppo Find 7 Smartphone Review

In today’s competitive smartphone market, a phone has to be really good to stand out of the crowd and gain hearts. Many manufacturers seek to increase their chances of success by creating a flagship device with extraordinary features such as a super long-lasting battery, high-resolution screen or unique smartphone design. The Oppa Find 7 is one of the latest Chinese-made flagships on the market, but does it have what it takes to compete against popular handsets like Samsung’s Galaxy S5?

 

The Find 7 boasts powerful features including a Quad HD display and high-performance processor. However, this Chinese flagship not as affordable as one would expect. Thus, consumers will need to evaluate if the handset is worth the cost.

 

 

Design

 

This phone looks much like the OnePlus One in terms of its shape and size. At 173 grams, the phone is on the weightier end of the scale, a fact that may discourage mobile fans who are looking for the perfect light-weight smartphone.

 

 

The phone comes in “white” or “astro black” and features metallic bands along its edges and a textured plastic on its back. This design contributes to the phone’s premium appearance and makes it also feel great in the hands. Unfortunately, the Find 7 features a much more boring design when compared Android flagships like the HTC One (M8).

 

Those who are familiar with Oppo phones will also note that Find 7 lacks the high-end swivel camera, a signature feature of the Oppa N1. Instead of offering the versatile camera found on its predecessor, Oppo designers created a flagship that sports the standard 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with dual LED Flash and a secondary 5-megapixel camera.  The phone also features a pair of speakers on its back that though not perfect offer clarity and volume that smartphone enthusiasts will enjoy.

 

 

Super High-Resolution Display

 

If I had to choose one aspect of Find 7 that stands out, it would be the phone’s 5.5-inch screen that offers 2,560×1,440 pixel resolution. This places it in an exclusive category with the LG G3 as the only smartphones that currently feature a Quad HD IPS screen. Since it offers pixel density of 538ppi, owners of this device will crisp colors and incredible details, resulting in movies, text and pictures that seem to come to life as you use the phone.

 

The display results in a spectacular entertainment experience for movie lovers and gamers alike, but at what expense? One thing users will need to know is how this flagship device performs and whether or not the screen compromises battery life.

 

 

 

Processor and Battery

 

Beneath the hood of the Find 7 is a powerful 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM which enables the phone to run power-hungry apps. The phone’s internal specs place it in line with other flagship competitors both in terms of the numbers and the overall performance. This results in a glitch-free experience typical of high-end devices.

 

In terms of battery life, the Oppa Find 7 falls short compared to its N1 predecessor which is not entirely surprising since it boasts a higher resolution screen. However, the phone still manages to run for about 10 hours on average without needing a recharge. Though this cannot compete against smartphones with the longest-lasting batteries, it still packs enough power to keep you engaged and entertained each day.

 

To improve your chances of staying connected throughout the entire day, keep your VOOC charger nearby. The great thing about this charger is the fact that it can boast the device’s 3000mAh battery to maximum capacity in about an hour, thereby ensuring a quick reboot for even the most drained of batteries. With the VOOC battery you can also move from 0%-75% juice in about 30 minutes. The charger is quite chunky though, so make enough space in your bag for this powerhouse.

 

 

Software

 

Oppo’s latest flagship smartphone features the ColorOS, a customized skin running on Android 4.3. This brings many interesting features on the table for Android lovers looking for a unique, customizable interface.

 

ColorOS is easy-to-use and lacks much of the clutter found in other Android variants. One of its hallmark features is the gesture panel which enables users to control and open apps by drawing letters or symbols on the screen. Though the phone offers pre-set gestures, users can also create their own gestures to launch apps once they access the gesture panel. Though ColorOS lacks much of the versatility offered by other Android players, it’s still a welcomed addition to the Android software ecosystem, highlighting the possibilities for more creative developments in future flagships devices.

 

 

Camera

 

Find 7’s main camera, a 13-megapixel shooter, sits neatly on its rear and generally takes good pictures, particularly when lots of light is present. Like the OnePlus One, this smartphone boasts a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor sensor that generally works well. However, there are a few issues that will make camera enthusiasts consider other options. For instance, the camera often takes pictures with less than ideal color saturation. There’s also the phone’s Ultra HD mode which offers little advantage compared to automatic mode.

 

Like most high-end smartphone cameras, the Find 7 boasts several camera features including Super Zoom, HDR, Panorama, Beautify, Audio Photo and GIF mode. The camera also enables users to capture 4K videos, taking video recording to a level higher than the now standard HD.

 

Find 7 offers a high-end performance and unique Quad HD 5.5-inch screen, but its uncompetitive price could result in smartphone enthusiasts choosing more popular options like the Samsung S5. However, the Oppo Find 7 is a great option for those who want the best smartphone display without paying the price for LG’s G3. American consumers will need to wait before they can get their hands on this device though since it has not yet been launched in the US.

 

The Oppo Find 7 Smartphone Review