The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
While the slide out camera works great, there are questions on how it will age. It also required several sacrifices, including waterproofing and a 3.5mm headphone jack. For the price, while the phone is interesting, similarly priced models from the competition likely offer a better day-to-day experience.What's good
- Nearly bezel-free display
- Blazing performance
- Ample storage space
- Strong cameras
- Excellent battery life
What's bad
- No NFC
- No fingerprint scanner
- No 3.5mm headphone jack
- No waterproofing
- Finicky 3D facial recognition
- Bloated, heavily modified software
Oppo has pioneered a range of mobile-firsts and the Oppo Find X brings another -- a sliding camera module at the top of the phone. But it comes with a few compromises. Did Oppo sacrifice too much to accommodate the camera? Keep reading to find out.
The phone features an aluminum chassis with an eye-catching, glossy color scheme. Reviewers note it feels great in the hand and slips into pockets with no problem. For those with smaller hands, some reviewers found the phone a little large for one-handed use.
But the phone also lacks many features common to similarly priced phones. Major points include no waterproof rating, fingerprint scanner, headphone jack, or NFC support. This means no mobile payments and no easy authentication for sensitive apps such as bank apps or password managers.
Around front, you’ll find a 6.42-inch 1080-by-2340 pixel AMOLED display taking up an astounding 93.8% of the front of the phone. There’s no notch since they hide the camera in a pop-up mechanism that extends from the top of the phone. Their “Panoramic Arc” screen provides a similar effect to Samsung's Galaxy S9 with curved sides.
Reviewers loved the punchy colors and rich blacks found on the AMOLED panel. There are also color temperature settings to help tweak it to your liking. There were no mentions of accidental presses or issues with the nearly bezel-free design either. Overall, whether you’re reading blog posts or playing the latest games, the screen should please.
Powered by an octa-core 2.8Ghz Snapdragon 845 processor paired with 8GB of RAM, the phone topped benchmarks for virtually every review -- only coming in a close second to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 occasionally. However, reviewers noted excessive battery drain during gaming. Overall, the phone should offer more than enough power for anything you might throw at it.
Depending on your region, you’ll find either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. That’s more than enough for most users. But, since there’s no microSD card, you’ll have no choice but to store things in the cloud or uninstall apps should space run low.
The phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo with Oppo’s ColorOS skin. The skin was one of the biggest points of contention among reviewers. It offers a very iPhone-like experience, with no app drawer and simplified settings. But many reviewers found the software frustrating. Also, many regions will see the phone loaded with bloatware since Oppo includes their own apps for everything Google already offers an app for.
The phone’s cameras see an uptick in reviewer opinion. The dual lens 20MP and 16MP rear camera combination with a bokeh-filled portrait mode and AI-assisted photo capture impressed reviewers. Although, some of them noticed issues in low-light and with fast motion shots. Otherwise, they found the results great with plenty of detail and punchy-yet-accurate colors.
The 25MP front-facing lens also impressed, offering plenty of detail and natural colors. Unfortunately, many found the beautification modes heavy-handed or inaccurate.
Reviewers also question the longevity of the pop-up mechanism and note it takes nearly a full second to raise. So you’re likely to miss spur-of-the-moment shots waiting for the camera to rise out of the phone.
Many reviewers also questioned the long-term impact of pocket lint and dust on the phone’s sliding camera module. They noted that it seemed to attract a surprising amount of dust.
Since the phone lacks a fingerprint scanner, you’re left using 3D facial recognition to secure your information. While some reviewers had no issues using the feature, those with facial hair found the facial scan often would not unlock the phone.
In another upswing, the 3730mAh battery with USB Type-C VOOC Flash Charge Technology included in the phone lasted most reviewers almost two days on a single charge. If you find yourself low on power, the phone will charge to roughly 30 percent in under an hour.
Ultimately, while the phone offers stellar specs and an industry-first approach to getting rid of the notched display trend of 2018, reviewers found the software made the phone hard to recommend. TechRadar notes, “If you’re keen on jumping on the trend early, however, then the Find X certainly has plenty of selling points. If the design appeals to you and the missing hardware features aren’t going to bother you, this is a powerful and pretty device that’s slightly ahead of the design-curve.”
Good Gear Guide was more optimistic, saying “The Find X isn’t just one of the better flagships on offer this year - it’s also one of the most refreshingly different. There’s a hidden cost accompanying the phone’s unique camera, but most will probably find it worth paying.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Aditya Shenoy, Gadgets 360The use of movable parts to allow for a bezel-less display is a brave move by Oppo. The company has also done justice to this phone by using a vibrant AMOLED panel. This phone also isn’t only about showing off, as the Snapdragon 845 is the most powerful processor in Qualcomm’s stable at this point....
- Sandra Vogel, ZDNetThe Oppo Find X is a frustrating handset. The 6.4-inch AMOLED screen is superb, but the single speaker is lacklustre. The cameras are good, but the pop-up mechanism makes face login awkward -- and because there's no fingerprint sensor, your only other choice is a less-secure but easier-to-manage PIN...
- Edgar Cervantes, Android AuthorityThe Oppo Find X has an innovative design. Its camera elevating mechanism will definitely get some fun conversations going.However, it is no game-changer when it comes to taking great photos. This camera phone does everything averagely. The software doesn’t try to compensate with heavy post-processin...
- Joseph Carey, Daily ExpressThe handset offers middling camera performance, battery life and is powered by Qualcomm's last-generation processor. Additionally, concerns surrounding the handset's slider mechanism will be enough for some to ignore the hardware entirely. But, for those that want a smartphone that genuinely makes y...
- Seidon Alexis, Absolute GeeksThat’s not to say that the phone is bad, it’s a legit phone with Oppo getting a bunch of things right but I’m sure they could have gone easy on the price and done a bit more polishing on the camera front. With a possibly upgrade to Android Pie sometime this year and a few more upgrades to Color OS,...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Oppo Find X user manual here.
Oppo backs up the Find X with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Find X has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Oppo support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Oppo's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Oppo Find X Manual (PDF)
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