Seemingly unnoticed until a while back, this manufacturer has been quick to give us some really impressive devices. Not only has Oppo been offering good value for money but has also been constantly innovating. Earlier they offered a device with swivel camera and a remote which opened up a huge sea of possibilities for people who rely on their mobile devices for photography. The rear camera could swing to front and could be used to shoot excellent self portraits. Now they are trying to push the envelope yet again with a new device called Oppo F1 Plus. This is the same device which is sold as Oppo R9 in some markets, China to be precise.
The Oppo F1 Plus appears to be yet another large screen phablet at the first glance but packs quite a lot inside that slim body. As you see more and more people extending their arm or carrying around selfie sticks to shoot self portraits, manufacturers are increasingly shifting their focus on front camera. Only until a while back, the rear camera used to be the focus for manufacturers but at this point, they have shifted to the front camera. Taking this trend forward, the Oppo F1 Plus comes with a 16 (yes sixteen) megapixel front camera with an f/2.0 lens. But this isn’t the only highlight of the device. It offers quite a lot to justify its price tag. Here is what else is to love about this device:
Design
The device is big with a 5.5 inch display and there is no hiding it. The length and width of the device are just what they should be for a device having a display this big. However they have managed to keep it very slim. If you like to read numbers, it is just 6.6 mm thick and the bezels around the display are just 1.66 mm. This makes for a very sleek profile and narrow bezels. Despite the slim profile, it manages to pack in a reasonably big battery but we will get to that later. It has an all metal frame with rounded edges that would make it really nice to hold.
While the built quality is excellent, the device has an uncanny resemblance to the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. Many people blame Chinese manufacturers for making devices similar to Apple devices and this is one clear example. The rounded edges, position of camera and many other things tell you about the design inspiration. The other side of the argument is that you have a device that looks similar to a device much higher up the pyramid. That is for you to decide but the sure fact is that this device is built well and won’t look out of place next to some flagship devices.
Display
People who love large screen device are going to love this device for its display. Not only does it allow you to shoot great images but the display is pretty good at showing the vivid colours that you have captured. It is large at 5.5 inches and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels making it quite sharp. Many manufacturers are rushing towards 2K resolution but that is just overkill. At this display size, the display density is around 400 ppi which is more than enough. The panel is AMOLED so it can be good or bad depending on your taste. They are great for everyday use and the contrast ratio just shines but the colours are slightly oversaturated which everyone might not appreciate.
Hardware
The Oppo F1 Plus features an octa core MediaTek Helio P10 chipset with 4 GB of RAM. The processor runs at a maximum clock speed of 2 GHz. You get 64 GB of internal storage which should suffice for most people and in case it doesn’t, the phone also comes with a micro SD card slot which can add another 128 GB. However, there is a catch. This is a dual SIM device and the micro SD card uses up the SIM 2 slot which means you won’t be able to use it as a dual SIM device should you choose to use the card slot. It misses out on a USB Type-C port but the other side of the argument is that you won’t have to worry about the availability of charging cables. It has a 2850 mAh battery and supports fast charging which allows 75 percent charge in just 30 minutes.
Software
The device starts its life a little behind on the current Android lifeline. It comes with Android 5.1 which is a bit old now. On top of that it gets a layer of an OS which is their home brewed Android skin. The interface is decent and functional though it might not appeal to everyone, especially the ones used to the vanilla Android interface. Another factor that you need to keep in mind is that the device might be slow to receive future updates due to the dependency on manufacturer.
Cameras
Like we mentioned, Oppo is touting this mobile phone as a selfie focused device so the highlight is 16 megapixel front shooter with f/2.0 lens. This should allow for excellent selfies which can be printed into large images. Surprisingly, the rear camera has a lower resolution at 13 megapixels but it isn’t a slouch either. With slightly narrower aperture at f/2.2, the camera comes with phase detection autofocus. This allows it to get the subject in focus and the fast processor helps it process the image quickly.
To sum it up, it is a great attempt by Oppo to cater to the selfie loving millennials. The 16 megapixel resolution is a bit more than what is required but then it is somewhat about boasting rights and marketing message than just the spec sheet or actual functionality. Nevertheless, it is a great feature to have and the rest of the device has been packaged well with high end features and premium feel.
