Getting started with the Oppo Find X5 Pro: the promise of a premium experience

The biggest smartphone manufacturers are unveiling their high-end devices at the start of the year, and Oppo has no intention of being left behind. The Chinese giant intends to occupy the premium segment with its Find X5 Pro, which will notably face the Galaxy S22 or the Xiaomi 12.

With models like the Find X2 Pro and the Find X3 Pro, the firm has shown its expertise and offered competitive devices. At first glance, this new model does not really stand out from the previous one. What about once in hand?

On paper, nothing is missing

The smartphone embeds all the latest mobile technologies. It is equipped with a 6.7-inch WQHD+ (1440 x 3216 pixels) Amoled LTPO 2 panel.
protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. To animate it, Oppo opted for a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 coupled with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Suffice to say that the power should not be lacking. On the connectivity side, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC and of course 5G are there. The 3.5mm jack port did not reappear.

On the photo side, we are entitled to a triple module composed of a 50 megapixel sensor whose wide-angle lens opens at f / 1.7, an ultra wide-angle also 50 megapixels (f / 2, 2) and a 13 megapixel telephoto lens (f / 2.4) capable of offering an X2 optical zoom.

Autonomy is ensured by a 5000 mAh battery compatible with an 80 W fast charging unit (supplied with purchase). We can therefore expect to refuel in half an hour.

The Find X5 Pro will be sold for €1,299.90 in its 12/256 GB version from March 24.

Heavier, brighter

Placed next to the Find X3 Pro, it is clear that the two devices have a lot in common. The general design hasn’t really changed. The back still nicely integrates the rear photo sensors, but the firm has chosen a shiny ceramic coating, which seems more conducive to collecting fingerprints. It undoubtedly plays on the weight of the total: if its dimensions are almost similar, this Find X5 P indeed weighs 218 g. It’s about 25g more than its grandfather, making it a hard-to-forget device in your pocket.

In the shadow of his big brother?

This resemblance is not only aesthetic. Oppo has certainly updated the technical sheet of the Find X5 Pro, in particular with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but a very large part of the latter seems to be modeled on its predecessor. We can’t wait to see how the SoC in question behaves against the Find X3 Pro’s Snapdragon 888.

The American founder promises great improvements in video games, but this can have repercussions on the general autonomy, which was to be perfected on the previous model. Oppo seems to have taken the measure of the thing, since the capacity of the accumulator has increased from 4500 to 5000 mAh. Here again, only our test protocol will show if this larger battery makes the difference.

Out of the box, the rendering of the screen impresses. This was already the case on the Find X3 Pro, which shares the specifics (HDR10+, same color space) and resolution (around 526 dpi). By activating the refresh rate of the screen in the developer options, however, we see that the LTPO2 screen allows greater variations in the refresh rate. It happens regularly to fall to 10 Hz, even 1 Hz. Good news, which allows us to hope for the leap in autonomy promised by the brand.

photo promises

A quick glance at the photo configuration reveals that the microscopic module has disappeared. It was not essential, but allowed the manufacturer to boast of an innovation of its own.

Oppo, on the other hand, largely highlights its partnership with the Swedish Hasselblad, as well as the performance of its MariSilicon X chip. This image processor is supposed to process the shots much faster and apply a more complex algorithm to them than before. The device is said to be able to “strafe” a scene without any problem.

As for the intrinsic quality of the images, it’s hard to say for the moment. On the two main modules, the rendering seems very good and the colors seem less saturated than before. Not enough to hope for a revolution, however. A visit to our photo laboratory is essential to get a more definitive opinion.

Targeted improvements

As you will have understood, the gap between the Find X5 Pro and its big brother should not be huge. Oppo seems to have listened to the criticisms addressed to the previous model, especially in terms of autonomy. The presence of a larger battery and compatibility with 80 W charging shows that the firm wants to improve in this area. A point that we will of course evaluate in the laboratory, just like the performance, the photo service or the screen of the device.