Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo launched the Oppo F7, their flagship in India, on Monday, 26 March. The phone’s 4GB variant has been priced at Rs 21,990 and its 6GB variant has been priced at 26,990. The new Oppo F7 sports a very similar design to the iPhone X (thanks to the notch).
The F7 Diamond Black model has been priced at Rs. 26,990 and exclusively available at selected OPPO stores.
The smartphone will be available in the Indian market from 9 April 2018.
I got a couple of hours with the phone (the Diamond Black variant) and here’s my first impressions of the new Oppo F7.
Specifications
- Display: 6.2-inch FHD+ (full screen display)
- Resolution: 1080x2280
- Processor: Mediatek Helio P60 octa-core
- Android 8.1
- RAM: 4GB/6GB
- Storage: 64GB/128GB (expandable)
- Rear camera: 16-megapixel
- Front camera: 25-megapixel
- Battery: 3,400mAh (non-removable)
- Price: Rs 21,990(4GB), 26,990(6GB)
Design & Display
The new Oppo F7 comes with a 6.2-inch full HD+ “full screen display” as the company calls it. The display design looks ‘inspired’ from what we have already seen on the iPhone X.
It’s protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and comes with an aspect ratio of 19:9 with a screen-to-body ratio of 88 percent (1080x2280 resolution). Seems vibrant indoors but by the looks of it, could struggle under direct sunlight.
The phone sports a glass on both the front and back which is prone to a lot of fingerprint and smudges. It is lightweight but at the same time feels a bit flimsy. Ergonomically, it fits well in the hand and despite sporting a 6.2-inch display. feels like a 5.5-inch in the hand.
Performance & Hardware
Oppo was very hush-hush about the performance capabilities of this smartphone at the event. It was all about ‘selfie this and selfie that’!
The phone comes which an octa-core processor. Oppo hasn’t told us which one but all techies presume it to be an octa-core Mediatek Helio P60 coupled with RAM options of 4GB and 6GB.
Seems smooth even without all the bloatware and the interface seems clean, but can really say how fast or slow it is by just trying out for an hour (that’s all the time I got).
The phone is running on Oppo’s ColorOS 5.0, which offers features such as facial unlock and screen recording.
Plenty of storage space here with 64GB and 128Gb memory options. There is an option to expand as the phone comes with 3 card slots!
A bit disappointed that it still sports a USB 2.0 charging port when the world is moving towards 3.0 or Type-C. What I liked is that the phone comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack despite being thin.
Camera & Battery
Here’s where the game changes. The Oppo F7 comes with a 25-megapixel camera on the front which is again an industry first. Good snaps but I fell the vivid mode kind of over does it. The company says the AI is integrated with the front camera to deliver better results but I’ll reserve that judgement for a more in-depth review.
The rear sports a 16-megapixel sensor which again comes with a bevy of features and Oppo says it supports 16 scene modes. Couldn’t really try out all the modes but in low light the camera is decent. It also records 4K videos and also comes with dual-tone LED flash. Features like AI selfie technology and real-time HDR make the selfie experience better.
It comes with a 3,400mAh battery pack which is non-removable and according to Oppo can give up to 15-hours of standby time. That’s the first thing we’ll have a look at when we get our hands on it.
Initial Verdict
I am not really impressed with the new Oppo flagship. It’s like I have already seen this somewhere (Vivo V9). At Rs 21,990, it might satiate your hunger for scintillating selfies, but will let you down in other departments.
It looks good — especially the Diamond Black variant but again that itself isn’t a compelling reason for me to buy. At Rs 26,990 for the 6GB variant, it is dangerously close to the OnePlus 5 and the Honor View 10 and that means big trouble for Oppo.
If you’re a selfie lover and want a decently specced phone, then and then only go for the Oppo F7, else, this is ‘notchya’ cup of tea.