You’ve probably already read about OPPO’s latest flagship device – the Find X – and its teasers before its big launch in Paris on Tuesday, 19 June. Now that all details are out, the device more than lives up to the Find series DNA – showcasing clever technology and packing top level hardware. The big shocker though, is its price tag. It’s no wonder OPPO picked one of the most expensive cities in the world to launch its showpiece.
Before we get into pricing details, let’s have a look at what the Find X offers.
The Find X is gorgeous, a beautiful blend of metal and 3D glass. It unmistakably resembles the Samsung Galaxy S9, especially how the screen curves into the body at the edges.
The rear is glass, with a gradient glass design now all the rage thanks to the Huawei P20 series.
The screen is massive – a 6.4-inch FHD+ OLED panel which OPPO calls a Panoramic Arc Screen. Because it’s button-less and nearly bezel-less, the Find X offers an out-of-this-world screen-to-body ratio of 93.8 percent, something unheard of in the smartphone world.
The fantastic news is, there’s no notch.
You may have noticed this: why isn’t there a camera on the front or back?
Here’s where the magic comes in. OPPO has engineered a mechanised retractable camera system that keeps all three cameras neatly tucked in the main chassis when not in used.
When you turn the device on and launch the camera app, the entire top section of the phone slides up and reveals the 25MP front-facing camera with Stealth 3D cameras that supports facial recognition (“O-Face Recognition”).
It’s very clever. Almost as clever as the OPPO N3’s mechanised swivelling 16MP shooter.
The rear by the way, houses an Al-enhanced 16MP + 20MP f/2.0 dual-camera system. On paper at least, the cameras are not going to worry the P20 Pro nor the Galaxy S9+.
When retracted, the rear is kept minimalist and smooth, which adds to the Find X’s sleek look.
When you close the camera app, the entire top assembly retracts back into the main body. It all works pretty quickly, just 0.5 seconds in fact.
The other cool thing is when you need to unlock the phone. As the device doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor, much like the iPhone X, it depends almost solely on facial recognition (sure you can use a PIN or pattern but that’s so 2007). And no, it doesn’t have any under-display fingerprint scanning tech like the vivo X21 or NEX.
When you need to unlock the phone, the camera slides out, scans your face, unlocks the phone, then it slides back into the chassis.
How’s that for a Slick Rick move?
Anyway, besides the engineering genius, the device is everything (almost) a 2018 Android flagship smartphone should be. It rocks the high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, coupled with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of onboard storage.
It comes with a 3,730mAh battery that charges up via OPPO’s VOOC fast-charging technology. How fast? About 90 minutes for a full charge. It’s not as quick as OPPO demonstrated at MWC 2016 with its Super VOOC Flash charge, but it’s still plenty quick. And by the way, Super VOOC can juice up the Find X in full in just 35 minutes. For that, you’ll need to get the Lamborghini Edition.
The dual-SIM device runs Android 8.1 Oreo with OPPO’s iOS-like ColorOS 5.1 on top.
Here are a couple of key things that may disappoint some: no IP dust- and water-resistance, no wireless charging, no headphone jack, no stereo speakers.
The big deal-breaker (or not) is the Find X’s price tag. Are you ready for this?
Price and availability
The Find X will retail for EUR999 (MYR4,635) which puts it in the same league as the iPhone X. The phone will be available in selected markets starting August 2018. It will be offered in two colourways – Bordeaux Red and Glacier Blue.
OPPO also sprung a surprise at the launch. It took the wraps of the OPPO Find X Lamborghini Edition, a carbon-fibre textured powerhouse that’s Super VOOC-enabled and comes in an exclusive box. It’s a stunner, but it’s going to cost you – EUR1,699 (MYR7,882) to be exact.
Missed the Find X launch? Catch up here:
