OPPO R7 and R7 Plus unleashed: Metal unibody, impressive camera

OPPO R7 and R7 Plus

OPPO in Beijing today, has unleashed a new flagship dynamic duo — OPPO R7 and R7 Plus. The beautiful, metal-clad phones feature exquisite craftmanship and pack mighty hardware including 3GB RAM, octa-core processing power and impressive camera optics.

OPPO R7 and R7 Plus

Both the R7 and R7 Plus showcase a metallic unibody contruction with chamfered side and elegant sculptured profiles that OPPO compares to the smooth curves of a violin. The front is covered with 2.5D glass, like what you’ll see and feel on an iPhone 6. OPPO calls this the “Free Curves” concept.

The R7 measures 6.3mm thin and weighs 147g while its bigger sibling is slightly heftier at 7.75mm thin and 203g.

OPPO R7 and R7 Plus
OPPO R7 and R7 Plus

The R7 packs a 5.2-inch Full HD AMOLED display (445PPI) and features soft touch Back, Home and Menu keys while the R7 Plus features a larger 6-inch Full HD AMOLED display with on-screen navigation keys.

Both phones are powered by the 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor mated to 3GB RAM. The R7 gets 16GB of storage, while 32GB is standard feature on the R7 Plus. The hybrid microSD/SIM slot gives you expandability if you’re willing to sacrifice the second SIM.

OPPO R7 and R7 Plus

OPPO is putting plenty behind the cameras on its new babies. A 13MP main camera with f/2.2 lens doesn’t sound ground-breaking on paper, however, as you know megapixels isn’t everything. The R7 uses a Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens, coupled with Samsung’s ISOCELL CMOS image sensor.

The RGBW image sensor is claimed to deliver 78% less noise and 32% better light compared to conventional image sensors.

OPPO R7 and R7 Plus

OPPO touts the R7’s ‘Flash Shot’ feature. Flash Shot is a combination of a new dual-drive hybrid focus system — a standard Contrast Detection Auto-focus (AF) and new Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF). Focusing is super fast, with speeds at an impressive 0.1 seconds. Camera shooting speed is 30% faster compared to other smartphones in its class, claims OPPO. It also has software anti-shake optimisation to ensure steady, sharp images.

To push image quality even further, OPPO’s Pure Image 2.0+ technology can upscale photos to up to 50MP.

Sample images

OPPO R7 and R7 Plus

The R7 Plus, on the other hand, gets some additional ‘pluses’ (pardon the pun). There’s laser autofocus and dual-LED flash.

The front camera is a 8MP f/2.4 ‘Golden Angle’ unit.

Another plus on the Plus is the addition of a fingerprint sensor on the back of the device.

In the battery department, both pack considerably large batteries despite the ultra-thin profiles. A 2,320mAh and 4,100mAh battery unit with VOOC charging are built in on the R7 and R7 Plus respectively.

OPPO ColorOS 2.1

OPPO ColorOS 2.1

OPPO’s ColorOS 2.1, is quicker to boot and is snappier than previous versions. Boot time has been reduced from 33 seconds to just 18 seconds. The entire UI has been optimised, enhanced and also simplified, featuring a flatter, more modern looking design. The UI layer runs on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqMFXq_FI9o

Pricing and availability

The OPPO R7 is priced at RMB2,499 (US$400) and the OPPO R7 Plus retails at RMB2,999 (US$480). Both phones will be available in China starting tomorrow, via JD.com, while it is expected to hit international markets in mid-June.

OPPO R7 and R7 PlusOPPO R7 and R7 PlusOPPO R7 and R7 Plus

Vernon
Vernon is the founder and chief editor of Vernonchan.com. A graphic designer by profession, he has a deep love for technology, cars, gadgets, food, and travel. He tweets too much and is also known as a caffeine bacterium ("life's too short for bad coffee"). Bleeds Blue (go Chelsea FC!) and considers BMW, Porsche, Alfa Romeo cars to have in the garage--hallmarks of a true petrolhead.