I’ve been using the OPPO Find X3 Pro ever since the first release.
It’s my daily driver for the past year.
I love a lot of it.
It’s a sleek, powerful, and premium device that everybody I handed it to loved it.
Now the Find X5 Pro is here.
How is it?
Here is my review after one week of use.
When it comes to aesthetics the OPPO Find X5 Pro really hits the ball out of the park.
I've got to admit that the first time I saw those leaked pictures about the raised irregular
shaped rear camera module, I said to myself: “What the…, let’s pray that’s not
an OPPO phone!”.
But the moment I got my hands on it, it's actually good.
One benefit that comes with this design, is whether you hold it by your left or right
hand you will be unlikely to touch the camera lens and leave smudges on it.
And most importantly, is the curved unibody ceramic back panel.
Ceramic isn't a common material when it comes to smartphone manufacture, but this one on
the X5 Pro is something different.
OPPO told us that this nanometer microcrystalline ceramic back takes 168 hours and 45 processes
to build.
Well, not sure if they exaggerate it, but I do feel this is the best ceramic panel I’ve
ever touched.
The ceramic body has an anti-fingerprint, fine and smooth texture that feels extra premium
even when compared to other top flagships.
The total lack of sharp edges anywhere on the device makes it very comfortable to hold.
To be honest, if I could, I would never put a case on it!
But, yeah, better put one on.
Nevertheless, the OPPO Find X5 Pro is my favorite 2022 phone to hold, it is one of the sleekest
and refined handsets you’ll find this year.
Move to the front, just like its predecessor, the Find X5 Pro has a superb screen.
It sports a 6.7-inch 1440p 120Hz curved LTPO OLED screen with a hole-punch selfie camera
in the top left.
The screen supports 10-bit color and can display more than 1 billion colors.
You don’t even need to use professional equipment to test the screen and you can tell
this is a good screen.
It was so vivid and vibrant, more than many other flagships at first glance.
There is an optical fingerprint scanner under the screen, one thing I really love is they
moved the scanner a little bit further up compared to the X3 Pro, which is more natural
to use.
Still, fast and accurate.
As for the camera itself, I think it is the biggest update on this unit.
OPPO highlighted this a lot whether from their teaser posts on social media, or at the launch
event.
Whether they said added a specific MariSilicon X Imaging NPU to boost the night photos significantly,
or first of its kind 5-axis optical image stabilization.
Seems too promising.
But is it as good as they advertised?
I really wanted to test every little detail of the camera and compare it with other flagships
on the market.
But here in Shenzhen it’s been raining for almost a week and I haven’t got much chance
to shoot outside.
And as the phone I’m reviewing is a prototype, OPPO told me that they are still finalizing
their firmware, so I think it would be fair to compare it to let’s say iPhone 13 Pro
Max after everything is finalized.
But still, I will give my first impression of the two here, later I will post a dedicated
comparison video, stay tuned for that.
For videos, I gotta say the stabilization is out of this world, it’s basically like
using a phone gimbal, both phones did a pretty good job.
But in extreme situations, like when I was climbing the stairs, OPPO has an obvious better
performance, but it falls short when taking selfie videos.
But, there is a big but here, I prefer selfie photos on the OPPO X5 Pro way more, they make
me younger and more attractive…
I think so.
Overall for photos, whether for overcast or night photos, it was a close-run race, but
I do feel the X5 Pro has an overall higher dynamic range and cleaner color reproduction.
As OPPO cooperated with Hasselblad, they provided several Master Filters there, I took a few.
Are you a fan of such filters?
Let me know in the comments section!
One little detail that I need to mention, is the sound when you press down the shutter
on the phone, I can hear this all day long!
The Find X5 Pro’s overall performance is as good as you’d expect from any other Snapdragon
8Gen1-equipped flagship.
During long bouts of gaming, the Find X5 Pro never got too hot to hold.
According to my days of gaming, it has an even better cooling system than some of the
dedicated gaming phones on the market.
The Find X5 Pro launch with ColorOS 12 out of the box.
As for this OS, I did a really detailed review 4months ago and I still view it the smoothest
and most refined I’ve ever had up today.
It is colorful, lively and snappy.
I am a fan.
For the most part, it offers everything Google intended Android to offer, plus more customization.
I have no complaints whatsoever.
The 5,000mAh battery is a big plus, which is 500mAh more than the X3 Pro.
Not only that, the charging is a big plus with the 80W SuperVOOC charger.
OPPO claims it can charge 50% in just 12 minutes and 100% in 47 minutes.
Though I wouldn’t be able to test that charger because OPPO sent a UK adapter, I have no
doubt about it since the previous 65W SuperVOOC charger did a pretty darn good job.
And here is the sound, if you are interested to know.
After one week of heavy use with the OPPO Find X5 Pro, I think it is a meaningful upgrade
over the X3 Pro, even if it doesn't look as major as some might have hoped.
But for me, it is.
Nowadays, many people get a phone not only for calling, some want a solid gaming performance,
some want a good sound performance, while for me as a photographer, I want a phone that
can be a perfect side camera or even a major camera whenever I need.
The OPPO Find X5 Pro has pushed the phone industry one more step further with its unbeatable
stabilization and superb night photo performance, that’s all that I ask for.
Beyond that, it has a marvelous screen and design, powerful hardware, and an awesome
battery charging that delivers on every promise.
As I’m writing the script, I’m not sure of the price yet, and I’m not sure if it’s
available in your country.
But if you have the option and you are looking for a premium and high-end phone, the Find
X5 Pro is worth every penny and you should really check it out.
Because by far, I think it is the best Android phone I’ve ever used.