Oppo has skipped Australia with the Find X series in recent years, but it’s back with the Find X8 Pro, a phone with two periscope cameras.
If you thought there were no big phones left to end the year with, then you’d be wrong, as one more slips out.
With barely over one month to go until 2023 becomes 2024, Oppo is ready with a flagship to either send off this year or kick off the new one. One of those is definitely true, and with Samsung not expected to show off an S25 to replace its S24 range until at least February, it might give Oppo a bit of a head start for folks who love themselves an Android phone, or might be considering a switch.
The new phone forms part of the Oppo Find X series, a range of phones that has largely been skipped in Australia for a couple of years now, even though Oppo has released a foldable tablet phone, a foldable compact flip phone, and plenty of mid-range and budget offerings since.
Called the Find X8 Pro, it aims to deliver a big screen with a big emphasis on cameras, sporting four cameras worked on with the likes of photography and optics specialists Hasselblad, which Oppo has had a partnership with for two years now.
Set up in a circular component at the back of the phone, the Hasselblad Master Camera System consists of four cameras covering a range of ultra-wide to ultra-close, and even getting a little closer than the likes of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. While Apple’s phone maxes out at 5X before digital zoom gets involved, the Oppo Find X8 Pro maxes at 6X, achieving a comparative zoom of 135mm on a 35mm camera.
Each of the four sensors is matched to 50 megapixels, so they’ll all capture at the same megapixel range, though each sensor is also a little bit different.
The main camera is the largest, the 50 megapixel standard wide camera with optical image stabilisation set to F1.6 at a comparative 23mm, while the ultra wide is F2.0 at 15mm with no stabilisation.
Meanwhile, the two zoom cameras use special periscope cameras Oppo has been working on for some time, including the 3X periscope telephoto matching 73mm and working at F2.6, while the 135mm 6X periscope at F4.3. They’ll both get optical image stabilisation, because keeping those vibrations down can get really important at closer lengths.
Oppo has also included a button on the side of the phone that can be used to switch the phone into a ringer, but works a little like the Camera Control in Apple’s iPhone 16 range. You’ll be able to double press the button to launch into camera mode, press again to fire a shot, and swipe to zoom in.
Hasselblad’s tuning reportedly comes into the photos from the phone cameras, with styles and effects particularly with the portrait mode used on the phone. Dolby Vision is also there, supporting 4K at 60 frames per second on the phone, too.
There’s a little more than just four cameras on the back, with a Full HD+ 6.78 inch screen protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i, a MediaTek Dimensity 9400 chip, fingerprint sensor, Near-Field Communication (NFC), and the typical assortment of fast wireless connections including 5G, WiFi 7, USB-C, and so on.
You’ll even find a remote control sensor built in, handy to wirelessly control some devices around the home that haven’t switched onto the smart home craze, as well as IP68 and IP69 water resistance, complete with an algorithm to use the screen when both your hand and the screen are wet.
Oppo is also bringing over a really large battery for the Find X8 Pro, exceeding the typical 5000mAh maximum by making it a 5910mAh with an 80 watt fast charger in the box for high-speed charging, too. Wireless charging is also supported at a staggering 50W, higher than the typical 15W, though will likely only work at that speed and level with Oppo’s AirVOOC wireless chargers.
Oh, and just like you’d expect from a 2024 phone, AI is included, too, assisting the camera slightly both in zoom and in cleaning up images, with an AI clarity enhancer, reflection remove, unblur tool, and object eraser. There are also AI enhancements for notes and messages, with writing and re-writing tools, plus summarisation and translation for documents. Oppo’s AI image changing app is also sticking around for folks who want to remake their images in AI styles.
In an interesting shift, Oppo is also adding support for the iPhone with its latest version of ColorOS on the Find X8 Pro.
Simply put, owners of an iPhone will be able to share images from an Oppo with an app when the two phones are bumped together. Normally, Android to iPhone and back isn’t quite so seamless, but this could make sharing with with friends or family with an iPhone that much easier.
“Continuing the legacy of the Find X Series as a true smartphone flagship, the Find X8 Pro pushes the envelope even further,” said Michael Tran, Managing Director for Oppo Australia.
“With cutting-edge AI features that simplify everyday tasks and elevate smartphone photography, powered by Oppo’s own AI algorithms and our ongoing partnership with Hasselblad, the Find X8 Pro is truly setting a new global benchmark for excellence,” he said.
Australian pricing for the Find X8 Pro sees the handset available for $1799 for the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage option, which is the only model available here, found through both JB HiFi and Oppo’s online presence. The 50W magnetic AirVOOC wireless charger is an optional extra, but can be found for $129, though based on the inclusion of magnets, may also see the phone working at slightly slower charging speeds with Qi2 chargers, too.
