Tech review: Oppo F1 ‘Selfie Expert’

The Oppo F1 smartphone punches above its weight. So long as you don’t mind the borrowed design

Oppo F1 ‘Selfie Expert’

QUICK SPECS

• At a glance: Quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53; camera: 13MP (primary); 8MP (front); white/gold metal body

• USP: Wide-angle front camera

• Price: Rs15,587 (Amazon.in)

• Verdict: 3.5/5

The budget phones segment is on an iPhone-copying spree. The Oppo F1 is no different. But if you don’t have scruples about unoriginal design, you’ve got no reason to complain. For a device retailing in the Rs 15,000 price category, it has the look, build quality and performance of a much superior device.

What’s good
-The white metal body, the gold back and the overall proportions look exactly the same as the iPhone 6. But Oppo hasn’t compromised on build quality.

-The 2,500mAh battery takes you through the day effortlessly. True, there are phones with sturdier batteries out there, but they are all so big, you might as well be talking into a tablet.

-The quad-core processor plays videos seamlessly, and runs graphic-heavy games without any lag.

-The 13MP primary camera is decent in the day, but struggles in low light. Also, the colours aren’t completely accurate. The phone’s USP, however, is the 8MP front, or ‘selfie’ camera. The impressive megapixel number aside, the big advantage is a wide-angle frame. It’s a clever move, since selfies – always clicked at an arm’s length – can now accommodate more people, or background.

A macro shot taken using the Oppo F1 primary camera (Sarit Ray/HT)

What’s not:
-The only part of the design we don’t like is the placement of the primary camera. It is so close to the edge, you need to be extra careful to not get your finger in the frame.

-The display, while bright and crisp for most purposes, struggles in harsh daylight.

-Also, while we are, overall, quite impressed with processor performance, we found the phone heat up when streaming videos for a prolonged period, or when playing games on the device.

-We also missed the fast charging feature, a big plus when you’re out of power and need to get that initial bit of charge quickly.

-Also, while the sound output is decent (and we love that they have the good old radio option), the earphones are incongruously cheap-looking.

Verdict:
We are actually surprised that the phone is being market purely on the basis of its selfie-capturing abilities. While they are passable (the wide angle apart, the front camera doesn’t replicate the quality of the primary camera), the phone’s strength is the build and overall performance. In the `15,000 price category, this is right up there with the best.