There is a saying, “Blink, and you will miss it”. The OPPO Find X5 Pro with 80W fast charge gets 0-100% in about 36 minutes. What’s more, it has a class-leading camera system, uses the world’s fastest system-on-a-chip, and comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
To say it is an impressive phone is an understatement. Yes, it is a glass slab, well, a Nanocrystal ceramic one that literally flows lava-like over the back camera. It has the class-leading 3216×1440, dynamic 1-120Hz refresh, AMOLED LPTO 2.0 bright display for amazingly accurate BT.2020/DCI-P3/sRGB 1 billion colours.
The screen is important to the camera system to preview shots accurately. The new epoch-making OPPO MariSilicon X Neural Processing Unit (NPU) enables 20-bit RAW image processing to capture stunning still images and 4K AI Night Video with live preview and 1,000,000:1 HDR.
Yes, if you have $1799, it is the flagship to buy. That is not to take away from Samsung’s excellent S22-series (reviews here) but to let readers know their options.
We will do a detailed ‘shootout’ between the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the OPPO Find X5 Pro later. We can say upfront that despite using the same Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1 SoC and X65 Modem, OPPO manages thermal issues better (less throttling); 3x faster charging; and has far better phone signal strength finding more towers at more usable strengths.
We would be remiss not to mention the OPPO Find X5 model that, at $1399, offers great value. Here are the minor differences for a $400 saving. The $799 Find X5 Lite is a very different device, and while a value leader is not a competitor to the Find X5 or Pro.
It is now in two parts – a five-minute overview (well, in this case, a little longer) for most readers and a separate 300+ line database-driven spec including over 70 tests to back up the summary. It also helps us compare different phones and features.
Look for the RCM C-Tick on the box end, and under Settings, About device, Regulatory. The only memory/storage option for Australia is 12/256GB.
We issue a strong warning that you must buy a genuine model with Australian firmware if you want to use 5G. Read Don’t buy a grey market phone to ensure you get the Australian model.
The OPPO Find X5 Pro is a tall and slightly narrower phone (20.1:9 format) with a ceramic back that literally flows lava-like over the camera hump – lovely. But that makes it a fingerprint magnet; it rocks when placed on the table, and it is prone to slip off the desk. The included Kevlar bumper case cures all these, but it is a shame to cover up such beauty.
The screen has slightly rounded edges, but it is not an Edge screen like the S22 Ultra. The selfie camera is a discrete O-hole at the top left to reduce screen impairment. The power button is on the left side, and the volume rocker is on the right. Below is the speaker and dual SIM slot.
It has incredible colour accuracy in BT.2020 (a new way to measure gamut), DCI-P3 (movies), sRGB (web) and more. And remember, this is coverage of the entire 10-bit, 1-07 billion colours, not 16.7 million like the Samsung S22 series. Professional users can calibrate it.
It will play HDR10+ content (no downmix) and stream HDR video at FHD.
Summary: There is no better screen today
The 2022 flagship processor is the new 4nm SD8 Gen 1. But it is a hot little chip, and the Samsung S22 Ultra and the Motorola Edge 30 Pro throttle 27% to keep this under control.
OPPO does not throttle its apps like Samsung flagships throttle 10,000 apps – user discovery prompts action, so comparisons are odorous until Samsung offers a fix.
Instead, OPPO has always had excellent thermal management, and it only throttles by 11% after 13 minutes at 100% load. Put simply, gamers will have more power for longer, and it should play most games at top frame rates.
It comes with 12GB of LPDDR5 (fastest) RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 (fastest) storage. The S22 Ultra has 8/128GB for $1849 and 12/256 for $1999. But the most important thing is that the OPPO can mount external SSD/flash drives to act as storage (S22 Ultra cannot) – perfect for videographers and others that need lots of live recording space.
While the OPPO uses the same Qualcomm Wi-Fi 6E AX card as the S22 Ultra supporting HE160 (2400Mbps) speeds, it will only connect at HE80, 1200Mbps (S22 Ultra 2400Mbps). We understand a firmware upgrade is coming when HE160 becomes a ratified standard.
USB-C is 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), and it supports ALT DP 1.4 (audio and video mirroring) at 4HK. OPPO also has PC Connect for Windows, allowing a PC to access and screen mirror of the phone.
OPPO has a new 360° Smart Antenna that works regardless of where you hold the phone. It produces fantastic phone reception signal strength finding the four nearest towers at usable strengths. It is suitable for city, suburbs, regional town and rural use.
OPPO uses a dual battery system that effectively halves charge time compared to other brands. Now, with 80W (2x40W), it brings charging the 5000mAh battery down to 36 minutes (S22 Ultra 96 minutes). But there is more; with 50W AIR VOOC (Qi) charging, it is full in 47 minutes (S22 Ultra 15W 5 hours).
Battery life is superb. On Adaptive refresh (1-120Hz), PC Mark 3.0 (indicative of typical use) gives it over 18 hours screen-on (S22 Ultra 13 hours) and about 4.5hours screen-on at 100% load.
The only issue is that you need to use the 80W charger (S22 Ultra does not come with a charger), or it defaults to 10W charge (about 4 hours – same as the S22 Ultra).
Its new Battery Health Engine extends battery charge cycles from the typical 800 to over 1600 before the battery has 80% life left. That means you can keep it longer and when you sell it the battery will still be in terrific shape.
Summary: Fast charge and an efficient adaptive screen means you will get more than a full day’s use. Power users should expect at least 10 hours.
Instead of using the Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1 stereo Aqstic amplifier, it uses a pair of NPX Class-D amplifiers and Digital Signal Processors for excellent low distortion, Dolby Atmos compatible sound. The result is better sound processing and better quality sound from the speakers and BT (or USB-C DAC) headphones.
It has more high-bass than the S22 Ultra and a better top-end-treble control meaning the sound is clear, punchy and has good definition presence for most music genres.
BT headphones can use SBC, AAC, a host of aptX codecs and high res LDAC and LDHC.
You can read more, including using our test tracks – How to tell if you have good music (sound signature is the key – guide.
Summary: The best sound we have heard so far
OPPO has always had a class-leading, high standard of build and its resultant reliability is about 99% in an industry that thinks anything over 90% is good. Add a two-year warranty (S22 Ultra 1-year) and excellent local after-sales support, and you can see why it scores so highly in customer satisfaction ratings.
The screen has Gorilla Glass Victus 7 (very hard and scratch-resistant) and a factory pre-fitted screen protector. The Ceramic back is virtually unscratchable – add IP68, and it is a winner.
OPPO has a very competitive trade-in program to help maintain the second-hand value.
OPPO has a three OS upgrade policy and regular security patches (S22 Ultra has four). ColorOS 12.1 is a light overlay adding some much-needed grease to the clunky Android user interface. For example, Bluetooth finds the codecs that the headphones can use and allows you to select the one you want – I have not seen this elsewhere.
It has all the Google Apps and OPPO substitutes (as OPPO cannot use Google Apps or services in China). These duplicate Apps like the too many commercial apps – AliExpress, Amazon, Booking.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, O Relax, PUBG, Soloop, TikTok, etc – are all uninstallable.
All smartphones use sensors made by Sony, Samsung, OmniVision and GalaxyCore (and lesser-known makers). Any primary sensor over 24MP uses binning (combining pixels) to produce an image of at least 8MP. Even the 108MP found on the S22 Ultra bins to 12MP. They all use AI to post-process images – the degree depends on the SoC power.
All have a primary wide sensor. Some have ultra-wide, telephoto (and periscope), macro, and depth (including Lidar) sensors. They all use a mix of plastic and glass lenses. So, we can tell immediately if the camera is performing at or above spec.
In 2021 the OPPO Find X3 Pro scored 131 in the DXOMARK tests – the same as this year’s S22 Ultra. Significant camera improvements mean that this score will rise, we think quite significantly.
Is all this tech better than the S22 Ultra? Samsung has a fourth sensor – the 10MP Periscope with 10X optical and 100X Space (Hybrid) zoom. But to be frank – anything over about 20X zoom is not all that usable.
All I can say is that OPPO’s twin 50MP wide and ultra-wide sensors have a more visually pleasing result. Point and shoot produces a better photo in day, office and low light with its unique DSLR-like 5-axis optical image stabilisation. And given its 256GB storage, you can keep far more photos on the phone!
In 2021 I used the Samsung S21 Ultra and OPPO Find X3 Pro as my daily drive, initially in fairly equal measure. I gradually moved to the OPPO for its photography and battery charging advantages.
In 2022 I will use both (to get a better feel for the new tech, get a few firmware updates under the hood) and report in a more detailed shootout article later.
On the surface the OPPO Find X5 Pro is well ahead – more RAM, Storage, better screen, 3x times faster charge, better thermal management, and photography. The Samsung S22 Ultra has stylus support to differentiate it.
These reviews are technical – we test over 70 aspects of each phone and report objectively. But sometimes, we forget the emotional aspects of the test device.
We have the OPPO Find X5 Lite, OPPO Find X5, OPPO Find X5 Pro and OPPO A76 on the testbed. We also have other brands ranging from $199 cheapies to $2,000 premium flagships.
I was excited to test the OPPO Find X5 Pro and it lives up to all expectations – I like bright, shiny, expensive things. Coming from the Find X3 Pro you have to swallow the additional $300 cost but that is largely due to feature upgrades and external COVID based currency and supply issues. This is a well-priced, well-featured premium smartphone that provides an excellent user experience.
I have to say that after the superb experience with the 2021 OPPO X3 Pro and now with the new Find X5 series that buyers should not be brand snobs and look at the extensive features and value that OPPO offers. I am excited – perhaps you should be too.
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