Key Features
- Dimensions: 156 x 75.3 x 7.8 mm OS: Android 8.1 (Oreo)
Screen size: 6.23 inches Resolution: 1080 x 2280 pixels
CPU: MediaTek Helio P60 RAM: 4GB / 6GB
Storage: 64GB / 128GB Battery: 3,400mAh
Rear camera: 16MP Front camera: 25MP
Screen size: 6.23 inches Resolution: 1080 x 2280 pixels
CPU: MediaTek Helio P60 RAM: 4GB / 6GB
Storage: 64GB / 128GB Battery: 3,400mAh
Rear camera: 16MP Front camera: 25MP
Oppo F7 : Innovation in phone design?
The Oppo F7 doesn’t look too premium or extremely cheap, it falls somewhere in between which is perfectly fine since it’s a mid-range phone. It hits the sweet spot with respect to weight. It’s not heavy enough to weigh you down but not so light that it doesn’t feel durable.
Where the phone falters is that it chose to use plastic with a glossy layer to make it shine like glass. I understand the appeal since most of the flagship phones have a glass back, but it attracts fingerprints like bees to honey.
You can polish the phone all you want but it’s only going to be truly clean if it isn’t touched.
While reviewing the phone, I’m pretty sure I spent more time cleaning it than actually using it.
The device doesn’t scratch too easily despite being thrown in with keys and what not, but it’s not impervious to external forces. Apparently keys aren’t tough enough but crumbs on the table scratch the screen if you pull it off the table rather than pick it up. This applies to the screen as well as the back of the phone. As far as I’m concerned, they’re both equally vulnerable.
The primary camera and the fingerprint sensor are located around the back with a MicroUSB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom. Though the lack of a Type-C port is a little disappointing, retaining the headphone socket is a win in my books.
The new Oppo smartphone is also one of the many devices to employ the iPhone X-type notch. The F7 also manages to use it in a way that maximises utility, unlike the Vivo V9. With a 19:9 aspect ratio, the Oppo F7 lets compatible apps run in fullscreen and gives you the option of forcing apps to fullscreen if they’re not compatible.
With a 6.23-inch screen the phone is far from being compact or ergonomic but that is offset by the immersion when playing games or watching videos.
Price and availability
The 4GB RAM and 6GB storage variant, which is the one we tested, costs Rs 21,990. Oppo has another offering with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, which is priced Rs 26,990.
The phone hit the market on April 9, though the first flash sale happened on April 2. You can buy it online via Flipkart, Amazon or Paytm. If you prefer demoing the device before buying it, it’s also available offline through 777 Oppo stores.
Jio and ICICI have special offers for cashback and data if you buy the Oppo F7 but what’s more interesting is that Oppo is offering a one-year deal on replacing the screen of the new smartphone.
The device we’ve reviewed is Solar Red, but the phone is also available in Diamond Black and Platinum Silver.
Performance and software
ColorOS takes a while to get used to and it wouldn’t be so bad if Oppo had given more choices in the theme store. On the whole, the interface feels a little clunky.
For instance, Android phones normally allow you to swipe away a notification but Oppo requires you to submit a ‘delete’ confirmation after swiping left, which is entirely unnecessary.
The MediaTek Helio P60 chipset is what powers the Oppo F7. The same SoC can be found on the Oppo R15 as well. It has two sets of quad-cores in one package, high performance ARM Cortex A73s and power efficient Cortex-A53s.
The chipset also has dedicated AI processing to help with the phone’s facial recognition technology and real-time HDR.
MediaTek has the perception of only catering to budget smartphones but the Helio series makes one question the status quo. Vivo V9’s Snapdragon 626 didn’t seem as efficient in comparison to use. The camera app even managed to crash once or twice.
Both, the fingerprint sensor and face unlock, are quick to open the phone.The face unlock feature only works for unlocking the phone whereas fingerprints can used to secure apps and allocate internal storage.
Other than that you have the usual pin, password and pattern options. Another feature that plays into the security of the phone is the keyboard. The Oppo F7 offers its own secure keyboard which is layered on top the Gboard, claiming to keep your keystroke information private. Though the intention is noble, the keyboard doesn’t offer premium functionality. It’s unwieldy and feels heavy to use.
It’s also a recent trend to worry about what little ones can access on the phone. Apps have catered to this by creating subsidiaries like YouTube Kids and Facebook Messenger Kids.
The Oppo F7 has its own feature called ‘Kids Space’, which lets you disable apps that you don’t want children accessing.
The Oppo F7 even has its own stock apps on the device like its own app store and file manager. Nothing so impressive that it will make you switch over from the default apps you already use, but not so horrible that you’d ignore them entirely.
On-screen navigation keys aren’t for everyone and they can get a little annoying to use consistently, which why it’s nice that the Oppo F7 has the option to switch over to gestures. Once you enable the feature, the navigation keys at the bottom are replaced with horizontal markers.
The phone’s gaming experience wasn’t too bad either. It has the option of disable notifications while gaming and has something called ‘Game Acceleration’ that optimizes system functionality to enable better gameplay.
Oppo F7 Battery
The Oppo F7’s battery life is pretty decent in comparison to the Vivo V9 and it manages to last through the day, but barely. This may be because usage patterns were a little heavier during the review. The fact that it doesn’t support fast charging was a drag as well, because default charging is fairly slow.
Oppo F7 Camera
The camera is the only feature in the Oppo F7 that’s worth being excited about. The company has put so much focus on the camera on the phone that it’s the first thing you want to test once the phone is in your hands.
In most cases, the results were on-point but occasionally the resulting images looked as though they’d been edited. In those cases, there’s the option of manually selecting the level of beautification you’d like to layer onto the photo. But yes, be wary of the photos being unnatural due to excessive smoothing. If you use the Bokeh effect, it shows you the depth change before you click the final photo. It works well. The photo comes out with clear with bright colors.
The AR stickers are fun to play with as well but I felt as though there was a lack of options, and there ones that were available were very conventional and ordinary.
The rear camera manages natural looking photos in well-lit conditions, but tends to over expose the photos in low light situations. Photos clicked in the dark look as though a flash was used though it was turned off.
For macro shots, the details are super clear and the camera balances exposure well, clearly defining the edges between dark and light areas.
The digital zoom, on the other hand, isn’t too effective since the images lose their clarity. The lack of image stabilisation also makes the images harder to click when you’re on the move and even slight movement is evident in the shots. It only gets more difficult when there’s less light.
The AR stickers are fun to play with as well but I felt as though there was a lack of options, and there ones that were available were very conventional and ordinary.
The rear camera manages natural looking photos in well-lit conditions, but tends to over expose the photos in low light situations. Photos clicked in the dark look as though a flash was used though it was turned off.
For macro shots, the details are super clear and the camera balances exposure well, clearly defining the edges between dark and light areas.
The digital zoom, on the other hand, isn’t too effective since the images lose their clarity. The lack of image stabilisation also makes the images harder to click when you’re on the move and even slight movement is evident in the shots. It only gets more difficult when there’s less light.
Verdict
The Oppo F7 isn’t too bad a phone but whether or not it’s worth Rs 21,990 is questionable. It has a better camera than its counterparts in the same price range like the Vivo V9 or Moto X4, but the heavy ColorOS and bulky keyboard take away from the user experience.
The plastic body wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t catch prints so easily. As someone who likes their gadgets to be clean, it was an incredibly frustrating experience.
Oppo does use the notch to its full potential, which is something that can’t be said for the Vivo V9. The option of running apps in 19:9 full screen adds a layer of satisfaction when gaming or casually browsing through YouTube.
The Oppo F7 definitely offers more value for money than the Vivo V9 since it’s better in terms of battery, camera quality, performance and display capabilities. The Moto X4, on the other hand, has an IP67 rating while running Stock Android. Being water and dust resistant without a clunky user interface, might be a better bargain for most people at Rs 22,999.
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