Chinese tech giant Oppo is slowly becoming a household name in the west, with their watches and audio hardware challenging the market leaders.
But it was probably Oppo’s Find X3 mobile series that truly made them part of the conversation.
Now Oppo looks to capitalise on the X3 series’ outstanding reception with its successor the Oppo Find X5 series.
Like the X3 the X5 series is split into different models which include the Pro, Lite and the standard edition.
Each is tailored with features to accommodate their respective price bracket whilst still trying to offer similar experiences.
For this review, we will be taking a look at the higher end model in the Oppo Find XS5 Series, the Oppo Find X5 Pro.
The Find X5 Pro comes in two colours, Glaze Black and Ceramic White. Both of the colour schemes come with a glossy finish which is fantastic but it would’ve been great to offer a matte version as the X3 series did.
The Find X5 Pro is a huge smartphone that measures at 16.7 x 7.74 cm with a thickness of 8.5mm.
It’s a long phone that's thin and weighs 218g which is slightly heavier for a phone its size.
The build quality feels sturdy, with most of the casing being a glossy material that looks gorgeous but easily attracts fingerprints.
The most interesting feature is the sculpted mound at the back that fully encapsulates the camera.
The Find X5 Pro is a stunning phone that feels extremely premium in your hand, my only worry is how susceptible it will be to scuffs, so it would be best to invest in a cover at some point.
The phone comes with an IP68 rating which means it can withstand dust, dirt and rain, making it a great companion on long hikes and even at the gym.
This rating also means that the phone is resistant to underwater submersion up to 1.5 meters, which is a godsend if you accidentally drop it in the bathtub.
The Find X5 Pro has a massive 6.7”,1440p curved AMOLED screen which is great for streaming movies and playing games.
With a 525 PPI display that supports HDR10+, images are crystal clear with rich and vibrant colours that look wonderful in different environments.
The display’s peak brightness is rated at 1300 nits which is fantastic but still pales in comparison to the likes of Samsung and Apple phones which are hitting around 1,750.
The screen comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate, this makes movement while using apps much smoother at the cost of battery life. However, this is where the LTPO technology comes into play, this allows the phone to dial down the frame rate quickly and efficiently to save battery life when not in use.
The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, keeping it safe from scratches and damage. The Oppo Find X5 Pro’s screen is amazing offering a premium experience regardless of what activities it is put through.
The Oppo Find X5 Pro features stereo speakers with the top mic doubling up as the second speaker. I was happy with the quality of sound from the phone which was admirable with little distortion at high volumes.
Compared to the X3, the Find X5 Pro has received a massive upgrade to its hardware that dramatically improves the overall performance.
The Find X5 Pro is built with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8.1 processor and integrated Adreno 730 GPU that delivers top-notch performance, which is a step up from the Snapdragon 888 from the X3 Pro.
This model features 12 GB of Ram and 256 GB storage which is in line with most phones from the same price range.
All the apps ran fast and very smoothly even during multitasking and heavy gaming, which just adds to the overall quality of the phone.
The Find X5 Pro runs on Oppo’s operating system, the ColorOS 12.1 based on Android 12 which of course still feels very similar to the Android 11 version used on the previous ColorOS.
But it comes with great UI customisation features and a unique function to cast your phone wirelessly to a Windows PC, allowing the owner to access their phone through the computer.
ColorOS 12.1 is an easily accessible UI with great privacy tools and intuitive biometrics system.
One of the biggest features of the Oppo Find X5 Pro is the camera, and this model returns with a crossover with the legendary camera brand Hasselblad.
The rear triple camera features a 50MP main camera, that utilises a Sony IMX 766 sensor and features SLR-Level 5-Axis Stabilisation which are excellent features to elevate your pictures.
The second camera is a 50MP Ultra Wide Angle Camera that produces the same quality as the main camera due to the Sony IMX 766 sensor.
This is great as most other phones have a significantly weaker second camera which is a pain when trying to take the same picture at different angles.
The Find X5 Pro manages to match the standard of the Ultra wide-angle camera with the main camera’s shots without sacrificing the quality.
The final rear camera is a 13MP Telephoto Camera which is great for portrait photography, however, it is limited with a 2x optical zoom range which really drops in quality when going beyond that.
This is a bit of a letdown as other phones of this price range offer much sharper images at let's say 10x zoom whereas the Find X5 Pro really struggles.
The front camera is a 32MP camera which allows for adequate selfie shots with nice colours and sharp images. It isn't a game-changer but will do the job and looks nice with low lighting.
These cameras are basically the same spec as the X3 which isn’t a bad thing as they are still great cameras with an abundance of amazing features.
They are fantastic in low lighting due to the wide aperture making the Find X5 Pro a great companion on outings and during events.
The processing power has been improved due to the new Oppo’s self-produced MariSilicon X Imaging NPU chip.
This is sensational because all other smartphones rely on the chip within the phone, whereas this will allow for real-time processing without taxing the main chip.
The camera also allows for great video options that even include 4K at 30 and 60fps which is superb. I was really impressed with the 4K quality that offered excellent detail, great colours and contrast with little grain.
The Image stabilisation is always on and helps images to look a lot more stable. I was mainly impressed with the clarity and nonexistent noise in low light video shoots which is just phenomenal.
The Find X5 Pro has fantastic video capabilities that make it one of the best within this price range. The Find X5 Pro has a 5000 mAh battery which is a massive improvement from the 4500 mAh from the previous model when you also consider the more efficient processor.
This battery will grant 5- 6 hours of constant usage with the screen on full brightness and using other apps which is great on long days out.
Charging is fast via the USB-C connector which was fully charged in 30 - 45mins.
Verdict 4/5
The Oppo Find X5 Pro is fantastic and one of the best Android phones on the market, with it taking the strengths of the X3 series and even improving them.
It’s definitely a worthy competitor that can go head to head with some of the market leaders and is a solid choice.
It is almost the complete package but it is let down with a Telephoto Camera that is really subpar for the price range, however, this isn’t a deal-breaker at all.
The Oppo Find X5 Pro is a great new flagship product that may be slightly on the pricey side but definitely deserves your attention.
The Oppo Find X5 Pro is available now from the Oppo website for £1,049.
