Almost ever since OPPO launched its first smartphone in India, it has put the focus on the front cam, even at a time when ‘selfie’ wasn’t part of everyday lingo. That was the time it launched a rotating cam that made sure your selfies looked sharp. Things have changed, as many device manufacturers shower more love on the selfie cam to keep up with the number of selfies that are snapped. It’s why OPPO’s decision to showcase its primary cam as the headline feature of its latest device does come as a surprise. But there’s more than meets the eye; literally.
The F11 Pro lands in the Rs 20,000 – 30,000 segment. This space is getting quite cluttered with the likes of Xiaomi’s POCO F1. OPPO decides to lay its bets on style and form with an eye on the millennial consumer – doesn’t every marketer want a slice of their spends? The F11 Pro will grab eyeballs with its unique triple colour gradient (the device is available in two shades in India). It looks quite stunning, especially under lights. Yes, this device comes alive in the night. It’s not just the rear of the device, the camera’s not afraid of the dark too.
OPPO’s sales pitch for the F11 Pro is driven by its rear cam that combines a 48MP lens with a 5MP depth sensor. OPPO believes that most portrait images are snapped after the sun goes down, many in dimly lit bars. It’s why it’s Live Portrait Mode is a key differentiator. We tried the Night Mode and also shot images without the Night Mode. The results without the Night Mode were surprisingly good. OPPO also showed off a dazzle colour mode which was also impressive in our tests with lively colours.
Just a week ago we reviewed Vivo’s new device with a Pop-up camera. OPPO nearly treads the same path with the F11 Pro with what it calls a ‘Rising’ selfie camera. This is similar to the Vivo version, except that it’s placed in the top centre of the device. Selfie fiends should enjoy using this 16MP selfie cam with its AI capabilities. OPPO confirms that the motor on this selfie cam has been tested for 100 uses each day for up to six years. You do the math. But it’s clearly geared for more selfies than you will need to snap. The Rising cam also frees up valuable screen real estate. You get a 6.5-inch (1080 x 2340 pixels) screen with a screen: body ratio that crosses the 90% threshold. It’s quite brilliant, there’s no notch or cut-out that stands between you and the immersive screen.
OPPO opts for a Mediatek Helios P70 processor to power this device along with 6GB of RAM and offers 64GB of Internal storage. It’s quite robust, doesn’t stutter when pushed with multiple-tasking or gaming. Yet this is an area where the POCO F1 with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Processor possesses an edge. OPPO surprises us with its choice of a Micro USB charger at a time when USB Type-C has become the standard. The 400 mAh battery is quite solid and incorporates OPPO’s proprietary VOOC fast charging tech. It’s quite effective and should take you from 0 to 50% in about thirty minutes.
The F11 Pro also brings the newest version of OPPO’s Color OS – 6.0. It’s certainly more visually pleasing and has some useful tweaks. But it’s still a bit cluttered for our liking. It’s not for those who seek a minimalist version of Android. The OPPO F11 Pro adds oomph and a very capable camera to the sub Rs 30,000 segment and should make some heads turn.
The OPPO F11 Pro costs Rs 24,999 and comes in Thunder Black and Aurora Green. OPPO also launched the F11 alongside the F11 Pro at Rs 19,999.
