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OnePlus as we knew it is dead, here's what next
While the company starting out making devices for mobile enthusiasts, after 10 generations, OnePlus seems poised to make the big transition into being a global mainstream phone brand.
OnePlus 10 Pro is headed to the US, Europe and India in March
OnePlus 10 Pro is headed to the US, Europe and India in March, and it will continue to run OxygenOS.
OnePlus' 2022 flagship will share a unified Android 13 system with Oppo
Pete Lau said OnePlus' and Oppo's unified OS will be based on Android 13, and it'll be featured on the OnePlus 10 due out first half of 2022.
OnePlus is integrating its mobile operating system with Oppo's
OnePlus and Oppo are working on integrating the codebase of OxygenOS and ColorOS.
Oppo's Find X3 Pro has a 30x 'microscope' camera
The Oppo Find X3 Pro's main focus is photography, packing the same flagship sensor in both the main camera and the ultra-wide camera, both of which support 10-bit color. There's also a rare 30x microscopic camera.
Oppo's mid-range Realme X is inspired by garlic and onions
We don't often highlight mid-range smartphones these days, but when we do, there's a good reason. Following yesterday's flagship OnePlus 7 Pro, today we have yet another Chinese phone, the Realme X, with a pop-up selfie camera. But it was actually the design that caught our attention: the X comes in a "Garlic Edition" and an "Onion Edition," both of which are the work of Muji's iconic designer, Naoto Fukasawa, who is also known for his quirky Infobar phones. According to Realme, these final looks came after 72 gradient tests plus over 300 prototypes.
Oppo's Reno 5G flagship has a pop-up camera wedge and 10x hybrid zoom
If you thought the leak from two weeks ago had given the game away for Oppo's new Reno smartphone series, don't worry, as the real deal has more to offer. At the Shanghai launch event today, Oppo finally unveiled its first two Reno devices -- the Reno Standard Edition and the Reno 10x Zoom Edition -- while also teasing the Reno 5G which will be shown off in Zurich later today.
Oppo embraces near-stock Android to sell more phones beyond China
It's relatively easy to buy Oppo's smartphones in many places around the world. However, it's still obvious that they were originally designed for Chinese buyers, who tend to favor heavy customization -- how is Oppo supposed to make a name for itself abroad? By stripping things down, apparently. The company has released a beta version of Project Spectrum, a firmware release that gets much closer to stock Android. You'll still find signature Oppo features like a custom camera app and screen-off gestures, but you'll see much more of Google's original interface (specifically, Lollipop). It's only available to download for the Find 7 and Find 7a at the moment, but there are plans for both broader hardware support and a Marshmallow upgrade in the months ahead.
Oppo's R7 Plus squeezes a big battery into a slim body
Nope, these aren't the near-bezel-less phones that Oppo teased us with back in March, but they are still very compelling. Following the super slim R5, the Chinese company has shifted its focus back to specs with two new models: the 5-inch R7 and the 6-inch R7 Plus. For us, it's really all about the bigger phone: its 7.75mm-thick aluminum unibody manages to pack a generous 4,100 mAh battery, which goes very well with Oppo's renowned VOOC rapid charging -- a feature that's proven to be faster than most of its competitors'. Not to mention that the device also comes with a single-touch fingerprint sensor on the back, along with an 8-megapixel f/2.4 front imager plus a 13-megapixel f/2.2 main camera with an RGBW sensor (Sony's IMX278) for better sensitivity in the dark, as well as laser auto-focus and dual-tone LED flash.
At just 4.85mm, Oppo R5 is the world's slimmest smartphone
Step aside, Gionee, as your record for the world's slimmest smartphone has just been beaten by a fellow Chinese manufacturer. Oppo's R5, the successor to the Asia-only R3, comes in at just 4.85mm thick, thus beating the 5.15mm-thick Elife S5.1 from Gionee. Despite the crazy thin metallic body, the R5 still packs a handful of goodies: a 5.2-inch full HD AMOLED screen, an octa-core (quad 2.1GHz and quad 1.5GHz), 64-bit Snapdragon 615 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 5MP/13MP cameras (both with f/2.0 aperture), LTE radio and a 2,000 mAh battery. All of this comes in at just 155g heavy. Of course, there's bound to be a trade-off: You only get 16GB of internal storage, no microSD expansion and, unlike the Elife S5.1, no 3.5mm headphone connector here -- you'll need to use the bundled micro-USB adapter or Bluetooth (there's an optional O-Music Bluetooth clip for your headphones and for triggering the camera).
Oppo N3's motorized swivel camera takes selfies to the next level
If you thought Oppo was done with making eccentric selfie phones, you're wrong; the Chinese company is back with a new model dubbed the N3 to replace the N1 from last September. The iconic swivel camera at the top is here to stay, but this time we have a 16-megapixel f/2.2 module with Schneider optics, and it's motorised! It's actually much cooler than it sounds: You can quickly flip the camera with a flick gesture on the screen or on the fingerprint sensor on the back -- more on that later. In addition to that, the N3 comes with a new O-Click Bluetooth remote that not only acts as a remote trigger, but it also lets you adjust the camera's angle using the extra buttons.
Oppo's N1 Mini makes iPhones look tiny
The N1 isn't exactly a household name, so allow us to refresh your memory: it's a CyanogenMod phone with a selfie-friendly swivel camera made by Chinese manufacturer Oppo. Well, its creator just announced a mini version of the device -- except it's not exactly something you'd call small. Oppo shaved just 0.9 inches off the full-sized N1, so the ironically named N1 Mini is still quite a large 5-inch phone -- larger than other "mini" follow-up devices like the 4.3-inch Galaxy S4 Mini. While the new device is slightly lighter (150g) than its older sibling (213g), it packs the same 13-megapixel swivel camera, but enhanced with an "Ultra-HD" mode that can produce 24-megapixel shots -- which is similar to the Find 7's 50-megapixel mode.
Oppo Find 7 is the world's first phone that can take 50MP photos (video)
We've seen the teasers and we've seen the leaks, so it's about time to see the real thing. Oppo has finally unveiled the Find 7 in Beijing just now, and as promised, this Android 4.3 device really can take 50-megapixel photos! But as with many things in life, there's a catch here: the sensor is actually a 13-megapixel Sony IMX214 CMOS, so it's a software trick. Still, the results we saw earlier were surprisingly good, so read on to check out how it's done and what the rest of the phone is like.
Official CyanogenMod ROM now available to every Oppo N1
If you've had your Oppo N1 since launch but would rather use anything besides its Android one-off ColorOS, the hardware manufacturer doesn't take it personally. In fact, you'll find a version of CyanogenMod that's tailor-made for the device if you click over to Oppo's forums. Previously, the custom version of Android was already available on a special edition of the N1, and now everyone has access to CyanogenMod's vision of what Google's OS can be: namely, bloat-free and better performing. Because the ROM was built specifically for the device, you won't lose access to the handset's more unique features -- even the rear touch-panel and the swiveling camera lens. The N1 may be a niche phone, but this close relationship with Oppo could get CyanogenMod just a little bit closer to its goal of becoming a mainstream alternative to Android and iOS.
Oppo's swiveling N1 smartphone to be available worldwide on December 10th for $599
Oppo promised that its swivel camera-toting N1 smartphone would arrive in December, and it's making good on that promise today by offering international launch details. An unlocked HSPA+ version of the 5.9-inch Android flagship should be available through Oppo Style and other outlets on December 10th, when it will cost $599 in the US and €449 in Europe. The company hasn't said whether this is the 16GB or 32GB model. There's also no mention of whether or not N1s with CyanogenMod pre-installed will arrive on the same day, although those who get the ColorOS-based phone should have a relatively easy time loading Cyanogen's firmware. You won't have to wait until the 10th to find out if the device is worthwhile -- our colleagues at Engadget Chinese have just reviewed the N1, and they believe that it competes well against many of its global rivals.
Oppo R819 review: a slim, long-lasting smartphone that faces tough odds
It's easy to think that Chinese smartphone makers are thriving solely on sales of ultra-cheap devices, but that's only partly true. In many cases, they're striking careful balances between features and pricing -- handsets like the Vivo X3 tout sleek designs and big screens, but their modest processing power keeps costs in check. Oppo wants to bring that high-value philosophy to the rest of the world through the international version of the R819. For $349, it's an exceptionally thin phone with perks you don't always get at this price, including dual SIM slots and better support for custom firmware. However, it faces stiff competition from new rivals like the Moto G and Nexus 5. Is the R819 still worth buying when it's not the fastest or cheapest in the pack? That's what we're here to find out.
Oppo N1 hands-on (video)
Oppo's already made quite an impression with its N1 earlier today, and now that we've gotten our hands dirty with said Android phone, we can confirm that it's just as dandy in real life. As per usual Oppo standard, the N1 comes with a solid plastic build around an aluminum alloy frame, and we dig the silky matte finish that keeps fingerprints off the body. The O-Touch panel on the back is indicated by some tiny glossy marks, without which it'd be totally invisible. It took some getting used to in order to avoid accidental camera shots, as a one-second press on the panel triggers the shutter; but otherwise, we found the design to be very handy (literally!) and natural for taking selfies. And of course, O-Touch is also great for scrolling.
Oppo N1 puts a 13MP camera on a hinge, comes with CyanogenMod extras
Oppo's been prepping its photography-centric N1 for quite some time, but at last, the teasing stops today as the company unveils its first N-Lens series device in Beijing. We're looking at a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 phone with a 5.9-inch 1080p display, an "O-Touch" backside touch panel (for scrolling and taking photos) and a generous 3,610mAh battery, but the focus is obviously on the camera. Not only do you get a 13-megapixel imager with an f/2.0, 6-element lens plus dual LED, but it's also rotatable over 206 degrees! While THL's W11 beat the N1 to being the first phone with both a front and back 13-megapixel cameras, it's not as versatile as the latter's implementation, and it's ultimately all about the image quality. In case you're wondering, Oppo said the N1's swivel camera has passed a 100,000-time rotation test, which works out to be seven years of usage if you rotate it 40 times a day. This is quite reassuring, given that you can also activate the camera -- which takes just 0.6 seconds -- with a rotation of over 120 degrees. Oppo also boasted that its camera's been tested in over 100 scenarios, which is apparently the highest in the industry. Other features include long exposure of up to 8 seconds, an updated version of Oppo's beautification algorithm, and support for video beautification in China's popular IM app, QQ.
