OPPO F1 Review

LOUIE DIANGSON
MARCH 11, 2016

OPPO launched last month its selfie-centric smartphone, the OPPO F1. It boasts a 5inch display, Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, 8MP front camera,
Android Lollipop, and a price tag under Php12K. But are these enough to consider the
F1 as your next smartphone? Find out in our full review.

Design and Construction

The first time you hold the OPPO F1, you can immediately tell that the company wants it
to exude premium quality. The body, especially the rear part, is made of metal alloy
which OPPO says was treated with zircon sand surface coating applied in a lowpressure, low-speed spraying process. The result is a finish that is slightly textured but
smooth and cool to the touch.

The sides, on the other hand, sports the same look but feel is closer to glossy than very
fine sand. Its curved with polished beveled edges that blend well with the 2.5D Gorilla
Glass on the front. OPPO calls this the Light Band Edge design.

Looking at its facade, you will see the 5-inch display along with the earpiece, 8megapixel camera, light sensor, and LED indicator. Down below are three unlit
capacitive buttons for navigation.

On the left are the volume buttons while on the right is the power / lock. These buttons
have a metallic to it as well with tiny chamfers.

Also located on the right side is the hybrid SIM tray which can accommodate two SIM
cards (micro + nano) with support for a microSD card in the SIM 2 slot.

Up top, we have the headset jack.

While down at the bottom are the micro-USB port and microphone.

Flip it on its back and you will see the 13-megapixel camera, LED flash, OPPO
branding, and the loudspeaker down below.

On the hand, the OPPO F1 feels really slim (7.3mm thick) with decent heft (134g). It is
also relatively narrow, allowing you to grip it properly. Combined with the curves and
finishes, the phone is a joy to hold. Overall, it is one of the prettiest looking smartphones
in its class.

Comparison: OPPO F1 vs ASUS Zenfone Selfie

DANIEL MORIAL
JANUARY 29, 2016

With the recent announcement of selfie-centric phones from OPPO, the F1 and F1 Plus,
it seems that the famous ASUS Zenfone Selfie is starting to have real competition in the
selfie game. Lets have a quick comparison of the two.

OPPO F1

ASUS Zenfone Selfie

5.0-inch IPS LCD (1280 x 720 pixels),

294ppi

5.5-inch IPS LCD (1920 x 1080 pixels)

1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octacore chipset

1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core chipse

Adreno 405

Adreno 405

3GB RAM

3GB RAM

16GB internal storage

32GB internal storage

Expandable via microSD, up to 128GB

Expandable via microSD, up to 128GB

OPPO F1

ASUS Zenfone Selfie

(uses SIM 2 slot)

13-megapixel, f/2.2 PDAF rear camera w/
LED flash

13-megapixel, f/2.0, laser autofocus rear camera w/

dual-tone LED flash

8-megapixel, f/2.0 front camera

13-megapixel, f/2.2, autofocus w/ dual-tone LED flash

Dual SIM (Nano + Micro) / Dual Standby

Dual SIM / Dual Standby

4G LTE

4G LTE

Wi-Fi 802.11ac

Wi-Fi 802.11ac

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.0

GPS w/ A-GPS

GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS

2500mAh Li-Ion, non-removable

3000mAh Li-Po battery, removable

Android 5.1 Lollipop w/ Color OS 2.1

Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ ZenUI

143.5 x 71 x 7.3 mm

156.5 x 77.2 x 10.8 mm

134g

170g

Design and Display

With a smaller display 5 display, the OPPO F1 is thinner and lighter than the Zenfone
Selfie at 7.3mm vs 10.8mm and 134g vs 170g. However, the F1 has a lower pixel count
at 294ppi vs 403ppi of the 5.5 display of Selfie. Button placements are quite different
from the two since the F1 follows a more traditional approach with side buttons while the
Selfie placed it on the back. Both are IPS LCD panels and should deliver well with wide

viewing angles and pleasing colors. Also, both have three capacitive buttons for UI
navigation.
Processor and Memory

Qualcomm provides the chipset for both. While the two basically has the same midrange Snapdragon octa-core chipsets, the F1, being the latest, has the edge of having
the newest Snapdragon 616 variant over the Snapdragon 615 of the Selfie. Although,
the GPU department has not seen upgrade since its still the Adreno 405. Theres 3GB
of RAM on both with 16GB storage for the F1 and microSD support for up to 32GB.
Camera

Since they are branded as selfie smartphones, were expecting better front camera
experience from the two. On paper, F1 has an 8-megapixel front shooter with an f/2.0
opening and a 1/4 sensor. With these numbers, it should perform well in bright
environments, and maybe even in low-light scenarios thanks to the large aperture. On
the other hand, the Selfie has a 13-megapixel front camera with autofocus and dualtone flash. With that, the f/2.2 opening should be compensated by the flash.
Battery

OPPO opted for a non-removable Li-Ion battery for the F1 rated at 2500mAh, while
ASUS has a more maintenance-friendly removable 3000mAh Li-Po battery. The
500mAh difference shouldnt mean that the Selfie has the advantage since the F1 lights
up fewer pixels on the display, but we still have to find out when we get our hands on a
review unit.
Pricing

The OPPO F1 is relatively new and were still waiting for local availability. In Vietnam,
its priced at 6,490,000 Vietnamese Dong or roughly around Php13,665 while the ASUS
Zenfone Selfie has been on sale for months now at an affordable Php11,995.

Weve already reviewed the ASUS Zenfone Selfie and its quite a charmer among
consumers. You may read about it here. And, the F1 Plus, the F1s bigger and better
brother, is also in the line coming around April 2016.

OPPO F1 Review: A Selfie Addicts Dream

Phone?
John Nieves March 22, 2016 7 Comments 6,154 Views
195 0 195

We review the OPPO F1!

A few months ago OPPO officially announced the start of their F series of
smartphones, promising a focus on photography. With that declaration, we
expected that then rumored F1 would possess a better-than-average primary
snapper at the expense of top-tier specs.
Imagine our surprise then, to learn that the F1 wasnt a mid-range imaging
beast but rather a selfie-centric shooter that promises to be a selfie expert, at
least, according to OPPO.

OPPO F1 specs

Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor

3GB of RAM

5-inch HD IPS display, 1280 x 720 resolution

16GB of expandable storage

13-megapixel rear camera, f/2.2 aperture lens, AF and LED flash

8-megapixel front camera, f/2.0 aperture lens

Dual SIM

3G, LTE

WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS

Android 5.1 OS, Color OS UI overlay

2,500mAh battery

Thin, beatiful, elegant

Despite the F1 being a distinctly different product line from OPPOs earlier
models, the overall design of the phone curiously borrows a lot of design cues
from the companys R lineup. The front of the phone, for example, looks a lot
like the R5. The build quality is phenomenal, just like the companys other
phones. We have our doubts if the phone uses a metal frame, but even if it
doesnt, the fact that were not sure speaks volumes of the phones overall
material choice. The back is metal and has been treated with a special coating
process to make it look more premium. Well let OPPO explain:

An exquisite metal alloy, treated with zircon sand surface coating applied in
a low-pressure, low-speed spraying process.

Button layout is typical of a 5-inch phone, with the power button being on the
right and the volume rocker on the left. Up front, youll see the 5-inch HD display
that has 2.5D glass layered on top of it. Since the phone has a 5-inch display,
its rather small, making it perfect for people with smaller hands since youre
able to (almost) get your fingers across the entire display. If youre still having
problems, theres a one handed mode that you can turn on which shrinks the
size of the display even further. The phone uses physical capacitive keys for
navigation, located on the chin of the phone.

Theres a 3.5mm jack on the top of the phone and a USB port on the bottom.
The speaker is located on the back, which is a bit of an issue when the phone is
laid on top of a flat surface, with the display up. Now muffled sound is pretty
much expected for phones that use a rear setup for speakers. Unfortunately its
more pronounced with the F1 since it lays almot completely flat when its on its
back.

As far as the display goes, its acceptable though its not the best out there. The
blacks are a little bright, and the viewing angles arent as good when viewed
from the left or right with the screen in the portrait orientation.

Mid-range phone with a mid-range processor

The OPPO F1 comes with a mid-range, Snadpragon 616 octa-core processor,
along with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. The hardware
combination is hardly surprising, considering that most phones in the F1s price
range come with the same config. Weve seen the same hardware configuration
on other mid-range phones before, and just like those phones the F1 performed
well with everyday tasks. While its not a gaming powerhouse, its capable of
tackling most apps and games in Googles Play Store.
Just like OPPOs other smartphones, the F1 comes pre-installed with the
companys UI overlay, ColorOS 2.1. For those not familiar, ColorOS is OPPOs
own take at the Android OS and changes the look and feel of Android 5.1
Lollipop, taking away the app drawer and adding on-screen gestures to the fore.
If youre not a fan of ColorOS (or any UI overlay) you can always just change the
look of it by using a third-party launcher.
How about the other, phone-things? Call quality is good, and calls made to and
from the F1 are crisp and clear. The processor, being a Qualcomm SoC, latches
on quickly on to GPS and LTE. Normal use produces some heat, but nothing too
major.

Decent enough camera, though the selfie shooter can be a

little wider
The camera is decent enough, and features a 13-megapixel rear camera with a
f/2.2 aperture with phase detection AF. Overall the camera of the quality is quite
decent, though if youre expecting images thats on par with more expensive
offerings of OPPO youll be a little disappointed. Shots taken with the rear
camera are quite decent, with good contrast, detail and sharpness.

The entire point of the F1 is its superior selfie shooting prowess. Does it deliver?
Kind of. The phone has a f/2.0 aperture which allows in more light than most
other cameras in the market today.

The 8-megapixel sensor is a little on the small side, but its okay. One thing that
we were a little bit surprised with was the narrower FOV that the front facing
camera had compared to other phones. That meant youll have to extend your
arms a little farther out when youre taking selfies, especially with your
significant other.

With Beauty Mode on

With Beauty Mode Off

As far as the actual quality of the selfies? Theyre quite good. The beautify mode
smoothens out the wrinkles on your face, though it looks a little artificial on
higher settings.

Decent battery life

The OPPO F1 comes with a 2,500mAh battery. Its a little small, but considering
the overall thickness of the phone doesnt go over 7.3mm, its good enough. The
F1 recorded a PCMark battery benchmark time of 6 hours and 54 minutes.
Thats good enough for around a days worth of battery with light to moderate
use. With heavier use, itll struggle to get to the end of the day. Unfortunately
being a mid-range smartphone, the F1 doesnt come with OPPOs vaunted VOOC
fast charging tech.

Verdict: A premium-looking selfie phone

OPPO is looking to counter the selfie smartphone offerings of companies like
ASUS with the F1. Its a decent-looking mid-range smartphone thats more than
enough for most people, though folks looking for something faster and better
will need to look at other models.
The OPPO F1 retails for Php 11,990.

OPPO Officially Launches Camera-centric F1

Smartphone in PH, Priced at Php 11,990
John Nieves February 17, 2016 17 Comments 3,456 Views
0 1 8

OPPOs selfie machine gets priced

As expected OPPO has officially released the first entry in their camera-centric F
series in the Philippines today, dubbed the F1. The F1 boasts robust imaging
capabilities in a mid-range
device, and is touted by the company as a Selfie machine. Sporting a 8megapixel front camera that has a f/2.0 aperture and a 1/4-inch sensor which
OPPO says allows the front camera to
collect 40% more light compared to a similar device sporting an f/2.4 lens.

OPPO F1 specs

Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor

3GB of RAM

5-inch HD IPS display, 1280 x 720 resolution

16GB of expandable storage

13-megapixel rear camera, f/2.2 aperture lens, AF and LED flash

8-megapixel front camera, f/2.0 aperture lens

Dual SIM

3G, LTE

WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS

Android 5.1 OS, Color OS UI overlay

2,500mAh battery
The rear camera is also nothing to scoff at, sporting a 13-megapixel camera
module, along with a f/2.2 aperture lens, Pure Image 2.0+ and other shooting
modes.

As far as the actual specs are concerned, the F1 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon
616 octa-core processor, Adreno 405 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable
storage and a 5-inch HD IPS display.

Retail price of the OPPO F1 will be Php 11,990. For people who want to get it
with a post-paid plan, OPPO has teamed up with Smart to offer the F1 through
their All-in Plan 1200.