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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Review: Can Oppo F1s Selfie Expert beat established rivals?
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Review: Can Oppo F1s Selfie Expert beat established rivals?

Oppo's new smartphone promises the look and feel of a flagship phone, but it flatters to deceive

Oppo’s latest device is called the F1s Selfie Expert and it’s priced at `17,990. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/MintPremium
Oppo’s latest device is called the F1s Selfie Expert and it’s priced at `17,990. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Chinese phone maker Oppo has been one of the most avid proponents of smartphones with good selfie cameras. Almost every second phone by Oppo carries the “selfie expert" tag. Its latest device is called the F1s Selfie Expert and it’s priced at 17,990, a price bracket where it competes with the likes of Moto X Play ( 17,499).

Design: another iPhone lookalike

Inspired by the design of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Oppo F1s comes with a metallic back and side panels. Together with the glass layer on the front, the phone looks stylish and more expensive than the price it commands. The oval-shaped home button also serves as a fingerprint sensor which can be configured with up to five fingerprints at a time. It is easily accessible and is spot on in terms of accuracy.

The volume rocker and the power button are placed on either side and are easily reachable with the hand that is holding the phone. At 160g and 7.4mm, it is lighter and thinner than the Moto X Play, which weighs 169g and is 10.9mm thick.

The Moto X Play doesn’t look as good as the Oppo phone but it certainly feels more comfortable to hold due to the curved back design.

Display: Big but not on a par with rivals

The 5.5-inch display has a screen resolution of 1,280x720p and pixel density of 320-ppi only. While colour reproduction looks good, the screen doesn’t look sharp enough for a big screen phone. It is good for reading, Web browsing and social networking, but if you are more into watching HD movies and gaming, the Moto X Play is a better proposition. It comes with an AMOLED display with 1,920x1,080p resolution and looks sharper and richer. Oppo has added a feature called Eye-protection. It blocks out blue light and gives the screen a slightly warmer look. The front panel is too glossy and catches smudges a lot.

Software: New Android with a unique UI

Like most Chinese smartphone makers, Oppo too has a unique user interface (UI) of its own, which distinguishes its phones from its rivals. In terms of basic layout it follows the no-app drawer model in which all apps show on the home page. The default app icons look similar to the iOS, however, you can change them by applying new themes.

The UI runs over Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) operating system, which means access to new features and greater chances of getting the forthcoming Android N update. The UI is neat and clutter free and doesn’t feel confusing to use. The Moto X play also runs Android 6.0 marshmallow, but with the more plain Android UI.

Performance: Consistently smooth

Powered by MediaTek MT6750 octa-core processor and backed by 3GB of RAM, the F1s Selfie Expert delivers smooth performance. Hopping from one app to another, leaving multiple apps open in the background, doesn’t make it stutter. It handles games such as the FIFA 16 and Asphalt 8 without any lags or heating issues on the back or side panel. The phone offers 32 GB of storage and can accommodate up to 128 GB microSD card. It comes with dual nano SIM slots and supports 4G networks and VoLTE calling.

The device comes with a 3,070 mAh battery, which can run on a full day’s backup comfortably. The Moto X Play runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor paired with 2GB RAM. It offers 32 GB storage and is as good as the Oppo smartphone when it comes to handling heavy tasks and games. What gives the Moto X Play a slight edge here is the 3,560mAh battery, which lasts a day and half easily.

Camera: Works well in daylight

The 13-megapixel offers plenty of interesting modes and filters to play around with. Shots taken in daytime look good enough for sharing on social media networks. It handles lighting in darker and in the background well, giving the whole image a more natural look. However, on bigger screen, one can see a significant amount of noise. Low-light shots without flash looks washed out blurry. The Moto X Play offers a 21-megapixel camera and delivers sharper looking shots in daytime.

The key highlight of the Oppo smartphone is the 16-megapixel selfie camera, which comes with features such as beauty mode, time lapse, double exposure, GIF and various pre-loaded filters and unique patterns. It is fast and can accommodate five-six people easily.

Verdict

If you are looking for a smartphone with a solid build quality, premium looks, good front camera and a consistent performance, you can opt for the Oppo F1s Selfie Expert. The Moto X play doesn’t look as good but can handle everything else equally well. What gives it an edge over the Oppo smartphone is the superior display, better camera and longer battery backup.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhijit Ahaskar
Abhijit writes on tech policy, gaming, security, AI, robotics, electronics and startups. He has been in the media industry for over 12 years.
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Published: 04 Aug 2016, 01:09 PM IST
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