Hands on with the camera-centric Oppo F1 smartphone
The Oppo F1 is a compact, mid-range smartphone that pushes the boundaries on the photography front
Oppo recently took the covers off their new F-series phones, built with the aim to deliver a good photo experience. The first of this series--the F1--is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The phone has an 8MP 1/4-inch sensor camera at front with an f/2.0 lens, and a 13MP sensor with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and anti-shake optimization.
In our firsthand look-see, we took the phone for a quick spin by delving into the ColorOS UI, firing off a few quick photos and examining its construction. Click through the slideshow to know what we found.
We were pleased to see the attention to detail and build quality all around in this phone. From the smoothened ‘silk’ metallic finish to the comfortably rounded edges and curved corners, the phone sits nicely in the hand. The 5-inch 720x1280 display was crisp enough with saturated colors, and the ColorOS UI was snappy even when firing up multiple apps and switching through them.
The feature most touted in this phone is the front selfie camera. Oppo appears to have gone through special lengths to incorporate a comparatively large 1/4-inch 8MP sensor for this camera, which along with an f/2.0 lens combine to deliver rather clear and bright selfies. The phone’s screen also acts as a supplemental flash and fires to brighten up faces.
The rear of the phone is largely featureless, save for the 13MP rear camera, LED flash and the loudspeaker at the bottom. The main camera is especially interesting with its Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and anti-shake optimization abilities, along with the ISOCELL sensor that reduces the amount of image noise in low-light situations.
We were pleasantly surprised to find a plethora of photography modes associated with the phone’s camera, including the likes of slow shutter, double exposure, time-lapse, super macro, slow-motion video, as well as the ability to save photos in RAW mode. This level of photography control is quite unprecedented, especially in an smartphone at this price range.