Double the Oppo-rtunity

Chinese major Oppo tries to capture the competitive smartphone market, with the Oppo N3 and R5

Oppo’s come a long way and if you haven’t heard of the brand before, we don’t blame you. So a little background info on the Chinese brand: it was first known for stuff like TVs, Blu-ray and MP3 players. Now, it’s managed to bring some rather good smartphones into the market. Here’s a look at two of their touted ones:
Oppo N3
The N3 is one of those unique smartphones in terms of form-factor, particularly with the swivelling camera module. This 5.5” device packs a decent set of specs, and it shows when stress-tested — lags aren’t an issue. But the screen is not exactly on par with the titans of the phone arena.
Its 3,000mAh battery is good enough for up to two full days, if you have the right power-saving settings and you’re not that much of a gamer or shutterbug. The N3’s snapper is powered by Schneider Kreuznach optics, and is at 16MP. Selfie-addicts rejoice — thanks to the stand-out swivelling camera, your self-shots will be quality ones. The placement of the 3.5mm headphone jack and micro-USB slots are, however, very strange.
Oppo R5
Say hello to one of the thinnest smartphones, at 4.85mm. It’s smaller than the N3, at 5.2”, but I like the R5’s full-HD AMOLED screen better. Again, it’s run by ColorOS, and not much different from the N3. It has a smaller battery — 2000mAh — and lasted barely a day-and-a-half. The Sony-powered 13MP camera is impressive, as is the 5MP shooter up front. Sadly, being one of the thinnest phones, the R5 has no 3.5mm headphone jack. I am a wireless sound guy, but sometimes you need a wired headset. There’s a bundled USB-to-3.5mm audio adaptor, though, and a flash charger included.

AND SO…
The Oppo N3 and Oppo R5 are respectable, performance-wise. The only real disadvantage is that the brand isn’t that well-known, and that said, the prices are a bit steep too. But with some decent gadgets in their repertoire, I hope we get to see more of Oppo.
alvin@khaleejtimes.com
The Launchpad

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