 "OPPO Find X7 Ultra")
China’s OPPO has been making camera-focused smartphones long before they became mainstream. However, its premium flagship smartphones with the best of technology and imaging capabilities are reserved for select global markets and India is not part of it. The trend continues with the Find X7 Ultra, OPPO’s premium camera-focused smartphone of 2024. While this device is not available in India, I had the opportunity to assess its qualities against industry rivals like Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, and Vivo.
Since the unit I received from OPPO originated from China, the Find X7 Ultra lacked Google apps and services. Moreover, its interface predominantly featured Mandarin Chinese, a factor inhibiting a comprehensive evaluation of user experience, performance, and battery life. Hence, I focused solely on testing the design and camera capabilities.
OPPO Find X7 Ultra: Design
The OPPO Find X7 Ultra is tall, heavy, and bulky – a theme common across most premium flagships. Yet, the smartphone stands out with novel elements such as a dual-tone back panel, a bold circular camera island on the rear, and curved edges. Moreover, the fit-and-finish of the smartphone is top-notch and fits the bill for a premium smartphone.
Despite being heavy and bulky, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra offers a good in-hand experience, especially in portrait mode. This is because the smartphone’s dual-tone finish on the rear is complemented by a dual-material design – smooth glass on the top side engulfing the camera system and vegan leather on the lower bottom side. The vegan leather coating offers a good in-hand grip besides being a deterrent to fingerprints and other smudges.
The equation, however, changes in the landscape mode. The phone feels heavier on the left side due to a sizable rear camera module, which also protrudes profusely out of the body. Moreover, the camera bump hinders grip and collects dirt on the grooves that imitate the look of a dial of a luxury watch. The only silver lining here is the centre-aligned placement of the camera module, which makes the phone stay balanced on flat surfaces such as table tops.
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The back panel and front glass slope inward from the sides, making the phone feel thinner than it is. Nevertheless, the metallic frame dons a glossy finish that adds to the premium quotient of the smartphone. While the frame features standard volume rocker keys and a power button on the right, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra features an alert slider button on the left side of the frame – akin to OnePlus premium smartphones. Rounding off the package is IP68 certification for resistance against water and dust.
OPPO Find X7 Ultra: Camera
The OPPO Find X7 Ultra is a camera-focused smartphone powered by a quad-camera system co-engineered together with Swedish imaging equipment maker Hasselblad. On paper, the phone has four 50-megapixel sensors of different focal lengths and tuning – ultra-wide, wide, 3x telephoto, and 6x periscope telephoto. It is not the only smartphone to feature such a setup, but it is among the few in the segment to make the experience easy and fun while delivering top-notch imaging quality.
Natural colour calibration, portraits, and two-level optical zoom capabilities are the imaging capabilities that the OPPO Find X7 Ultra has going for it. Naturally, not all camera sensors are equally equipped, but together they deliver a versatile experience. The main camera sensor, with optical image stabilisation, impresses with natural colours, dynamic range, and contrast. Importantly, it delivers consistent results irrespective of lighting conditions. The ultra-wide-angle sensor is as good, albeit with different colour tuning that looks somewhat washed out and not natural. This sensor supports auto-focus, enabling macro imaging for close-up shots.
Speaking of close-up shots, the 3x telephoto and 6x periscope telephoto are also capable of close-up shots. Essentially, the zoom lenses let you take macro shots of distant objects. These are not the only qualities of the 3x and 6x telephoto sensors, both are tuned for portrait photography and impress with outstanding results.
Portrait is where the Hasselblad partnership comes to the fore. Since the camera system offers imaging at different focal lengths, there is a portrait effect from Hasselblad to add zing. For example, the 2x portrait from the main sensor is tuned for half-body portraits, mimicking the bokeh effect of the Hasselblad XCD 65mm lens. Likewise, there is a bokeh effect similar to the Hasselblad XCD 80mm lens available at 3x zoom for enhanced focus on faces against a soft blurred background. Similar effects are also available at 1x and 6x settings, opening a plethora of options for one to explore and experiment with.
Hasselblad's partnership with OPPO extends to image filters too. There are three filters – Serenity, Radiance, and Emerald – labelled as Master indicating tuning from Hasselblad.
Lastly, there is a Hasselblad Master Mode, which is an amped-up version of the Pro mode that most camera-focused smartphones come with to offer manual controls over key camera settings. On top of all the advanced controls, including manual ISO, shutter speed, EV, focus, and white balance, Master Mode unlocks saturation, contrast, sharpness, and vignette control when capturing JPEGs.
The integration of a Hasselblad Master Mode elevates the imaging experience, providing advanced manual controls over key settings. Support for various image formats, including RAW and RAW MAX, caters to diverse user preferences, balancing storage efficiency with detailed capture.
Remarks
The OPPO Find X7 Ultra impresses with its design finesse and formidable camera capabilities, setting a high standard in the competitive smartphone landscape. Its absence in India, however, goes unnoticed because there are as good camera-focused smartphones from competing brands such as Xiaomi and Vivo. The more the competition, the merrier it is for the consumers. On that note, it is time that OPPO step in and be part of India’s competitive premium smartphone market.
OPPO Find X7 Ultra: Unboxing
