[OPPO Find X5 Pro General] retal_to:
Hello Everyone,

The last part with my final thoughts.

The first one is here.

The second here

The third one is this thread.

Camera

For the camera review. First, 2 weeks of snow, rain, wind, cold weather. Not the best for going outside, taking pictures without gloves, or having incredible scenery to shoot.

So, I will go further later.

But so far, I am still trying to understand why the primary camera is only 6P when the UW is 7P. And why only 110° for UW. And why only 5P for Telephoto. And why no x4 optical zoom. And why only 2 axis stabilization? And where is the microscope lens from the X3.

And why an additional imaging NPU when nobody uses all the functionalities of the triple Snapdragon ISP?

Okay, it's a lot of why? But if you come from the X3 series, you will definitely ask yourself these questions and see if the X5 is worth the update.

Spoiler alert: I won't be able to answer that.

View attachment 5587445

First, the MariSilicon AKA Imaging NPU:

4K Ultra (AI) Night Video

Ultra HDR

Hasselblad science

18 TOPS for AI Computing (11.6Tops/W)

20Bits Dynamic Range

Realtime RAW

The MariSilicon is made of a NPU, an ISP and a Memory Subsystem (8.5GB/S DDR).

It should be 20x faster than the ISP From the X3 Pro (meaning the ISP from SD 888). But Denoise (Noise Reduction Algorithm). They compare the 20Bits vs the 18Bits from SD888 bringing more contrast and brightness + a RGBW Pro Mode.

Okay, SD888 has three 18Bits ISP, got a Scalar, Tensor, and Vector Units, can process 0.1 lux video, capture 4K HDR videos, got AI-Based AF and Auto Exposure, got 26 TOPS of power processing.

View attachment 5587449

​

So, on the paper, I'm pretty confuse. Okay, it's the trend, Google with its Tensor, Xiaomi with its C1 and soon C2, OPPO with MariSilicon, and VIVO with its V1…

Okay, it might help OEMs dev bring the same libraries and computational algorithms to whatever the SOC you use from Qualcomm to Unisoc via Mediatek and don't care about their ISP capacity, from mid-range to premium flagship.

But you need to feed them, with data, scenarios, and for now, it's only on the X5 and X5 Pro under Qualcomm and even the Mediatek variant doesn't have it.

So, so far, is MariSilicon working at 100% of its efficiency?

I don't know the same, but I don't think so. New technology always needs at least half a year in the wild to be better. It should be interesting to redo all the tests in September or before the end of the year with all the updates done in between.

Concerning the app, you will find the usual modes like Night, Video, Pro, Photo (AI, HDR, and 50Mp), Portrait, and the extra ones like Pano, Movie, Slo-Mo, Time Lapse, Long Exposure, Dual Video, Sticker (kill me), Text Scanner and the Hasselblad XPAN Mode.

For the XPAN mode, you have a color or black and white option, even if you don't have any B&W dedicated sensor. So, you will only have the 42/45mm mode and not the 30mm (for now, who knows).

For the color's restitution, we are close to the one in the OP9 Pro under Oxygen OS 11, meaning good even perfect for many users of this device. However, as usual, different lens construction, different aperture… meaning different color restitution between UW, Wide, and Tele…

And guess what, because the UW got a better construction lens, the photos taken with it are better than many flagships. And that's something that drives me crazy. If the UW would have a f/1.8 7P and the primary camera also the same thing (or even better a f/1.7), the Sony IMX 766 potential might have been exploited. But let's remember, we just received one and only update so far. And usually, there is always a gap, for the best or the worst, after a few OTAs.

Now, if I had to compare… Xiaomi is offering way more options, including for Vloggers and Bloggers, different long exposure modes or even videos modes (movies effects such as magic zoom, time freeze, // worlds, etc.), 8K, and Google a better computational AI and tech for skin restitution, portrait, night shots (plus an x4 optical zoom).

If OPPO can include functionalities from them or compete with them, Bingo.

Here are some pictures taken below. No fancy photography, no artistic one, at first, I try the phone as 90% of us, you take out of your pocket, you point and shoot, that's it, ready to go in your IG, WhatsApp group, or to your mom.

The folder with untouched pictures (and more shots) is here.

View attachment 5587451	View attachment 5587453	View attachment 5587455
View attachment 5587457	View attachment 5587459	View attachment 5587461
View attachment 5587463	View attachment 5587465	View attachment 5587467

View attachment 5587469	View attachment 5587471	View attachment 5587473
View attachment 5587475	View attachment 5587477	View attachment 5587479

And don't get me wrong, I am one of those who think before having a cutting edge DLSR or Camera, know first how to shoot, compose your scene, and have a vision. It's not because you have a fancy camera you will take fantastic shots.

So far, excluding what the NPU is marketed for (Ultra Night Video, Photos, and so on, I will continue to shoot at night when the weather and the conditions are available), it's a good camera… for early 2021. So far, I will say my OP9 Pro or P6 Pro or Mi 10 Pro or Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders are doing the job precisely the same or even better.

So, what are the plans here?

Take pictures at night, people, colors, landscape, city

Use the Movie Mode and do the same also at night

Having a clear sky at night to see the moon and shoot it.

Post some samples.

Play with long exposure for light painting or even taillights.

Battery

I talked earlier about the battery life or the super power saving mode and not having an issue for the day for it.

If I have to go further in this part, the X5 comes with the SUPERVOOC DVT 80W, it is compatible with 80W/65W, etc fast charging, 30W AIRVOOC, and 10W Reverse Wireless Charging. Too.

So you will have from 0 to 50% under 15mn.

It means it's fast for charging and has no heat issue as the 80W is 40Wx2 at peak times. You only have a 2/3mn difference between 80W or 65W fast charging anyway.

Wireless charging is compatible with current norms, and I am flawlessly using my 55W wireless charger. You can even choose what kind of charging you want, like slow/optimized for bedtime, the same for wireless.

There are 2 Cells 2340/2400 mAh.

No heat issue while charging; as I said, it's 2x40W, and it's now a while OEMs developed fast charging. 100W on one cell is reachable, so less than the half in 2022… easy peasy.

As usual, you can choose between different profiles to save more power in case of or depending on your usage. Why run full powerhouse if you're just watching videos on a social network.

View attachment 5587481	View attachment 5587483	View attachment 5587485

My thoughts

So, at the end of the day, I need to dig up more ColorOS, and dig more for the photography part, especially at night.

So far, I see the OPPO Find X5 as a 2021 flagship under Android 12 with an NPU I am still trying to figure out the utility. No offense here; it's just how I use the smartphone for the past 2 weeks, I didn't have the opportunity to shoot vibrant HDR at night videos. I got rain, snow, cold, no parties or trips to the city past two weeks. It is on the checklist. But I'm thinking, in that case, I am using the smartphone as everyone else here, depending on the occasion and the opportunity.

For the rest, it's a nice rounded, balanced device. ColorOS is a surprise, mixed with nice and why questions, but as I said, hard to jump into a new customized OS you never used before (even on OP, as I stayed under O2OS 11).

However, despite the OPPO/OP framework on top of the Android One, the addition of many OPPO Apps (that need to be separate from the OS and moved on the Play Store BTW and allowed to uninstall), the system is responsive, have a great battery life, some nice customizations and still looks like, sometimes, as a clean OS (looks like, not is). There are still some glitches here and there and some UX details that I'm not used to (and don't know if it is intended this way or bugs).

For the camera part, UW is good, Main can be better, and Tele is under competition. I need more options in the camera and gallery app. It's a solid day-to-day photography phone, but there are better 2021 devices in front of it for now. That's why I'm curious about the following updates for the firmware and the NPU.

The build quality is present. The X5 is too light for me. I feel back I was sent a few years ago. It's a 6.55", meaning it's not tiny, but I can feel and see the difference with the 6.7/6.78" inches smartphones I've been using for the past year. However, it is pleasant to get this size, as it is well balanced, under 200g (7.41oz). Flat-screen, thinner would have perfect for me.

Okay, people will say no SD Card, No Jack port… Well, I don't care personally. Yeah, I prefer a 512GB variant, but I can deal with 256GB, and I am using Snapdragon Sound for wireless Audio.

For the price, in Europe, the product is around 999€ VAT included (meaning $999 taxes excluded in the US if we should imagine a retail price). For this price, 12GB instead of 8GB, a better construction lens for the primary camera with better stabilization. The same for the Tele camera, better camera and construction lens, and add a B&W sensor for the XPAN Mode. And maybe I will consider buying it.

So far, as a European living in the US, I see the X5 as an OP9 refresh, a little brother of the OP9 Pro. In Europe, the prices are between 619 and 919€ currently, with the addition of the 80W, the MariSilicon and switching one IMX 689 to IMX766, 749 or 799€/$ seems more the sweet spot for this model.

So, keep it posted; fav the threads; I don't know yet if I will update this one or go for another thread with the new information about this OPPO Find X5.

And here we are, at the end of this review. Again, thank you OPPO and @OPPO Ambassador Team for this opportunity.​