Oppo Find X8 Pro review: A triumphant return

The Oppo Discover X7 Extremely was some of the spectacular digital camera telephones that I examined up to now 12 months. Nevertheless, there’s an enormous downside with that system. It was solely launched in China, which implies Western prospects would wish to import in the event that they needed to expertise Oppo’s finest cellphone for themselves.

With the Discover X8 sequence, Oppo’s flagship handsets make a return to the worldwide market, and fortunately, that features the UK (although nonetheless not the US). This time round, there’s the usual Discover X8 and the X8 Professional, however no X8 Extremely. The final technology had the Discover X7 and Discover X7 Extremely however no Professional.

So, the place does the Oppo Discover X8 Professional sit? Oppo instructed us it’s not a alternative for the X7 Extremely, however with a more recent chipset, an even bigger battery, and a refreshed working system, it does seem to be an improve. There’s a lot to discover right here, together with a recent design, new software program options and, in fact, AI smarts. Let’s take a better look.

Design & Construct

• Multi-layer textured glass again
• Gorilla Glass Victus 2
• IP68/IP69 rated
• 215g

The Oppo Discover X8 Professional has the same design to the X7-series telephones, with a big round digital camera island that spans virtually the whole width of the rear panel.

This time, although, the digital camera bump is considerably slimmer, making it rather more pocketable than the X7 Extremely.

Luke Baker

One other large change is with the positioning of the lenses – they’re now evenly spaced and equally sized, with the Hasselblad emblem prominently stamped within the centre. This symmetrical look makes much more sense than the lop-sided lens array of the X7 Extremely.

The design is barely boxier, with a largely flat entrance and rear and micro curves on the edges. It’s a pleasant center floor, because it’s extra comfy within the hand than flatter iPhone-like designs, however it nonetheless feels trendy and recent. When you favor sharper edges, you would possibly need to take a look at the usual X8, which has a really Apple-esque boxy body.

Luke Baker

There are two color choices accessible within the international market: Pearl White and Area Black. I’ve the white model in for testing, which has a singular marble-like sample on the glass rear panel, and it feels luxurious and velvety. Apparently, each cellphone has a barely totally different sample on the rear because of the means it’s manufactured.

When you go for the black mannequin, you’ll get a uniform matt black end for a slick skilled look. In both case, a easy clear TPU case is included within the field. It’s fairly fundamental however gives good safety, and it’s all the time good to get one as a freebie.

Luke Baker

Oppo has a brand new magnetic charging accent, taking clear inspiration from Apple’s MagSafe system, however it solely works in case you purchase Oppo’s magnetic case, because the magnets aren’t constructed into the cellphone itself. I’d’ve beloved to see a magnetic case included within the field, however perhaps that’s simply wishful pondering.

The cellphone nonetheless has the basic three-position notification slider on the left facet, permitting you to shortly toggle between ring, vibrate and silent modes. On the alternative facet, you get a quantity rocker, an influence button and a brand new addition, that Oppo is asking the Fast Button.

It’s primarily a carbon copy of Apple’s new Digicam Management button, full with a flush design and capacitive contact capabilities. A double press of this button will launch the digital camera, even whereas the cellphone is locked, after which you may swipe to zoom or press to take a photograph.

I’m a fan of Apple’s new button, and I like this one too, however it might use some work. It’s not customisable in the intervening time, so it will possibly solely be used for zooming, and I don’t discover that very helpful. I’d like to see a half-press to focus just like the shutter button on a Sony Xperia cellphone – I’ve acquired my fingers crossed that we’ll see added capabilities in future firmware.

The Oppo Discover X8 Professional has an IP69 score for mud and water resistance, a brand new commonplace that provides sizzling water jets as much as 80 levels to the testing standards. I can’t say my cellphone is uncovered to sizzling water jets fairly often, so I’m undecided how a lot this issues, however regardless, it’s effectively protected in opposition to even probably the most excessive components.

Display & Audio system

• 120Hz 6.78-inch OLED show
• 4500 nits max brightness, 1264 x 2780 decision
• Stereo audio system

The Oppo Discover X8 Professional has a big 6.78-inch OLED show with a 120Hz adaptive refresh charge and a formidable peak brightness of 4500 nits. That’s the identical because the X7 Extremely, and it has the same pixel density, too. The most important change is with the form of the show.

Luke Baker

Oppo calls it a “quad-micro curve” design, and it’s similar to the one we noticed on the Reno 12 Professional. The display is sort of utterly flat, and it’s solely the bezel space on the very fringe of the cellphone that’s curved.  The curves are symmetrical on all sides, giving the glass panel the looks of an over-filled glass of water.

I’ve all the time most well-liked flat shows over curved ones, however this micro-curve center floor has utterly received me over. It means you will have a very flat show in all of the areas the place it issues, however gesture controls requiring you to swipe from the perimeters really feel a lot nicer in your thumbs. 

Form apart, the display has vibrant and correct colors and it’s vivid sufficient to compete with the sunniest of days. It additionally helps Dolby Imaginative and prescient playback, so content material from apps like Netflix all the time seems to be very good. There’s loads of customisation accessible if you wish to tweak the color temperature or vibrancy within the settings, too.

Luke Baker

The Discover X8 Professional has twin stereo audio system that are fairly spectacular. They’ll increase to a really excessive quantity and produce a clear detailed sound. The bass response isn’t probably the most spectacular, however it’s first rate sufficient for informal use and simply competes with most different flagship smartphones.

Specs & Efficiency

• MediaTek Dimensity 9400
• 12GB/16GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB/1TB storage

Each of Oppo’s new flagships are powered by the brand new Dimensity 9400 SoC, whereas the earlier technology ran the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

I’m certain that may make some readers wince, however it shouldn’t. Qualcomm might have led in years previous, however MediaTek is now a fierce competitor on the prime finish of the market, and the 9400 is its finest effort up to now.

Luke Baker

Put merely, the Oppo Discover X8 Professional achieved a few of the finest benchmark scores I’ve ever seen. It even topples the mighty Redmagic 9S Professional in sure checks. In fact, upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered telephones will give it a run for its cash, however in case you’re into graphically intensive video games, this cellphone won’t disappoint.

The cellphone feels extremely responsive and apps open virtually instantaneously. I really feel like a few of this may be attributed to the brand new animation fashion of ColorOS 15, however the uncooked energy on supply right here actually helps too.

I used to be capable of run all my video games with maxed-out graphical settings whereas sustaining strong excessive framerates. This contains notoriously difficult titles like Genshin Impression. The cellphone does warmth up after enjoying for some time, however it by no means will get uncomfortable to carry, and I didn’t discover any important body dips when it acquired a bit toasty, both.

Luke Baker

There’s a recreation overlay constructed into ColorOS, and it doesn’t seem to be there have been any main modifications to it because the final technology. Nonetheless, which means you get fast entry to most settings you’re prone to want, together with efficiency modes, messaging, notification blocking and extra.

Oppo Discover X8 Professional benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp fundamental sensor, 1/1.4-inch 
• 50Mp ultrawide, 1/2.75-inch
• 50Mp 3x telephoto, 1/1.95-inch
• 50Mp 6x telephoto, 1/2.51-inch
• 32Mp selfie digital camera, fastened focus

At a look, it could seem that the digital camera setup is an identical to the Discover X7 Extremely. Certainly, each have quad 50Mp cameras on the rear, with twin periscope telephotos and 32Mp selfie snappers.

Nevertheless, while you dig a bit deeper, there are modifications to all the cameras besides the 6x telephoto.

Luke Baker

The sensor sizes are considerably smaller for the opposite three lenses, and it’s a very massive step down on the primary sensor, which is diminished from a 1-inch sort sensor to a 1/1.4-inch unit. This transfer is an intentional step to maintain the dimensions of the digital camera bump in verify, however enhancements in sensor tech imply it nonetheless guarantees to ship the products in low mild.

Regardless of the {hardware} variations, the ensuing pictures are similar to the X7 Extremely. I took a couple of photographs side-by-side and it’s usually exhausting to see a lot of a distinction, particularly in good lighting. The distinction turns into extra obvious in low-light circumstances, the place the ultrawide is liable to blur on the newer mannequin, however the different sensors fare surprisingly effectively.

There are a couple of situations the place the Discover X8 Professional pulls forward, too. Oppo has clearly been engaged on its autofocus system, and I used to be impressed to see that the cellphone recognised the place my cat’s eye was, giving me pin-sharp images even in difficult lighting.

I additionally observed that the minimal focus distance has been diminished on the primary and 3x lenses, which implies you may take some spectacular macro photographs.

The cellphone is a really succesful video shooter, too. It may possibly seize at 4K 60fps on each lens, and it’ll do it in Dolby Vision HDR if you like. Stabilisation is great, the microphones sound decent and you can get surprisingly clear shots when zoomed past the optical telephoto range, all the way up to about 12x or so.

These video capabilities are about to get even better, as Oppo has announced that the Find X8 series will work with the Blackmagic Camera App. This means you’ll be able to shoot in LOG, apply LUTs and use a full suite of professional manual controls.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5910mAh battery
• 80W wired charging
• 50W wireless charging

The Oppo Find X8 Pro uses new silicon-carbon battery technology to cram a whopping 5910mAh cell into its relatively slim chassis. As you might expect, this results in very impressive battery life.

With my normal usage, I have been easily achieving a day and a half on a charge, and that’s with lots of camera use, streaming content and playing the occasional game. If you’re more conservative with your use, two days is a definite possibility.

I have been easily achieving a day and a half on a charge…two days is a definite possibility

That said, running out of battery isn’t the biggest hassle, as the Find X8 Pro can be recharged very quickly. My review sample came with an 80W fast charger in the box, and this took me from fully flat to around 70% charged in just 30 minutes. However, the phone ships without a charger in some regions, so you might need to factor in the cost of a decent wall adapter.

Luke Baker

As usual, the top 80W speed is only available using one of Oppo’s SuperVooc chargers, but thankfully, it’s still quick using a third-party USB PD charger. That’ll get you up to 55W, which isn’t too shabby, and means you won’t be waiting an age for the thing to charge using a power bank.

If you like to charge wirelessly, the Find X8 Pro supports up to 50W using an AirVooc charger. As mentioned earlier, there’s a new magnetic puck for this purpose, but you’ll need to buy Oppo’s magnetic phone case to use it effectively, as the magnets aren’t built into the phone itself.

Software & Apps

• ColorOS 15, based on Android 15
• AI features and Circle to Search
• Some bloatware

The Oppo Find X8 Pro runs ColorOS 15, Oppo’s freshly overhauled skin based on Android 15.

At first glance, it looks quite familiar, but it immediately feels quicker. This is because Oppo has tweaked over 800 animations, and it was well worth the effort because this feels much snappier than any previous Oppo device.

The Apple influence extends beyond hardware features and has seeped its way into the software, too.

ColorOS 15 has its own version of Apple’s Dynamic Island, which pops up and gives you quick access to media controls, hotspot status, Bluetooth devices and more. I’m a fan – it’s one of my favourite things about iOS, so I’m in full support of Android brands also adopting it.

You can also split the notification shade and quick settings, which feels like iOS again, but you can also keep the traditional configuration if you prefer. Most operating systems force you to use one or the other, so I really appreciate having the option to switch back and forth.

Luke Baker

The phone also comes with Circle to Search and has Google Gemini as the default assistant. These are both very handy, and I use them almost daily, but they’re starting to roll out more broadly and I have a feeling they’ll be default Android features before too long.

Of course, in late 2024, no flagship is complete without a healthy serving of AI features, and there’s plenty to sink your teeth into with the X8 Pro. I often feel like AI features are more like party tricks than things I’d use on a daily basis, but there are two features built into ColorOS that I wish I had access to on every phone.

Luke Baker

They’re called AI Speak and AI Summary, and can be accessed at any time by swiping from the side of the display to reveal the smart sidebar.

Essentially, if you need to read a long article, but you’re short on time, AI Summary can pick out the key information and give you a concise set of bullet points. Alternatively, AI Speak can read the article aloud in a natural-sounding voice so you can multitask.

They’re incredibly handy, and unlike some competitors, you don’t need to use Oppo’s browser or keyboard to access them – they work with Chrome, Firefox and more. 

I’m very fond of ColorOS 15. It has loads of great features, feels quick and looks nice in the process

There are also writing tools like AI Writer and AI Reply that can help you craft an email, document or response. I don’t find these very useful, but that might be because I write for a living. Either way, they’re here and they also work across multiple apps.

As you may have gathered, I’m very fond of ColorOS 15. It has loads of great features, feels quick and looks nice in the process. Unfortunately, it’s not perfect, and there’s a full page of bloatware to deal with when you first set up the device. It doesn’t take too long to clean up, but it’s not what you want to see when you’re investing in a flagship handset.

Oppo promises the Oppo Find X8 series will get the latest security patches and Android updates until 2030, which should equal five major OS upgrades. It’s a very decent proposal, but it’s worth noting that Google and Samsung both support their devices for two years longer.

Price & Availability

The Find X8 Pro costs £1,049 in the UK. That’ll get you a model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is the only one available.

You can buy the phone directly from Oppo outright and on contract via O2. When you’d slightly go for the previous, you may pair it with an ideal SIM-only deal.

As anticipated, the Discover X8 Professional isn’t accessible within the US.

At this value, the Discover X8 Professional is competing with the easiest telephones you should buy. Equally-priced competitors is fierce, together with the Samsung Galaxy S24+ (from £999), Google Pixel 9 Professional XL (from £1,099) and OnePlus 12 (£999 for the high-end mannequin), however the cellphone holds its personal.

Do you have to purchase the Oppo Discover X8 Professional?

After spending per week with the Oppo Discover X8 Professional, I discover myself with only a few complaints. This cellphone excels in each metric. It’s highly effective, handsome, has wonderful cameras and loads of software program perks too.

As a images fanatic, who values digital camera efficiency over the whole lot else, I’d choose this over the perfect from Samsung, Apple or Google. No contest.

The competitors from manufacturers like Vivo and Xiaomi is fierce, however their finest digital camera telephones aren’t presently accessible within the UK. If we’re simply speaking about telephones you should buy domestically, the Discover X8 Professional is sort of actually the perfect for images.

I’d fortunately put up with extra heft if it means bigger sensors, and I’ve acquired my fingers crossed that there’s an X8 Extremely on the horizon. For now, although, that is greater than ok.

Specs

• ColorOS 15, primarily based on Android 15
• 6.78-inch, 1264 x 2780, OLED, 120Hz
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• MediaTek Dimensity 9400
• 12GB / 16GB RAM
• 256GB / 512GB / 1TB storage
• Cameras:
  • 50Mp fundamental sensor
  • 50Mp ultrawide
  • 50Mp 3x telephoto
  • 50Mp 6x telephoto
  • 32Mp selfie digital camera
• As much as 4K @ 60fps rear video
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7
• Bluetooth 5.4
• 5910mAh battery
• 80W charging
• 162.3 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm
• IP68/IP69 licensed
• 215g
• Colors: Pearl White, Area Black