Oppo Find X8 review: The sweet spot

Oppo’s flagship Discover X sequence has returned to the worldwide market after a couple of years of absence, and the model is seeking to make a splash. If you’d like the most effective of the most effective, you’ll wish to look towards the Discover X8 Professional, but when that’s too giant (and expensive) to your tastes, the usual Discover X8 could possibly be the best way to go.

This telephone provides a extra pocketable type issue however nonetheless retains a lot of the identical specs as its bigger sibling. The checklist consists of the highly effective Dimensity 9400 processor, an enormous battery and speedy 80W charging. The most important distinction is that you just solely get one periscope telephoto, somewhat than two.

For lots of people, the Oppo Discover X8 seems like the apparent alternative, and its boxy, slimline design solely serves to make it extra interesting. The query is, what’s it wish to stay with? I used it as my foremost handset for the previous week in an effort to search out out.

Design & Construct

• Flat, boxy design
• 193g, Gorilla Glass Victus 2
• IP68/IP69 rated

Regardless of being the smaller of the 2 fashions, the Discover X8 continues to be a pretty big telephone. It dwarves my iPhone 16 Professional, and is nearer in dimension to the 16 Professional Max. It’s good and slim, although, with a really minimal digicam bump and also you’ll discover this each time you slip it out and in of your pocket. It’s considerably lighter than Apple’s high mannequin, too.

Luke Baker

The explanation for the iPhone comparability must be pretty apparent. That is Oppo’s most iPhone-like flagship thus far, full with boxy aluminium facet rails, and an identical flat glass rear panel with a matte texture. The Apple affect runs greater than pores and skin deep, too, however we’ll discover the software program options extra afterward.

This mannequin has a notification slider on the left-hand facet, so you may simply silence your telephone at any time, and there’s the same old quantity rocker and energy button on the correct. It doesn’t have the brand new capacitive-touch Fast Button (Oppo’s tackle Apple’s Digital camera Management), you’ll want the Professional if you wish to strive that.

The telephone continues Oppo’s latest pattern of creating the digicam island giant, round, and within the centre of the rear panel. It’s clear that this telephone is said to the Discover X6 and X7 Extremely that got here earlier than, however this time, the bump is slimmer than ever, making it look a lot much less outlandish.

It has the identical symmetrical lens structure as its Professional sibling, however solely three are precise lenses, and the fourth homes some type of depth sensor.

This telephone additionally carries the brand new IP69 ranking for mud and water resistance, which suggests in addition to being absolutely mud and watertight, it could deal with sprays from jets of sizzling water. In actuality, this additional layer of resistance will not be one thing that may matter to most customers, nevertheless it’s prepared for no matter you may throw at it.

The haptic motors are sturdy and exact, which aids in typing and offers some refined, useful suggestions when zooming within the digicam app. They’re not the best possible haptics I’ve ever come throughout, I feel Samsung may nonetheless maintain that honour, however they’re actually not far off.

Display screen & Audio system

• 120Hz 6.59-inch OLED show
• 4500 nits, 1256 x 2760 decision
• Stereo audio system

The show of the Discover X8 has very comparable specs to the X8 Professional. The primary variations are that it’s somewhat smaller, and it’s fully flat, with out the micro curves on the bezel.

Luke Baker

The completely different dimensions lead to a slight change in decision, however you’d by no means be capable to inform, they successfully supply the identical pixel density. You get the identical brightness output, too, which suggests the X8 can peak at an eyeball-melting 4500 nits.

I discussed in my X8 Professional overview that the quad micro-curves have gained me over, however I nonetheless have a delicate spot for a totally flat show, and this one’s notably effectively executed. You get razor-thin 1.45mm bezels which might be symmetrical on all sides, and the glass sits completely flush with the body, so that you by no means really feel it when swiping from the sting of the panel.

All the opposite advantages are current right here, too. It helps Dolby Imaginative and prescient playback, has an adaptive 120Hz refresh price, and produces vibrant and correct colors that may be simply adjusted within the settings.

Luke Baker

The stereo audio system sound simply nearly as good on this mannequin, too, and so they compete with a number of the high flagship handsets in the marketplace at present. Anticipate excessive volumes, a great deal of readability, and somewhat extra bass than your common telephone.

Specs & Efficiency

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

The Oppo Discover X8 runs on the identical Dimensity 9400 processor as its Professional sibling, and my overview unit is paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Qualcomm could have somewhat extra street-cred relating to high-end chips, however that’s starting to alter, and the most recent flagship SoC from MediaTek delivers critical efficiency.

Luke Baker

The Discover X8 achieved one of many highest 3DMark Wildlife Excessive scores I’ve ever seen, a whopping 6435 factors – beating highly effective devoted gaming handsets just like the RedMagic 9S Professional and ROG Telephone 8 Professional. In fact, this interprets to wonderful real-world efficiency too.

The telephone feels lighting-quick all through, a few of this could actually be attributed to the ColorOS animation overhaul, however the sheer energy of this system positively helps. Multitasking, video modifying and streaming are a breeze with the Oppo Discover X8.

On the subject of video games, you’ll battle to search out an Android title you may’t run with excessive framerates at most graphics settings, and it does effectively with emulation too, if that’s your type of factor. It could actually get somewhat toasty if you’re pushing the bounds, nevertheless it by no means will get concerningly sizzling, and efficiency doesn’t appear to drop too dramatically throughout longer classes.

Luke Baker

Should you’re seeking to get the aggressive edge, the Discover X8 has a built-in recreation overlay with fast entry to efficiency modes, messaging, media controls and notification blocking. It’s primarily the identical because the overlay that got here with ColorOS 14, nevertheless it has the whole lot you’re more likely to want.

Cameras

• 50Mp foremost sensor, 1/1.53-inch 
• 50Mp ultrawide, 1/2.75-inch
• 50Mp 3x telephoto, 1/1.95-inch
• 32Mp selfie digicam, fastened focus

At a look, the digicam array on the Discover X8 seems similar to the Discover X8 Professional, however there are two foremost variations. The primary is that you just get one much less digicam, there’s no 6x telephoto on this one, and the second is that the primary digicam has a unique sensor.

Luke Baker

It’s a smaller 1/1.53-inch unit, somewhat than a 1/1.4-inch sensor on the Professional. In concept, this could imply barely worse efficiency in low mild circumstances and fewer pure background blur. Nevertheless, in observe, the distinction is refined. Within the day, the 2 cameras look nigh on equivalent, and at evening, you may want a barely longer publicity, however your outcomes might be very comparable.

The ultrawide and 3x telephoto share the very same specs because the X8 Professional, and so the ensuing images are indistinguishable. 

The ultrawide is the weakest lens of the trio. It lacks some element in comparison with the opposite two models, and it struggles with noise and movement blur in darkish circumstances, however that’s often the case with ultrawide cameras. It’s nonetheless a really helpful focal size to have, and it has autofocus, so it could pull double obligation as a macro shooter.

The selfie digicam is identical because the one on the Discover X8 Professional, too. It’s a stable performer, and the one actual weak spot is that it lacks autofocus, so should you’re not standing within the candy spot, your photos gained’t be as sharp as they could possibly be. Nonetheless, it’s able to nice outcomes, and spectacular portrait mode results assist issues additional.

All the opposite digicam advantages that include the Professional are additionally current right here. This consists of lightning-quick seize, full-quality burst taking pictures at 7fps and tremendous dependable autofocus with eye detection. It’s sensible for capturing fast-moving topics.

The identical goes for video options. You possibly can shoot at as much as 4K 60fps on all lenses, with nice stabilisation, stable audio and Dolby Imaginative and prescient seize. You’ll additionally be capable to use the Blackmagic Digital camera app within the close to future, should you’re craving some extra skilled management choices.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5630mAh battery
• 80W wired charging
• 50W wi-fi charging

The Oppo Discover X8 makes use of the most recent silicon-carbon battery improvements to squeeze a 5630mAh battery into its svelte chassis. It could not sound large subsequent to the Professional’s 5910 mAh pack, however when you think about that the majority flagships are nonetheless rocking 5000mAh (or smaller) capacities, it’s a really beneficiant dimension.

I discovered that the X8 usually lasted simply so long as the Professional mannequin with real-world use, presumably owing to the marginally smaller show. With mild use, you may fairly simply go for 2 days on a cost. You’ll should be a critically heavy consumer to empty it in a day, and most of the time, I went to mattress with 40% or extra left within the tank.

You’ll should be a critically heavy consumer to empty it in a day

When it’s time to plug in, you’ll be again up and operating very quickly in any respect. It helps as much as 80W charging with a wire and 50W with Oppo’s AirVooc wi-fi charger.

My pattern got here with the 80W wall adapter included, however that gained’t be the case in a number of areas. So, if you wish to benefit from the highest speeds, you’ll seemingly must shell out some more money for a SuperVooc charger.

Luke Baker

Third-party adapters won’t hit the maximum advertised speed, but they’ll still charge the phone very quickly. It supports up to 50W using the USB C Power Delivery standard.

Software & Apps

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

The Oppo Find X8 runs ColorOS 15, Oppo’s freshly tweaked version of Android 15, delivering an identical experience to its Pro sibling. Oddly, my review unit seems destined for the Russian market, as a lot of the preinstalled apps are Russian, but that won’t be the case with retail units – unless you’re in Russia.

Luke Baker

Oppo has been hard at work optimising its software for this release and the results are immediately apparent. The Find X8 series feels noticeably snappier than previous Oppo handsets, apps open almost instantaneously and swiping around the OS is a smooth, stutter-free experience.

The Apple influence is more noticeable than ever with this release, and while it might divide opinions, I’m a fan of everything Oppo has added to ColorOS 15. 

There’s a new Dynamic Island-inspired bubble that pops up around the camera cutout and it gives you quick access to things like media controls and hotspot status. It’s really convenient to access, as it displays over other apps, and I’m pleased to see more Android brands copying one of Apple’s finest features.

You can now split your notifications and quick settings shade to be accessed with swipes from different sides of the display. Again, it’s very Apple-like, but it’ll also feel more comfortable for those coming from a Xiaomi, Huawei or Honor device. The best part is that it’s completely optional, and if you want the traditional stacked layout, you can have it.

The phone also comes with Circle to Search and has Google Gemini as the default assistant, so you’re all set up with Google’s latest features from day one. Earlier in the year, this would have been a major selling point, but it seems like almost every brand is adopting these features now. In any case, they’re both great, and I’m pleased to see them included.

As you might expect, Oppo has injected plenty of AI features into the latest version of its OS. There are all the usual tricks, like AI writing assistance, summaries and translation, as well as image editing tools like an AI eraser, clarity enhancer and reflection removal.

Luke Baker

I just don’t find myself using most of them, and that’s not an Oppo problem, it’s the same across all brands. However, there are two big exceptions built into ColorOS, and I like them so much that I’m almost dreading switching to another phone.

They’re called AI Speak and AI Summary. These tools can look at any webpage, regardless of your browser choice, and either read it aloud in a very natural-sounding voice or summarise it with concise bullet points. I’ve been using these all the time, they’re extremely handy when you need to learn about a topic but don’t have time to sit and read a long article.

At this price, the Oppo goes toe-to-toe with top-notch devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 (£799), Apple iPhone 16 (£799) and Google Pixel 9 (£799). Despite the formidable competition, though, the Oppo Find X8 stands out as a great option, particularly if you’re a photography fanatic.