Oppo F7 review

The Competition

The Oppo F7's primary target is a market dominated by Xiaomi. And while the F7 costs about twice as much as the Redmi 5 Plus (also known as Redmi Note 5 in India), it has a few tricks in its sleeve.

Take the big notched screen for example. Or the powerful Helio P60 chipset with a flagship-grade processor. There is the superior 25MP selfie camera, too. Yes, if you are on the budget - the Redmi will do. But if you want more premium experience with trendy features, then it should be the Oppo.

The Huawei's most recent P20 Lite has a similar screen and equally attractive design. It's inferior in performance, but superior when it comes to portrait shots thanks to the dual-camera setup on the back. The selfie camera seems great, but not as great as the F7's though. It costs the same as F7 but seems to offer less for the most part.

Nokia 6.1 isn't about trends, but experience. It's one very-well built aluminum smartphone, with good screen and chipset. While inferior in pretty much every aspect - screen, performance, camera, the Nokia has pure Android OS for being part of Android One program and can do 4K video recording. Oh, and it's a lot cheaper.

The Moto X4 is also an Android One smartphone priced the same as the F7. It has a smaller screen and inferior chipset, but it makes up for those in camera skills. The dual-cam on the back has superior sensors, wide-angle lens, native bokeh shots, 4K video recording, among others. The selfies may be just 16MP but there is a dedicated LED flash to help in the dark. So if camera experience is all that matters, the Moto X4 will serve you better than the Oppo F7.

Finally, there is the Xiaomi Mi A2, which is still sold in extremely limited quantities but seems to be worth the wait. It has a tall and notch-free 6" screen, Snapdragon 660 chipset, and a premium dual-camera with regular and telephoto lens. The front snapper is 20MP with bright f/1.8 aperture. The Mi A2 is made of metal, but the rest of the specs are more Oppo R15 Pro, rather than F7. Yet, it's cheaper than the F7. How about that?

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Redmi 5 Plus) • Huawei P20 lite • Nokia 6 (2018) • Motorola Moto X4 • Xiaomi Mi A2

The Verdict

The Oppo F7 is a great looking and powerful smartphone. It has the trendy notched screen, catchy colors, powerful chip, and even a large battery. It's a great all-around package, and it's priced reasonably. There are a few shortocmings, yes, but every mid-ranger has these.

Pros

• Dual-SIM phone with standalone microSD slot
• Notched, almost bezel-less screen
• Powerful Helio P60 with blazing-fast CPU performance
• Great battery life
• Loss-less 2x zoom in videos
• Enjoyable 25MP selfies

Cons

• Made of plastic
• Main camera: okay daylight, disappointing low-light shots
• No VOOC fast charging

We can forgive the lack of fast charging, and we can probably live with the plastic body. But we've seen better camera performance from similar Oppo snappers and we just expected more from the main 16MP snapper. It has the sensor, the lens, and even the AI to back it up, but the samples didn't live to some of our expectations. Yet, the F7 will make up for that with great selfies shots, and that was its job in the first place, wasn't it?

So, the Oppo F7 doesn't really excel in anything but selfie resolution. And yet it's not disappointing either. It has what it takes to be a successful mid-ranger and is priced accordingly. If you like it, you should go for it - it's that simple.