Just recently OPPO, a brand you may already be aware of, launched here in the UK. They’ve been around since 2001 and became the top smartphone manufacturer in China in 2016. Now, in terms of market share across the world, they are the 5th biggest and sit behind Samsung, Huawei, Apple and Xiaomi.
Even if you’ve not heard of them, the fact that they sold 29.9 million smartphones in the last quarter speaks volumes.
We’ve covered the company many times, most recently in June last year when the Find X handset appeared without a bezel or a notch. Instead it housed the camera in a retractable panel which popped out from behind the screen.
Other OPPO handsets include the R17 Pro, which has just been shunted aside by the RX17 Pro – a handset with powerful night shot settings thanks to the F1.5/F2.4 smart aperture cameras and OIS optical stabilization. An AI engine is also on-board, and Vodafone is rumoured to be one of the first networks to be offering OPPO in the UK.
The RX17 Pro has 128GB of on-board storage, 2 1850mAh batteries and either 6GB or 8GB of memory depending on the version. You also get a 6.4″ AMOLED screen which is 2340 x 1080.
Around back, a 12 megapixel and 20 megapixel dual camera setup, whilst up front you get a 25 megapixel selfie shooter. All the usual GPS, 4G, dual-band WiFi, NFC, compass and sensors are on board. It also has a dewdrop notch and an in-display fingerprint sensor.
The RX17 Pro is £549 from their website or from Carphone Warehouse and Currys.
OPPO also have the RX17 Neo, which appears to have a bit less memory (4GB) and slightly different rear cameras (16 megapixel and 2 megapixel). It doesn’t do NFC, so no contactless payments. This is available right now for £319 from the same places as the Pro.
