Review – OPPO F5: For the Selfie Lovers
9 min read
OPPO F5
RM 1298
Pros
- Good build quality
- 6-inch 18:9 aspect ratio display
- Good front camera
- Great battery life
- Dedicated dual SIM and microSD card tray
- Good value
Cons
- Display with dull & washed out colours
- Sub par rear camera
- Cancerous ColorOS
- Micro USB
- No fast charging
Camera
Camera App
Not the first time we see this exact camera UI since it is a clone of the iOS camera anyway.
User interface aside, the camera app has more to offer such as the Expert mode and Beauty mode. It is also very snappy to use with minimum noticeable lag.
Front Camera
The front selfie shooter has a 20-megapixel sensor under the f/2.0 wide-angle lens. OPPO has removed the dual camera configuration from the F3 and opted for a larger sensor. Technically, 1/2.8″, which is slightly larger than the previous 1/3.1″. Then again, it is a fixed focus camera which sometimes makes me wonder if they are really serious about becoming the “Selfie Leader”.
Now, you’re not here for a technical class but to know how does the camera perform. Check out some of the selfie/wefie shots we took.
Below is the comparison between minimum & maximum software beautification. To be honest, the algorithm has improved a lot where the skin now looks less plasticky. OPPO calls their new algorithm as Artificial Intelligence (AI) Beauty technology. Means the AI will recognise a face structure and implement a well-balanced beautification. Hmm, that sounds gimmicky when the underlying technology is just an improved beautification algorithm.
Rear Camera
The rear camera is a 16-megapixel shooter with a f/1.8 aperture lens. Ironically, it has Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) for speedy focusing. Low light image quality is pretty good but the camera app is having some difficulty to balance the exposure during the bright daytime. The end result is usually an under-exposed image with dull colours.
Then again, the problem did not occur on the front camera and that makes me wonder if the front camera is programmed to raise the exposure while leaving the rear camera high and dry.
Gallery
Full-size photo samples are available in our Flickr album.
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