Oppo isn't a name overly familiar to premium phone fans, but that could well change this year.
The Find X2 Pro stacks up strongly against recent Samsung, Apple and Huawei devices and people after a new phone would be well advised to give it a look.
It has a gorgeous screen, offers powerful performance and super fast charging, and is now happily gimmick free. Gone is the frankly unnecessary pop-up selfie camera once favoured by Oppo. Instead, there's a top-rate camera set-up front and back.
Selfie Camera
The front of the device features a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. Now just a small punch hole camera on the left of the display. This features AI beautification software, which allows you to change your physical features in real time before taking a photo. A sought after feature, which I personally don't care for, but many will love.
Rear Camera
A triple-camera setup for the rear of the phone has a 13-megapixel 5x periscope telephoto lens, a 48-megapixel sensor for the main camera and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens that uses Sony's IMX586 from last year. This allows for consistently good results without the AI tricks that the likes of Huawei and Google trade on.
It has a solid 10x hybrid zoom and improved fine details. Night mode captured by the main wide and ultrawide sensors is pretty decent.
Features include dual optical image stabilization, Live HDR for video and a macro mode and laser and phase detection autofocus. .
Design
This is a very attractive phone - it sports that ever popular 'waterfall' look with subtle curves. There are two colours available to choose from in New Zealand: ceramic black, which is the model I tested, and an orange vegan leather version which looks very cool indeed.
Display
With its 6.7-inch QHD+ Ultra Vision Screen with 10-bit colour, a top brightness of 1200 nits, a 120Hz refresh rate and a HDR+ certification, this is likely to be the nicest screen you'll find in a smartphone this year.
What's more, you can run it at both its full 1440p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. This is useful while Samsung's S20 range, for example, makes you choose one or the other.
Performance
As good as you'd expect from a Snapdragon 865 and 12GB RAM.
Software
ColorOS 7.1 based on Android 10 has got a good night mode, a dedicated gaming mode and a new app drawer. It's not as impressive as Samsung's OneUI or iOS but it's an acceptable middleground between the two.
Other bits and bobs
Dual Dolby Atmos speakers, a USB Type-C Port for charging and IP68 water resistance. The USB-C earbuds included in the box are very good.
It also boasts super fast charging - the 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 system is the fastest available, filling the 4260mAh battery from zero to 100 percent in 38 minutes.
The negatives
There's only standard Face unlock rather than 3D Face unlock (which is more secure and allows you to unlock your phone with your face in the dark). It also doesn't have wireless charging, which I find quite irksome. It's a feature that one's come to expect from high-end phones and I'm at a loss as to why Oppo hasn't included it.
There's also the price. While all premium phones are pricey, the NZ$1899 price tag could feel a little high for a lesser known brand.
Conclusion
With the Find X2 Pro, Oppo is aiming directly for those fans of Samsung's S20 range and could well win some over. It could also outdo Huawei, which is still feeling the pain of not being able to use Google services.
Oppo's Find X2 Pro is so far one of the top Android phones of 2020. Unless Samsung pulls out some surprises with its upcoming Note, it's likely to stay that way.
For this phone alone, Oppo deserves widespread brand recognition.
