Oppo has unveiled its new Find X5 smartphone range with the flagship Pro model set to retail in New Zealand for just under $2000 when it goes on sale in late March.
The Chinese tech company is one of the most popular smartphone manufacturers in Aotearoa, and its top of the range Pro model will go head-to-head with the likes of Samsung's new S22 Ultra and Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max in the luxury market.
At $1999, the launch price of the Find X5 Pro is cheaper than that of Samsung's equivalent model by $100, while the iPhone 13 Pro with the same 256GB of storage currently retails at $2199.
Oppo is giving three years of software updates and a three-year warranty to Find X5 customers in Aotearoa.
"The Find X5 Series elevates the series to a whole new level of beauty, both aesthetic and in terms of capabilities, redrawing the boundaries of the mobile experience across design, imaging, battery technology and performance," said Morgan Halim, managing director at Oppo NZ.
"It builds on the core DNA that made the Find X3 Series a hit with consumers and critics alike."
The phone range's specifications had been well documented in the lead up to the launch thanks to a number of leaks which have now proved accurate.
The first was the name, with Oppo skipping straight from the Find X3 to the X5 in an apparent nod to the number four being associated with death in China, although that reason hasn't been confirmed by the company.
The Pro has 12GB of RAM and like Samsung's S22 range is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip.
One of Oppo's points of difference is its own dedicated imaging neural processing unit, called MariSilicon X, which adds artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to the phone's photo processing.
The company says that will result in a four times improvement in perceived night video resolution with less grain and better colours, offering 4K ultra night video for the first time on an Android smartphone.
The Pro model's camera features a 50 MP wide angle lens, a 50 MP ultra-wide angle lens and a 13 MP telephone lens on the back of the phone. The two 50 MP cameras feature Sony's IMX766 flagship sensor, as does the front facing selfie camera, which boasts a 32 MP lens and an intelligent field of view switcher which will automatically detect additional people in the shot.
For the first time, Oppo has partnered with camera manufacturer Hasselblad to incorporate the Swedish company's software to help process the images.
The Pro model's 6.7-inch AMOLED display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and offers a resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels.
As is now standard with luxury phones, a variable 120 Hz screen refresh rate will ensure a smooth scrolling and gaming experience on the phone.
All day battery life will all but be assured by the Find X5 Pro's 5000mAh dual-cell battery, which the company says is an 11 percent capacity increase over the Find X3 Pro.
Oppo says the battery will last 1600 charges, which is over four years if it's charged every day.
The Find X5 Pro is IP68 certified, meaning it's splash, dust and water resistant, with testing showing it's safe to be submerged in 1.5m for up to 30 minutes. It comes in two colours: Ceramic White and Glaze Black.
The phones will run Oppo's ColorOS 12.1 operating system, based on Google's Android 12 OS.
There other two models in the range, the Find X5 and the Find X5 Lite, will launch in New Zealand for $1599 and $899, respectively. They both have less impressive specs than the Pro model, including reductions in camera capabilities and chipset power.
All three models and Oppo's new Enco X2 earbuds, also announced overnight, will be available to order in Aotearoa from the end of March.
