OPPO is probably not a new name for many of you as the brand has been doing a lot of marketing to promote its smartphones. Everyone knows of its Find 7 thanks to all the buntings plastered all over Klang Valley last year. The Chinese manufacturer even has a localised website as well as service centres and concept stores opened all over Malaysia. However, the Find 7 isn’t the focus of this review here. Instead, the team takes a gander at the OPPO N3 - the successor to the OPPO N1 camera phone. Don’t ask us why a number had been skipped.
THIS WAY PLEASE
The OPPO N3 is a surprisingly large device, particularly since its screen is 5.5in. At 192g, it’s also one of the heaviest in its class. If all those don’t bother you, then that’s great because the new OPPO device is a thing of beauty. The smartphone is as elegant as it gets with its white body and metallic frame giving it a proper polished look. Sitting at the bottom of the device is the notification light, AKA the OPPO Skyline notification, while directly on the opposite end is the superstar - the famed rotating camera. Sporting a leather-like design, it has a twotone flash system. Capping all that is the clickable fingerprint sensor, which works to unlock the device, right below.
TOUGH AS NAILS
The frame of the OPPO N3 is metallic - specifically aluminium, to provide a solid feel while in the hand. Located on the right and left side respectively are the volume rocker and power buttons - both of which are also made of the same alloy. Placements of ports are a bit unusual though as the audio jack is found on the right side of the phone while the microUSB port occupies the spot on the lower left. Oddly, the back does flex slightly when you press on it though it is negligible enough that most won’t notice it.
ROTATING LENS WINS
Now let’s talk about the main selling point of this device, which makes it unique in a market of Snapdragon 801 flagships - the camera. Able to rotate a maximum of 206°, the OPPO N3 lens is Schneider Kreuznach certified. Being the star of this show means this flagship has a lot of reasons to perform well. While its low-light performance isn’t great, this smartphone camera excels outdoors, is great for selfies (16MPs!), and comes with a host of of useful features and user options. Highlights among them include the HDR and Auto Panorama modes. The latter makes the lens rotate automatically as it perfectly stitches the panorama shot. As for the former, while it seems to be more of a dynamic range adjustment than anything else, the visual tweaks look a little overexposed yet somewhat muted.
WHERE’S MY 4K?
Video capture and the default video player on the N3 aren’t great either. Compound the fact of why 4K had been left out. As it is, microSD cards can be hot-loaded onto it for managing the heavy file size requirement of 4K. In terms of recording performance, videos captured in low-light have noticeable noise in it while details on objects are poor. As for media playback, you can’t play certain file formats with the built-in video player. Now you may think that sounds silly but I like having smartphones that double as media players so these factors are important for me. Fortunately, the operating system (OS) itself is capable of playing those files but I had to download another video player from the Google Play Store. Hopefully, future software updates to the OS can improve, and even enhance, the overall quality of the camera.
O-CLICKS!
Looking to selfie with that 16MP sensor and reveal your complexion in close detail? OPPO says you need the O-Click, the Bluetooth remote that comes bundled together with the OPPO N3. It’s a bit hard to pry open to insert the battery at first, but once done everything else is easy - from pairing to taking random shots or selfies. That’s not all, losing track of the OPPO N3 is close to impossible now as the remote an signal the smartphone to play a tune, making it easier to locate it. Nifty feature, that one.
FAST POWERS
As expected, the OPPO N3 retains the VOOC mini rapid charger. That’s great because the battery life isn’t all that fantastic, since it even has a motorised lens to power. Using the 5A rated adapter, OPPO claims that you can charge the device by 75% in just 30 minutes. To prove the notion, I charged it for 35 minutes after the battery level dipped below 10%. Low behold, the power shot back up to 90%.
SPLASH OF COLOUR
The OPPO ColorOS 2.0 runs the show on the OPPO N3. Like all Chinese-based smart device user interfaces (UI), this one doesn’t feature an app drawer; I’m sure many would get bored of sharing this one day. Even so, it’s customised extensively and has a theme store if you want a different look. Now all OPPO needs to do is roll out a major update for ColorOS that will hopefully address the niggles experienced during this review.
VERDICT
A fantastic camera phone, but needs better software processing.
SPECS
Dimensions 161.2 x 77 x 9.9 mm
Weight 192 g
Chipset Snapdragon 801
CPU Quad-core 2.3GHz Krait 400
Graphics Adreno 330
Memory 2GB RAM
Display IPS LCD, 5.5in, 1080 x 1920 pixels
Camera 16 MP rotating camera (autofocus and dual-LED flash)
Storage 32 GB, expandable by microSD
Operating System Android 4.4 Kitkat, Color OS 2.0
Battery 3000mAh