Oppo recently released their mid-ranged 18:9 aspect ratio phone the F5. And after comparing it to another 18:9 mid-ranger the Huawei Nova 2i, we had to review the “full-screen” Oppo phone and see how it differs from edge to edge screen smartphones today.
| SPECS | Oppo F5 |
| Display | 6″ 1080 x 2160 LTPS IPS LCD (~402 ppi) |
| Size | 156.5 x 76 x 7.5 mm, 152g |
| Design | Combination of Plastic back and Metal frame |
| Colors | Black, Red, Gold |
| Chipset | Mediatek MT6763T Helio P23 |
| Processor | Octa-core 2.5GHz Octa Core Cortex-A53 |
| Graphics | Mali-G71 MP2 |
| Rear Camera | 16 MP, f/1.8, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, 1080p@30 |
| Front Camera | 20 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.8″, 1080p@30 |
| Memory | 64 GB, 6 GB RAM or 32 GB, 4 GB RAM, <256GB microSD |
| Connectivity | GSM/HSPA/LTE WiFi ac, Bt 4.2, A2DP, LE, A-GPS, |
| OS | Android 7.1 |
| Software | ColorOS 3.2 |
| Battery | Non-removable 3200 mAh Li-Ion battery |
| Official Price | PhP 15,990/$320 |
| Availability date | November 4, 2017 |
Design
Perhaps the foremost design feature on the Oppo F5 is the 18:9 Display it holds, protected by a corning gorilla glass 5 in a plastic case with a metal frame. Edges on the F5 also has a sharper feel compared to most mid-ranged phones today, which adds more grip to the user and highlighting side bezels even more. The F5 also lets you have a dual SIM with a Micro SD card altogether with its dedicated sim trays and just below it, the power button with the volume rockers located on the opposite side of the handset.
Meanwhile at the rear end is a protruding 16 MP rear camera with its LED flash just beside it. While just above the Oppo logo is the fingerprint scanner, which is becoming a standard not just for 18:9 aspect ratio phones. Antennae line are also the same color as the logo and side bezels. And at the bottom bunk of the phone are the speaker, micro USB port, microphone and headphone jack.
Display
The F5 displays a 6″ 1080 x 2160 IPS LCD and regarding color contrast, it’s hard to tell what tone it leans on for either colors are too bright or too dark in an image or video, even at the home screen itself.
Either way you’ll still be able to enjoy the 18:9 experience when watching videos or playing video games with the F5.
User Experience
The Oppo F5 is running on ColorOS 3.2 based on Nougat, and don’t go looking for an app drawer for there isn’t any. Swiping up below the phone’s display will lead you to the control center, which I won’t be surprised if they switch it to small widgets in a future update. Navigation keys can also be found below the F5’s display which you can hide with a quick tap and a quick swipe up to bring it back on.
The F5 also features an “screen-off” gesture like drawing an O to turn on camera or a V to turn on the torchlight. However, redrawing the gesture doesn’t close the feature but reopens it. The F5 also lets you decide whether you want the spilt-screen feature activated or not, and can be activated by holding the multi-tasking button on the navigation keys.
Camera
One of the great features on the F5 is its 16 MP rear camera which also let you switch from a standard 4:3 ratio to an 18:9 ratio to maximize the full-screen feature. Daylit shots are pretty detailed even on a closer inspection and color reproduction is also close to accurate making a great photo quality overall.
Night-time shots may not take distance lighting well but still deliver great results even through small visible noises on the photo.
The rear camera may not have the becoming standard “depth effect” but the front 20 MP camera won’t disappoint you. Depth effect gives great but not perfect results for it struggles in some photos to differentiate subject edges from the background. Selfie shots also have great results even without the beauty feature on. Beauty mode can also be either on auto or manual which you can decide how much beautification you want in a photo.
Video Recording can also go up to 1080p at 30fps with decent results in daylight and night-time shots.
Performance
The F5 runs on a Mediatek Helio P23 with 4 GB RAM. With bench mark results? Check it out here:
| Benchmarks | Oppo F5 |
| Antutu | 62500 |
| Geekbench (single-core) | TBD |
| Geekbench (multi-core) | TBD |
| PCMark Work | 2h 54m |
As mentioned before, the Oppo F5 is not at its final software and hardware, geek bench results will come out after the initial consumer ready F5 units are released. Gaming experience on the F5 is pretty decent but don’t expect a smooth 60 fps with its current chipset.
Battery
The Oppo F5 may not be the beast at the battery department, it still packs a decent juice to last you a day of usage and the fast charging is a big bonus with the F5. Check out our Manila Shaker battery rating here:
| Battery | Oppo F5 |
| Battery | 3200mAh |
| ManilaShaker Battery Rating | 37h 28m |
| Charging Time (0-100%) | 1h 49m |
Audio
Speakers on the F5 are pretty loud and is honestly the loudest compared to the mid-ranged handsets we had our hands on. Plugging in the headphones like most android phones today, gives you a notification when you listen with a high volume.
Verdict
With many mid-ranged 18:9 display handsets that are coming out today, despite not having a dual camera the F5 has the greatest photo output in our opinion. It may not be the best at performance but it’s definitely a good phone for selfies. The Oppo F5 is available in local and online stores retailing $320 or at PhP 15,990. Comment down below what you think.
