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Following a legal dispute with Nokia over patented technologies, Oppo has temporarily withdrawn from some markets in 2023, including France. A hard blow for fans of this Chinese brand then expected to compete with Samsung at the top of sales.
The fall was short-lived since Oppo is back. First with its Reno 12 launched this summer, but also with the Find X8 Pro, its latest premium smartphone, which we tested.
Marketed at 1200 euros, can it overshadow the iPhone 16 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro or the Galaxy S24 Ultra ?
The Oppo Find X8 Pro is marketed at 1199.90 euros from December 13, 2024 in “Stellar Black” versions or “Pearl White”. At this price, you will enjoy 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, the only configuration available.
A phone can be as powerful and efficient as it wants, if its autonomy is not there, all you will get from it is a black screen. Oppo has understood this very well and offers in its Find X8 Pro a 5910 mAh silicon-carbon battery.
It is still rare enough to be specified, this accumulator technology offers a higher energy density than traditional Li-ion batteries, which makes it possible to benefit from this enormous capacity in a smartphone that is only 8.25 mm thick. An unimaginable feat on this market just a few years ago.
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Concretely, this allows the Find X8 Pro to last a full day without any problem, or even a little more, including with heavy usage. Even when running games or taking lots of photos for the sake of this test, I didn't end a day below 30%. If that doesn't mean anything to you, I assure you that it's an excellent result considering my usual usage.
Even if that's not enough for you, its 80W SuperVOOC fast charge promises to fully recharge the battery in about an hour. As usual, the less juice you have, the faster the charge. So it's more efficient when you need it most.
This is the part where I'm supposed to play the old killjoy by pointing out that smartphone manufacturers are now using the excuse of ecology to save a charger in each box. While it's true that there's no point in having a 23rd charger sleeping in a cupboard (next to your micro USB cables), it's unfortunate to have to pay 30 to 40 euros more to buy a power supply with proprietary charging technology (SuperVOOC).
Because yes, with a universal Power Delivery charger, you can only reach a maximum charging speed of 55 W (i.e. around 1 hour to go from 15 to 100%)… which is still faster than a Galaxy S24 Ultra (45W), a Pixel 9 Pro XL (37W) or an iPhone 16 Pro (30W). And if you’re more of a wireless charging type, the right stand will get you up to 50W.
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The battery is not the only remarkable component of this phone. In fact, Oppo has carefully chosen all the elements of the Find X8 Pro.
The Amoled screen for example, with its 6.78-inch diagonal for a definition of 2780 x 1264 pixels (i.e. 450 PPP), displays a brightness of 1,600 nits in HBM (High Brightness Mode). Suffice to say that even in full sunlight , it is not difficult to read the information on the screen. As for HDR content lovers, they will be able to enjoy local brightness peaks of up to 4,500 nits.
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In addition, its 120 Hz refresh rate — adaptive to save battery — allows you to take advantage of its MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processor. For some tasks, the latter should be able to stand up to to the Snapdragon 8 Elite that will be found in the most powerful smartphones of 2025 (including the future Galaxy S25 Ultra). While its raw performance is below its American competitor, the Find X8's chip Pro allows you to run the most demanding games on Android (Genshin Impactfor example) with the graphics at maximum. The cherry on the cake: even slightly long gaming sessions do not cause the phone's temperature to explode, a sign of perfectly controlled power.
While we still appreciate high-end hardware, we must admit that in 2024, the vast majority of needs (excluding photos) are already covered by mid-range or even entry-level phones. The software part therefore plays an essential role in the experience with the product and is at least as important to fully enjoy it. On this point, it is difficult to find fault with the Find X8 Pro!
Oppo's latest device natively ships with Android 15, the latest version of Google's OS, with ColorOS 15, the brand's in-house interface. It should also be noted that the monitoring has been extended to five years for major updates (up to Android 20) and six years for security updates. This is less than the seven years of Apple, Google or Samsung, but it is still very reasonable considering the renewal cycle of our mobiles (around 36 months at the time of writing).
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ColorOS could be described as a mix between Google's Android, the late OxygenOS from OnePlus (a brand from the same group as Oppo) and iOS. Thus, some animations and functions are inherited from old OnePlus smartphones, the quick settings panel looks like the iPhone's control center and there are AI functions made by Google and Microsoft/OpenAI (we'll come back to this). The experience is fluid, the animations are polished and, above all, the customization is there.
Special mention for the gesture that allows you to swipe your finger to access all the applications on a home screen within reach to avoid using your second hand. Too bad that you often have to try several times to get it to work properly, because it is too close to the other navigation movements.
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The question of generative AI is now unavoidable and Oppo is no exception. We therefore find Gemini and functions like Circle to Searchfrom Google (and highlighted on the Galaxy S25), tools that I personally find indispensable since I tried them. Unfortunately, text functions such as AI-generated responses are still unavailable in French. Oppo assures that it is a priority language that should arrive soon, but that was already the speech given at the launch of the Reno 12 this summer. Fingers crossed, it is a little frustrating today to see icons referring to uses that are not yet really functional.
The AI linked to image modification, on the other hand, is very present and can, for example, remove reflections on a window with more or less success. This is successful in most cases, but sometimes a vaporous face remains in a corner, which can give a gloomy side to a photo.
As for anti-blur, however, the algorithm is much less convincing. The difference is not obvious and you should certainly not count on this sleight of hand to save a failed photo.
On the photo side, it's hard to miss the huge circular module on the back of the phone (a little too big for my taste, I would have appreciated it if my index finger didn't fall naturally on the main lens). This gives it a solid quad-lens setup, all backed by a 50MP sensor:
Small technical point: it is important to specify that the sensors used here are slightly smaller than those of the competition, which reduces the amount of light absorbed, and therefore increases the risks of obtaining a lower quality photo. Fortunately, the processing algorithms of our modern smartphones make up for this!
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But what about the final quality of the Oppo Find X8 Pro precisely ? Well, it's n It's not perfect, but the result is good when the lighting conditions are right, and this on all focal lengths, which is rather rare. In addition, we can only welcome colorimetry uniformity between different sensors.
The colors are much warmer than natural and the most picky will notice that the corners can have a little noise or loss sharpness, but the result is well balanced and the subject is correctly highlighted. Automatic switching to macro mode also gives good results, although the contours are not always perfectly sharp… we will excuse him.
The Find X8 Pro may have many qualities, but the saying goes that the devil is in the details. I've already mentioned the lack of a charger in the box or some missing AI functions, but there are others, starting with certain design elements. The buttons, for example, are really too high, while the fingerprint sensor is located very low on the screen. This requires you to regularly change the grip of the phone to use it perfectly and constantly stretch your fingers to reach each element. Yes, you get used to it, but it's a detail that taints the experience.
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Another frustrating point on a smartphone at 1,200 euros: the very many applications pre-installed. The tools (note-taking, infrared remote control, file manager, audio and video player, etc.) are still there, but you also have to uninstall Facebook, Netflix, Amazon Music, Temu or Booking if you don't want them. There are also two basic internet browsers, two photo galleries, an application market that adds several icons to the drawer (App Market, Hot Apps and Hot Games)… so many small details that can easily be accommodated on a low-cost device, but more difficult on the premium segment.
Following in the footsteps of the iPhone 16, the Oppo Find X8 Pro has a sensitive button dedicated to the camera on its right edge. Two clicks launch the dedicated application, one click captures the present moment and a swipe allows you to zoom. Just like with Apple, this button is really not natural. Even more so since it is poorly positioned and even difficult to access for people with small fingers.
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The fact that it is a little too high and does not feel under the finger is another problem. The fact that it is very sensitive is a problem for zooming correctly. The fact that it is not sensitive enough to the click is a problem for taking a photo without moving the phone, and therefore risking a blurry photo. As you will have understood, this button supposed to make taking photos easier turns out to be more restrictive than anything else. We quickly returned to the controls on the touch screen, more precise and faster.
The main problem of the Find X8 Pro remains, in my opinion, the night photo, too random to reach the level of its competitors. As much as some photos are successful, we get many blurry, too dark or with haphazard contrast.
Whether it's the movement that is not frozen correctly, the exposure too dark or the contrast too pronounced, I regularly found myself with a disappointing photo. Of course, the colorimetry is generally well managed, thus creating a realistic rendering unlike some competitors who artificially saturate the hues for a “broad daylight” impression. But the sharpness does not answer the call and I noticed textures that bleed on a good number of my photos, even on static scenes.
Is this true in all photos ? No. Is this true in enough photos to find it problematic ? Yes, especially at this price point. Is the Find X8 Pro’s camera bad for all that ? No, it has other tricks up its sleeve, but it’s a limitation to keep in mind if you like to take photos of your pet or child in lighting conditions that aren’t always optimal.
Ultra wide angle
Wide-angle
3x zoom
10x zoom
These harsh conditions can also disrupt portrait mode. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a concrete example of what that means (look at the left side of the photo):
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This is all the more regrettable since the cutting is extremely qualitative, to the point of perfectly cutting out each hair individually.
After a few years of absence in France, the return Oppo's review is rather mixed. We certainly have a quality phone in our hands, with great assets, but it still shows weaknesses that give it a messy appearance.
< p>Incomplete AI, poorly placed buttons, too many pre-installed apps…these are many small frustrations. One could easily overlook them if the night photo was worth its price, and so of its competitors, but this is not the case.
However, the Find X8 Pro has one advantage that cannot be taken away from it: its battery life and fast charging. On this point, it is undeniably reassuring. For that reason alone, it deserves our attention, because it will meet the needs of those who never let go of their phone and especially do not want to have to go near a power outlet around 6 p.m. We can make a few concessions to have a phone that never turns off… non ?
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