Friday 31 October 2014

Oppo N3 and R5 hands-on: First look

Introduction

Oppo's Singapore event is now under way and we were off to a great show - the star of the show took the stage just minutes after the start. The successor to the Oppo N1 is called Oppo N3 and retains the rotating camera module on the top, while adding a few nice extras on top. The Oppo N3 sports a 5.5" display, meaning it's much smaller than the 5.9" Oppo N1.
With 16MP on a 1/2.3" sensor and f/2.2 aperture, the Oppo N3 should be a potent cameraphone. The lens on the camera is also Schneider Kreuznach certified, while a nice touch to the rotating module is the added motor, which allows it to auto-rotate.

Each pixel is 1.34 microns which puts it above the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony's Xperia series, so in theory the Oppo N3 should be able to do better in low-light conditions. What's more interesting about the rotating Oppo N3 camera is its ability to move by itself, a whole 206 degrees. Oppo has named the module Motorized camera. Once the camera locks onto a subject it can track it by itself. Panoramas have also gotten better, now offering an automatic mode and a maximum resolution of 64MP.

Oppo N3 at a glance:

  • Dimensions: 161.2 x 77 x 9.9mm; 192g
  • Display: 5.5" TFT touchscreen, 1,080 x 1,920 resolution; around 401ppi; Gorilla Glass 3
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AA chipset: quad-core Krait 400 @2.3GHz; Adreno 330 GPU; 2GB RAM
  • OS: ColorOS 2.0 based on Android 4.4 KitKat
  • Camera: 16MP Motorized camera with 4K@24fps video recording; 206-degree rotation, f/2.2 aperture, infrared and Bluetooth remote control, RAW support
  • Storage: 32GB built-in, microSD card
  • Connectivity: LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS + GLONASS; microUSB 2.0
  • Battery: 3,000mAh, VOOC rapid charging
  • Misc: Fingerprint scanner on the back
     
The camera suite of the N3 has been upgraded and is now called Ultra image 2.0. It has slow shutter, ultra macro mode, after focus, RAW support and manual control. The beautify mode is here once again.
The Oppo N3 has the the same pixel density as the Apple iPhone 6 Plus - 401ppi. There's a Snapdragon 801 chipset with a quad-core Krait 400 processor and 2GB of RAM inside to keep things going smoothly. The Oppo N3 comes with ColorOS 2.0, which is based on Android 4.4 KitKat, no word yet on a CyanogenMod variant.
Built inside a stainless steel frame the Oppo N3 looks very sleek and premium. On the back it now has a fingerprint scanner, which can also be used to encrypt images.
The Oppo N3 comes with a breathing light under its display. Oppo calls it Notification Light 2.0. The O-Click remote is back as well, also in 2.0 form. It will help users to find the Oppo N3 and more.
The Oppo N3 supports VOOC rapid charging for its 3,000mAh battery. It can get to 75% battery from 30 minutes of charge. Oppo says you can get 2 hours of call time from 5 minutes of charging. There's a new mini VOOC charger specifically for the Oppo N3.
The price of the Oppo N3 at $649.
And now the Oppo R5 - praised by the company as the thinnest smartphone in the world at just 4.85mm. It packs a 5.2" 1080p AMOLED of 423 ppi, 13MP camera on the back and a 5MP on the front.



The Oppo R5 is built on a foundation of aluminum alloy and is welded together. It features a special coating material on the back and a micro arc frame on the sides. Oppo is very proud of its cooling technology thanks to a liquid-metal-like material called phase-change metal (PCM).

Oppo R5 at a glance:

  • Dimensions: 148.9 x 74.5 x 4.85mm; 155g
  • Display: 5.2" AMOLED touchscreen, 1,080 x 1,920 resolution; around 423ppi; Gorilla Glass 3
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 chipset: octa-core @1.5GHz; Adreno 405 GPU; 2GB RAM
  • OS: ColorOS 2.0 based on Android 4.4 KitKat
  • Camera: 13MP main camera, IMX 214 sensor, f/2.0 aperture; 5MP front-facing camera
  • Connectivity: LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS + GLONASS; microUSB 2.0
  • Battery: 2,000mAh, VOOC rapid charging
  • Misc: Phase-change metal cooling
The AMOLED display got some quality time on stage too. Oppo claims it has the highest brightness, lowest reflectance, highest color rendition and infinite contrast ratio - all of which characteristic of AMOLED technology, save for the impressive brightness.
The Oppo R5 has a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset and LTE. It will cost $499.

Oppo N3 hands-on

The Oppo N3 is the company's second cameraphone phablet and it brings improvements on both those fronts. For starters it's now a tad smaller thanks to a 5.5" 1080p display, instead of a 5.9" one.
The rotating camera module on the top has seen changes as well. It can now rotate on its own - Oppo calls it Motorized Camera. The module rotates 206 degrees and can be rotated using the touchscreen or automatically.
The camera has been improved as well. It uses a 1/2.3" CMOS sensor with a 16MP resolution, Schneider Electric optics, f/2.2 aperture, UHD video capture at 24 fps and Ultra image 2.0 suite.

Oppo N3
The latter features pro-like modes such as slow shutter, ultra macro mode, Auto panorama with support for up to 64MP of resolution, tracking focus and RAW image support. The camera also has a dual-mode LED flash.



Oppo N3
Camera aside the Oppo N3 has an industrial grade aluminum build, fingerprint scanner on the back, which it can use to unlock the phone, encrypt images and as a trackpad.
There's a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2GB of RAM and the Adreno 330. The processor is a quad-core unit with each core pumping tasks at 2.3GHz. The storage is 32GB but you expand it up to 128GB via the microSD card slot.
The Oppo N3 relies on a 3,000mAh battery to power its latest phablet and has added support for VOOC rapid charging. The N3 can go from zero charge to 75% in just 30 minutes of plug-in time and promises to go 2 hours of calling after just 5 minutes on A/C.
The Oppo N3 is also dual-SIM with one microSIM and one nanoSIM both capable of stand-by at the same time. Interestingly the microSD card goes in the microSIM slot so you either have dual-SIM or expandable storage, similarly to what Huawei did with their Mate7.
The plastic on the back of the Oppo N3 feels premium and high-grade to the touch. It's matte which we prefer as it would be less scratch and smudge-prone.

Oppo N3
The faux leather stitching around the Motorized camera is subtle but we would prefer the Oppo N3 without it. The fingerprint scanner is more than just a pad to run your finger through. It acts as a button and trackpad as well - you can press it up or down and you can also control the camera and scroll through webpages with it, similarly to the O-Touch area on the back of last year's N1.

Oppo N3
The fingerprint scanner works very fast. Once we set up our fingerprint it was instantaneous to unlock the Oppo N3. It can memorize up to 5 fingers and the phone software can set up different guest accounts specific to each fingerprint user.

Oppo N3
The Motorized camera module works really fast. It easily rotates the full 206 degrees if you press on it with a finger but you can also control it through various other means. In the camera app a if you hold and swipe up or down the module will rotate slowly. If you just swipe in either direction the module does a quick rotation. There's also a button for rotating the camera. The second generation O-Click remote also controls the rotation of the camera module via its multi-directional button.

Oppo N3
The outer aluminum frame of the Oppo N3 extends a little towards the bottom of the phone and hides the speaker grille behind it.

Oppo N3
The display of the Oppo N3 isn't the sharpest around if you look at it on paper. But look at it in person and you'll see there's no problem with the 401ppi of sharpness. Colors are punchy and pronounced and we liked the viewing angles as well.

Oppo N3
Overall the phone doesn't feel as big as last year. We like Oppo's move to a smaller, if not small, screen diagonal. The fingerprint scanner is also easy to reach at the back and overall we like the feel of the phone in our hands. It's beautifully crafted which you can tell from the first time you set your fingers on its aluminum and matte plastic body.
As for the O-Click remote, it has moved in the opposite direction. It's now more advanced but also bigger. The button on it is multi-directional and can be used to control the camera of the Oppo N3 and not just locate the phone in a room.

Oppo O-Click
The O-Click remote used to look high tech and cool but now just looks like a nicer-quality, white DSLR remote. Still it feels nice in the hand and probably will be easier to lose thanks to its larger size.

Oppo N3 hands-on

The Oppo N3 is the company's second cameraphone phablet and it brings improvements on both those fronts. For starters it's now a tad smaller thanks to a 5.5" 1080p display, instead of a 5.9" one.
The rotating camera module on the top has seen changes as well. It can now rotate on its own - Oppo calls it Motorized Camera. The module rotates 206 degrees and can be rotated using the touchscreen or automatically.
The camera has been improved as well. It uses a 1/2.3" CMOS sensor with a 16MP resolution, Schneider Electric optics, f/2.2 aperture, UHD video capture at 24 fps and Ultra image 2.0 suite.

Oppo N3
The latter features pro-like modes such as slow shutter, ultra macro mode, Auto panorama with support for up to 64MP of resolution, tracking focus and RAW image support. The camera also has a dual-mode LED flash.



Oppo N3
Camera aside the Oppo N3 has an industrial grade aluminum build, fingerprint scanner on the back, which it can use to unlock the phone, encrypt images and as a trackpad.
There's a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 2GB of RAM and the Adreno 330. The processor is a quad-core unit with each core pumping tasks at 2.3GHz. The storage is 32GB but you expand it up to 128GB via the microSD card slot.
The Oppo N3 relies on a 3,000mAh battery to power its latest phablet and has added support for VOOC rapid charging. The N3 can go from zero charge to 75% in just 30 minutes of plug-in time and promises to go 2 hours of calling after just 5 minutes on A/C.
The Oppo N3 is also dual-SIM with one microSIM and one nanoSIM both capable of stand-by at the same time. Interestingly the microSD card goes in the microSIM slot so you either have dual-SIM or expandable storage, similarly to what Huawei did with their Mate7.
The plastic on the back of the Oppo N3 feels premium and high-grade to the touch. It's matte which we prefer as it would be less scratch and smudge-prone.

Oppo N3
The faux leather stitching around the Motorized camera is subtle but we would prefer the Oppo N3 without it. The fingerprint scanner is more than just a pad to run your finger through. It acts as a button and trackpad as well - you can press it up or down and you can also control the camera and scroll through webpages with it, similarly to the O-Touch area on the back of last year's N1.

Oppo N3
The fingerprint scanner works very fast. Once we set up our fingerprint it was instantaneous to unlock the Oppo N3. It can memorize up to 5 fingers and the phone software can set up different guest accounts specific to each fingerprint user.

Oppo N3
The Motorized camera module works really fast. It easily rotates the full 206 degrees if you press on it with a finger but you can also control it through various other means. In the camera app a if you hold and swipe up or down the module will rotate slowly. If you just swipe in either direction the module does a quick rotation. There's also a button for rotating the camera. The second generation O-Click remote also controls the rotation of the camera module via its multi-directional button.

Oppo N3
The outer aluminum frame of the Oppo N3 extends a little towards the bottom of the phone and hides the speaker grille behind it.

Oppo N3
The display of the Oppo N3 isn't the sharpest around if you look at it on paper. But look at it in person and you'll see there's no problem with the 401ppi of sharpness. Colors are punchy and pronounced and we liked the viewing angles as well.

Oppo N3
Overall the phone doesn't feel as big as last year. We like Oppo's move to a smaller, if not small, screen diagonal. The fingerprint scanner is also easy to reach at the back and overall we like the feel of the phone in our hands. It's beautifully crafted which you can tell from the first time you set your fingers on its aluminum and matte plastic body.
As for the O-Click remote, it has moved in the opposite direction. It's now more advanced but also bigger. The button on it is multi-directional and can be used to control the camera of the Oppo N3 and not just locate the phone in a room.

Oppo O-Click
The O-Click remote used to look high tech and cool but now just looks like a nicer-quality, white DSLR remote. Still it feels nice in the hand and probably will be easier to lose thanks to its larger size.

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