OPPO Find X3 Pro in test: Experience report after 3 months
A TEST REPORT from Dominic Lux 
on August 01, 2021, 10:00 pm | Write a comment | OPPO blog x TechnikNews - More
Brought almost 3 months ago OPPO their Find X3 Pro on the German market. I'm taking this opportunity to share my experience report with you.
Let's start with the scope of delivery. OPPO typically still packs a charger and a decent silicone case in the same color as the device. The charger is of course compatible with the SuperVOOC 2.0 standard.
A USB Type-C to USB A cable is also included. In addition to the usual paperwork, you will find an "International Worry Free Card". This can be used to request repairs abroad (if something should happen to the device). Nice to have: In the first year, OPPO will reimburse you 50 percent of the actual repair costs for a repair of the Find X3 Pro if it is not covered by the warranty. This is done by the Premium service allows.
In addition to the USB Type-C to USB-A cable, there is also a high-quality silicone case included. And of course the SuperVOOC 2.0 power supply. (Image: TechnikNews)
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My impressions after 3 months
When I unpacked the Find X3 Pro for the first time, I was very impressed by the special back. This special feature is the integration of the camera module in the so-called "Gradient Arc Design". The transition into the back of the case is so well done that I would prefer to use it without a case.
Haptics and processing
In general, the workmanship is simply top-notch; I personally have never owned such a high-quality smartphone. If the frame could have been matte, it would have been perfect. Despite all of this, it feels great in the hand and the matte back (on the blue model) means there are no problems with fingerprints. However, this is probably the other way around with the glossy black model.
Also the vibration motor in the Find X3 Pro feels very good in my opinion.
Switch on and let's go?
But something like that, right at the first start, ColorOS 11.2 welcomes you based on Android 11. Since I already had an OPPO smartphone (the Oppo Find X2 Neo), the move was no problem with the in-house “Clone Phone” app.
Display
OPPO has chosen the best of the best for the Find X3 Pro. A Samsung E4 AMOLED LTPO 120Hz panel is used here. I am blown away by this truly breathtaking display, with which I did not experience any burn-in or image retention even after three months, as was the case with my OnePlus 8 Pro last year. Color reproduction, viewing angle stability and maximum brightness are at a very high level, although the Galaxy S21 Ultra is a little brighter. Of course, the adaptive 120Hz is also the battery's best friend. Fortunately, the display switches down to as low as 1Hz with the always-on display.
Software
That I'm a huge fan of OPPO's ColorOS software is undisputed. A few things have changed or improved in version 11.2. A “fingerprint quick menu” was added as a new feature, which can be called up when the fingerprint sensor is pressed for a longer period of time. The system clone is also new. This creates a completely separate system image, where you can save and run your own apps and data separately from the main system. The change between these two modes takes place within seconds.
If I were to list all the features of ColorOS11 here, it would probably go beyond the scope. So I'll summarize my top 5 experiences with ColorOS11 on the Find X3 Pro:
- Fluid animation and operation
- Hardly any problems (no major bugs etc.)
- Fast execution of apps (this is of course also due to the Snapdragon 888)
- The in-house apps coordinate very well
- Very nice look (but it's a matter of taste)
You will have a great time with the in-house OPPO ColorOS on the Find X3 Pro.
Quad camera with the best ultra-wide-angle lens and ... a microscope?
Let's move on to the camera or cameras of the OPPO Find X3 Pro. The Find X3 Pro has a quad camera setup on the particularly curved back. There is a punch-hole camera on the front. The following sensors are installed here:
- 50 MP wide angle: Sony IMX 766
- 50 MP ultra wide angle camera: Sony IMX 766
- 13 MP telephoto camera
- 3 MP microscope camera
- 32 MP front camera
This equipment doesn't sound bad on paper - and not just there. Even though I'm not a great photographer and tend to concentrate on other aspects, I can only say that the "duo main camera" (that's what OPPO calls the combination of 2x 50MP) completely convinced me. It takes such beautiful and clear pictures during the day that I don't know what to criticize. Together with OnePlus and the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, we are dealing with the best ultra-wide-angle camera in a smartphone. The front camera also makes a solid impression, but I use it even less often than the main cameras on the back.
As good as the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras are, the 13 megapixel telephoto lens is just as disappointing. It does take sufficiently sharp images with a decent dynamic range, but colors are rendered a little too cold for my taste. In addition, the color coordination between the main and zoom cameras is not optimally resolved. In addition, objects can only be optically enlarged twice, which is absolutely unacceptable for the enormously high recommended retail price of 2 euros and in comparison to the predecessor, which, mind you, supported a 1.149x optical zoom. OPPO has taken a big step backwards here and now no longer offers any advantages in terms of cameras compared to the current OnePlus flagship, unlike last year. An S5 Ultra, P40 Pro + or even a P30 Pro from 2019 are much better here. Too bad OPPO.
A few important things about the camera. The OPPO Find X3 Pro has a video function with 4K/60FPS in the main cameras and 1080p/60 on the front camera. Videos with the rear cameras look very good, but there is still room for improvement in the videos recorded with the front camera.
If you want to know more and more detailed information about the camera of the OPPO Find X3 Pro, I recommend the Review my colleague Fabian, who took a closer look at the camera of the regular and much cheaper OPPO Find X3. Except for the color matching in the software, it is identical to that of the Pro model.
Of course I took a few photos too. You can do this here look at it closer.
Macro camera - no, microscope camera!
At this point I would probably talk about the 2MP macro camera and get upset about why something like that was installed. But OPPO does without such things and instead delivers something unique that no other manufacturer can currently offer. A microscope camera - yes, you heard right, the OPPO Find X3 Pro has a camera with 3MP resolution (okay, that may be much too low) but it is completely sufficient for microscopy. There is an LED light ring around the microscope camera that provides enough lighting for such shots. You can even record videos of the "microverse" with this camera ("Ant-Man" fans know).
The microscope camera can switch between 30x and 60x magnification. For this you logically need an even steadier hand.
Additional
Here I will give you a few impressions of the different features that the OPPO Find X3 Pro has.
Loudspeakers
As is typical for OPPO, the loudspeakers are located in the lower area of the frame and an amplified loudspeaker for the stereo effect in the earpiece. Here the quality is solid and it doesn't tinker so quickly when it comes to the sound. The volume is also impressive, it is loud enough and nothing is distorted even at the highest level.
Dolby Atmos has OPPO on board here, but this only works with compatible headphones and is actually permanently active, even if no headphones are connected (Bluetooth included). So I suspect that it is also used to optimize the internal speakers.
vibration motor
The vibration motor is rock solid. It gives a sufficiently high-quality feel in the hand and doesn't sound anything but annoying. However, we are dealing with another step backwards compared to the Find X2 Pro. The vibration motor in the predecessor felt noticeably higher quality and the cheaper OnePlus 9 Pro is also a step further here. For me, it is completely incomprehensible why OPPO is taking steps backwards with the vibration motor in such an expensive flagship.
SuperVOOC 2.0 & battery life
Last year, OPPO launched a new generation of fast charging with its SuperVOOC 2.0. This is also used again in the OPPO Find X3 Pro. According to official statements, however, the 125W fast charging that was also recently shown is not being used here because it is simply not yet safe enough to be used in everyday life.
That's why we continued to work on SuperVOOC 2.0 and it works as expected. I have that too prompt dared to try it, brought my phone down to 0 percent or until it switched off due to the empty battery. Then plugged it in and lo and behold, in just under 30 minutes the battery was already at 100 percent. That is still impressive and is even faster than the SuperVOOC 2.0 from last year. Even now, after 3 months of charging my device more often with SuperVOOC 2.0, the battery itself leaves nothing to be desired. With full settings (120Hz and QHD+) I get 5 to 6 hours of screen time, which should be the current standard for devices with the Snapdragon 888. I am more than satisfied with the battery life of the OPPO Find X3 Pro.
"Hot Content Inside": Snapdragon 888 - more power is not possible
At least currently, there is no more power possible in a smartphone. You can see that in everyday performance, the OPPO Find X3 Pro flies through every app, no matter how big or how power-hungry it is. But this was to be expected for a 2021 flagship. So it's not really surprising to me. But what surprised me very positively was how cool the Snapdragon 888 - often described as a hothead - is in everyday use. Even when recording videos at 4K/60, it is only lukewarm in the long run. OPPO has apparently invested extra in cooling here.
With OnePlus, Realme or Xiaomi (especially with Xiaomi) you can unfortunately see that a badly cooled 888 can very quickly lead to a lot of heat.
My conclusion after 3 months
Let's come to my conclusion after 3 months of intensive use of the OPPO Find X3 Pro. In short: I am very satisfied, because in my everyday use has virtually no weaknesses, which does not mean that it is free of errors:
Unfortunately, compared to the predecessor, a few things, such as the zoom and the vibration motor, have been noticeably worsened, which shouldn't be the case for the price. As already mentioned, it doesn't bother me personally, but I know that many people value it and that's why I want to mention it clearly here. There are hardly any notable improvements compared to the predecessor. Sure, the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras have gotten better, we now finally have wireless charging and a new processor (which gets quite warm and is more power-hungry than the Snapdragon 865), but other than that?
Not to be forgotten is the strong competition from OnePlus and Samsung. That OnePlus 9 Pro is almost identical and on top of that offers a slightly better zoom, 50 watts of wireless charging and a recommended retail price of 250 euros less. That Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra on the other hand, is currently in a similar price range to the Find X3 Pro and is overall the slightly better smartphone. It particularly scores with a much better zoom, a brighter display, better battery life, S-Pen support and better update policy. OPPO of course also has its advantages: The ultra-wide-angle camera is better and the device charges much faster, but if these points are important to you, you should go for the cheaper OnePlus 9 Pro in my opinion.
Despite all the (justified) criticism, I would like to mention again that OPPO brought one of the best smartphones of the year onto the market and that I really enjoy using it in everyday life. The hardware is mostly right, but I think OPPO should be calling for lower prices on its flagships going forward.
OPPO Find X3 as a cheaper alternative
Last but not least, I would like to mention the regular Find X3, which is unfortunately only available in China. This is almost the same smartphone. Instead of the Snapdragon 888, the slightly weaker Snapdragon 870 works under the hood, which, however, remains cooler and is a bit more efficient on top of that. Furthermore, it is not officially protected against the ingress of water and dust according to IP68, but the manufacturer only saved the money for the certification. So it should also be waterproof and dustproof. Currently, around 600 euros must be included TradingShenzhen or the CECT shop on the table, which is very fair for such a strong overall package. If you don't have a problem importing a smartphone from China and are very interested in the Find X3 series, you should definitely go for the Find X3 in my opinion.
Here you can find the test report of my colleague Fabian: OPPO Find X3 review: High-end flagship for less than 650 euros