Oppo has officially unveiled its flagship smartphone, the Find X5, in the Kenyan market.
The device, which the company is hoping to avail at the start of next month (July) after it has gone through the pre-order period (between now and then), will cost buyers a whopping Kshs 100,000, putting within the crosshairs of some of the flagship offerings from other notable brands in the market like Samsung. At launch, the base model of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S22 cost the same amount as the Oppo Find X5.
Does it compare feature-wise?
That is probably one of the questions the buyers will be asking themselves as they consider the device.
The Find X5 is the first Find X device to hit the local market since the first generation went on sale in Kenya in 2018 (remember that sleek slide out device?). Back then, as it is now, the device attracted a six-figure price tag. There’s a whole podcast where we share our thoughts and feelings about Kshs 100,000 smartphones.
As previously noted, the Oppo Find X5 packs a 6.5-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 888 chipset from Qualcomm and a 4,800mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC fast-charging. Oppo is offering those who place their pre-orders a free 30W AirVOOC wireless fast charger.
VOOC is the company’s proprietary fast-charging technology. On the Find X5, the SuperVOOC fast-charging delivers 100% juice (from nothing) in just over half an hour (34 minutes, to be exact, according to Oppo).
There are also 8 gigabytes of memory and 256 gigabytes of onboard storage.
Notable additions to the device’s feature set come in the form of the company’s partnership with camera maker Hasselblad, which results in the impressive pair of 50-megapixel snappers at the back, a wide-angle camera and an ultra-wide-angle camera; and the company’s self-developed imaging NPU, the MariSilicon X.
According to Oppo, the NPU is behind the camera’s extra-detailed snaps and videos, even at night.
A third camera, in addition to the aforementioned two at the back, is the telephoto one with 5x hybrid optical zoom and up to 20x digital zoom.
The device runs on ColorOS 12.1 which is based on Android 12.
In addition to wireless charging, the device has IP54 water and dust resistance. There’s also a smart antenna that ensures proper network connectivity regardless of which way it is held.
Worth mentioning is the soft material used on the Find X5’s back, which, as per our short hands-on with it, not only feels nice but gels nicely with the gentle curvature of the device, making handling a breeze. From our initial assessment, one will only slap a case on this device to protect their Kshs 100,000 investment and not because it is necessary for any other reason.
At the device’s launch event in Nairobi on Thursday night, the company announced that it would be backing it with a two-year warranty, something we have not seen on smartphones in a while – the norm is 12 and 13-month warranties with the occasional sprinkling of short-term covers for critical parts like displays and protection from liquid spills.
