The Oppo F9 Pro is available in three different multi-coloured finishes
The MediaTek Helio P60 SoC makes this phone feel underpowered
Camera quality is just about okay, but battery life is very good
The Oppo F9 Pro₹ 21,398 is a phone for those who want to be noticed. In a world of increasingly generic-looking phones, and manufacturers all racing to copy the same design cues, Oppo has decided to be a little different. The F9 Pro is instantly noticeable and recognisable, no matter which of its three very different finishes you choose - and no, there is no sober, low-key option. If you want something that will work unobtrusively in a corporate environment, or if you don't like getting curious glances when you're out in public, there are plenty of other smartphones that will suit you better.
While looks will be the primary consideration for buyers, Oppo is prioritising fashion as well as features. There's a new, more subtle notch; the promise of excellent battery life plus quick charging; and of course Oppo's usual emphasis on selfies. All these things combined might earn the F9 Pro a few fans - and it needs to play up every advantage it can draw on, now that the Poco F1₹ 20,999 (Review) has completely rewritten the rules of the Rs. 20,000 - 30,000 price bracket.
Oppo F9 Pro design
Unlike most phones these days, the emphasis here is on the back. Oppo has come up with three extremely eye-catching finishes for the F9 Pro, all of which are multi-coloured, patterned, and shimmery. The Sunrise Red finish, which you can see on our review unit, has a gradient of rich, deep crimson and violet, with a swirly diamond pattern. The Twilight Blue option has a similar pattern but the colour runs from dark navy to light blue - it's amusing to think that this is the most low-key. Finally, Starry Purple has a mangenta-indigo gradient with light speckles scattered randomly across it.
All three have an iridescent metallic finish, and at least on our Sunrise Red unit, the colours look different depending on the light and the angle you hold each phone at. The diamond pattern isn't always visible, but as you turn this phone in your hand, or if light happens to hit it in just the right spot, it will suddenly pop out. Oppo includes a completely transparent rubber case in the retail box, so you can show your F9 Pro off even if you like having some extra protection.
That isn't all though. Oppo has managed to tone down the notch that we've all now gotten used to, and so instead of a 'tab' shape with 'ears' to either side, there's only a slight rounded dip in the centre of the top of the screen to accommodate the front camera. Oppo calls this a 'waterdrop' shape, and while it is definitely more organic (and, to many people, stylish) than what we're used to, it's no less distracting. Interestingly, while you can still force apps to block off the top of the screen in order to prevent content from being gouged out, there's no way to camouflage the notch within a black bar on a system-wide level.
One of the ways that Oppo managed to reduce the notch was with a clever bit of design. It might seem like the borders on the top and sides of the screen are extremely narrow, and in fact Oppo claims a 90.8 percent screen-to-body ratio. However, the frame of the phone bulges slightly outwards around the front panel, masking about 1mm of space on all sides. The earpiece is designed into this margin, right above the front camera. This also means that the multi-coloured body is visible all around the black front, even when looking at the phone head-on.
The frame of the Oppo F9 Pro isn't metal, and the company hasn't specified whether it has used reinforced glass for the front and rear, which is quite disappointing at this price level. Oppo has stuck a scratch protector onto the front of the F9 Pro, and it says that third-party ones might interfere with the hidden ambient light sensor. The film doesn't extend till the edges of the F9 Pro's front face, creating a distracting border around the screen and diminishing the smooth curve of the waterdrop notch. Our review unit's film got scuffed badly within just a few days of use, and the harshest conditions we exposed it to were the insides of our pockets.
The dual camera module on the rear sticks out a little and there's a rough lip around the front face, but otherwise construction feels solid. This is a reasonably easy phone to hold and use, and at 169g, it isn't too heavy. You'll still have to stretch your thumbs to reach all corners of the screen though.
There's no dust or splash resistance. The power button on the right and volume buttons on the left are within easy reach, as is the fingerprint sensor on the rear. We were surprised to see a Micro-USB port on the bottom rather than a more modern Type-C port, but this is required for Oppo's VOOC rapid charging system. There's also a 3.5mm headset jack and a single speaker on the bottom. The tray on the left has individual slots for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card, which is always nice to see.
Oppo F9 Pro specifications and software
As we stated earlier, Xiaomi's Poco F1 has upset the applecart in the price band that Oppo has targeted for the F9 Pro, and its hardware will not seem impressive now. There's an octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 processor (incidentally, the same one that Oppo used on its own disruptively priced model introduced under a new sub-brand, the Realme 1₹ 10,490 (Review), not too long ago). This SoC has an integrated ARM Mali-G72 GPU and boasts of AI processing and power efficiency enhancements.
Oppo sells only one version of the F9 Pro, with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. However, the company has taken the unusual step of also announcing the Oppo F9₹ 16,141, which is identical in every way other than having 4GB of RAM instead of 6GB. This model isn't available in stores yet, and the company has not said when it will be. We're quite surprised that there's a Rs. 4,000 price difference between these two models. (Update 27 September: While Oppo had said at the launch event that the F9 and F9 Pro are identical in all aspects other than the RAM, it has now come to light that the F9 has a 16-megapixel front camera instead of 25-megapixel on the F9 Pro, and the F9 also does not have VOOC rapid charging.)
One of the F9 Pro's headlining features is its 3500mAh battery and support for Oppo's VOOC rapid charging standard. All the required circuitry is built into the charger rather than the phone, which Oppo says prevents the phone from heating up too much. You'll have to use the charger and modified USB cable that come with the phone, both of which are bulkier than usual. Oppo claims that being plugged in for five minutes will give you two hours' worth of talk time.
Oppo has also used an LTPS (low-temperature polysilicon) LCD panel, which consumes less power but is expensive to manufacture. The panel measures 6.3 inches and has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1080x2340. The rest of the F9 Pro's specifications are pretty standard: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, and VoLTE.
The Realme 2 is priced starting at Rs. 8,990 in India
The diamond-cut effect on the back looks distinctive
Battery life is excellent but the cameras are average
Oppo launched the Realme sub-brand back in May 2018 in order to take on Xiaomi's might in the budget smartphone market. Since then, Realme has been spun off into an independent company, which has now launched a new model called the Realme 2. Price in India for the Realme 2 — which features a notched 19:9 display, a dual camera setup at the rear, and a fibreglass body — starts at just Rs. 8,990.
Realme claims that the Realme 2 is not a successor to the Realme 1₹ 10,490 (Review), but a separate product designed to coexist with it. According to the company, while the Realme 1 focuses on design and performance, this new smartphone aims to be a budget-friendly all-rounder. However, the base model of the Realme 1 is no longer available, which means that the Realme 2 has actually taken its place in the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment. Can the Realme 2 compete with the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi 5₹ 8,199 (Review) and Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1₹ 8,199(Review)? Let's find out.
Realme 2 design
Just like the Realme 1, the Realme 2 has a fibreglass body with a glossy diamond-cut effect on the back. There are 15 tangent planes carved onto the back panel which reflect light in different ways. Realme has refined the design, and the look is more subdued this time around. Sadly, the fibreglass back picks up scratches and fingerprints easily and makes the phone rather slippery.
There is a notched display up front. The borders around it, while not insignificant, are slimmer than those of the competition. The frame is made of plastic but this phone feels quite solid in the hand.
The back panel houses a dual camera setup that barely protrudes from the chassis, an oval fingerprint sensor, and the Realme branding. Like we mentioned earlier, Realme recently broke away from Oppoto become an independent brand. As a result, the Oppo logo, which is found on the Realme 1, is missing from the Realme 2.
The Realme 1 lacks a fingerprint sensor and relies on facial recognition for security. In response to user feedback, Realme has added a fingerprint sensor to the Realme 2. Sadly, it's a bit of a letdown. It is slow and failed to register our fingerprint on the first try multiple times. Face recognition is supported and works quite well for the most part, but struggles in unfavourable light.
The left of the Realme 2 has a volume rocker and the SIM tray, which has separate slots for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card. The power button is on the right. The buttons are quite small and hard to press. There's a single loudspeaker next to the Micro-USB port at the bottom, but it's tinny and shrill.
When it goes on sale on September 4, the Realme 2 will be available in two colour options - Diamond Red and Diamond Black, which is the shade our review unit came in. A third colour option, Diamond Blue, will become available in October.
Realme 2 specifications and display
The Realme 2 is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC, which is also found in the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi 5 (Review) and Honor 7C₹ 9,355 (Review). It's available in two variants - one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage priced at Rs. 8,990, and the one we reviewed, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage priced at Rs. 10,990. You can expand storage using a microSD card of up to 256GB. One of the biggest USPs of the Realme 2 is its sizeable 4,230mAh battery, which Realme claims is good for 15 hours of video playback, 18 hours of music, or 10 hours of gaming. We'll see if the smartphone lives up to these claims.
The Realme 2 runs ColorOS 5.1 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. Connectivity options include dual 4G VoLTE, single-band 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone supports dual SIMs (Nano) and both can latch onto 4G networks simultaneously.
The Realme 2 has a 6.2-inch HD+ IPS display with an aspect ratio of 19:9, a maximum brightness of 360nits, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection against scratches. Colours are vibrant enough for the price, but the panel is dim and and very reflective. The maximum brightness is lacking, which greatly impacts outdoor legibility. The HD+ resolution is lacklustre but this can be somewhat forgiven at this price point.
The V11 Pro features an in-display fingerprint sensor
It's powered by a Snapdragon 660 SoC and has 6GB of RAM
The V11 Pro is priced at Rs. 25,990
A couple of years ago, the smartphone industry was struck by the selfie frenzy, and pretty much every manufacturer began selling selfie-focused models. Among the crowd, Oppo’s F series and Vivo’s V series have stood the test of time, as both companies continue to iterate and refresh them. The company's latest offering is the Vivo V11 Pro₹ 23,391, an iterative update to the Vivo V9₹ 14,849 (Review) which was launched about six months ago. This is the first V series phone to sport an in-display fingerprint sensor, which debuted on the Vivo X21₹ 28,041 (Review). In many ways, the Vivo V11 Pro is like a selfie-centric version of the X21, and apart from the fingerprint sensor, it also has similar specifications as its higher-end sibling. Priced at Rs. 25,990, does the V11 Pro have enough to differentiate itself from its rivals? Let’s find out in our Vivo V11 Pro review.
