Oppo Find X8 Pro review: Lost and found

Finding a true Oppo flagship internationally is like finding Waldo. The last sighting dates to 2020. It would take Oppo almost half a decade to launch a proper flagship phone in India after that.

For many, the new Find X8 series represents the absolute latest and greatest from the house of Oppo. And it is, undeniably so. But for tech reviewers, like yours truly, it’s an opportunity to break from convention and try out something new and exciting (and give you my honest opinion about it).

Truth be told, 2024 has been a fantastic year for flagship phones. The premium space has seen a resurgence like never before with brands lining up to show-off their most impressive wares with great gusto. Oppo, I dare say, was the most unexpected contender. But it has thrown its hat in the ring, too, with not one, but two models—the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro—in the fray.

Both, as largely expected, are one and the same mostly, with subtle differences here and there to make them fall under different price brackets. The Find X8 comes in a choice of 12GB/256GB for Rs 69,999 and 16GB/512GB for Rs 79,999. The Find X8 Pro is available in sole 16GB/512GB configuration for Rs 99,999. It’s now the most expensive phone Oppo has ever launched in India, edging out last year’s Find N3 Flip by a margin of Rs 5,000.

While it may seem “pricey” from an Oppo phone perspective, remember that it is—also—competing with Samsung and Apple at the highest end of the mobile spectrum.

Oppo Find X8 Pro review: Design and display

Oppo set a high benchmark with the Find series phones very early on. They are seen—and perceived—as the pinnacle of ultimate luxury since the very beginning. The lineup has matured into something more practical—and less flamboyant—over the years. You can say that Oppo found the right balance of form and function somewhere along the way and then stuck to it. If it is not broken, why fix it? Apple’s been following this mantra for years now. So can Oppo.

While us reviewers have seen and held the recent Find phones, the greater mass—the buyers—has not and so technically, they have no frame of reference. The styling of the new Find X8 Pro might seem repetitive and commonplace to many since the Oreo camera housing has been done to death—now—in some way or the other. By OnePlus and Realme, no less. And Vivo. Even Xiaomi has done it.

If you are finicky about these things—and want your phone to really stand out from the crowd—it is hard for me to describe the Find X8 Pro to you. It doesn’t have the same vibe as the Find X or Find X2 from once upon a time. Even the Find X7 Ultra from last year runs laps around it with its dashing dual tone look.

The Find X8 Pro is a much more muted affair. It’s got matte glass on the back and aluminum on the sides. It is very smooth—and slippery as an eel—to the touch. I am told—by colleagues—the pearl white variant is quite fetching. Oppo sent me the relatively more run-of-the-mill space black. I am also told that the camera “chonk” is a bit more compact than the X7 Ultra’s because Oppo found a way to put a dual prism lens on one of the periscopes (there are two periscope cameras in this phone), so it takes up less space.

That is in fact the underlying theme of this phone. All the materials, inside and out, have been used in such a masterful way, the phone feels lighter, even though paper specs would have you believe otherwise. Every curve, line, and text, too, fits into place in perfect harmony. The attention to detail is so immaculate. Oppo borrowed the alert slider from OnePlus and put it here. You might think you don’t need it, but once you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. The IR emitter is another such feature.

Oppo uses the term “armour shield” to market the Find X8 Pro’s durability aspect. The back is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. The display has the same protective glass. The screen is a 6.78-inch FHD+ LTPO AMOLED with a dynamically adjustable refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

The panel has tiny bezels thanks to its micro-curved setup on all four sides, something that also helps minimise accidental or ghost touches. Brightness can go up to 4,500 nits while viewing HDR content (Dolby Vision is supported), which is great, but not best in class. Biometrics are handled by an optical fingerprint scanner which is fast and reliable, but it could be placed higher. Oppo rounds off the package with both IP68 and IP69 certifications which makes the phone resistant to water jets and steam cleaning in addition to 1.5m dunks for as long as 30 minutes.

Oppo Find X8 Pro review: Performance and battery life

Say what you will but we’re all suckers for a good underdog story and MediaTek’s is a story worth talking about—and be inspired. At this point, it’s not about who beat whom. The Snapdragon 8 Elite still beats the pants off the Dimensity 9400—inside this phone—in clock speeds and benchmarks, but it doesn’t even matter. MediaTek has made a great high-end chip which is as capable, if not more, and the Find X8 Pro is a great vessel for it. The “all big core” setup brings ample power and efficiency for even the most demanding tasks. Oppo pairs it with 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 512GB of UFS4.0 storage, both top-tier memory types.

ColorOS has grown on me, I must say. Version 15 inside this phone—which is based on Android 15—is an eclectic mix of conveniences and frankly, it’s brimming with AI. Your mileage may vary but Oppo has put together an ensemble for potentially every use case scenario. There is no proper toggle or switch to turn it on or off. The features come by on their own as you use the phone. Opening the messages app, triggers a pop-up for smart replies. Opening the browser gives you the option for quick summaries. AI will also read out the text to you if you want. The camera app gets a little more attention in this regard giving you all sorts of tools to edit your photos. Everything works as advertised, too. Oppo commits to 5 years of OS and 6 years of security updates, worthy of a flagship.

The battery life is phenomenal. But I guess you knew that already considering it has a large 5,910mAh battery. Getting through one and a half to two days is no problem for this phone for moderate users. There is support for quick top-ups up to 80W wired and 50W wirelessly.

Oppo Find X8 Pro review: Cameras

The Find X8 Pro gets full marks for camera versatility. This phone puts so many focal lengths inside its sleek chassis, it is befitting to call it an engineering marvel. Putting two periscope telephotos in one phone is no joke. One of them, is dual prism, too—wow! The setup looks as follows:  

50MP Sony LYT-808, f/1.6, 23mm wide, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS

50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN5, f/2.0, 15mm ultrawide, multi-directional PDAF

50MP Sony LYT-600, f/2.6, 73mm 3x periscope telephoto, multi-directional PDAF, OIS

50MP Sony IMX858, f/4.3, 135mm 6x periscope telephoto, multi-directional PDAF, OIS

The specs are mind-boggling and Oppo has put them to good use mostly. The primary is not a 1-inch-type sensor, but it behaves like one when you give it lots of light. Pictures comes out with lots of details. Colours are warm and punchy, dynamic range is wide. This camera can hold its own in low light as well.

The two telephotos are a treat for birdwatching, though the smaller aperture of the longer zoom camera means the quality dips as soon as the intensity of light goes down. Portraits shot with the phone come out nice and pleasing with mostly spot-on edge detection and realistic background blur. The ultra-wide is good, but it has slight tendency to produce cooler images. All the cameras on the back can record 4K videos at up to 60fps. Oppo isn’t getting onboard the 8K bandwagon just yet and that is okay, I guess.

(The Find X8 Pro has a useful “quick button”, a touch capacitive area on the frame that lets you open the camera and take photos (including burst photos). It works well. The catch? It only works in landscape for now.)

On the front, the Find X8 Pro has a 32-megapixel camera with f/2.4 fixed focus lens, which is good enough for social media posts but nowhere close to the shooters on the back in depth and detail. It can also record 4K videos at up to 60fp.

Oppo Find X8 Pro review: Should you buy it?

The Find X8 Pro is a compelling flagship phone that marks Oppo’s grand return to the premium segment. It excels in many areas, boasting a stunning display, powerful performance, exceptional battery life, and a versatile camera system with impressive zoom capabilities. While its design might not be as groundbreaking as some of its predecessors, the Find X8 Pro’s refined aesthetics and robust build quality make it a joy to use.

However, its high price tag puts it in direct competition with established giants like Samsung and Apple. While the Find X8 Pro holds its own, those seeking the absolute cutting edge in mobile innovation might find alternatives more appealing.

Ultimately, the Oppo Find X8 Pro is a fantastic choice for those seeking a premium Android experience with top-notch features and performance. If you’re willing to invest in Oppo’s vision and embrace its unique blend of technology and design, the Find X8 Pro will undoubtedly impress.

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