My surprise-filled weekend with the OPPO Find X

A smartphone that doesn't go unnoticed

OPPO isn't yet one of the more popular brands in the US or Europe, but that could change since the Find X is such an eye-catcher. During the launch event in Paris, I was captivated by the design. And this weekend, several friends unfamiliar with the brand were asking me what type of smartphone I had in my hands. Many were impressed based on the design alone.

The curves of the phone serve both ergonomics and style.

The first thing one notices is the minimalist body, sleek and curved on the edges, which creates pleasant light effects amplified by the metal frame. The burgundy color is really beautiful, and personally, I prefer it to the blue one, but it's a matter of taste.

Then there's the other eye-catching aspect: the grand 6.4-inch display. It's also curved on the sides and takes up 93.8% of the front panel. But how does it feel in your hands?

The Find X isn't a small smartphone, at 56.7x74.2x9.4 mm and 186 grams, and I must admit that I have never loved overly large smartphones. Smartphones about the size of the S9 are what I prefer, even though I've gotten used to having the large P20 Pro with me. Even though the OPPO Find X is a little bigger than the Huawei flagship, I don't feel the difference when I hold it in my hands because of the ergonomic design. 

The curves of the phone serve both ergonomics and style. The choice of glass undoubtedly makes the smartphone elegant, but as already seen on other devices, it attracts fingerprints and makes the smartphone more slippery. Needless to say that after a few hours the Find X was already covered with fingerprints!

A notification surprise

It was Friday night when I got comfortable on the couch watching Netflix when I accidentally discovered an interesting feature of the Find X. When some messages arrived on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, the smartphone lit up along three sides (except the top).

The feature is active by default and it is impossible not to notice it when you are in the dark or in a dimly lit environment because the light spreads around the screen. A nice surprise! I opened the display settings (after pausing American Horror Story, which I just cannot finish) to look for the dedicated feature. It is called a curved panoramic light effect, and it can be activated for incoming calls and notifications to the lock screen, and it offers three different color variations: purple, blue and orange.

How well does the facial recognition work?

During the configuration process for the OPPO Find X, I was asked to register my face for unlocking the phone later. The registration was quick and easy: within a few seconds my face ended up in the system files ready to be verified whenever anyone tries to access the device.

Unlocking with face recognition works even in the dark, but fails with some types of sunglasses

Unlocking via facial recognition is quick and accurate in most cases. The system is similar to the one used by Apple: thanks to Advanced 3D Structured Light technology which projects 15 thousand points on the user's face, creating a complete 3D model that compares with the previously recorded one. Does the retractable system slow this down? No. The brand says it takes 0.6 seconds to fully raise the camera mechanism. To get more practical feedback, I compared the facial unlocking system with that of iPhone X: starting with the screens off, they took almost the same time.

For unlocking, OPPO offers two options: swipe upward on the active screen or press the power button to unlock the screen and then show the camera. The first one is active by default, but by Saturday evening I had activated the second option which I definitely found more practical. Note that when the power button is pressed, the retractable mechanism is activated before the display becomes active.

During these two and a half days together, the facial recognition unlocking function also worked well in the dark and even wearing normal eyeglasses. In some cases, it failed when I kept my hair tied back and when I wore sunglasses. In this case, it depends on the type of sunglasses and lenses used. In the settings, it is specified that the feature provides better security but can be hindered if you wear sunglasses.

The battery is promising

The large screen of the Find X is kept alive by a 3,730 mAh battery. First of all, I want to specify that the model we received is the international one, but it does not offer the final software version just yet: in the next days, an OTA update should bring some improvements, including ones for the camera.

I can, however, tell you that the battery, for now, seems promising. I charged my smartphone on Friday afternoon using the supplied charger that supports VOOC charging, and then reconnected it on Saturday night when I had 15% remaining charge. That's a good start, so let's see how it does in the coming days and in our final, in-depth review!

An exciting weekend

The weekend with the OPPO Find X went well! Having the smartphone in hand confirmed the first impressions I had at the launch event. OPPO seems to have focused a lot of energy on the new flagship, and the effort is immediately visible at first glance thanks to the design and integrated technology.

Its unusual appearance will help the brand to make its way in the markets outside China, including the US and Europe, although before the smartphone will have to prove to be able to stand up to the latest flagship cameras, one of the components users pay particular attention to, as well as in the overall performance and optimization of the software. And if the Find X continues like this, that shouldn't be a problem.

After a little more than two days together, I have a single thought that torments me about this phone: will the retractable mechanism be able to resist dust and grains of sand? The dust particles have already begun to creep into the top edge, next to the call speaker. We'll have to see...

What are your first impressions of OPPO's Find X? Would you spend over $1000 on it? Let us know what you think in the comments!