OPPO just gave up on its custom chip aspirations, and has abruptly down its Zeku chip design division!
OPPO Shuts Down Its Zeku Chip Design Division!
OPPO has finally given up on its custom chip aspirations! The Chinese smartphone brand is shutting down its Zeku chip design division, which it established only a few years ago.
OPPO announced the decision abruptly in a short statement, and said that “the company will properly arrange related matters and continue to deliver great products and service to users worldwide“.
Due to the uncertainties in the global economy and the smartphone industry, we have to make difficult adjustments for long-term development. Therefore, the company has decided to cease the operation of Zeku.
This decision comes after rumours swirled that OPPO is preparing to withdraw from France, and even the whole of Europe by 30 June 2023. OPPO had earlier pulled its phones from Germany due to a legal spat with Nokia in 2022, and now OPPO France employees and partners claim that they were told to stop selling OPPO phones.
While OPPO finished Q1 2023 on a strong note – as the world’s 4th largest smartphone brand, its total shipments dropped 8%. That is better than the industry average – the global smartphone market shrank by 13% that quarter. It appears that OPPO believes global demand for smartphones will continue to be weak for quite some time to come…
Zeku started in 2019 by designing co-processors for imaging and other components in OPPO smartphones, but have not been able to develop a full SoC. Its biggest success was, arguably, the MariSilicon X neural processing unit (NPU) which it introduced in December 2021.
Finalised after three years of research and development, the OPPO MariSiliconX was fabricated on the 6 nm process technology. It was designed as a dedicated imaging NPU, to accelerate AI noise reduction algorithms, and deliver greater dynamic range and better colour reproduction.
That NPU has been used in many OPPO flagship smartphones, including the latest OPPO Find N2 Flip. After that, Zeku introduced MariSilicon Y in late 2022 – a wireless audio SoC.
Despite Zeku not being able to deliver a full mobile SoC, OPPO was expected to invest more in chip design, both as a way to differentiate from other brands, as well as a way to avoid getting cut off chip supplies due to rising US-China tensions.
So the decision came as a surprise, especially when Zeku was still looking to hire more than 100 positions a month ago on LinkedIn!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
One of China’s most popular apps – Pinduoduo apparently contains a malware that monitors user activities and is difficult to remove!
Take a look at what CNN and multiple cybersecurity researchers have discovered about Pinduoduo!
Pinduoduo : What Is It?
Pinduoduo is actually a Chinese online retailer. Think of it as China’s Amazon. While Amazon started as an online bookstore, Pinduoduo started as an online agricultural retailer.
Since then, Pinduoduo has become one of China’s most popular online shopping platform, with its app offering its 750 million users access to cheap products in China, by offering steep discounts on group buying orders.
Despite its meteoric rise, Pinduoduo has not been without its controversies. In 2018, the company was criticised for hosting inferior and imitation products, to which it responded by taking down more than 4 million listing and shutting down 1,128 stores.
In 2019, Pinduoduo was hit by hackers who stole discount coupons worth tens of millions of Yuan. And just last month, Google suspended the Pinduoduo app after discovering that versions offered outside its Play Store contained malware.
The Off-Play versions of the e-commerce app that have been found to contain malware have been enforced on via Google Play Protect.
Western interest may have been initiated by Google suspending the Pinduoduo app, but cybersecurity experts had already started looking into the app, and what they discovered was very troubling.
Alert First Raised By Chinese Cybersecurity Company
I think we should start by noting that it was a Chinese cybersecurity company called Dark Navy that first raised concerns about malware in the Pinduoduo app in February 2023.
Although Dark Navy did not name Pinduoduo in its report, cybersecurity researchers knew who it was referring to and soon followed up with their own investigations and reports, confirming Dark Navy’s report.
Sophisticated Malware
Half a dozen cybersecurity teams from Asia, Europe and the United States identified sophisticated malware in the Pinduoduo app that were designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the Android operating system used by many smartphones.
The malware allows the Pinduoduo app to bypass Android security features to monitor activities in other apps, check notifications, read private messages, and even change settings. It is also difficult to remove once installed.
Mikko Hyppönen, chief research officer at WithSecure, a Finnish cybersecurity firm, said that:
We haven’t seen a mainstream app like this trying to escalate their privileges to gain access to things that they’re not supposed to gain access to. This is highly unusual, and it is pretty damning for Pinduoduo.
Dedicated Hacking Team To Look For Vulnerabilities
Even more damning, CNN reported that a current employee revealed that Pinduoduo set up a team of about 100 engineers and product managers to look for vulnerabilities in Android smartphones, and find ways to exploit them for profit.
To avoid exposure, the source said that the company targeted users in rural areas and smaller towns, and avoided users in megacities like Beijing and Shanghai.
By collecting expansive data on those users, Pinduoduo was able to create a comprehensive portrait of their habits, interests, and preferences; while improving its machine learning models to personalise push notifications and ads.
Pinduoduo App Gained More Access Than Allowed
Three cybersecurity companies – WithSecure, Check Point Research, and Oversecured conducted independent analysis of version 6.49.0 of the Pinduoduo app that was released in late February 2023, and found code designed to achieve “privilege escalation” – a type of cyberattack that exploits vulnerabilities in the operating system to gain a higher level of access to data that it’s supposed to have.
Our team has reverse engineered that code and we can confirm that it tries to escalate rights, tries to gain access to things normal apps wouldn’t be able to do on Android phones.
The Pinduoduo app was able to continue running in the background, and prevent itself from being uninstalled. This was apparently done to boost the platform’s statistic for monthly active users.
Pinduoduo App Has Access To User Data Without Consent
Delware-based app security start-up, Oversecured, found that the Pinduoduo app had access to user data like locations, contacts, calendars, notifications, and photo albums, without their consent.
The app was also able to change system settings, and access user social media accounts and chats.
The Pinduoduo app also had the ability to snoop on competing shopping apps, by tracking activity on other shopping apps, and gathering information from them.
Pinduoduo App Able To Secretly Receive Updates
Check Point Research found that Pinduoduo was able to push updates to the app, without first going through an app store review process to detect malicious code.
Pinduoduo App Programmers Attempted To Obscure Malicious Code
Check Point Research also found that some plug-ins used by the Pinduoduo app tried to obscure potentially malicious code by hiding them under legitimate file names, such as Google’s.
Such a technique is widely used by malware developers that inject malicious code into applications that have legitimate functionality.
Pinduoduo Targeted Android Devices
According to Sergey Toshin, founder of Oversecured, Pinduoduo’s malware specifically targeted Android operating systems used by Samsung, HUAWEI, Xiaomi and OPPO.
He also described the app as “the most dangerous malware” ever found in mainstream apps, exploiting about 50 Android system vulnerabilities. Most of these exploits targeted customised OEM code used by smartphone brands to customise their smartphone software.
I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s like, super expansive.
After cybersecurity researchers started reporting about the app, Pinduoduo released version 6.50.0 on March 5, which removed the exploits they found. Two days later, Pinduoduo disbanded its Android hacking team, according to the same employee.
The hacking team members found themselves locked out of Pinduoduo’s workspace communication app, called Knock, and lost access to files on the company’s internal network, with their privileges revoked.
Most of the team was later transferred to work at Pinduoduo’s sister app, Temu. A core group of about 20 cybersecurity engineers however remain at Pinduoduo.
In addition, Sergey Toshin of Oversecured noted that while the exploits were removed in the new version of Pinduoduo, the underlying code remained and could be reactivated to carry out attacks.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
OPPO will stop providing free chargers with their smartphones, starting next year! Here is what you need to know…
OPPO To Stop Providing Free Chargers Next Year!
OPPO is giving up one of its key advantages over its competitors next year – its high-performance charger, which is included with every smartphone.
While announcing their new Reno8 smartphone, OPPO Vice President for Overseas Sales and Services, Billy Zhang, revealed that it would stop providing in-box chargers starting next year. Instead, OPPO will provide them as optional purchases in stores.
OPPO won’t immediately stop providing in-box chargers, but will phase them out in stages. So expect them to retain the in-box chargers for the higher-end models at least for some time, as a way to differentiate from cheaper models.
But the message is clear – eventually, all OPPO smartphones will stop coming with in-box chargers.
If you are an OPPO fan, make sure you keep your VOOC / SuperVOCC charger. Your next OPPO smartphone may not come with one.
OPPO To Lose Advantage By Not Including Free Chargers
While many brands have followed Apple in not including chargers in the box of new smartphones, OPPO made the smart move by continuing the provide them.
One of the key advantages OPPO has over the other brands is its VOOC series of fast charging technologies, like 125 watt SuperVOOC wired charging and 65 watt AirVOOC wireless charging.
These are proprietary technologies that only work with the provided in-box chargers, so OPPO really needed to provide them in every box.
You can still charge OPPO smartphones with USB chargers from other brands, because they still support standard USB charging technologies. They will just charge slowly. Without the in-box charger, OPPO smartphones will lose their key advantage over their Android rivals.
Sure, OPPO will make sure you can buy their special VOOC charger in store, and will probably include one as a pre-order or early bird sweetener. But this decision will turn OPPO into yet another Android brand.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Qualcomm just introduced FOUR new mobile SoCs – the Snapdragon 778G Plus, Snapdragon 695, Snapdragon 680 and Snapdragon 480 Plus!
Here is what you need to know about these new 5G and 4G mobile SoCs!
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+, 695, 680, 480+ Mobile SoCs!
On 26 October 2021, Qualcomm Technologies introduced FOUR new mobile SoCs for the high-end, mid-range and entry-level tiers :
Snapdragon 778G Plus 5G,
Snapdragon 695 5G,
Snapdragon 680 4G, and
Snapdragon 480 Plus 5G
Here is what you need to know about these new 5G and 4G mobile SoCs!
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus 5G
This is basically the existing Snapdragon 778G, with slightly higher clock speeds for its Kryo 670 CPU and Adreno 642L GPU cores. Its prime Kryo 670 CPU core, for example, will at 2.5 GHz, instead of 2.4 GHz.
Everything else is the same – it comes with the X53 5G modem and the same Wi-Fi 6E connectivity – just rebranded as Qualcomm FastConnect 6700.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G is a new mobile SoC, featuring a Kryo 660 CPU that clocks at up to 2.2 GHz, with an Adreno 619 GPU.
Qualcomm says it will offer 15% better CPU performance and 30% faster graphics rendering, compared to the Snapdragon 690.
Otherwise, it comes with the same X51 5G modem and FastConnect 6200 Wi-Fi 6 connectivity as the Snapdragon 690.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 is a 4G mobile SoC, built on the 6 nm process technology.
It features a Kryo 265 CPU that clocks at up to 2.4 GHz, and an Adreno 610 GPU. It also comes with the X11 LTE modem and FastConnect 6100 Wi-Fi connectivity, which supports up to 802.11ac.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus 5G
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus introduces 5G connectivity to the entry-level 4-series mobile platform for the first time.
It comes with a Kryo 460 CPU that clocks at up to 2.0 GHz, and the same Adreno 619 GPU as the Snapdragon 695 above.
It also comes with the same X51 5G modem and FastConnect 6200 Wi-Fi 6 connectivity as the Snapdragon 695, but with Bluetooth 5.1, instead of Bluetooth 5.2.
Snapdragon 778G+, 695, 680, 480+ : Availability
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus, Snapdragon 695, Snapdragon 680 and Snapdragon 480 Plus are expected to be available commercially in Q4 2021.
Several smartphone brands have expressed interest in using these new Snapdragon mobile SoCs in their upcoming smartphones, including HMD Global, HONOR, Motorola, OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
vivo is now a top 5 smartphone brand globally in Q2 2021!
Find out what this means for one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in the world!
vivo Is Top 5 Smartphone Brand Globally In Q2 2021!
On 28 July 2021, Canalys announced that vivo ranked fifth in global smartphone shipments, with a market share of 10% in the second quarter of 2021!
Despite the challenging business climate brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, vivo actually increased their smartphone shipments 27% year-on-year!
Thanks to this strong growth, vivo remains firmly one of the top 5 smartphone brands globally.
How vivo Achieved Its Position As Top 5 Brand
vivo gave us some insights into how they achieved their present-day success as a top 5 smartphone brand globally.
vivo leveraged the local mindset with an understanding of the local culture and management as they steadily expanded globally.
Today, vivo has a global sales network that stretches across more than 50 countries and regions, with over 400 million users worldwide.
vivo also maintained a strong lead in telecommunications technology, applying for over 3,000 5G patents and submitting over 5,000 5G proposals to the telecommunications standard development organisations of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
They have even started research of 6G technology, which is expected to be launched in 2030. They currently have a network of 10 R&D centres in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi’an, Taipei, Tokyo and San Diego.
OPPO just launched their Reno5 smartphone, offering consumers a mid-range 5G and 64 MP camera combo!
Take a look at what the OPPO Reno5 offers, and find out if it’s worth the price!
OPPO Reno5 Smartphone : 5G + 64 MP Camera Combo!
OPPO is introducing the Reno5 as their most affordable 5G smartphone, paired with a 64 MP camera system.
Let’s start with this presentation on the OPPO Reno5.
AMOLED Display
The OPPO Reno5 comes with a 6.4-inch AMOLED display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.
This display has a rather high colour gamut of 135% sRGB, when set to the Vivid mode, with a maximum brightness of 600 nits.
You can toggle between a 60 Hz and 90 Hz refresh rate, and the display has a 180 Hz sampling rate.
Mid-Range Performance
The OPPO Reno5 is powered by the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, which has eight CPU cores :
1 x Kryo 475 Prime (Cortex-A76) core @ 2.4 GHz
1 x Kryo 475 Gold (Cortex-A76) core @ 2.2 GHz
6 x Kryo 475 Silver (Cortex-A55) cores @ 1.8 GHz
They are paired with the Qualcomm Adreno 620 GPU, which is clocked 10% higher than the older Snapdragon 765.
Memory + Storage
The OPPO Reno5 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. The limited storage may be an issue, because it does not support external storage through a microSD card.
Cameras Galore
The OPPO Reno5 has a high-resolution 32 MP front camera, with an f/2.4 aperture. Despite its high resolution, it only supports 1080p video recording, at up to 30 fps.
In the back, it has a quad camera system that consists of :
a 64 MP main camera, with f/1.7 aperture
an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, with f/2.2 aperture
a 2 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture, and
a 2 MP depth sensor, with f/2.4 aperture
The 64 MP main camera can record videos at up to 4K @ 30 fps, or 1080p @ 60 fps.
Beyond that, OPPO is trying to promote their new Dual-View capability, which combines videos from both the front and rear cameras.
5G Connectivity
5G connectivity is a key selling point for the OPPO Reno5, which supports both 5G SA (Standalone) and 5G NSA (Non-Standalone) modes.
However, you are unlikely to be able to actually utilise this capability for quite some time, as the 5G rollout will take years.
Small Fast-Charging Battery
The OPPO Reno5 has a small 2,150 mAh battery, but it supports 65 watt SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging capability.
And yes, it comes with the charger in-box.
OPPO Reno5 : Specifications Compared
Here is our comparison of the key specifications of the Reno5 with its more expensive brother, the Reno5 Pro :
Specifications
Reno5
Reno5 Pro
Model
CPH2145
CPH2201
Display
6.4-inch AMOLED
6.5-inch AMOLED
Resolution
1080 x 2400 pixels
Pixel Density
410 ppi
402 ppi
Colour Gamut
93% DCI-P3
135% sRGB
97% NTSC
100% sRGB
Display
Brightness
430 nits to 600 nits
500 nits to 800 nits
Display
Features
90 Hz refresh rate
180 Hz sampling rate
Protection
None
Operating System
ColorOS 11.1 (Android 11)
Platform
Qualcomm
Snapdragon 765G
MediaTek
Dimensity 1000+
Memory
8 GB
12 GB
Storage Options
128 GB
256 GB
External Storage
None
Front Camera
32 MP (f/2.4)
Rear Cameras
64 MP (f/1.7) main camera
8 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera
2 MP (f/2.4) macro camera
2 MP (f/2.4) depth sensor
Connectivity
5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : WiFi-5
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : WiFi-6
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
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OPPO just unveiled 125W Flash Charge and 65W AirVOOC – the fastest battery charging technologies in the world!
Find out if these new OPPO flash charging technologies are really useful, or just vapourware!
OPPO 125W Flash Charge | 65W AirVOOC : A Quick Primer
OPPO 125W Flash Charge is a wired fast-charging technology, that is built around a Double 6C cell battery, with multiple tab winding technology, and three parallel charge pumps.
This allows it to recharge a 4,000 mAh battery to 41% in 5 minutes, and to full capacity in just 20 minutes! Crazy fast!
OPPO 65W AirVOOC, on the other hand, is their improved wireless fast charging technology that will deliver the same performance as wired 65W SuperVOOC fast charging.
By using parallel dual charging coils, it can fully recharge a 4,000 mAh battery in just 30 minutes! Crazy fast for wireless charging!
First, we have to point out that these are, as far as we know, still prototypes that may or may not make it to the market.
After all, OPPO announced their 120W Super FlashCharge last year, and nothing come of it. No phone launched with 120W flash charging capability, not even from OPPO.
So will OPPO introduce 125W flash charging or 65W AirVOOC? Unlikely anytime soon.
For one thing, they are brand new, only in prototype stage, and would be prohibitively expensive to add to any smartphone.
Smartphone manufacturers, whether OPPO or another brand, will need to test and certify the safety of these new battery charging technologies.
On top of that, they have to consider the cost. Apple and Samsung are reputedly considering removing bundled chargers to reduce cost.
Will any smartphone brand be willing to allocate a bigger cost budget for 125W Flash Charge or 65W AirVOOC capability? We doubt it…
OPPO 125W Flash Charge | 65W AirVOOC : Useful?
The OPPO 125W Flash Charge and 65W AirVOOC technologies are incredibly impressive, from a technical perspective.
We would personally love it if all smartphones come with it. However, will consumers pay top dollar for a particular smartphone just because it has 125W Flash Charge or 65W AirVOOC capability?
We doubt it. After all, how often do you really need to recharge your smartphone?
Smartphones now have much larger batteries, and the industry has made great strides in reducing power consumption. Most smartphones can now easily last 10-12 hours on a single charge, with heavy use :
At most, you will need to recharge your smartphone at the end of your work day, and that takes what – just 60 to 90 minutes with a regular fast charger?
So, in our humble opinion, the 125W OPPO Flash Charge is nothing more than a technology showcase that will unlikely be introduced in any smartphone anytime soon.
What We Are Rooting For : 65W AirVOOC!
The OPPO 65W AirVOOC technology, on the other hand, has the potential to be a real game changer. Wireless charging is the future.
That said, its current implementation, which requires two Peltier heat pumps to keep cool, is not practical, and highly inefficient.
But if OPPO can improve it to the point it only requires a fan to keep cool, or better still – passive cooling, everyone will want to implement 65W AirVOOC!
So we are rooting for OPPO to continue improving AirVOOC, particularly their work on single coil wireless flash charging, which should reduce thermal output.
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Let’s start with the official tech briefing on the two new fast charging technologies.
OPPO 125W Flash Charge (Wired)
The new OPPO 125W wired flash charging technology is built around a Double 6C cell battery, with multiple tab winding technology – allowing for a much higher input current of 12.5 A.
The new battery charging technology also uses three parallel charge pumps, which converts the charger input of 20V @ 6.25A into 10V @ 12.5A, with a 98% conversion efficiency.
To ensure the battery charges safely, OPPO added 10 new temperature sensors, to make sure the phone temperature do not exceed 40°C.
At 125W full power, it will recharge a 4,000 mAh battery to 41% in 5 minutes, and to full capacity in just 20 minutes.
However, this is a prototype technology, which will not soon make it into any phone.
OPPO 65W AirVOOC (Wireless)
OPPO claims that the 65W AirVOOC will deliver the same charging performance as 65W SuperVOOC, thanks to parallel dual charging coils with an 88% charging efficiency.
This allows it to fully recharge a 4,000 mAh battery in just 30 minutes! Crazy fast for wireless charging!
To ensure that the phone temperature does not exceed 40°C, the AirVOOC wireless charger uses two thermoelectric coolers (Peltier heat pumps) to whisk the heat away from the charging phone.
However, anyone who has ever used a Peltier can tell you that it gets very hot on the other side!
While OPPO claims an 88% transmission and receiving efficiency, the power required for thermoelectric cooling will greatly reduce AirVOOC’s power efficiency.
Two OPPO GaN Fast Chargers
OPPO also announced two fast chargers that use GaN technology to greatly reduce their sizes.
This is the OPPO 50W mini SuperVOOC charger, which is about the size of a business card, and weighs just 60 grams.
And this is the OPPO 110W mini flash charger, which offers 110W of pulse charging in a charge the size of a regular 18W fast charger.
First, we have to point out that these are, as far as we know, still prototypes that may or may not make it to the market.
After all, OPPO announced their 120W Super FlashCharge last year, and nothing come of it. No phone launched with 120W flash charging capability, not even from OPPO.
So will OPPO introduce 125W flash charging or 65W AirVOOC? Unlikely anytime soon.
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MediaTek was caught cheating at smartphone benchmarks, in a stunning expose by Andrei Frumusanu from Anandtech.
Here is what you need to know about the MediaTek benchmark cheating scandal, and what it means to you – the user!
Updated 2020-04-17 : Added UL’s delisting of MediaTek chipsets, and their comments on MediaTek’s actions.
Originally posted 2020-04-09
Benchmark Cheating : What Is It?
The smartphone industry is a cut-throat business, with brands fighting to differentiate their smartphones from their competitors. One of the ways is to demonstrate a clear performance advantage.
Other than the usual ways – using more powerful processor and graphics cores – brands can tune their operating system to focus more on performance, at the expense of battery life.
Some though want to have the best of both worlds – the ability to brag about both high performance, as well as a long battery life.
To do that, unscrupulous brands can cheat by boosting performance only when a benchmark is run. But because this high performance mode doesn’t kick in when other apps are being used, this tricks reviewers into proclaiming that the particular device has great performance as well as great battery life.
Mediatek : Who Are They?
MediaTek is one of the main suppliers of mobile SoCs – the “processors” that power smartphones, tablets and even smart TVs.
They compete against Qualcomm, as a third-party supplier of these system-on-chip platforms to smartphone brands like OPPO, Vivo, and many smaller smartphone brands.
MediaTek Benchmark Cheating : What Did They Do?
According to Anandtech, MediaTek programmed their mobile SoCs to identify many benchmarks, and artificially boost performance, when those benchmarks run.
Hidden in the power_whitelist_cfg.xml configuration file were parameters designed to kick MediaTek-powered smartphones into a special high performance Sports Mode, when benchmarks were detected :
Credit : Anandtech
MediaTek Benchmark Cheating : How Much Of An Effect
Using an anonymised version of PCMark, Anandtech discovered that the cheat increased performance by 33% overall, with up to 75% boost in certain subtests like writing workload :
Work 2.0
MediaTek P95
(Real Performance)
MediaTek P95
(Sports Mode)
Difference
Performance Score
(Average)
6781
9048
+33.4%
Web Browsing
5484
9011
+64.3%
Video Editing
5306
5950
+12.1%
Writing
5734
10034
+75.0%
Photo Editing
14896
18804
+26.2%
Data Manipulation
5767
5995
+4.0%
MediaTek Benchmark Cheating : What Devices Are Affected?
Anandtech only checked a number of devices, but it looks like pretty much every MediaTek-powered smartphone manufactured in the last few years is affected, even the Sony XA1 from 2016!
Brand
OPPO
OPPO
OPPO
OPPO
Vivo
Xiaomi
Realme
iVoomi
Sony
Device
Reno3 Pro
Reno Z
F15
F9 Pro
S1
Note 8 Pro
C3
i2 Lite
XA1
MediaTek SoC
P95
P90
P70
P60
P65
G90
G70
A22
P20
AndroBench2
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
PCMark
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
AnTuTu
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
GeekBench
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Quadrant
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Quadrant Professional
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
鲁大师 / Master Lu
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
鲁大师 / AIMark
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
AI Benchmark (ZTH)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
NeuralScope Benchmark
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
GFXBench 4 Corporate
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
MediaTek Response To Cheating Claims
After Anandtech contacted them, MediaTek issued this statement “explaining” their decision to selectively boost performance for benchmarks :
MediaTek follows accepted industry standards and is confident that benchmarking tests accurately represent the capabilities of our chipsets. We work closely with global device makers when it comes to testing and benchmarking devices powered by our chipsets, but ultimately brands have the flexibility to configure their own devices as they see fit. Many companies design devices to run on the highest possible performance levels when benchmarking tests are running in order to show the full capabilities of the chipset. This reveals what the upper end of performance capabilities are on any given chipset.
Of course, in real world scenarios there are a multitude of factors that will determine how chipsets perform. MediaTek’s chipsets are designed to optimize power and performance to provide the best user experience possible while maximizing battery life. If someone is running a compute-intensive program like a demanding game, the chipset will intelligently adapt to computing patterns to deliver sustained performance. This means that a user will see different levels of performance from different apps as the chipset dynamically manages the CPU, GPU and memory resources according to the power and performance that is required for a great user experience. Additionally, some brands have different types of modes turned on in different regions so device performance can vary based on regional market requirements.
We believe that showcasing the full capabilities of a chipset in benchmarking tests is in line with the practices of other companies and gives consumers an accurate picture of device performance.
UL Delists Eight MediaTek Chipsets
On 15 April 2020, UL temporarily delisted PCMark for Android scores for eight MediaTek chipsets.
MediaTek Helio G90
MediaTek Helio G70
MediaTek Helio P95
MediaTek Helio P90
MediaTek Helio P65
MediaTek Helio P60
MediaTek Helio P20
MediaTek Helio A22
This affected more than 50 smartphones from 25 smartphone brands, including the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, Oppo Reno3 Pro, Vivo Y19, and Realme 6.
UL also called out MediaTek for claiming that they were following “industry standards”, saying :
Using hidden mechanisms to detect benchmarking apps by name and make app-specific performance optimizations is not an “accepted industry standard.” It is, in fact, the very opposite of the accepted standard.
Likewise, benchmark scores based on hidden app-specific optimizations and settings that are enabled by default and not available to the user do not accurately reflect a device’s true performance in everyday use.
Simply put, a device must run a benchmark as if it was any other application. Performance gains must come from reacting to the nature of the workloads in the test rather than the name of the app itself.
MediaTek Benchmark Cheating : Conclusion
MediaTek was caught RED HANDED in the act of cheating at benchmarks. There are no two ways about it.
Their “explanation” that their chipsets are designed to “intelligently adapt to computing pattern” is just a lame excuse.
It cannot explain how their P95 processor delivered much poorer performance on an anonymised PCMark benchmark.
This is backed up by details in the configuration files that explicitly show them triggering a special Sports Mode for benchmarks.
Now, this does not change the performance of your MediaTek-powered smartphones. It just means that their benchmark scores were artificially inflated.
Short of an outright apology and a public promise never to do this again, all benchmark scores of MediaTek-powered smartphones should be considered suspect, and not to be trusted.
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If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
OPPO is cashing in on the debut of Avengers: Endgame, by releasing a co-branded OPPO F11 Pro Avengers Edition at the same price as the regular F11 Pro.
Find out what’s the difference between the Avengers model, and the regular F11 Pro, and you will see why those who bought their F11 Pro earlier are regretting their decision!
The OPPO F11 Pro Avengers Smartphone
The OPPO F11 Pro AvengersEdition (Price Check) is pretty much the same device as the original OPPO F11 Pro.
It boasts the same 48 MP rear camera with a bright f/1.79 aperture that should work great in low-light conditions. It also has the same front rising camera with a 16 MP sensor.
In fact, nothing internally changes in the Avengers Edition, right down to its 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage capacity.
The Avengers Edition also boasts the same photography technologies like Ultra Night Mode and Dazzle Colour Mode. They leverage AI and multi-frame noise reduction technologies to reduce noise, stabilise handheld movements, suppress highlights and enhance dynamic range.
The Avengers Edition (Price Check) also runs on the MediaTek Helio P70 mobile SoC, and is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery. It supports the VOOC 3.0 flash charging technology that shortens charging time by a further 20 minutes.
OPPO also introduced Hyper Boost, their version of HUAWEI’s GPU Turbo. It basically optimises system resources for a faster game response with no disconnections or dropped frames… for about 11 mobile games.
So What’s Different?
The only real difference between this model, and the original F11 Pro is the Avengers-themed back cover, and these Avengers collateral :
Avengers bumper case
Avengers box, certificate + badge
OPPO F11 Pro Avengers Price + Availability
The AvengersEdition (Price Check) comes in the new Space Blue colour, and will be available only in these countries :
Thailand
Indonesia
Malaysia
Cambodia
The Philiippines
Vietnam
Pakistan
Myanmar
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
Nepal
Egypt
Morocco
Kenya
Nigeria
India
It is available for pre-order starting today, 24 April until 3 May 2019, at the same price of RM 1,399 / ~US$ 344 / £261. Here are some direct links :
The Avengers Edition is obviously a far better deal than the original OPPO F11 Pro, a fact that is sure to rile those who purchased their units earlier.
Perhaps they can borrow the Infinity Stones and change their original F11 Pro into the Avengers Edition…
But if you have not yet purchased your F11 Pro, well, this is a really nice deal. Plus you get to gloat over the fact you got the better deal than those who bought theirs earlier!
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A Scottish bloke just found out the hard way why it’s a bad… VERY BAD IDEA to take dick pics using the newfangled rising camera that goes up and down like… his own dick.
WORST. IDEA. EVER.
A Bloody Emergency!
A horny Scottish gentleman was recently admitted to the Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, complaining that his “Johnny’s got cut!“, and spewing blood out the front of his pants.
Doctors quickly determined that a rectangular piece of his male pride was neatly cut out. They successfully sewed up the wound, but the poor bloke now has to live with a permanent downward bent in his junk!
C’est la vie! Or as they say in Scotland – Is e a bheatha!
The doctors were perplexed and greatly intrigued by the wound. It was a small but perfectly rectangular. What on Earth (or in the Milky Way) could cause such a wound?
Was it the results of some misadventure in self-gratification? Or a misunderstanding with a lass?
A Rising Camera Clipped His Junk!
With the help of a healthy dose of scopolamine and half a bottle of Macallan, they got to the bottom of it.
The poor bloke had just purchased one of those newfangled smartphones with a rising camera. He loved how the rising camera would go up and down on command, “like his own Johnny”.
After a hot and heavy evening of chatting with a lady he fancied, interspersed with Scotch shots, he decided to prove his virility by taking and sending her a few dick pics.
He could not remember what happened, but the next thing he knew, he was screaming in great pain with blood spurting everywhere!
One of the doctors passed him his phone and asked him to show them how the rising camera worked (seriously???).. and lo behold, when the rising camera slid up, out popped a piece of the Scottish lad…
The Rising Camera Is NOT For Dick Pics
Me dear laddies, it be true that the Scottish Highlands are cold and lonely, without a lass in sight and only sheep to keep the nights warm.
So we geddit when you have the urge to connect with a lass of the humanoid persuasion, But don’t be a dick and take those dick pics with a rising camera!
LOOK at how much painkillers they have to give him!!!
Yes, it may go up and down like your dick, but SERIOUSLY, it is still a self-respecting selfie camera and deserves to be treated with the appropriate respect.
So… DON’T BE A DICK and TAKE DICK PICS with your smartphone…especially if it has a rising camera!
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OPPO launches are more like concerts than actual tech launches. With the OPPO F11 Pro, they brought in Eric Chou and Fattah Amin for a mini-concert!
Check out the complete OPPO F11 Pro launch, as well as the mini-concert by Eric Chou and Fattah Amin!
The OPPO F11 Pro Smartphone
The OPPO F11 Pro (Price Check) shifts the emphasis from selfie photography to portrait photography. It boasts a 48 MP rear camera with a bright f/1.79 aperture that should work great in low-light conditions.
It even supports the Tetracell technology, which basically combines four pixels for greater light sensitivity in very low-light conditions. The resulting picture will have a lower 12 MP resolution but it will capture 4X more light!
The OPPO F11 Pro (Price Check) also boasts other photography technologies like Ultra Night Mode and Dazzle Colour Mode. They leverage AI and multi-frame noise reduction technologies to reduce noise, stabilise handheld movements, suppress highlights and enhance dynamic range.
The OPPO F11 Pro (Price Check) runs on the MediaTek Helio P70 mobile SoC, and is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery. It supports the VOOC 3.0 flash charging technology that shortens charging time by a further 20 minutes.
OPPO also introduced Hyper Boost, their version of HUAWEI’s GPU Turbo. It basically optimises system resources for a faster game response with no disconnections or dropped frames… for about 11 mobile games.
OPPO F11 Pro Price + Availability
The OPPO F11 Pro (Price Check) comes in two colour options – Thunder Black with three colour gradients, and Aurora Green with two colour gradients.
It is available for pre-order from now until 29 March, 2019. Retail and online sales kick off on 30 March 2019, at a launch price of RM 1,399 / ~US$ 344 / £261. Here are some direct links :
OPPO launches are often designed to dazzle attendees with so much star power, you may even forget what product was being launched! But hey – we all love a good time, and OPPO loves to throw a party!
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The OPPO R17 Pro is only the third smartphone to feature a dual aperture camera, after the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note9. But is that all that is unique about it?
In our comprehensive review, we will take a close look at the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) , and show you why we gave it our Reviewer’s Choice Award!
Updated @ 2019-01-22 : Added a new Corning Gorilla Glass 6 section and new information in other sections. Also added two new battery recharging speed comparisons.
Originally posted @ 2019-01-05
New Design, New Focus
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) is quite unlike previous OPPO smartphones. Instead of focusing on its selfie capabilities, it now focuses on its rear camera, boasting a new dual-aperture main camera paired with a secondary telephoto camera.
It also features a very premium design, with a large waterdrop display with as well as a new 3D misted glass design for its chassis. OPPO even opted to embed the fingerprint sensor into the display!
OPPO R17 Pro Price + Availability
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has a recommended retail price of RM 2,699 / ~US$ 643 / ~£499. It was made available for purchase on 1 December 2018.
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The OPPO R17 Pro Up Close!
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has a large 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.
But thanks to its thin bezels, and water drop notch, it is not a particularly large device.
It is protected by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 6, and has a 3D misted glass back with a beautiful colour gradient.
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 platform using Android 8.1.0. It comes with a whopping 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, and 128 GB of internal flash memory.
All that is powered by a large 3,700 mAh battery, in a chassis that is only 7.9 mm thick, and weighs just 183 grams.
OPPO R17 Pro Specifications
Specifications
OPPO R17 Pro
Display
6.4-inch AMOLED display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (402 ppi)
- 91.5% display-to-body ratio
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Operating System
Android 8.1.0 with ColorOS 5.2
Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 710
Processor
2 x Qualcomm Kryo 360 Gold cores (2.2 GHz)
6 x Qualcomm Kryo 360 Silver cores (1.7 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 616
Memory
8 GB LPDDR4x memory
Storage
128 GB internal flash storage
No microSD card slot
Front Camera
25 MP Sony IMX576 sensor with f/2.0 lens
Rear Cameras
Dual Aperture Camera
- 12 MP Sony IMX362 sensor with f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures
- Optically stabilised (OIS) with dual-tone LED flash
Telephoto Camera
- 20 MP sensor with f/2.6 lens
ToF Camera
- 43,200 pixel sensor with LED NIR pulsed emitter
Connectivity
4G : LTE
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (dual band)
Bluetooth 5.0
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
SIM Support
2 x nano SIM cards
Dual SIM, Dual Standby capable
NFC Capability
Yes
OTG Capability
Yes
Fingerprint Sensor
Built Into Display
Other Sensors
E-Compass, Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, G Sensor
Battery
3700 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery
- supports 50 W SuperVOOC fast charging
Dimensions
74.6 mm wide
157.6 mm tall
7.9 mm thick
Weight
183 grams
Colour Options
Radiant Mist / Emerald Green
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How To Setup The OPPO R17 Pro
Here’s a quick guide on how to setup the OPPO R17 Pro smartphone :
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Waterdrop Notch + Thin Bezels
Like many top-of-the-line Android smartphones trying to one-up Apple’s notched design, the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) features a small “waterdrop notch“.
Also known as a raindrop or dewdrop notch, it gives you a much larger notification area on both sides.
Together with the thin bezels, the waterdrop notch allows the OPPO R17 Pro to deliver an astounding 91.5% screen-to-body ratio. This maximises the display size without increasing the size of the device.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 710
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) runs on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, which is a 10 nm mobile SoC. it has eight Kryo 360 cores with an Adreno 616 GPU, a Spectra 250 ISP, a Hexagon 685 DSP and the X16 LTE modem.
It has a 2+6 cluster architecture with two high-performance Kryo 360 Gold cores (based on the ARM Cortex-A75) running at 2.2 GHz, and six Kryo 360 Silver cores (based on the ARM Cortex-A55) running at 1.7 GHz for less intensive tasks.
The Snapdragon 710 offers 20% better CPU performance and 35% better GPU performance than the Snapdragon 660, with 30% lower power consumption. It also has twice the AI performance!
Large Storage But No Expansion Option
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) comes with a large 128 GB storage capacity, but there is no expansion option. It only has a single tray for two nano SIM cards.
Although 128 GB should be more than enough for most users, it would have been nice if OPPO had made it a hybrid SIM slot instead. This would have given those who don’t need a second SIM slot, the option of using it for a microSD card.
The microSD card is also useful for another reason. The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) is not water-resistant, so storing your recorded photos and videos on the microSD card protects them, in case you accidentally drop your phone into water… or let a car run over it.
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In-Display Fingerprint Sensor
Fascinatingly, the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor. This gives you the convenience of a front fingerprint sensor with a large display.
It’s surprisingly quite accurate and fast to use. But in case you need more login options, you can use a passcode and/or facial recognition.
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The OPPO R17 Pro Front Camera
The R17 Pro (MY | US) continues OPPO’s tradition of high-resolution selfie cameras. It boasts a 25 MP front camera built around the Sony IMX576 sensor, and a bright f/2.0 lens.
The f/2.0 lens allows for better low-light performance, which is important since the R17 Pro does not have a front LED flash. It also supports real-time HDR, which will greatly increase the dynamic range of your selfies.
This 25 MP front camera takes photos with a resolution of 5760 x 4312 pixels, and a 4:3 aspect ratio. But despite its very high resolution, the front camera is limited to recording 1080p videos.
Three Cameras? Or Two?
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has what appears to be three cameras at the back. Yet OPPO only mentioned two cameras, so what’s the deal with the third camera? Let’s break it down for you…
Dual Aperture Main Camera
The main camera is a dual aperture camera that is eerily similar to that to Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note9 smartphones. Built around the 12 MP Sony IMX362 sensor, it automatically switches its aperture between f/1.5 and f/2.4 depending on the lighting condition.
This allows for better pictures in low-light conditions, while allowing for greater depth of field in bright conditions. We will share some photo samples with you later, but you can also check out the amazing photos we took in Sydney and the Blue Mountains!
The Sony IMX362 is also a Dual Pixel sensor, which is an autofocus technology that uses the dual photodiodes in every pixel on the image sensor for phase-detection autofocus. This allows for faster and more accurate focusing, because it uses many more autofocus pixels, instead of just a few dedicated pixels (usually less than 5% of the total).
The main camera also supports 3-axis optical image stabilisation, which compensates for hand shake in three dimensions.
2X Telephoto Camera
Like the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note9, the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has a 2X telephoto camera with f/2.6 lens. However, instead of using the same 12 MP sensor as the main camera, they opted for a higher resolution 20 MP sensor.
Here are some comparisons to show you the utility of the telephoto camera :
Time-of-Flight Camera
The third camera is a ToF (Time-of-Flight) camera.
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Paired with an LED emitter that sends out pulses of invisible near infra-red light, its sensor captures the reflected light to create a 3D map of objects and their distances.
Its 43,200 pixel sensor does not allow for very detailed 3D profiles, and from what we understand, the system is limited to a range of about 3 meters.
So its utility is probably limited. Perhaps why OPPO did not mention it in their website at all.
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3D Misted Glass Design
The OPPO R17 Pro‘s case has an etched surfaced that OPPO calls 3D misted glass. It has a satin-like feel that is resistant to fingerprint smears.
The Radiant Mist case, in particular, is really a sight to behold, with its beautiful blend of blue and purple hues.
The satin-like surface will feel a little slippery, but that’s not going to be a problem if you use its bundled bumper case. We love how the bumper case is coloured, and actually complements the hues.
Corning Gorilla Glass 6
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) is not just beautiful, it’s also very tough. In fact, OPPO claims that itis the first smartphone in the world to be protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6!
According to Corning, this 6th-generation Gorilla Glass is up to twice as tough as Gorilla Glass 5. It can tolerate 15 consecutive impacts on a rough surface from a height of 1 meter without breaking!
SuperVOOC Battery
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The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has, not one, but two batteries – each with a maximum capacity of 1850 mAh. This gives it a total of 3,700 mAh (14.24 Wh).
This bi-cell battery design is necessary to support SuperVOOC fast charging. The special 50 Watt SuperVOOC charger and cable it comes with, will recharge its battery about 10X faster than an ordinary USB charger.
In fact, OPPO says that a 10 minute charge will bring the battery from 0% to 40%. We will put it to the test later in this review…
Ergonomics
Despite its slightly larger 6.4-inch display, the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) is physically smaller than the Samsung Galaxy Note9! Of course, one may argue that it’s not a true 6.4-inch display due to its display notch… even though it is a small waterdrop notch.
Its curved edges make it a better fit in the hand, and the back surface has a silky-smooth feel. But as advertised, it is resistant to fingerprint smears.
The AMOLED display is really brilliant. The colours are more vivid, and it is brighter under sunlight, than typical LCD displays. The FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels though is a non-standard 19.5:9 display ratio that will result in some pillarboxing when you watch movies.
Available Memory & Storage
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) does not allow monitoring of the available system memory, but this workaround showed that with a clean system, it has 5.46 GB of free memory.
This is just over 68% of its 8 GB memory, and is more than enough to run several memory-guzzling apps at the same time. However, it does point to a considerable amount of bloat.
There is also A LOT of storage space for you to use, because you can’t just pop in a microSD card for extra storage. The OPPO R17 Pro comes with 128 GB of internal flash storage, with about 105 GB of free space.
That is enough space to store about 28,000 photos, 23 hours of 1080p videos, or 4.5 hours of 4K videos.
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OPPO R17 Pro Camera Performance – Photos
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has a main 12 MP camera that automatically switches between the f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures.
The maximum 12 MP resolution is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio, with 4032 x 3024 pixels, and a file size of between 3.5 MB and 5 MB.
Here are eight full-resolution unedited samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos, which you can also download to examine.
The resolution and detail of the OPPO R17 Pro‘s main 12 MP camera is really amazing. Download the original photos and expand them to see how much detail it captured.
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Like the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note9, it was especially good at night or low-light shots, capturing details in the shadows that is just not possible with other smartphone cameras.
But watch out when it switches to the f/1.5 aperture. It makes for great low-light performance, but it naturally creates a very narrow depth of field. You must be careful in framing the shot, or focusing on the subject, or it may end up out-of-focus.
You can take advantage of the wider f/1.5 aperture in manual mode too, to create a nicer bokeh effect for portraits.
Its ToF camera seems to be used as a depth sensor, to help the main camera separate the subject from the background. This allows it to apply a software bokeh effect to the background in the Portrait mode.
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OPPO R17 Pro Camera Performance – Video Recording
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) can record not just 1080p videos, but also 4K videos. Surprisingly, its front camera can only record 1080p videos even though it has a much higher-resolution sensor.
Video Recording Test #1 : Piano Performance (1080p)
In this video, watch carefully when we switch between the main camera and the telephoto camera, and back. You will see that while the main camera is stabilised, the telephoto camera is not.
The audio range is surprisingly rich and balanced. However, it has rather poor noise cancellation capabilities, which means you will record a lot of background noise.
Video Recording Test #2 : Piano Performance (4K)
When we switched to 4K, we immediately noticed a drop in the main camera’s stabilisation capabilities. It is still optically stabilised but no longer electronically stabilised. Basically, it performs just like the telephoto camera.
Video Recording Test #3 : Xmas Carnival (1080p)
This 1080p video recording shows the effectiveness of the main camera’s OIS and EIS capabilities. While rather impressive, it could do with a little fine-tuning.
You may note some jerkiness when we pan the R17 Pro. It means the EIS has been overly optimised for static shots. It needs to be “loosen” for better stabilisation while walking.
Video Recording Test #4 : Xmas Carnival (4K)
When you record in 4K, there is basically no electronic image stabilisation. You can literally feel every step we took.
But note too how much detail it captures, and how well it adjusts to changing lighting conditions.
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Video Recording Test #5 : Street Market (1080p)
Again, this shows just how stable the video is at 1080p. But note the presence of wind noise. OPPO should look at adding wind reduction capabilities to the R17 Pro.
Video Recording Test #6 : Street Market (4K)
Because the flooring is not entirely flat in the street market, this video will show you just how much of a difference EIS makes in a video recording.
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the OPPO R17 Pro’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 is impressively fast. It was just 12% slower than the Honor Play‘s Kirin 970, and 15% faster than the Exynos 9810 used in the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Gaming Performance – 3DMark
Next, we tested the OPPO R17 Pro’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 performed as well as the Exynos 7885 used in the Samsung Galaxy A7 2018. This means it is about 40-50% as fast as flagship SoCs in 3D games.
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the OPPO R17 Pro’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) did very well in this test, delivering almost 12 hours of battery life!
That is about 2 hours (20%) longer than the Honor Play, which has a similarly-sized battery.
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Battery Recharging Performance
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) comes with a 50 watt SuperVOOC power adaptor and cable. But while you can use any other USB Type C cable, it is important that you use the special SuperVOOC cable.
With an ordinary USB Type C cable, it took us 199 minutes (3 hours, 19 minutes) to fully recharge the R17 Pro. That means it charges roughly as fast as a 5 watt USB charger…
With the bundled SuperVOOC cable, it only took us less than 33 minutes to fully recharge the R17 Pro! Amazing!
SuperVOOC is roughly 3X faster than fast chargers used in other smartphones. For example, it took the Honor Play92 minutes to fully recharge its similarly-sized battery using an 18 watt fast charger.
This gives the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) an incredible battery life : recharging ratio of 21.5 : 1. A rule of thumb – for one hour of battery life, you just need to charge it for 3 minutes!
The downside though is that if you forget to bring the SuperVOOC cable, the R17 Pro will recharge half as fast as other smartphones.
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Our Verdict + Award
After the gimmicky OPPO Find X, we were pleasantly surprised by the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US). It may not run on a flagship-class processor, but it is definitely a much better device.
Like the Find X, the R17 Pro has a large and beautiful 6.4-inch AMOLED display, albeit with a waterdrop notch. On the plus side, it has better Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) is their first smartphone to feature a dual-aperture camera. That is far more useful and practical than the pointless sliding camera in their Find X flagship device.
It takes great photos, automatically switches its aperture to deliver the best photos for the lighting condition. We sure are glad we took it on our trip to Sydney and the Blue Mountains!
It also takes great 1080p videos, with the the ability to switch between the main and telephoto cameras. However, it’s a pity that 4K videos, and videos recorded by the telephoto camera, are not stabilised.
The new in-display fingerprint sensor may seem to be a gimmick, but it’s not. It’s surprisingly quite accurate and fast, and is practical to use.
We LOVE its SuperVOOC flash charging capability. It only takes just 33 minutes to recharge the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) from 20% to 100%. But if you forget to bring the SuperVOOC cable, it will take 6X longer to recharge, making it twice as slow as other smartphones…
We also need to point out the lack of a microSD card slot. Sure, the R17 Pro has a large storage capacity, but we would like the option to add storage, or keep our photos and videos on a microSD card.
That said, the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) offers a great combination of leading-edge features in a beautiful package, and an attractive price point. It certainly did well enough to earn our Reviewer’s Choice Award. Great job!
Where To Buy The OPPO R17 Pro?
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has a recommended retail price of RM 2,699 / ~US$ 643 / ~£499. It was made available for purchase on 1 December 2018.
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The main rear camera is a 12 MP Sony IMX362 shooter with dual-aperture – f/1.5 and f/2.4 – exactly like the dual-aperture camera of the Samsung Galaxy Note9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones.
Its secondary rear camera though is a higher resolution 20 MP telephoto camera with f/2.6 aperture.
In addition to the hardware, the R17 Pro also features the OPPO AI Ultra-Clear Engine, which automatically optimises the captured image to deliver the best possible output.
How We Tested In Sydney + The Blue Mountains
While many Instagrammers and social media influencers touch up their photos to create more stunning posts, we wanted to show you the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) can deliver without editing or filters.
This is important because a good graphics editor can turn even a terrible picture into a work of art. But how many of us are good at editing photos, or even have the time to do it?
So we intentionally used the OPPO R17 Pro the way most users would – with automatic settings, and no artificial lighting or setup. This would also let us evaluate just how effective the AI Ultra-Clear Engine is in delivering a great final output.
Sydney Central Railway Station
The Sydney Central Railway Station is the largest train station in the state of New South Wales, and is a heritage building.
The OPPO R17 Pro’s mechanical aperture will automatically switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4, depending on the lighting condition. This allows to adapt to changing ambient light. ensuring better low-light pictures while ensuring highlights are not blown out in bright conditions.
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Three Sisters + Jamison Valley
The Three Sisters are a famous rock formation in the Blue Mountains, right next to the town of Katoomba.
The three rocks, known individually as Meehni (922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo (906 m), tower over the lush Jamison Valley.
We took these pictures with the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) at around sunset.
Katoomba Cascades
The Katoomba Cascades is a small segmented waterfall that feeds into the main Katoomba Falls waterfall. It’s a great place for a picnic and pictures (because it’s relatively safe to climb).
Scenic Railway
The Scenic Railway is the most exciting ride in Scenic World, the main tourist attraction in the Blue Mountains.
We took two videos of the Scenic Railway with the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) to test its 4K UHD video recording capability. Check them out :
At Scenic World, you also get to check out the Three Sisters and Jamison Valley, from the east. The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) delivered really great results in this picture.
Even though it was really bright, it automatically stopped down to the f/2.4 aperture, eliminating glare and giving it greater depth of field. Look at how rich the colours are.
Incidentally, the Blue Mountains isn’t really blue in colour. It got its name from the blue haze that is created from sunlight reflecting off dust, water vapour and the oils from the eucalyptus trees that blanket the area.
For all cruises and cross-harbour ferries, the Sydney Circular Quay is where most of the action is.
Fast ferries to Parramatta and Manly, as well as the various wharfs in the area, provide an affordable and scenic way to enjoy Sydney.
It is also close to The Rocks and other tourist attractions, including the Customs House and Darling Harbour.
Sydney By Ferry
Catching the many Sydney ferries is an AWESOME and highly affordable way to take in the sights. Here are some great views from the Taronga Zoo.
The ferries also stop at Luna Park, to the north of Sydney Harbour.
The Sydney Cross-Harbour Ferry, in particular, will bring you under the Harbour Bridge…
And past the famous Sydney Opera House!
The ferries are rather unstable platforms because they go really fast, but this was not a problem for the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US), as the pictures show. That’s because both of its rear cameras are optically-stabilised.
Darling Harbour
The nearby Darling Harbour is also a great place to visit.
The ICC Sydney (International Convention Centre) is just unique for its architecture, there are also some interesting buskers showing off their skills along the harbour side and nearby park.
Exploring the Sydney Central Business District (CBD) is extremely easy using train. Then all you need to do is wander around on foot.
The most popular stations are Central, which is located close to Chinatown and Paddy’s Market, or Circular Quay, near many tourist attractions like the Harbour Bridge and The Rocks.
Just behind the Circular Quay, you will find the Sydney Customs House, and the Sydney Gateway Plaza.
Sydney boasts a mix of fresh bold architecture and grand old Victorian architecture.
Only in Australia will you find the LGBT flag flying high on top of a town hall, with a Christmas tree right underneath it. We present to you – the Sydney Town Hall!
Thanks to the magic of perspective, the Sydney Tower Eye appears shorter than we expected…
No trip to Sydney is complete without a stop in Chinatown, and Paddy’s Market for souvenirs and food!
Even as it gets dark, the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) does not fail to deliver really great pictures. Its camera automatically switches to the wider f/1.5 aperture for more light.
It also helps that OPPO used the excellent Sony IMX362 sensor, which boasts large 1.4 µm pixels and Dual Pixel autofocus capability. This lets it focus faster and take better pictures in low-light conditions.
We especially like the photo above. It is actually a very hard scene for smartphones to handle. But the OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) did a great job of controlling the highlights of the bright background, while bringing out the details of the darker foreground.
A short distance northwest of the Circular Quay is The Rocks, a historic tourist destination at the south end of the Harbour Bridge.
There is a famous weekend market, called The Rocks Market, that usually opens from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
At the end of The Rocks Market is the Dawes Point Park, located right UNDER the Harbour Bridge!
Don’t forget to check out the Create NSW building right next to The Rocks Market. It houses the Museums and Galleries of NSW, The Australian Ballet and the Sydney Art Exchange.
At the end of the Dawes Point Park, you will find the Dawes Point Battery, a heritage artillery fortification. Many boys (at heart) have pretended to shoot at passing boats using the cannons on display here.
Walk down from Dawes Point Battery to Dawes Point (on the left) and the Hickson Road Reserve (on the right), and you will have the opportunity to take some great shots of the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
Where To Buy The OPPO R17 Pro
Impressed with the OPPO R17 Pro’s photographic capabilities? You can grab one for just RM 2,699 / ~US$ 643 / ~£499! Here are some direct purchase links for your convenience :
OPPO invited us to an exclusive showcase of their new F9 Jade Green smartphone, where we got some hands-on time. Here is our hands-on preview of the limited-edition OPPO F9 Jade Green smartphone!
Why Jade Green?
It has become an OPPO trend to introduce a smartphone model with limited colour options, and dribble out additional colours over time.
Just 3 months ago, OPPO introduced the F9 Starry Purple. Now, to kick off 2019, they are introducing the limited-edition OPPO F9 Jade Green.
Why? Because Chinese New Year is right around the corner, and they believe the Jade Green colour would be popular with Chinese users.
According to OPPO, this is a limited edition, with a single production run of a few thousand units.
The OPPO F9 Jade Green Up Close!
At an exclusive OPPO event, we got some hands-on time with the OPPO F9 Jade Green. Here is a video of our hands-on look at the limited-edition Jade Green model.
OPPO F9 Specifications
Specifications
OPPO F9
Display
6.3-inch LTPS display
- 1080 x 2340 pixels (409 ppi)
- 450 nits maximum brightness
Operating System
Android 8.1.0 with ColorOS 5.2
Platform
MediaTek Helio P60
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 cores (2.0 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.0 GHz)
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With a little help from Malaysian singer and actress Min Chen, OPPO launched and showcased their latest smartphone – the OPPO R17 Pro, which features a dual-aperture camera!
Check out the full OPPO R17 Pro launch event, including a live performance and an interview with Min Chen herself!
Updated @ 2018-11-28 :Added details about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710.
Originally posted @ 2018-11-23
The Official OPPO R17 Pro Launch
The OPPO R17 Pro launch event had the tagline “Seize The Night” because its new dual-aperture camera includes a very wide f/1.5 aperture which is great for low-light photography. Check out the official tech briefing by OPPO Product Manager, Ken Ng, at the R17 Pro launch event.
And here is a summary of the OPPO R17 Pro’s key features :
Gradient Colours
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) introduces a new “three colour and bi / quad-direction” gradient design. They added a light-condensing layer to allow light to flow on the surface of the body.
Large Display
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has a large 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, and Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection. Thanks to its raindrop notch, it offers a 91.5% screen-to-body ratio.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 710
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) boasts the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, which is a 10 nm mobile SoC. it has eight Kryo 360 cores with an Adreno 616 GPU, a Spectra 250 ISP, a Hexagon 685 DSP and the X16 LTE modem.
The Snapdragon 710 offers 20% better CPU performance and 35% better GPU performance than the Snapdragon 660, with 30% lower power consumption. It also has twice the AI performance!
Low-Light Photography
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has a 25 MP front camera with a Sony IMX576 sensor and f/2.0 aperture. In the back, it boasts a new dual camera setup, that is similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Note9 and Galaxy S9+.
The main rear camera is a 12 MP Sony IMX362 shooter with dual-aperture – f/1.5 and f/2.4 – exactly like the dual-aperture camera of the Samsung Galaxy Note9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones. Its secondary rear camera though is a higher resolution 20 MP telephoto camera with f/2.6 aperture.
50 Watt SuperVOOC Technology
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) also boasts OPPO’s SuperVOOC technology which allows for fast charging at up to 50 watts using a bi-cell battery design. That allows you to recharge the R17 Pro from 1% to 40% in just 10 minutes!
OPPO R17 Pro Price + Availability
The OPPO R17 Pro (MY | US) has a recommended retail price of RM 2,699 / ~US$ 643 / ~£499.
It will be available for pre-order starting 23 November 2018, with a free Neo Smartband worth RM 389 / ~US$ 93 / ~£72. Delivery and retail sale will take place from 1 December 2018 onwards.
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Last night, OPPO launched the OPPO F9 Starry Purple smartphone in a star-studded affair with Taiwanese superstar Hebe Tien and Malaysian songbird Ayda Jebat. We have no less than eight videos from the event to share with you. Check them out!
OPPO F9 Starry Purple
The OPPO F9 Starry Purple is a new colour option for the F9 which launched in Sunrise Red and Twilight Blue colours. It is the first in the smartphone industry to combine both an optical coating and bead powder to achieve both a gradient colour coat with embedded beads that sparkle like stars in the night sky.
As usual, OPPO relied on celebrities to showcase the allure of the new F9 Starry Purple. This time, it is Taiwanese superstar Hebe Tien, and Malaysian songbird Ayda Jebat who kicked off the party with her own rendition of the David Guetta and Sia song – Titanium.
OPPO F9 Starry Purple Shiseido Limited Edition
Ayda Jebat then showed off her new OPPO F9 Starry Purple promotional video, before revealing the OPPO F9 Starry Purple Shiseido Limited Edition!
This is the official Ayda Jebat promotional video for the OPPO F9 Starry Purple smartphone.
And here is the official unboxing video for the OPPO F9 Starry Purple Shiseido Limited Edition smartphone.
Celebrity makeup artist, Japhet Bong, then showed Ayda Jebat how to make one of her fans glow with the new Shiseido makeup.
OPPO F9 Starry Purple with Hebe Tien
Taiwanese superstar Hebe Tien then came on stage to promote the OPPO F9 Starry Purple, and give some of her fans a chance to win some great prizes!
Later, we even had an interview session with Hebe Tien.
How Much Is The OPPO F9 Starry Purple?
OPPO Malaysia Branding Director, Nikki Chen, revealed that both the OPPO F9 Starry Purple and the OPPO F9 Starry Purple Shiseido Limited Edition will have a recommended retail price of RM 1,399 / ~US$ 349.
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The new OPPO R15 Pro is targeted at the youth market, especially those who are into fashion and style. Read all about the OPPO R15 Pro, and find out if this is t he smartphone for you!
The OPPO R15 Pro
OPPO collaborated with famed designer Karim Rashid to create two trendy colors for OPPO R15 Pro – Cosmic Purple and Ruby Red.
The Cosmic Purple and Ruby Red models were created using an aluminum frame with more transparent glass in new gradient design, allowing light and shadow to play off with the colour to deliver an ethereal feel.
The OPPO R15 Pro boasts a 6.28-inch bezel-less display with a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. The OPPO Super Full Screen is not only a notch display but has enhanced customized standby Multitasking functions and deep system optimizations.
The narrow left and right frames can provide convenient notifications shortcuts to multiple functions and third-party apps. it also supports gestures and full-screen multitasking.
The OPPO R15 features a dual lens camera with 16MP+20MP sensors, and an upgraded AI scenario recognition capability. It is also the first smartphone to adopt the Sony IMX519 sensor, and can now accurately collect 296 feature points of a human face.
The OPPO R15 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, and comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. It also has a 3,430 mAh battery with VOOC Flash Charging capability. In addition, it is now equipped with an NFC chip which allows you to make mobile payments using Android Pay, bank card, or transport card.
OPPO R15 Pro Specifications
Specifications
OPPO R15 Pro
Display
6.28-inch AMOLED display
- 1080 x 2280 pixels
- 401 ppi, 19:9 aspect ratio
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Operating System
Android 8.1 Oreo with ColorOS 5.0
System Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
Processor
4 x Qualcomm Kyro 260 (2.2 GHz)
4 x Qualcomm Kyro 260 (1.8 GHz)
Graphics Processor
Qualcomm Adreno 512
Memory
6 GB LPDDR4 (1866 MHz)
Storage
128 GB internal flash storage
microSD card slot (up to 256 GB, shared with SIM 2)
Front Camera
20 MP sensor with f/2.0 lens
- 1080p video recording
Rear Camera
Dual Lens Camera
- 16 MP sensor with f/1.7 lens
- 20 MP sensor with f/1.7 lens
- 4K @ 30 fps video recording
- 1080p @ up to 120 fps video recording
- 720p @ up to 240 fps video recording
Connectivity
4G : LTE Cat12 (600 Mbps DL, 150 Mbps UL)
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band)
Bluetooth 5.0
USB : microUSB 2.0
The OPPO R15 Pro will be available in the Cosmic Purple or Ruby Red colour options, at the recommended retail price of RM 2,399 / ~US$ 602. Here are some purchase links :
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OPPO always banked on celebrity power to draw attention to their smartphones, and the OPPO F7 launch was no different. This time, they brought on not just local celebrity Neelofa, but also Taiwanese actress and singer (formerly of S.H.E.) Hebe Tien 田馥甄!
Check out the complete OPPO F7 launch event, including the special segments with Neelofa and Hebe!
Introducing The New OPPO F7 Smartphone
The launch event kicked off with a dance routine, before OPPO Branding Director, Nikki Chen, gave her opening presentation.
The OPPO F7 is the latest Selfie Expert smartphone, with improved “Artificial Intelligence” capabilities, and a new 25 MP selfie camera! Here is the full presentation by OPPO Product Specialist, Ray Wong!
25MP X Real-Time HDR Sensor
The OPPO F7 features a high-resolution 25 MP front camera with real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR) sensor. Images taken with the F7 will have a higher range of detail, luminance and colour levels. The user will also have a lot more control over the photos taken with this new selfie camera.
A.I. Beauty 2.0 Technology
The OPPO F7 comes with the second-generation A.I. Beauty 2.0 technology that has more accurate facial recognition, and better beautification effects for gender and age.
It also scans 296 facial recognition points – a 20% improvement, allowing for more precise and accurate facial recognition. Now, a person’s age, gender, skin color and skin type differences can be detected for up to four individual subjects in much greater detail.
Super Full Screen 2.0 with 19:9 Aspect Ratio
The OPPO F7 comes with a 6.2-inch FHD+ display with a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels. This gives it a 19:9 aspect ratio, with a notch incorporating the front camera, brand-new antenna and light sensor.
Industrial Design
The OPPO F7 has a new industrial design to appeal to young users, with three colour options – Solar Red, Moonlight Silver and a special Diamond Black edition.
There is also a 128GB Special Edition model that comes in Sunrise Red and Diamond Black. It uses a unique glass body that shimmers like gemstones, reflecting different colours.
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OPPO F7 Price + Availability
The OPPO F7 is priced at RM 1,399 / ~US$ 359, with first availability on 21 April 2018. The OPPO F7 128 GB Special Edition is priced at RM 1,699 / ~US$ 436.
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Kuala Lumpur, 1st February 2018 — Forego the standard rose bouquet and chocolate this V-day, OPPO is excited to introduce the OPPO F5 Dashing Blue Edition to exude love and romance. They are also offering limited units of the OPPO F5 Dashing Blue Limited Edition Box Set!
The OPPO F5 Dashing Blue Limited Edition Box Set
The OPPO F5 Dashing Blue features a 20 MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture and A.I. Beauty Recognition Technology that enables users to capture bright and natural selfies. For more details, check out thefull specifications and our hands-on preview of the OPPO F5.
To make Valentine’s Day more memorable, the first 500 consumers who pre-order the romantic dashing blue F5 from OPPO Official Website or OPPO’s e-commerce partners platforms such as Lazada, 11street and Shopee will receive a lovely limited-edition blue gift box that comes with an exclusive Swarovski crystal clear phone case!
Consumers will also receive free laser engraving (up to 10 English characters) behind the phone case, when they pre-order the OPPO F5 Dashing Blue online. According to OPPO :
The colour of blue does not only symbolize stable love, it also signifies trust, harmony and loyalty. Pairing with the exclusive gorgeous phone case embedded with Swarovski crystals, OPPO F5 Dashing Blue Edition is definitely going to be this year ultimate Valentine’s Day gift.
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The OPPO F5 Dashing Blue Microfilm
OPPO has also released a short film named “Listen to your heart” (倾听你的声音) on 30th January 2018, with the special appearance of Eric Chou and Min Chen, which has received positive reviews from many of their fans and OPPO users as well.
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We revealed the OPPO F5 smartphone last month, with our hands-on preview, last month. At that time, OPPO revealed that they would be introducing the OPPO F5 with more memory and more storage, and a little more pizzazz. Well, here it is – the new OPPO F5 6GB smartphone!
The OPPO F5 6GB Black & Red Editions
The OPPO F5 smartphone features an almost bezel-less FHD+ display with a 2:1 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1080 x 2160. For easier unlocking, the F5 comes with a new Facial Unlock feature, as well as a rear fingerprint sensor.
The OPPO F5 also boasts a 20 MP front camera with the latest AI Beauty Recognition technology that, OPPO promises, will take selfie photography to a whole new level by personalising beautification.
The new OPPO F5 6GB model comes with 6GB of memory, and 64GB of internal storage. It will also come in two colour options – Red and Black. Other than that, it is no different from the regular OPPO F5 smartphone, which you can see in this hands-on video :
The OPPO F5 6GB Specifications
In this table, we compare the specifications of the OPPO F5 6GB with the “regular” OPPO F5 smartphone.
Specifications
OPPO F5
OPPO F5 6GB
Display
6" IPS FHD+ Display (1080 x 2160)
6" IPS FHD+ Display (1080 x 2160)
Operating System
Android 7.1 with ColorOS 3.2
Android 7.1 with ColorOS 3.2
Platform
MediaTek MT6763T
MediaTek MT6763T
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.3 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.6 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.3 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.6 GHz)
Up to two nano SIM cards
Dual SIM, dual standby capable
Up to two nano SIM cards
Dual SIM, dual standby capable
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 / 5 GHz)
USB : micro USB 2.0 with OTG support
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 / 5 GHz)
USB : micro USB 2.0 with OTG support
GPS
Yes
Yes
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Other Sensors
Distance sensor, light sensor, G sensor, E-compass
Distance sensor, light sensor, G sensor, E-compass
Battery
3,200 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-replaceable)
3,200 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-replaceable)
Dimensions
76 mm wide x 156.5 mm tall x 7.5 mm thick
76 mm wide x 156.5 mm tall x 7.5 mm thick
Weight
152 g
152 g
Available Colours
Gold / Black
Red / Black
AI Beauty Recognition
The OPPO AI Beauty Recognition technology is able to recognize the subjects’ skin tone and type, gender and age, match them against its database and subsequently make beautification enhancements that are personalized for each individual in the selfie. With more than 200 facial feature spots scanned, the AI Beauty Recognition technology is able to detect your face in detail and refine your selfie.
High Resolution Cameras
The OPPO F5 features a 20MP front camera with f/2.0 lens, and a 16MP rear camera with f/1.8 lens. OPPO claims that the F5’s cameras will deliver better photo quality than their competitor’s 13MP or 16MP camera in the same price range.
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First OPPO Full-Screen FHD+ Smartphone
The F5 is OPPO’s first 6.0″ full-screen FHD+ display device, with a 1080 x 2160 screen in the 2:1 aspect ratio.
Facial Unlock
The OPPO F5 comes with Facial Unlock, the new face recognition technology that will recognize its user and unlock the phone. If the user prefers to use the fingerprint unlock function, the fingerprint reader is now on the back of the phone, giving way to a full front screen.
The OPPO F5 6GB Price & Availability
The OPPO F5 6GB is available for pre-order right now, with the MSRP of RM 1,698 / ~US$ 414, inclusive of the 6% GST.
It will be offered in two colour variants – Black Edition and Red Edition. The first 1,000 who pre-order the OPPO F5 6GB (Red Edition) will receive a limited-edition gift box, with an exclusive case that is embellished with Swarovski crystals.
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28th November 2017 — OPPO Malaysia has finally announced that the OPPO F5 Youth will be start selling from 2 December 2017 onwards in Malaysia nationwide. Get the full details below!
The OPPO F5 Youth Smartphone
Priced at RM1,098 (~US$ 269), the OPPO F5 Youth features a high quality 16MP Selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture, a 13MP rear camera and a 6″ screen with 2160 x 1080 resolution. Available in either Black or Gold colours, it features an upgraded Beautification feature with “artificial intelligence”, and a speedy Facial Unlock feature.
The A.I. Beauty Recognition technology uses the OPPO global human face database and advanced algorithms to detect the photo shooters’ facial features, and making the right changes to create more attractive photos.
The OPPO F5 Youth is powered by the octa-core MediaTek helio P23 processor, with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. OPPO promises that it will offer 20% better performance and 10% lower power consumption, compared to its predecessor.
The OPPO F5 Youth Specifications
Specifications
OPPO F5 Youth
Display
6" FHD+ IPS display
- 1080 x 2160 pixels
Operating System
ColorOS 3.2 (Android 7.1)
System Platform
MediaTek helio P23 (MT6763T)
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.5 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.6 GHz)
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OPPO just launched the new F5 smartphone which they claim is the Selfie Expert and Leader. After the launch, we had some time to try it out ourselves. Here is our OPPO F5 preview, with a look at its key specifications and a hands-on look!
The OPPO F5 Specifications
Here are the key specifications of the OPPO F5 smartphone.
Specifications
OPPO F5
OPPO F5 6GB
Display
6" IPS FHD+ Display (1080 x 2160)
6" IPS FHD+ Display (1080 x 2160)
Operating System
Android 7.1 with ColorOS 3.2
Android 7.1 with ColorOS 3.2
Platform
MediaTek MT6763T
MediaTek MT6763T
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.3 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.6 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.3 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.6 GHz)
Up to two nano SIM cards
Dual SIM, dual standby capable
Up to two nano SIM cards
Dual SIM, dual standby capable
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 / 5 GHz)
USB : micro USB 2.0 with OTG support
WiFi : 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 / 5 GHz)
USB : micro USB 2.0 with OTG support
GPS
Yes
Yes
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Yes, Rear-Mounted
Other Sensors
Distance sensor, light sensor, G sensor, E-compass
Distance sensor, light sensor, G sensor, E-compass
Battery
3,200 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-replaceable)
3,200 mAh lithium-ion battery (non-replaceable)
Dimensions
76 mm wide x 156.5 mm tall x 7.5 mm thick
76 mm wide x 156.5 mm tall x 7.5 mm thick
Weight
152 g
152 g
Available Colours
Gold / Black
Red / Black
Our Hands-On OPPO F5 Preview
The OPPO F5 smartphone features an almost bezel-less FHD+ display with a 2:1 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1080 x 2160. For easier unlocking, the F5 comes with a new Facial Unlock feature, as well as a rear fingerprint sensor.
The OPPO F5 also boasts a 20 MP front camera with the latest AI Beauty Recognition technology that, OPPO promises, will take selfie photography to a whole new level by personalising beautification.
Before we take a closer look at its key features, let’s take a quick tour in this OPPO F5 preview video!
AI Beauty Recognition
OPPO’s AI Beauty Recognition technology gathers information and learns the specific facial features of different people from its global image database of human faces. Professional photographers and make-up artists were consulted during the R&D process to help make selfies look more attractive.
The OPPO AI Beauty Recognition technology is able to recognize the subjects’ skin tone and type, gender and age, match them against its database and subsequently make beautification enhancements that are personalized for each individual in the selfie. With more than 200 facial feature spots scanned, the AI Beauty Recognition technology is able to detect your face in detail and refine your selfie.
High Resolution Cameras
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The OPPO F5 features a 20MP front camera with f/2.0 lens, and a 16MP rear camera with f/1.8 lens. OPPO claims that the F5’s cameras will deliver better photo quality than their competitor’s 13MP or 16MP camera in the same price range.
First OPPO Full-Screen FHD+ Smartphone
The F5 is OPPO’s first 6.0″ full-screen FHD+ display device, with a 1080 x 2160 screen in the 2:1 aspect ratio.
Facial Unlock
The OPPO F5 comes with Facial Unlock, the new face recognition technology that will recognize its user and unlock the phone. If the user prefers to use the fingerprint unlock function, the fingerprint reader is now on the back of the phone, giving way to a full front screen.
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On 2 November 2017, OPPO launched their latest Selfie Expert smartphone – the OPPO F5. But with other smartphones (like the ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro) threatening their command of the selfie market, OPPO calls the new F5 smartphone “Selfie Expert and Leader“. Does it deserve that moniker? Let’s find out!
The OPPO F5 – Selfie Expert And Leader
The OPPO F5 smartphone features an almost bezel-less FHD+ display with a 2:1 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1080 x 2160. For easier unlocking, the F5 comes with a new Facial Unlock feature, as well as a rear fingerprint sensor.
The OPPO F5 also boasts a 20 MP front camera with the latest AI Beauty Recognition technology that, OPPO promises, will take selfie photography to a whole new level by personalising beautification.
In this video, OPPO Malaysia Product Manager, Ken Ng, highlights the key features of the OPPO F5 smartphone.
OPPO also announced that Taiwanese singer, Yoga Lin, as the OPPO F5 brand ambassador. He even serenaded the crowd with two of his famous songs!
AI Beauty Recognition
OPPO’s AI Beauty Recognition technology gathers information and learns the specific facial features of different people from its global image database of human faces. Professional photographers and make-up artists were consulted during the R&D process to help make selfies look more attractive.
The OPPO AI Beauty Recognition technology is able to recognize the subjects’ skin tone and type, gender and age, match them against its database and subsequently make beautification enhancements that are personalized for each individual in the selfie. With more than 200 facial feature spots scanned, the AI Beauty Recognition technology is able to detect your face in detail and refine your selfie.
High Resolution Cameras
The OPPO F5 features a 20MP front camera with f/2.0 lens, and a 16MP rear camera with f/1.8 lens. OPPO claims that the F5’s cameras will deliver better photo quality than their competitor’s 13MP or 16MP camera in the same price range.
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First OPPO Full-Screen FHD+ Smartphone
The F5 is OPPO’s first 6.0″ full-screen FHD+ display device, with a 1080 x 2160 screen in the 2:1 aspect ratio.
Facial Unlock
The OPPO F5 comes with Facial Unlock, the new face recognition technology that will recognize its user and unlock the phone. If the user prefers to use the fingerprint unlock function, the fingerprint reader is now on the back of the phone, giving way to a full front screen.
The OPPO F5 Price & Availability
The OPPO F5 will be available for purchase beginning 11 November 2017, with the MSRP of RM 1,298 / ~US$ 309, inclusive of the 6% GST.
It will be offered in two colour variants – Black and Gold. Both will have 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.
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In partnership with WeLoop, Olike just revealed two new sports-centric smartwatches – the Olike XH3 and the Olike Hey 3S. Olike is the accessories division of OPPO, with products ranging from power banks to smartwatches. Let’s take a closer look at their two new smartwatches!
The Olike XH3 & Hey 3S Smartwatches
With a tagline of “Begin with Heart“, these sports-centric smartwatches focus on fitness tracking, primarily to monitor your heart rate, calculate distance travelled, steps taken, etc. Both the Olike XH3 and Olike Hey 3S smartwatches are designed to keep you motivated and on track towards a healthier lifestyle.
Long Battery Life
The Olike Hey 3S can last up to 30 days of usage, while the Olike XH3 can easily last for 40 days, with just two hours of charging.
Their batteries are rated for 500 cycles, which means they will last for years before requiring a replacement.
Waterproof
Both the Olike XH3 and Hey 3S smartwatches are waterproof. They offer water-resistance at up to 50 meters, which means you can even go snorkelling with them!
GPS Capable
The Olike Hey 3S has built-in GPS to track your location in real-time.
Price & Availability
The Olike Hey 3S has a stainless steel chassis, with a ceramic ring, all in matte black, with two strap options – Dynamic Red and Youth Green. It is priced at RM 499 / ~US$ 119.
The Olike XH3 is available in two colour options – Black and Red. It is priced at just RM 399 / ~US$ 95.
They are both available for sale at all Olike salespoints and OPPO Concept Stores starting 31 August 2017.
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Kuala Lumpur, 18th August 2017 — Olike Malaysia just introduced the new colour variants for one of its hottest selling product, Olike Powerbank-03 (OPB-03). On top of the original colour variants of Black and Red, Olike has just made the limited-edition Royal Blue Olike Powerbank available.
Royal Blue Olike Powerbank
Priced at RM 109 / ~US$ 26, users can easily add a touch of glamour into their style with the new colour option of OPB-03 – Royal Blue Olike powerbank. Consumers can now purchase the sophisticated-looking powerbank from all Olike Concept Stores and their authorized dealer stores. The limited edition powerbank will also be available exclusively at their premium partners, such as DirectD, Satu Gadget and Mobile2Go.
With the increased usage of smartphones, it has almost become a necessity for smartphone users to carry a powerbank with them to everywhere. The Olike Powerbank-03 is sleek, handy and slim enough to slip easily into consumers’ pocket or purse. It packs with 10000 mAh battery capacity and allows users to charge their devices up to three times. What’s even better is that OPB-03 includes dual output charging feature that can juice up users’ devices at the charging speed of 2.4A.
In addition, OPB-03 features the auto-on and auto-off function, which makes consumers’ life even easier. The auto-on and auto-off feature enables the powerbank to begin with the charging of the devices as soon as they are plugged in, whereas the feature of auto-off enables the powerbank to be switched off them once the charge is completed. On top of that, the sequence of built-in LED indicator will show the amount of battery capacity which is left.
Undoubtedly, OPB-03 features multiple built-in protections. For instance, it includes protection against overcharge, overload, short circuit and high temperature. Users can absolutely charge their devices with zero worries.
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Back in January, OPPO launched the R9s smartphone in the Gold and Rose Gold colours. Now, they have finally launched the OPPO R9s Black Edition. What’s really new about it? How much does it cost? Let’s find out!
What Is The OPPO R9s Black Edition?
In this short video, Ken Ng, OPPO Malaysia’s Product Manager, reveals the key features of the new OPPO R9s Black Edition (Lazada, Amazon) smartphone.
Basically, it is the OPPO R9s smartphone we previewed earlier, just in a matte black colour.
The OPPO R9s Black Edition (Lazada, Amazon) is available right now with a slightly higher price of RM 1,828, RM 30 more than a regular OPPO R9s. Even so, this is about RM 270 / ~US$ 60 cheaper than other countries.
More On The OPPO R9s
For more information on the OPPO R9s, please check out these articles :
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On 1 March 2017, OPPO Malaysia finally launched the OPPO R9s Plus phablet in Malaysia. Their brand ambassadors and local celebrities, Min Chen and Ayda Jebat, also came to show off the R9s Plus phablet.
The OPPO R9s Plus features the 16MP Sony IMX398 camera with a f/1.7 aperture and Dual PDAF capability. This time though, the camera supports Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) with an anti-shake area that is larger than the ordinary OIS by 40%.
Users can also look forward to the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 processor and 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, coupled with an increased battery capacity of 4000 mAh. Let’s check it out!
The OPPO R9s Plus Presentation
In this video, OPPO Product Manager, Ken Ng, explains the key features of the new OPPO R9s Plus smartphone.
The OPPO R9s Plus brings forward the technology that made its debut in the OPPO R9s, in addition to a myriad of other advancements. The powerful 16MP rear camera comes equipped with an impressive SONY IMX398 sensor – a customized 1/2.8inch sensor that SONY and OPPO developed together.
Also making a comeback in the R9s Plus is the extra-wide f/1.7 super large aperture that captures 40% more light than previous generations. A new addition is the OIS feature of the R9s Plus. Designed to be a notch above ordinary OIS, the anti-shake area is larger by 40%. This means the R9s Plus is able to handle more jitter, in addition to more exposure time, promising users extremely clear and captivating night scenes.
Like its predecessor, the R9s Plus’ camera uses Dual PDAF technology, a next-generation upgrade from standard PDAF solutions. The first generation of PDAF has only “a half” pixel for focusing, but the Dual PDAF increases by 100% the area of the sensor’s pixel array equipped with the special photo diodes necessary for phase-detection autofocus, allowing lightning-fast focusing — even in low light — and producing crystal-clear images.
Powerful performance for the ultimate photography experience
The R9s Plus is powered by a 1.95GHz octa-core Snapdragon 653 processor and comes with 6GB of RAM. It comes packed with 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB, allowing users to store an abundant number of meaningful moments captured with the R9s Plus’ impressive rear camera. The R9s Plus also sees an upgrade in terms of battery. It is now backed with a 4,000mAh battery, enabling users to capture clear and crisp photos with no worries!
Bigger is Better
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Another noteworthy upgrade is that the R9s Plus features a 6-inch Full HD panel, as opposed to the R9s’ 5.5inch. It runs on OPPO’s Color OS 3.0, based on Android 6.0.1.. Now, photography lovers can go through their masterpieces comfortably with the sizable screen. Not only that, daily activities that get you through the day such as gaming and watching dramas are definitely more enjoyable with the R9s Plus’1920 x 1080pixel display.
The OPPO R9s Plus Price & Availability
The OPPO R9s Plus is priced at RM 2,498 (including 6% GST) / ~US$ 549, and comes with OPPO CARE which covers accidental damage for 12 months. It is now available at all OPPO online and concept stores, telco and e-commerce partner sites.
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The OPPO R9s Valentine Red Edition “Now, It’s Clear” OPPO R9s is now available at the price of RM1,798 / ~US$ 399 for Malaysians who adore a sleek red colour. The pre-order can be made from 7th February 2017 to 13rd February 2017 at OPPO point-of-sale stores.
It was available online at OPPO’s official website with a special laser engraving service, but it quickly sold out within hours.
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OPPO R9s Valentine Red Edition Pricing & Availability
Priced at RM1,798 / ~US$ 399, OPPO Malaysia will be start selling limited units of the OPPO R9s Valentine Red Edition R9s on 14th February 2017 onwards.
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