- While Huawei may have trouble democratizing a private P40 Pro from Google services, the Oppo brand is launching its Find X II Pro.
- Screen, photo, video, fast charge ... this high-end Chinese smartphone has very serious arguments to steal the show from its competitor, but also from Samsung's Galaxy S20.
- Be careful however: at 1.199 euros, its too high price will only allow it to reach a niche audience, while the Oppo brand still needs to make a name for itself.
Summer 2018: a Chinese brand unknown to the battalion is privatizing the Louvre museum (!) To launch its first smartphone in front of the European press. With its Find X, the manufacturer Oppo immediately reveals its means, its ambition, but also a real technical know-how. Two years later, Oppo unveiled its Find X II Pro to us in full containment. If the Louvre this time remained closed, the technical ambition of the manufacturer has been reinforced. And its strategy has asserted itself: to take the place of Huawei.
A particularly attractive design
It is huge: the edge-to-edge screen of the Find X II Pro measures 6.7 '', or 17 cm diagonally. It is a little less than that of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (6.9 ''), and a bit more than that of the Huawei P40 Pro + (6.58 ''). However, the Find X II Pro holds perfectly in hand. Endless weeks of confinement require, we used it a lot without its size, if not in the pocket of our jeans, being a handicap.
Amoled, and Quad HD + (3168 x 1440 pixels), the smartphone screen offers superb rendering. We used it to watch the Kalifat series on Netflix and a lot of content on YouTube. With a refresh rate that can be adjusted to 120 Hz (instead of the traditional 60 Hz), the Find X II Pro also offers smoother images. Interesting for players, even if the 120 Hz "pulls" a little on the battery. Innovation: a setting ("Engine 01 Ultra Vision" in the display parameters) optimizes the video rendering for slightly degraded content. The Find X II Pro thus artificially adds frames to the image in order to increase the quality. A kind of upscalling (as on 4K televisions to display HD content yes Full HD) valid for Netflix, YouTube or Amazon Prime videos, for example… On arrival, we remain under the spell of the perfect definition of the screen of the new Oppo, its flattering brightness, its HDR10 + compatibility and the sound quality without headphones of the terminal, using its stereo speakers.
Photo and video in the lens
Besides the quality of the screens, the other sinews of the war for the manufacturers of smartphones remains that of the photo and the video. For many months, manufacturers have been engaged in a technical bidding in this area: number of sensors on the rise, algorithms always more efficient ... Admit that progress is staggering.
Oppo has reviewed his copy. The manufacturer who had innovated in 2018 with its Find X by launching a smartphone with retractable photo modules is becoming wiser (the upper part of the screen slid during shooting to reveal the photo equipment of the mobile). Exit the pop-up cameras, therefore. A discreet front punch for the 32-megapixel front camera (f / 2.4) and a set of three rear sensors * arranged vertically give the Find X II Pro less originality than its predecessor, but this time allow it to be waterproof ( standard: IP68).
Top zoom, stabilization and macro photo
We are particularly surprised by the quality of the 5x optical zoom (hybrid 10x, and digital up to 60x), with perfect stabilization up to more than 10x. This stabilization also does its job in video. By activating the “Optimal stabilization” icon on the screen, the smartphone can absorb small hand tremors better when shooting, it limits jerks in the image and delivers clips that are generally very good (up to '' at 1080p at 60 fps when this function is activated). Finally, the optical stabilization of Find X II Pro gives the best of itself for night photos that require a fairly long pause time.
Equipped with an ultra wide angle lens, the Find X II Pro allowed us to “push the walls” of our accommodation during confinement with photos where our interior seemed (artificially) much larger, certainly at the cost of some distortions on the edges of the screen. And during the daily releases authorized in this spring 2020, we could see that the Find X II had something to delight fans of macro photography.
The camera succeeds where so many others fail: up to 3 cm, the photos are super sharp and teeming with details. Tip: it is also possible to use the wide-angle to shoot very, very close, which according to our tests, offers even better results. Undoubtedly, the Find X II Pro plays here in the big leagues. As for selfies, its 32 megapixels allow it to present us in our best light…
Its autonomy remains very suitable. With its 4260 mAh battery, the smartphone stays awake for up to two days with normal use. Count up to a day in confinement when it is used much more. But good point: its charger (Super VOOC 2.0 65 W) ensures full recharge in just 38 minutes. A real feat that has its downside: the smartphone is not compatible with wireless charging.
Far too expensive to lecture competitors
Let's say it right away, we are venerated. Sold 1.199 euros since May 28 (512 GB / 12 Gb, anyway), the Find X II Pro smartphone from Oppo may have trouble establishing itself. Practically the same price as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra or the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. It is 200 euros more expensive than the P40 Pro from Huawei (which certainly does not integrate Google services), but which remains the reference photophone in mid-2020. OK, the brand offers with True Wireless headphones. But despite its obvious technical qualities, the new Oppo is likely to suffer from the still temporary notoriety of its manufacturer. Oppo, what about? Without doubt a brand that is likely to shake up the chessboard. At less than 1,000 euros in any case, the box was insured.
* Large 48 megapixel main sensor (f / 1.8); stabilized periscope telephoto lens with 13 megapixel sensor (f / 3.0); 48-megapixel ultra wide angle lens.
High-Tech
VIDEO. The smartphones of the crisis (1/4): What is the Apple iPhone SE launched in full containment
High-Tech
VIDEO. The smartphones of the crisis (2/4): The Huawei P40 Pro ticks all the boxes… except one
- Huawei
- Photo
- Smartphone
- High-Tech