Plenty of people have been looking forward to the launch of OPPO F21 Pro. These are users who have a different set of needs over someone who loves to splurge on smartphones. First, they like to have fewer features but these should work well. Second, battery life is important to them. Third, they want a good looking device which they can flaunt. F21 Pro fits the bill. Agreed that some of the features can be seen on devices from rival brands but implementation matters.
The phone’s high points are looks, battery and camera (to an extent). A well designed phone, the rear panel has a wonderful fibreglass-leather finish which feels great in the hand. Even after using it for more than a week, it didn’t register any grease marks while the Sunset Orange colour does justice to the compact camera panel on the rear. Even though it’s a biggish screen, the phone is light and comfortable to use.
The main snapper on the OPPO F21 Pro works well but there is no ultra-wide lens
Equally impressive has been the display — 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display. It’s bright, vivid and supports 90Hz refresh rate. Even though 120Hz seems to have become the norm on Android, I think 90Hz is good enough and you won’t feel any difference. And the downward-firing speaker is loud enough to make it pleasing to watch films without a headphone (3.5mm port has been retained).
To the part where I liked most of the features but there are a couple of quibbles. The 64MP snapper on the rear is fast and accurate, capturing enough details while HDR is spot on. OPPO’s implementation of AI on its camera is equally impressive. Even night shots are acceptable with the same degree of noise that defines other brands. I also have no problem with portrait shots, which offer a good bokeh effect.
Colours are perfect for social media
Since I like to take panoramic shots, I definitely miss an ultra-wide lens. There is a microscope feature which is the work of the second camera on the rear. It’s a feature we have recently seen on the Realme GT 2 Pro. In way of feature, it’s interesting and one may enjoy using it for sometime but the file size is quite small and you can’t blow it up. On the flipside, you can personalise the light ring around the microscope lens. For video, you can either shoot at 720p or 1080p. Where OPPO wins brownie points is with its selfie camera with a very capable IMX709 sensor, so vlogging videos should be good.
Should you buy it?
The 4,500mAh battery easily lasts a day (with a 33W fast charger in the box) because the processor you are getting is Snapdragon 680, which is energy efficient and gets most of the work done without any jitters or lags (I wouldn’t use it often for gaming though). Overall, OPPO has managed to keep features simple and focused with the F21 Pro. And there’s zero compromise on style. It promises a few things and executes them well.
There is a ‘microscope’ lens on the back
At a glance
Device: OPPO F21 Pro
Price: Rs 22,999 (8GB+128GB) (sale starts April 15)
High points
• Looks smart
• Good quality display
• Battery easily lasts a day of usage
Muffled notes
• Missing ultra-wide camera