Oppo F9 Pro quick review: 'Selfie expert' that finally packs real elements

Oppo Find X is an example of the company's sheer commitment to perfection. After focusing on the premium smartphone segment in India, Oppo hasn't shifted focus from its F-series, which drove the company's early success in India. Oppo F9 Pro is the latest entry in India and packs some groundbreaking technologies that should impress fans.

Launched at Rs 23,990, Oppo F9 Pro is targeting the premium mid-range category and it also has a toned-down version, Oppo F9, at Rs 19,990 for the budget shoppers. The F9 Pro is targeted towards avid mobile photographers, selfie lovers and those who wouldn't want to settle for less in terms of performance - at least that's the impression we got from the launch event.

As the event in Mumbai came to an end, we had to chance to test out the Oppo F9 Pro to see if it lives up to the expectations. Here's what we think of Oppo F9 Pro:

Design

Oppo F9 Pro is a design marvel. The dazzling colours add a unique element to the phone, which easily grabs attention. The glass back design looks premium and compliments the gradient colour of the F9 Pro.

Oppo F9 Pro comes in three shades and if we had to pick a favourite, it has to be the Starry Purple, which is a limited edition variant. But that doesn't the Sunrise Red and Twilight Blue are any less charming. The diamond-shaped pattern on the gradient colour in both variants shows Oppo's commitment to stand out and that is the biggest highlight of the phone for us.

The attention to detail is seen on the sides, where Oppo has added the gradient colours to compliment the glass back. Looking at the phone from different angles brings out new shades, which is pretty cool.

The rear back packs the fingerprint sensor, a dual rear camera with LED flash and Oppo branding. The power/lock button is on the right and the volume controls are found on the left - both placed conveniently within the reach of the hands. At the bottom is a microUSB slot, with a 3.5mm headphone on its right and a stereo speaker on its left. The handset feels a bit bulky, but the rounded curves give a comfortable grip.

Display

Introduction of the notch was the biggest change to smartphone displays in recent history and Oppo has taken that a step further. Oppo F9 Pro comes with "Waterdrop Screen," which as the name suggests is a reference to the notch-shaped like a water droplet that is about to fall.

The 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio and minimal bezels on the sides achieves a 90.8 percent screen-to-body ratio, which is higher than any notched phones available in the market.

As for the resolution, the display is beautifully bright and ideal for watching movies and playing high graphics games.

Performance

Speaking of GPU-intense games, Oppo F9 Pro is designed to handle heavy tasks like a pro. But we are basing this looking at the specs the phone packs and our real-world tests are yet to be done.

Oppo F9 Pro is powered by octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 processor paired with 6GB RAM, which is ideal for multi-tasking and even playing games like PUBG. In fact, Oppo has collaborated with PUBG Mobile for its F9 Pro, and we are eager to see how that pans out.

But the configuration of the phone is not all that got our attention. Oppo F9 Pro is powered by a 3,500mAh battery that supports VOOC fast charging. We've seen VOOC in action previously and we have no doubts it is one of the fastest charging technologies in the market (same as OnePlus Dash Charge).

Oppo is promoting its F9 Pro with the tagline 5-minute charge for 2 hours talk time. We will be testing just that and more in terms of overall battery life.

Camera

Finally, Oppo F9 Pro, like any Oppo F-series phone, is a "selfie expert." Our early hands on the device revealed did not disappoint us. In fact, there are some features that took us by surprise as we've seen a level of improvement compared to previous Oppo phones.

Oppo F9 Pro has a dual rear camera setup with 16MP and 2MP sensors that can give you some impressive portraits. We had the chance to test it under well-lit areas as well as under challenging lights and the results are admiring. There are several new modes in the rear camera, such as stickers, slo-mo video, video recording in vivid mode, AI beauty, and HDR, which we will be testing them during our full review of the device.