Oppo Find 5 Review: A Phone Of Firsts From A Brand To Watch

Oppo Find 5: An Android-Based Smartphone You Won't Find On Shelves

Whether you're talking about paint, toys, or electronics, there's this stigma hanging over Chinese production that affects the way a lot of think about quality. Although many of the stories we hear are no doubt steeped in fact, there are also plenty of beautifully designed products that we simply never get to see here in the U.S. For evidence of this, you don't need to look much further than Oppo's recently-eclipsed smartphone, the Find 5.

If the name Oppo doesn't ring any bells, that's probably because the company was only established in 2004 and is typically known for its high-end home theater equipment, specifically the BPD range of Blu-ray players. Oppo's first entry into the world of Android-based smartphones arrived in July 2012 with the Finder (X907), which was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8620 dual-core SoC. It also came equipped with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED+ display sporting a 800x480 reslution and, of course, Android 4.0. Although the phone was not aimed at the North American or European markets, and didn’t receive much attention in the press, it was notable for two reasons. Having a thickness of just 6.55 mm meant that it edged out the Huawei Ascend P1 S by 0.03 mm, making the Oppo Finder the world's thinnest smartphone at the time. The Finder was also known for being literally as as tough as hammer, and capable of being used as one in a pinch.

In contrast to its spiritual predecessor, the Find 5 (also known as the X909) clearly has broader ambitions of being a global phone able to compete on equal terms with any other high-end smartphone. To that end, the Find 5 offers an array of desirable features, including Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core SoC, a 13 MP rear camera, broad network support, and one of industry's first five-inch displays with a 1080p native resolution. Following its unveiling at the aptly titled "The Fifth Element" launch event in Beijing last December, the Find 5 arrived on North American shores in February 2013 as an unlocked device selling directly from the manufacturer with a very competitive unsubsidized price of $499 and $569 for the 16 GB and 32 GB models, respectively.

On paper, the Find 5's technical specifications and attractive price point certainly seems to offer a compelling combination, one that could potentially allow it to compete in one of the industry's most demanding segments and establish Oppo as a top-tier smartphone manufacturer alongside the likes of Apple, HTC, LG, or Samsung.

Although the Find 5 is fairly dated at this point, it's still available as Oppo's mid-range model. Besides, the company is continuing to develop top-tier hardware at great off-contract pricing, and has even become the first manufacturer to use a custom ROM by default, with a CyanogenMod version of the company’s new flagship available soon.