OPPO Find X3 Neo review: the top of the range in disguise

With the Find X3 series, OPPO has decided to offer much more to demanding users in Europe. Unlike the Find X2 trio of the previous generation which contained only a top of the range (the Find X2 Neo was in fact a medium-high range), for the new line-up there are two high-end models. In addition to the Pro variant, as a top of the range, although a step lower, there is also Oppo Find X3 Neo.

In China it is known as Reno5 Pro + and OPPO has launched it in Europe to provide specifications comparable to the top of the range without forcing buyers to pay a price that can be excessive for the purchase of the flagship of the series. And after trying it we can tell you that compromises for many will be non-existent. Let's analyze this OPPO Find X3 Neo review every single aspect of a model that we call “the psychedelic top of the range”, and in the following paragraphs you will find out why.

OPPO Find X3 Neo: technical specifications

• Dimensions and weight: 159,9 x 72,5 x 8 mm and 184 grams
• colors: Starlight Black and Galactic Silver
• Display: 6,55 ″ AMOLED Full HD + (1080 x 2400p) 90 Hz HDR10 +, up to 1100 nits
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, 7 nm +, octa-core 2,84 GHz
• Memory: 12 GB LPDDR4x RAM + 256 GB UFS 3.1
• Software: Android 11 + ColorOS 11.1
• Connectivity : 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, NFC, dual SIM, USB-C 3.1, OTG
• Audio: stereo
• Rear camera: quad 50 + 13 + 16 + 2 MP (Sony IMX766 f / 1.8 + telephoto f / 2.4 + wide angle f / 2.2 + macro f / 2.4)
• Front camera: 32 Megapixel f / 2.4
• Battery: 4500 mAh with SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging at 65W and reverse charging
• Price: 799,99 €

OPPO Find X3 Neo: full review

• Design and materials
• Display
• Hardware
• Software
• Camera
• Battery
• Price

Design and materials

Amazing. And not only in the sense of the superlative adjective. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but looking at the rear body of OPPO Find X3 Neo in the color variant Galactic Silver sometimes it seems to see a visual effect caused by a narcotic substance. But that does not at all mean that the smartphone is not elegant and sober, although the version Starlight Black definitely much more so.

The rear frosted glass body of this device is very suggestive because it assumes a different color depending on the angle from which the light reflects on it. If the light falls perpendicularly on the device, the color that appears is a bright red / orange that resembles the sunset. From different angles, however, the smartphone can appear blue, purple or even turn green.

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The back is very rough and comes with a sort of "speckled" coating that at first glance resembles glitter, but in a much more sober way. The profile of the smartphone is instead in aluminum like most of the more expensive top of the range. On the front we find an elegant curved screen on the sides that covers about 90% of the front of OPPO Find X3 Neo, with a hole in the upper left for the front camera.

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With 8 mm thickness the profile of the smartphone is a lot thin, the overall dimensions are not excessive and with its 184 grams of weight it is also a device light. The camera module is not small, but being of a color similar to that of the body it does not spoil the overall design.

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The top edge that houses a microphone and the bottom edge with USB-C port, second microphone, dual SIM slot cart and speaker are flat, so much so that it is possible to keep the device standing vertically. On the other hand, the rear body is curved like the display, which culminates at the sides of the device with a power button on the right and the volume rocker on the left.

All in all it is a terrific design, which makes originality its strong point and which offers premium materials and good optimization of spaces and dimensions. In package, in addition to OPPO Find X3 Neo, you will find the manuals, a protective silicone cover, a film (pre-applied), the SuperVOOC 2.0 charger at 65W, the charging cable and a couple of wired earphones with USB-C output because the terminal has no audio jack.

Display

The OPPO Find X3 Neo screen is truly a remarkable panel. It does not boast all the most advanced technologies of 2021, but it is still a screen with superfine and high-end color reproduction. The panel is a 6,55-inch AMOLED with Full HD + resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sample rate, HDR10 + certified, peak brightness up to 1100 nits and Gorilla Glass 5 protection, all in a 20: 9 format.

It is undoubtedly a very bright screen, which reproduces colors very well and that manages to return an excellent performance even in streaming platforms. The adaptive brightness and the fingerprint reader integrated into the display also work well, although to really get impeccable accuracy with the latter we recommend removing the pre-installed film in favor of a tempered glass.

There are better screens on the market, but only in the top of the range range: OPPO Find X3 Neo is certainly a guarantee also as regards the visual rendering. Thanks to stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos the audio it is very powerful, rich in frequencies, and does not distort easily except with the volume at maximum.

Hardware

In China OPPO Find X3 Neo is called Reno5 Pro + and is the top of the range of the Reno5 series. Its hardware specifications have nothing to envy to the most powerful smartphone models on the market: it has a processor on board Snapdragon 865 with 5G support, a memory 12GB and 256GB RAM of storage space with UFS 3.1 memory.

It is practically a hardware sector at the same level as the most powerful top of the range released last year, if not with something more in some respects. Snapdragon 865 was in fact Qualcomm's top-of-the-range processor of 2020 and is still in 2021 among the most performing and reliable processors in the entire market. This is why we have called this device a top of the range in disguise.

With the company Find the X2 Neo this was not the case, considering that it had a Snapdragon 765G SoC on board that was positioned in the medium-high range. The vast majority of users won't notice any difference with Snapdragon 888-equipped devices, even in gaming and advanced usage scenarios. For now OPPO Find X3 Neo can hold up anything with excellent performance and no hesitation.

Connectivity side OPPO Find X3 Neo offers support for the 6 WiFi for high performance in wireless connection, al 5G both in frequencies below 6 GHz and with mmWave technology, et al Bluetooth 5.2 which is the latest and best performing Bluetooth standard so far available. There is also no shortage of dual frequency GPS which is very accurate and a USB-C 3.1 port with video output for connecting to monitors via HDMI cable.

There is also a slot Dual SIM (one SIM below and one above, that's why it's the size of a single SIM slot) with 5G support for both slots, but no micro SD. A praise must certainly be given to the motor of the vibration: The difference with Find X3 Lite and the mid range of the Find X2 series is felt due to a much more defined haptic feedback.

Software

of ColorOS 11 (which on OPPO Find X3 Neo series is at version 11.1 with several interesting additions) based on Android 11 we have already spoken extensively in different locations, including the OPPO Find X3 Lite review. With the ColorOS 11 the manufacturer has gone to fill practically all the gaps that plagued the previous versions: now we can finally define the ColorOS a fairly complete user interface in every respect and full of customizations.

Version 11 introduced the ability to personalize the graphic part to the point of making the presence of theme management practically superfluous (unfortunately not possible in Europe due to privacy regulations), but also the possibility to customize the Always On mode with texts and kaleidoscopic effects in color, as well as the dark mode.

There are several optimizations regarding the performance which made everything smoother and snappier, including a game assistant that we found really useful for resource-hungry titles. In addition, the entire part relating to the safety and privacy. Few user interfaces can boast of being at the level of ColorOS 11 and are those of other major smartphone manufacturers.

Camera

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Also define OPPO Find X3 Neo a real camera phone is now an understatement. While it doesn't get to the stratospheric levels of the top of the Find X3 Pro range, this device is capable of delivering insane photo quality. The device is equipped with a quadruple camera with a custom main sensor Sony IMX766 developed by OPPO and Sony, which has a resolution of 50 Megapixel, support for OIS (optical stabilization), omnidirectional autofocus and a focal aperture of f / 1.8.

It's pretty much the same main sensor as the Find X3 Pro, while it's the secondary ones that change. The photographic sector continues with a 13 MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, 16MP wide-angle sensor and a 2 megapixel macro lens. All in all it is a very versatile arsenal, but it is in the “traditional” photos that this device manages to bring out the most incredible yield.

Thanks to the 50 Megapixel sensor the colors are really well balanced and faithful, the detail is very high and we also have an excellent rendering with the lights. But what amazes even more are the shots in poor light conditions, often the Achilles heel of smartphones. This device manages to shoot very well in night using the night mode, without the digital noise to spoil the photos and with great detail.

Videos can be recorded in 4K is 60 fps and even in this case the yield practically never disappoints. The front camera from 32 Megapixel, who always takes noteworthy selfies. Unfortunately, there is no periscope, but at the zoom level OPPO Find X3 Neo still works well thanks to the telephoto lens. The wide-angle shots are also good.

Note the photos above are compressed, to view them at full resolution visit this gallery.

Battery

OPPO Find X3 Neo has a battery with a capacity of 4500 mAh. It is not an excessive capacity but it is still above average, a decision taken to still be able to provide the public with a thin and light device. We tested the battery of this device with the most stressful use what we could do with it, opting above all for gaming, but also with a little 4G and the viewing of multimedia content, in addition to the always-on GPS.

Within two and a half days we passed the 5 hours of active screen. All in all the autonomy of this device goes well above the sufficiency, with an autonomy that can be satisfactory for any type of user, however we cannot define it as a battery phone and if you stress it to the maximum you will not go much beyond the canonical day of use. .

Well, however, because the autonomy remains homogeneous and never disappointing whatever the use, and we have not noticed any scenario in which the battery drain is excessive or beyond the norm. OPPO Find X3 Neo supports the SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charge at a whopping 65W which manages to bring the smartphone from 0 to 100% in about 35 minutes.

By reloading it, we found that the times are consistent with those declared. OPPO Find X3 Neo also supports the reverse charging thanks to which it can be used as a power bank, but only using the cable and not wirelessly, because wireless charging is not supported.

Price

The list price of OPPO Find X3 Neo is equal to 799 €. In terms of price range it is positioned between a medium-high range and a top of the range and that is exactly what it is. While this is priced appropriately for the type of device and fairly in line with the competition, it still remains out of reach for the majority of the public and is a major expense.

On the other hand, however, it must be considered that the most advanced top of the range cost much more, reaching 1.200 euros. In addition, in addition to being a flagship in terms of performance this is also one of the most impressive camera phones and a photographic sector of its stature raises costs.

The price can therefore make enough sense for lovers of photography from mobile phones who, however, do not want to spend a salary on a smartphone.

OPPO Find X3 Neo: Conclusion

OPPO Find X3 Neo is a high-end smartphone that tries to offer everything a user could want from a mobile phone without completely emptying the wallet as happens with the most advanced and powerful top of the range ever.

And he succeeds very well thanks to an arsenal exceptional hardware and a top camera phone photo compartment, as well as a large one refinement in design and to a technical definitely at high levels. IS advised for demanding users who do not need all the most advanced technologies on the market and who apart from small details will not notice any difference with the most expensive smartphones.

You feel the lack of wireless charging and waterproofing, and also with OPPO Find X3 Pro you can have little extra goodies such as the microscope camera and the most powerful processor on the market, but there are no real compromises to go down to. Although the price is not negligible, it is certainly a smart choice to recommend, even more so with any offers.