THE best thing about the crowded smartphone market is mid-range devices offering high-end quality at a fraction of the cost.
With its great camera, impressive battery life and sexy design, Oppo’s R11 handset the perfect example of a lesser known smartphone offering better value for money.
DESIGN
If you want to make the switch to Android from an iPhone, this is the perfect device — because it’s pretty much a replica of Apple’s design.
The rear panel has a premium metal unibody with a dual lens camera and flash layout that is almost indistinguishable to that of the iPhone 7 Plus.
Oppo’s R11 volume rocker, power key and SIM card tray are also very similar to the positioning found with Apple’s product.
The 5.5-inch full high definition screen almost blends into the edges of the phone, with the bezel measuring just 1.66mm wide — while impressive it can’t match Samsung’s S8 impressively high screen to body ratio of 84 per cent.
While other Androids have the fingerprint scanner on the rear, Oppo has moved it to the home button on the front of the device, which is another similarity to Apple.
Oppo has also included capacitive buttons beside the R11’s oval-shaped home button, which only illuminate when pressed.
The bottom of the phone also includes a single speaker, headphone jack and microUSB port — it’s disappointing to not see USB-C.
CAMERA
Despite having a similar layout to the iPhone 7 Plus, Oppo’s camera surprisingly offers better specs than it’s competitor.
The R11 has a 16MP standard and 20MP telephoto rear dual camera, while the iPhone 7 Plus only has 12MP standard and 12MP.
Oppo’s device also comes with a 20MP forward facing camera, which is far better than the iPhone 7 Plus’ 7MP.
The f1.7 aperture and 2x optical zoom of the dual camera allow for closer pictures without a loss of quality, while also offering a nice depth of field.
In addition to offering a high quality selfie camera, the phone includes a “Beauty” mode, which removes blemishes from your skin.
The rear camera is capable of shooting 4K video at 30fps.
All in all, I found the images to be sharp, colourful and offering excellent dynamic range during both night and day shooting.
EVERYTHING ELSE
The R11 comes powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be expanded to 256GB using a microSD card.
Oppo’s 3,000 mAh battery offers flash charge technology — 0 to 70 per cent in just thirty minutes — and will easily last for a whole day with medium use.
The design isn’t the only thing taken from Apple, with the Android 7.1.1 operating system remarkably similar to the iPhone’s iOS.
This means those who like Apple’s app layout, settings and camera interface will feel right at home, although Android fans might not dig the vibe.
Sadly there is no NFC meaning you can’t use the device for mobile payments and the lack of water resistance could be a deal breaker for some people.
Overall, I think the $649 Oppo R11 is the perfect solution for someone wanting an iPhone without the cost.