Oppo Find X8 Review

As the smartphone landscape continues to evolve, Oppo's new flagship phones, the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro, represent significant steps forward in the company's camera-centric smartphone lineup. Building upon the Find X series' reputation of great design and photography capabilities, these phones feature advanced AI features with refined core designs and user experiences. We have the Find X8, the more affordable of these two models, with us for review. Available in two configurations – a 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant for Rs 69,999 and a higher-tier 16GB RAM + 512GB model for Rs 79,999 – the Find X8 is positioned as a compelling option in the premium segment, going up against the iPhone 16, Google Pixel 9, Vivo X200, and OnePlus 13 amongst others.

Oppo Find X8 Review: Design and Display

The Oppo Find X8's body has been made of aluminium and glass, and designed with ergonomics in mind. It features a boxy frame that strikes a balance between modern aesthetics and practical usability. While comparisons to the iPhone 16's design language are inevitable, Oppo has attempted to create a separate identity.

The glass rear panel has a smooth, non-glossy finish that resists fingerprints. The aluminium frame has a soft-matte texture, enhancing grip security during extended use. This means you don’t have to use a back cover for the phone. The display uses Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for shatter and scratch resistance. At 193g and almost 7.9mm thick, the Find X8’s weight is distributed well, making it feel more compact than it is.

The circular camera module's subtle protrusion maintains the phone's profile while housing the camera system. However, this phone can sometimes wobble when placed flat on any surface. There are dual IP68 and IP69 certifications which means the Find X8 can withstand being immersed in up to 1m of water as well as exposure to high-pressure jets of water and steam. The power and volume controls are positioned on the right, and there’s a OnePlus-inspired alert slider on the left. The bottom has a dual-SIM tray, USB Type-C port, primary microphone, and speaker grille, while an IR emitter and secondary microphone are on the top.

The 6.59-inch AMOLED display is not an LTPO panel, like you’d get with the Find X8 Pro, which means it can’t dynamically reduce its refresh rate to save power. However, it’s still impressive, with a 120Hz peak refresh rate and decent brightness -- reaching 1600 nits under direct sunlight and up to 4,500 nits when playing HDR content. It offers three well-calibrated colour modes: Vivid, Natural, and Pro, each serving different user preferences. I liked the Vivid mode better than the others.

Oppo Find X8 Review: Camera

The Find X8's camera configuration consists of a 50-megapixel primary camera with OIS, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera with OIS, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera. For selfies and video calls, there is a 32-megapixel front camera.

Notably, Oppo’s Hasselblad partnership continues to influence colour science. The primary camera, with Sony's latest Lytia sensor, reproduces great detail and dynamic range in daylight conditions. However, colours are more vibrant than natural, and purists might not like this. It produces consistent results that are well-suited for social media sharing. The advanced auto HDR system works well in most lighting conditions, preserving both highlight and shadow details.

The ultra-wide camera’s biggest strength is macro photography; it captured great detail and maintained good colour consistency. 4K video recording at 60fps is supported across all cameras, including the front-facing one. The implementation of Dolby Vision HDR video recording across all four rear cameras is particularly noteworthy. Here are some samples shots taken from the Oppo Find X8 camera:

Oppo Find X8 Review: Performance, Software and Battery Life

The Oppo Find X8 is the first device in India to feature MediaTek's Dimensity 9400 SoC, built on an advanced TSMC 3nm process. This chip delivers exceptionally smooth performance across everyday use cases, from social media browsing and video streaming to multitasking.

Oppo says it has designed an advanced cooling system, with a high-performance vapour chamber and graphite layer, and it effectively manages heat during extended usage sessions.

Battery life represents another area of significant advancement, with the 5630mAh silicon-carbon battery achieving full capacity in under an hour when using the 80W SuperVOOC charger that comes in the box. 50W wireless charging support could have been convenient, but you need a proprietary charger which isn’t readily available in India, killing the feature's utility. Intelligent charging features, including an 80 per cent charging limit and adaptive charging speed, are nifty additions to preserve battery health.

The phone’s software is ColorOS 15 built on Android 15. Oppo has pledged four major Android updates and six years of security patches. The interface is clean, and has customisation options.

Oppo Find X8 Review: Final Verdict

The Oppo Find X8 is a capable contender in the premium smartphone segment, offering a compelling alternative to established players at a reasonable price. Some areas, particularly the ultra-wide camera performance, have room for improvement, but the overall package is exceptional value for money.