Oppo has today announced their latest handset for the Australian market, the R9s which is available to pre-order from today for $599 in Black or Gold.
The R9s, like the rest of the Oppo R series is a camera focused device, but as usual Oppo has packed the device full of features for the money. Powering the phone is a Qualcomm octa-core processor, with 4GB RAM and 64GB of on-board storage, which can be expanded with an additional 256GB in the microSD card slot.
A 3,010 mAh battery powers the phone which can be charged with the wonderfully fast VOOC Flash Charge technology. VOOC is Oppo’s own proprietary fast charging technology that can give you a couple of hours talk time from just a few minutes charge.
| Key Specifications: | OPPO R9S |
|---|---|
| Release date | January 2017 |
| Screen size | 5.5-inch |
| Screen technology | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 |
| PPI | 400 |
| Rear camera | 16MP |
| Front camera | 16MP |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 625 |
| Core config | 8 x 2.0 GHz |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| Storage | 64 GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 128GB |
| Battery | 3,010 mAh |
| Battery removable | — |
| Connector | MicroUSB |
| Headphone Port | Yes |
| Headphone Location | Bottom |
| Speaker Configuration | Bottom |
| NFC | — |
| Android OS | Android 6.0 |
| Vendor skin | ColorOS 3.0 |
| Dimensions | 153 x 74.3 x 6.58 mm |
| Weight | 145g |
| Colours |
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On the camera side, a 16MP sensor sits on both the front and rear of the phone, but unlike the selfie focused handsets of the past, it’s the rear camera sensor that’s getting the love this time. Oppo has used the new Sony IMX398 sensor behind a f1.7 aperture that should make for impressive low-light shots. The front facing camera is no slouch with an f/2.0 aperture and of course Oppo’s Screen Flash technology to take the perfect night selfie.
Executive Director at OPPO Australia, Michael Tran said
Camera technology is becoming increasingly important for Aussie consumers when choosing a smartphone, especially since we no longer carry around digital cameras wherever we go. Instead, we want to capture high quality images and videos on our smartphones at a moments notice. The upgrades we have made to the R9s allows users to do just that.
We have intentionally focused on our camera technology to ensure we provide premium features and functionality at a price that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. Only OPPO can deliver these flagship camera innovations at a compelling price and we expect the R9s will be snapped up by Aussie consumers.
The big news is that Oppo has expanded availability of the handset, which will also now be available from Vodafone and Virgin Mobile, as well as existing partners JB Hi-Fi, Optus and Woolworths Mobile. The phone is available outright for $599 and you can pre-order it now from JB Hi-Fi, or you can purchase it on a plan from Vodafone or Virgin Mobile, in black only, with pre-orders starting on both carriers from the 23rd of January.
On the new partnerships, Mr Tran said
OPPO saw significant growth in 2016 and we expect this to continue in 2017, with the launch of the R9s. We are quickly becoming the favourite affordable premium device amongst consumers, thanks to the high-end features, performance and functionality usually found on flagship devices. This has seen us add two new carriers to our ranks in Vodafone and Virgin Mobile, enabling us to get more of our devices into the hands of consumers.
Vodafone customers will be able to get the phone on a $40 per month Red Plan which includes the option to use Red roaming when overseas with an additional $5 per month handset repayment. Vodafone are additionally throwing in two months of free access and an extra 1GB of data for pre-order customers.
Virgin Mobile customers can also grab the R9s on a $40 plan, though there’s no handset repayment. Virgin Mobile offers 2GB of data per month and of course you get unlimited standard national calls and text. Virgin also offers you the chance to earn frequent flyer points for every dollar you spend.
We’re getting hands on with the R9s tonight at the official launch and we’ll have a review unit in hand ASAP to check out the latest for Oppo.
walked into a JB’s and got 10% of without haggling $539.00 – a very palatable price for a decent phone – a great stop gap until the Note8 appears 🙂
As others have said, $599 for SD625? thanks but no thanks.
Add to it Oppo’s dismal track record with updates…the phone is practically guaranteed not to receive updates, and it isn’t really all that enticing a proposition.
Too expensive for a Snapdragon 625 device.
The similar spec’d Huawei Nova Plus can be had for $465 locally with Android Nougat update confirmed as well.
At $499 locally, it’d be a winner.
lower spec SoC than last year’s R9 and they want the same money?
The one problem with OPPO in my opinion is there lackluster update support. It’s been ages since the r7 line received any updates and with project spectrum put on hold, the odds of those with a r7, r7 plus or r7s ever seeing a marshmallow update, let alone nougat update are incredibly slim to none. Same can be said for Android security updates. I’m still a little salty how project spectrum got put on hold without any warning from OPPO what so ever.
Very similar specs to the ZenFone 3. I’d be happy with the modest processor if the camera is as good as it sounds, but $600? Really? $400 would be more reasonable. For $600, you’re in OnePlus 3 and Axon 7 territory, and they come with the SD 820.