Oppo Find 5 – First Impressions

I recently received a brand spanking new Oppo Find 5, with thanks to the guys at Expansys and wanted to get a few thoughts out there before going into a full review of the device in the coming weeks.

Lets start with the specs:

• Qualcomm APQ8064 Quad-Core 1.5GHz Processor
• 5 inch 1080×1920 full HD display at 441 PPI
• 16 / 32 GB storage
• 2 GB RAM
• UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/HSPA+/HSPA+42 (850, 1700, 1900, 2100MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz)
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
• Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth
• NFC
• GPS
• Wi-Fi Display
• DLNA
• Gyroscope
• Digital compass
• Microphone
• Light Sensor
• IR Proximity Sensor
• Magnetic Sensor
• Gravity Sensor
• Battery 2500 mAh built-in lithium-ion battery

That’s a long list of specs, but what does it all mean? Well on paper at least, that means that this is one high-end device that ought to perform extremely well. We often find that real world performance is a completely different matter, but this is thankfully not the case. In the short amount of time I’ve spent with the device, I can say that this is one snappy device that hasn’t missed a beat. Not once have I noticed the device slow down and that screen is just gorgeous.

The device is well put together and feels extremely solid in the hand. The Find 5 is the biggest device I’ve used, but I’ve had no problems transitioning from my Galaxy Nexus – it has all the right ports and buttons in pretty much the right locations, although they’re all completely backwards to what I am used to – the power button is on the left edge, and the volume rocker on the right.

My biggest concern is the software. The Find 5 is running Android 4.1.1, so I’m missing a couple of the features from newer Android versions, and having a dedicated menu button instead of a multitasking button is throwing me. But, these could all be issues with my OCD – not a fault with the device as such.

One of the big advantages with this phone is its approach to custom ROMs. Oppo’s own website links to four custom ROMs that can be loaded onto the device, namely AOSP 4.2.2, Cyanogenmod, Paranoid Android and Pac ROM. It’s impressive and rare to see a vendor embrace the community like this.

We’ll have a full review of the Find 5 in the coming weeks, but if you can’t wait the device is available in two versions: 16 GB White for $529 and 32 GB Mignight for $579 from Expansys.