Oppo Find X8 and Find X8 Pro Hands-On

Oppo did drop a hint about its Find X8 series coming to India by allowing us to review its Find X7 Ultra flagship earlier this year. The high-end camera-centric smartphone was not launched in India, but it did set everyone’s expectations about Oppo’s latest flagships in terms of camera performance. It did get me a bit excited, as Oppo’s Find X series has been missing in action for the past four years. The last Find X series devices to be announced in India were the Find X2 (and the Find X2 Pro), but neither of these went on sale for reasons best known to Oppo.

And now, Oppo has decided to relaunch both of its camera-centric flagships in the country. The Oppo Find X8 and Oppo Find X8 Pro are now set to take on similar offerings from other premium brands like Samsung and Apple. Keeping in mind Oppo’s legacy from its Find series, the brand sure has some big shoes to fill. I have used both of these smartphones for a while, and here’s what I’ve observed about their cameras so far.

Oppo Find X8 and Find X8 Pro Camera Specifications

The Oppo Find X8 has a triple rear camera setup compared to the Find X8 Pro’s four rear-facing cameras. There is a noticeable difference between the hardware used as well, and this obviously makes the former less capable than the latter.

Diving into the hardware specifications, we have a 50-megapixel primary camera on both devices, but the Find X8 has a lower aperture of f/1.8 versus the Find X8 Pro’s f/1.6 aperture, which should be able to shoot images faster in low-light conditions. The 50-megapixel ultrawide cameras on both smartphones are identical, with a bright f/2.0 aperture and a wide 120-degree field-of-view (FOV). The same goes for the 32-megapixel selfie cameras that have an f/2.0 aperture and can shoot 4K.

Both the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro share some camera hardware

The bigger difference here is the way in which both cameras handle zoom with their respective telephoto setups. The Find X8 has a single 50-megapixel periscope telephoto (OIS) camera with 3X optical zoom. The Find X8 Pro has the same 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera but one up the telephoto shooting experience by adding a second periscope telephoto (OIS) camera with a 50-megapixel resolution and 6X optical zoom. Naturally, this will improve its reach once we zoom beyond the optical focal length, and this also makes the Oppo Find X8 Pro the first smartphone to feature two periscope telephoto cameras.

Oppo Find X8 and Find X8 Pro Shooting Experience

The Find X8 Pro also has a new trick up its sleeve—a camera button. For obvious reasons, Oppo had to brand it differently, so it called it a Quick Button. Apple aside, the button can also be compared to the one available on Sony’s Xperia flagships, as its primary function is to let you snap photos without touching the display.

Pull out the phone from your pocket, press the button twice, and the camera fires up instantly, ready to snap photos. You can also slide your finger over the button to zoom in and out, but I found it quite fidgety in terms of operation as it wasn’t as smooth as I expected it to be. Keeping the capacitive button pressed will activate what Oppo calls Lighting Snap, which is a continuous burst of images (or burst mode).

The new Quick Button can be a bit fidgety

To be very clear, the Quick Button isn’t a movable button but a static one. It has a capacitive layer, which lets the camera app detect swipes when zooming or tapping. However, do keep in mind that the tap gesture will need you to press and hold on the surface and wait for vibration feedback, which confirms that your actions have been registered. More about this in my full review.

Oppo Find X8 and Find X8 Pro Camera Samples

Let’s take a quick look at what the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro cameras are capable of.

The ultra-wide camera (both on the Find X8 and the Find X8 Pro) captures quality photos with minimal distortion

The primary camera on the Find X8 seems up for the job, managing good low-light images

The primary camera on the Find X8 Pro shows better-resolved detail in all lighting conditions

At 2X zoom, I noticed that the Find X8 does a better job of preserving detail

The Oppo Find X8 Pro has an edge when shooting at 6X zoom, thanks to its dedicated camera. Top: 1X, bottom: 6X

The 6X telephoto zoom is also good for close-ups

After my initial usage, it’s difficult for me to draw a verdict about which phone is better and which phone offers better value. From a camera perspective, the Find X8 Pro definitely has an edge in the zoom department, as not many premium smartphones offer 6X optical zoom these days. As for the Find X8, despite having fewer cameras, it also seems quite capable, but I’ll have to test out both devices in different scenarios to see and deduce each phone’s strengths and weaknesses, not just with their cameras but with their design, battery life, and displays as well. So, stay tuned for our detailed review of the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro, which will be out soon.

Disclosure: Oppo sponsored the correspondent’s flights and hotel for the event in Bali, Indonesia.