With the promise of 4x improvement in night video resolution, less grain and superior colour reproduction, the new Oppo Find X5 Pro makes each frame as clean as a still photo, says Oppo. No big telephoto, though…

Is the new Oppo Find X5 Pro a camera that also makes calls, or is a smartphone with a camera included? The question makes sense, as the launch presentation for the new Oppo Find X5 Series – with the vanilla and Pro versions – started by announcing all the development of what the company says is a camera out of this world, raising the bar on smartphone imaging. The stage for the presentation looked like a studio, a clear indication of the importance imaging has for these devices.

While many will want a smartphone for its “smartphone characteristics”, photographers and videographers will probably buy one of these devices based on the specifications and their specific needs, if they need it as a tool, either for professional use or pure pleasure when capturing images, l both stills and video.  The Oppo Find X5 Pro seems to point to them, as it is introduced as a powerful but simple camera that also offers the pro level functionality requested as more professional photographers and videographers turning to mobile technology.

Those looking under the hood will find “the Find X5 Pro also offers pro level functionality and control for those of you who want to dive into detail in post-production workflows cinematic mode allows videographers to shoot 4k 10-bit footages in both Log and HDR format, providing greater control and flexibility over color grading.”

Hasselblad Camera for Mobile

Earlier this month Oppo announced a three-year partnership with Hasselblad, the legendary camera manufacturer, to co-develop industry-leading camera technologies for OPPO’s flagship Find X series. According to the information “the two brands will focus on breakthroughs in color science to create an improved mobile photography experience on Hasselblad Camera for Mobile”, and the first signs of that cooperation appear here, as the company reveals the Oppo Find X5 Series.

The cooperation between smartphone makers with traditional camera brands is not new, and last year Oppo launched its Oppo Find X3 Pro Photographer Edition, with a Kodak touch. This Hasselblad partnership is also not surprising, as since the integration of Oppo and OnePlus, research and development resources between the brands have been combined to maximize efficiency and improve user experience. With the imaging advances made in the partnership between OnePlus and Hasselblad, Oppo is excited to elevate the strategic partnership to the corporate level for both the Oppo and OnePlus brands.

“Following the success of OnePlus and Hasselblad’s collaboration in the past year, we are very pleased to see the partnership enter a new stage of development, giving more users around the world a chance to enjoy the legendary Hasselblad mobile imaging experience,” says Pete Lau, Chief Product Officer. “Camera color performance has always been a focus for OPPO and a part of Hasselblad’s DNA. We are very excited to be able to explore the future of Hasselblad Camera for Mobile together.”

Announcing the extended partnership, Oppo noted that “building top-tier imaging systems capable of delivering a world-class mobile photography experience is a key strategy for Oppo to bring forth a next-generation premium smartphone experience. Following the launch of Oppo’s first self-developed imaging NPU MariSilicon X, Oppo is further committed to creating a world-class photography experience through its cooperation with Hasselblad.”

Natural color performance

The result of the “OPPO | Hasselblad Camera for Mobile” collaboration is now revealed with the introduction of the next generation of Oppo’s flagship Find X series.  The two companies will now work together to further develop advanced imaging solutions through R&D collaboration, which aims to provide users with more natural colors and a more refined imaging experience. Leveraging Natural Color Calibration with Hasselblad, Oppo also targets to bring the most natural skin tone possible to its portrait photography.

Starting with the software improvements for natural color tuning, the three-year partnership will further enhance the color calibration solution and target to establish the new benchmark for smartphone camera color performance, delivering a consistent natural color performance for Oppo mobile phones to cover all scenarios and across the entire camera system.

“Find X5 Series elevates the Find X series to a whole new level of beauty – both aesthetic and in terms of capabilities, redrawing the boundaries of the mobile experience across design, imaging, battery technology and performance. It builds on the core DNA that made the Find X3 Series a hit with consumers and critics alike,” said William Liu, President of Global Marketing at Oppo.

4x improvement in night video

The Oppo Find X5 Pro, the one to buy if photography and video are your key reason when buying a smartphone, features the most advanced camera system powered by MariSilicon X and two IMX766 flagship sensors, true billion-colour 120Hz display, a flagship SoC platform with superior 5G performance, industry leading 80W SUPERVOOC Flash Charging and the iconic Hasselblad Natural Colour Calibration.

Night video presents a major challenge for smartphones, so countless beautiful moments remain either uncaptured or saved in low quality. Oppo claims that’s not a challenge with its device, as it includes a dedicated imaging Neural Processing Unit, which overcomes smartphone video capture’s greatest challenge – nighttime recording. The dedicated imaging NPU, MariSilicon X, developed by Oppo, is present to unveil the details at night.

Based on a 6nm process crafted for top-tier imaging performance, the MariSilicon X not only packs the most powerful AI computing power available today, it also runs an advanced AI noise reduction (AINR) algorithm designed by the OPPO Research Institute. This means it can detect and reduce noise in each frame, pixel by pixel, while preserving finer detail, skin tone, colour accuracy.

The result, according to the company, “is a four times improvement in perceived night video resolution, less grain and superior colour reproduction, making 4K Ultra Night Video possible for the first time on an Android smartphone, with each frame as clean as a still photo.” With superior 4K Ultra Night Video capturing across wide and ultra wide cameras, adds Oppo, “the Find X5 Series boasts the best wide and ultra-wide imaging quality across both stills and videos in the industry.”

Where is Oppo’s promised 85-200 mm optical zoom?

The Find X5 Pro’s advanced imaging system also includes wide and ultra-wide angle cameras both featuring Sony’s advanced 50MP IMX766 flagship sensors, with a sensor size of 1/1.56”, 2um large pixel size after binning. The wide-angle camera also features a first-of-its-kind five-axis OIS system, which, Oppo claims, when combined with proprietary algorithms, improves with every use to counter hand shake, reduce noise and sharpen scenes. The result? Even better shots and more stable videos than ever.

Smartphone companies continue to use SLRs as a reference for evolution and that’s something that continues to be present here, as Oppo notes that “SLR-level technology, 5-Axis Optical Image Stabilization with 3-axis sensor shift and 2-axis lens OIS offers up to 3° anti-shake, enabling you to shoot perfect shots on the move.”

Strangely, despite Oppo promising, in 2021, that future phone cameras would feature telephoto lenses, some with continuous optical zoom between 85-200 mm, the telephoto included in the Find X5 Pro is a humble 13MP 52mm lens that is announced as a 5x hybrid zoom, which is clearly a marketing thing for hiding its dependency on digital zoom… something you usually better forget. Those who want a longer optical telephoto – 3x and beyond – will have to look elsewhere, despite all the expectations Oppo created.

Lens upgraded from resin to glass

In case you care about selfies, be aware that working closely with Sony to customize an IMX709 sensor for Find X5 Pro’s front camera, Oppo has integrated MariSilicon X to ensure selfies look better than ever, with more texture and more accurate colour reproduction – even in challenging light conditions. And when more friends jump in the frame, the selfie camera automatically switches from an 80- to a 90-degree wide-angle, making sure nobody’s left out.

Oppo says “the outermost lens of the wide-angle camera has been upgraded from resin to ultra-transparent glass, which reduces chromatic aberration by up to 77.39%, for more authentic colors, something that works in tandem with the Hasselblad Natural Colour Calibration available in Pro mode. The Find X5 Pro also features a range of creative Master filters, bringing iconic natural colour, professional colour profile and style to mobile photography. As the ultimate sign of the partnership with Hasselblad, the user interface and Hasselblad’s iconic leaf shutter sound are part of the Find X5 Pro specifications. The smartphone will be available next March, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage, and a price, in Europe of €1299 (+/- $1400).