The OPPO R11 is one smartphone that took me completely by surprise. Released in August this year, the R11 comes in as a worthy contender to the likes of the Apple iPhone and high-end Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy and Huawei P series.
I’ll admit to once being an iPhone fan girl but that changed when I was introduced to Huawei’s P8 smartphone. Having been converted to Android, Huawei phones are my go-to choice and at present, I own the Huawei P10 Plus. When given the opportunity to review the R11, I was a little hesitant, thinking “how could a new Chinese brand outperform the likes of Apple and Samsung?” I received my answer as soon as the R11 review unit arrived.
The R11 could easily pass off as an iPhone. It looked gorgeous, with a relatively large screen size that equals that of the Huawei P10 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus. Additionally, what really stood out was the fact that the phone had an incredibly smooth feel, was extremely thin and lightweight, weighing approximately 150g and coming in at 1.66mm in width. With the size, weight, feel and thinness of the phone, it felt incredibly comfortable to hold and use.
While the size of the phone is a highlight, the screen display is another factor which just blew me away. With a 5.5″ FHD display, AMOLED capacitive touchscreen and a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, the R11 displayed beautifully crisp and clear visuals, making apps, photos and videos all pop, especially in terms of colour.
Featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB RAM and running on Android 7.1.1, the R11 works smooth and fast, something that is expected of high-end smartphone these days, though some still manage to under-deliver. It felt good being able to access apps with a snap of a finger without any lag issues or crashing. Though, I haven’t found any issues with my P10 Plus, which also runs smoothly and opens up apps relatively quickly.
Storage wise, the R11 is certainly a winner, with an internal memory of 64GB and the ability to include a microSD card with up to 256GB expandability. For someone who loves taking hundreds of photos and videos, this was a treat.
Of course, one of the biggest selling points of any high-end smartphone is its battery life. The R11 consists of a 3000 mAh battery capacity, which lasts a good while. I use my smartphone almost all day, what with being a social media manager and content creator. After one full charge, the R11 would last between 1-2 days without needing a re-charge. Whilst previous phones I’ve used started off with similar battery life, over time, I found myself having to charge my phones more often. After three weeks of using the R11, which is a review unit that someone else has used before me, the battery life is incredible, not to mention that with VOOC Flash Charge, charging the R11 is quick and easy.
Now, for the most important feature of all, the camera. The R11 comes with a dual 16MP + 20MP rear camera and, wait for it, a 20MP front facing camera! That’s right, with the R11, selfies will be clearer, brighter and all the more gorgeous. Below are some sample images I took using the R11’s camera which was simply smooth, sharp and stunning.
While the camera itself is worth talking up, the editing software which comes with the phone is a bit of a disappointment. The editing tools were extremely basic, with no way to brighten, change contrast or saturation of photos apart from simply adding a few different filters. This is one of the biggest reasons why I love Huawei’s smartphones. The ability to edit a photo and utilise beauty mode to remove eye circles and give myself and others a brighter look is one which I personally find important, especially for those days when you’re not having a good ‘look’ day.
Considering the fact that the R11 currently retails for between $700-800NZD, the phone is an elegant, stunning beast with features that stack up to the likes of the iPhone, which retails for between $1500 – $2000NZD. For that price, the R11 is certainly a steal and OPPO has done a brilliant job in providing consumers with a high-end smartphone that’s easy to use, has some great features and most importantly is affordable. Watch out Apple, you’ve got some hefty competition.
*For full tech specifications please visit: https://www.oppo.com/nz/smartphone-r11#section-product-specs