Oppo F15 Review: Eye-Catching Design; Mediocre Performance

Oppo F15 was launched by the Chinese brand at the beginning of this year. The company is quite popular in the budget smartphone segment; not only in India, but also in the global market. Now, the company has launched the successor to the Oppo F11 Pro, the F15 as a mid-range handset suitable for day-to-day tasks.

Advertisement

Rating:
3.5/5

The company has announced the handset starting at Rs. 19,990 in Unicorn White and Lightning Black color option which you can buy online from Amazon. This handset has been introduced to take on the other popular smartphones under Rs. 20,000 such as the Realme X2 and the Redmi Note 8 Pro. We have been using the smartphone for a couple of weeks now and would like to share our feedback on its performance in daily-life scenarios.

Advertisement

Elegant And Premium Form Factor

The unit we received is the Unicorn White color variant which resembles a lot to the Realme XT's Pearl White variant. But, this one has a dual-tone shade, with the upper half painted in light blue, while the lower inked in the purplish shade.

Its lightweight design is complemented by a sleek form factor allowing for a comfortable grip. The device is made using polycarbonate body material, but a gradient pattern and metallic frame on the sides is what adds to the appeal.

The glossy back does pick up fingerprints and is slippery; but, the light blue shade reflects minimum impressions. Besides, there is a transparent TPU case that ships inside the retail box allowing you to flaunt and protect the device simultaneously.

The rear panel has a quad-camera setup which is placed on the top-left corner vertically. The sensors have a protruding design and the only other thing you will see on the back is the Oppo branding at the bottom.

The tall aesthetics have doesn't make it super hard to use the device single-handedly. Rather, you will be able to perform basic tasks easily. Extensive gaming or reaching the corners might feel as a task.

The device comes with conveniently positioned volume and power keys. While the former is placed on the left, the latter is placed on the right panel. So, you won't accidentally lock the device while adjusting the volume levels.

The remaining setup comprises a microUSB port at the bottom tucked between a 3.5mm headphone port and the speaker grille. Design-wise, Oppo has undeniably crafted a classic looking handset that will get heads turning.

Apt For Media Consumption; Decent Processing

The handset adorns a 6.4-inch AMOLED display which has a tall 20:9 aspect ratio. The tall form factor with a small waterdrop notch and narrow bezels on the sides allows for a maximum surface for playing videos and other content. It offers 1080 x 2400 pixels FHD+ resolution and 480 PPI pixel density.

The display delivers punchy colors and has decent viewing angles. You won't find the display going dark when viewed from the edges. Also, the brightness levels are optimum and the display has lower reflection levels under direct sunlight. Its performance with streaming platforms is good.

Thanks, to tall form factor and high-resolution media playback support, you will enjoy binging on shows and movies. The MediaTek Helio P70 chipset is what drives the unit. This is no doubt a good mid-range processor, but it also powers the F15's predecessor, i.e, the Oppo F11 Pro.

Considering, the device has arrived almost a year later, an upgraded processor would have made sense. It comes in a single 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration and supports up to 256GB microSD card.

Its performance with graphics-intensive games is also satisfactory. Games like PUBG and Mortal Combat 5 didn't have any lags or noticeable frame drops.

The device is able to render such games with ease. Also, there were no instant spikes in the temperatures and the device can handle continuous playback for a while. Also, the device performs swiftly with basic tasks. Web surfing, switching between apps, and app launching time have no specific delays.

Software, Benchmark, And Battery Performance

The handset ships with the dated Android Pie OS which is wrapped under Color OS 6.1.2. We have seen other brands like Realme introducing their latest budget offerings with the new Android 10 OS.

So, this is a letdown, considering, Oppo already has announced Color OS 7 and could have equipped the handset with new UI. Moreover, the UI seems cluttered and has a bunch of bloatware.

It is what you have seen on previous generation Oppo handsets as well. We ran some benchmark tests on the handset and the results are adequate. Starting with Geekbench, the device has logged 287 and 1,435 points in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively.

In the 3D Mark Sling Shot benchmark test, it scored 1,275 points, while in the PC Mark 2.0 Work Performance test it has scored 7,564 points.

The numbers are decent, but if we compare it with the Redmi K20 which retails at a similar price point than the F15, then the former has an upper hand. For reference, the Redmi K20 had logged 7,900 points in the PC Mark 2.0 Work Performance test and 1,963 points in the 3D Mark Sling Shot test.

A 4,500 mAh battery is what powers the handset which is backed by VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge technology. Its backup is impressive and it can last well over half a day with a single charge and basic use. This includes surfing social media apps or web browsing and even playing HD videos in the loop.

If you plan on playing games extensively, then only you will need to have a charger handy. Charging speeds are also optimum. The VOOC Flash Charge support refuels the battery well within an hour. So, you don't have to specifically worry about the battery depleting fast or keep the device hooked on to a charger for long.

Quad-Cameras Performs Well Overall

Oppo has equipped the F15 with four cameras at the rear; as its other mid-range handsets like the Oppo Reno 2 and the Oppo A9 2020. The sensors onboard are a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and an 8MP wide-angle sensor which also functions as the macro camera.

The setup is completed by a 2MP monochrome sensor and another 2MP sensor for depth effects. Not only this is an upgrade over its predecessor, but the camera performance is also improved. It comes with an EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) and some other shooting modes like Slow-motion, Time-Lapse, Panorama, Expert, and HDR. The camera app has an integrated Google Lens which allows you to identify unknown objects by scanning them.

Coming to the performance, the rear cameras do a fine job when you click images in broad daylight or areas with ample lighting. The cameras don't capture 48MP shots by default and you will have to toggle this setting on from the Photo Ratio option in the camera settings menu.

The video recording is also set to 720P@30fps by default, but you can select to record 1080@30fps videos as well. We would have appreciated support for 4K video recording, considering the other handsets under sub Rs. 20,000 segments offer this feature.

The cameras collectively capture good amounts of details and deliver vivid output. There is less noise in the daylight images and edge detection is also up to the point.

The dedicated Night Mode does help in clicking details on low-light shots, but the images come out a bit grainy. You won't be much impressed with the low-light shots.

As for the selfie camera, the 16MP snapper backed with AI does a decent job of clicking day-light shots. You won't find the front camera beautifying an image overtly.

While the selfie camera's performance is satisfactory with well-lit situations, it isn't as effective in low-lights. But, overall, it a well-suited selfie snapper for social media uploads.

Oppo F15 Final Verdict: Good, But Not Best In The Lot

The Oppo F15 is packed with some good set of hardware and its design is something that will grab your attention at first sight. While the company has focused majorly on the hardware, it has launched the device with a dated firmware.

This comes as a bummer as this is the first F series smartphone debuted in 2020 and should have featured a new UI. This is a major factor that limits the handset from giving a refreshed user experience. A price tag lower than Rs. 19,999 would have made sense.

Overall, this is a decent handset that is priced on a higher side. If you are an ardent Oppo user or care more of looks, then you can opt for this handset.

Best Mobiles in India