The Oppo R9 which was previously available only in the Chinese market, has made its way to the South-East Asian shores and is expected to land in Singapore by end of April. This mid-tier smartphone packs in a lot of features and gadgetry for its price, which makes it worth a look, especially if you are a selfie-maniac.
The front camera of the R9 able to push out 16MP image while the rear does 13MP. This makes the Oppo R9 among the very few phones to have a higher resolution camera in the front than its rear. The front camera has also been paired with a wide f/2.0 aperture to maximise the captured light. This allows the phone to take in 4 times more light according to Oppo, allowing it to capture better photos in low light. The image sensor has ben co-developed with Samsung using their Isocell technology.
Oppo has ditched the traditional Android on-screen navigation button in favour of capacitive menu and back keys along with a physical home button that also features an integrated fingerprint scanner. The R9 features an octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage space. The front of the phone houses a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display that is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4.
The 2850mAh battery of the handset is on the lower side, but Oppo has included its VOOC Flash Charge technology in the R9. This allows the handset to provide an additional 2 hours of talk time after being charged for only 5 mins. The battery also fills up to 70% capacity within half an hour of charging.
The hybrid SIM slot on the phone means that you can use either two nano-SIM cards at the same time or one insert a microSD card to increase the storage capacity of the phone. The sides of the device are also made slightly angular thereby allowing it to have an easier grip while taking that all too important selfie. It also boasts the fastest fingerprint unlocking in the world at 0.2 seconds, with a smart fingerprint reader that learns your print better over time.
Despite coming with relatively impressive specs — 16MP shooter in the front, premium build quality, fingerprint scanner, and powerful internals — Oppo has priced the R9 at S$649 ($480) in Singapore, at which point it offers an incredible value for money. The Gold version of the phone would be available on 30th April, while the Rose Gold will be launching in May.
