OPPO Find 5 Review
by Vivek Gowri on May 29, 2013 6:55 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Qualcomm
- Mobile
- APQ8064
- OPPO Find 5
The Find 5 relies on Qualcomm’s Fusion 3 platform, which in this case is a combination of APQ8064 and MDM8215M for cellular and voice communication. We’re pretty familiar with the 28nm MDM9x15, after seeing it in basically all of the Krait handsets last year. The MDM8215 is also a 28nm baseband, with the primary difference being the lack of LTE capability in the DC-HSPA+ only MDM8215. That’s the primary ding against the Find 5 hardware, though for a phone that was designed for Asian markets (except Korea), this is unsurprising as LTE networks have yet to hit China and the coverage is still very limited in India. Also on board are the WTR1605 radio transceiver (with GPS, GLONASS, and BDS) and Qualcomm-Atheros’ WCN3660 802.11abgn dual-band 28nm WiFi chip.
Like most of the rest of the Find 5 internally, the cellular hardware is pretty similar to the Nexus 4. Other than MDM8215M in place of the LTE-capable MDM9215M, much of the list reads identically. The network band support is also very similar, with the international/North American model of the Find 5 supporting 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/EDGE and 850/1700/1900/2100 MHz WCDMA. It’s interesting to note that the Find 5 doesn’t have pentaband WCDMA, with Band 8 (900MHz) missing on both the international as well as the Chinese domestic models. The primary hardware difference between the two is the presence of Band 4/AWS WCDMA in the international model, which as a T-Mobile user makes me happy (though almost the entirety of the Seattle area has T-Mobile PCS WCDMA coverage at this point).
No pretty speed graphs this time around, because I forgot to send the Speed Test results to my email before wiping the phone during one of the software updates and I didn’t want to run another 100 speed tests. Suffice to say though, performance was right where I’m used to in this area; T-Mobile’s DC-HSPA+ network is faster around here than it is in Tuscon, where Brian does a majority of his testing. The averages were right around 12Mbps down and 4Mbps up, with some expected variance due to environmental factors as well as quirks in T-Mobile signal strength in my area - the bottom two floors of my apartment building have terrible T-Mobile signal and always have (and the garage and elevator don’t get T-Mobile signal at all). The entirety of the Seattle area is consistently excellent, but my building specifically somehow is awful.
What is probably the most important thing to talk about with regards to the OPPO’s lack of LTE. The decision makes sense, as the largest regional market for this phone basically doesn’t have any LTE networks, but in terms of using it in the US where most devices have LTE these days, it’s a bit of a hard sell. If you use AT&T and live in an LTE-covered area, I’d recommend against. AT&T’s 16QAM HSDPA 14.4 network is not the greatest (Brian’s podcast rants about the lack of AT&T DC-HSPA+ are the stuff of legend) and network throughput absolutely pales in comparison to LTE. If you’re on T-Mobile, this isn’t a problem for now - DC-HSPA+ is pretty solidly quick and the LTE network is only just being rolled out. If you’re not in one of the 7 LTE regions, it’s not a bad idea, though it's worth noting that Seattle, San Francisco/Bay Area, and New York City, amongst other major metropolitan markets for T-Mobile, will likely get these networks sooner rather than later (and in Seattle particularly, we’ve seen the LTE lit up for a week or two earlier this year). So think pretty carefully about your choice of air interface and how important you think LTE capability is for you before picking the Find 5.
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nathanddrews - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
As far as "finger friendly" designs go, I don't really care where the buttons are as long as they are set into the phone (concave). My only complaint with my S3 is that the buttons all protrude from the body, making unwanted power, home, and volume presses extremely common. Thankfully, I have a simple, somewhat thick $7 plastic slipcase that has button cutouts so I can freely handle the phone without ever accidentally hitting the buttons.Before today, I didn't know Oppo made anything but the best Blu-ray players on the market. It's a shame that the phone doesn't live up to the precedent.
cknobman - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
"I think 4.7” is the sweet spot for display size, something that was reached with the last generation of handsets. There’s not really any benefit to going with a 5” panel over a 4.7” panel beyond just having a bigger number - it’s not like jumping to a Galaxy Note-sized 5.5” or larger display, where the device ends up being more of a phablet than a handset, but it does add just enough bulk to be on the cumbersome side."I just dont understand this statement. The GS4 has a 5' screen and is physically smaller than the OPPO and HTC One. I compared the HTC One side by side with the GS4 in store and it was shorter and thinner than the HTC one and actually fit in my pocket better. I also found that the .3 extra screen did benefit me quite a bit as it provides a better viewing experience for movies and games.
MantasPakenas - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
"This is obviously less of a factor in Europe and Asia, where the prices are more equivalent (the Nexus 4 is a phenomenal value in the US through the Google Play Store, but less so in the rest of the world)"Correction - I'm not sure about the whole world, but at least in Europe you can: a) buy the device via Google Play Store in major markets, and even ship it outside those major markets if you are resourceful enough; b) buy it locally, where available, at an extremely close price point (at least that's the situation in Lithuania). In these cases, Nexus 4 is competitively positioned very close to US market, ending up ca 40% cheaper than flagship devices like HTC One or SGS4...
Kristian Vättö - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
a) You need a local shipping address AND credit card (VCCs don't work AFAIK) to buy from Google Play Store, hence it's basically impossible to buy one if your local Play Store doesn't carry it yet. Of course, if you a friend in one of the countries where the Nexus 4 is sold through Play Store, then it's easy (I did this to get my Nexus 4).b) Here in Finland the Nexus 4 (16GB) currently costs ~490€. I got mine for 400€ when including all the shipping costs (the device itself was ~350€ but Google charged £10 for shipping plus another £15 to ship it from UK to Finland). However, the Nexus 4 was 600€ when launched here, so I saved ~200€ back in January.
fabarati - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
Holy Crap! Something is cheaper in Sweden! A 16 GB Nexus 4 can be had for ~380€ (3300 SEK). But yeah, the price of the Nexus 4 was around 4500 SEK when launched here, about 520€ at today's exchange rate.tipoo - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
Is the battery situated further from the SoC than the Nexus 4 or Optimus G? As far as I know, it was actually the batterys threshold temperature that actually triggered throttling, since the two were so close. The battery could only get up to 60 degrees before complete shutdown and made the phone throttle at just 36 C.flyingpants1 - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
So spec-wise, it's an Xperia Z series clone. YawnPatriciaBau42 - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
If you think Phyllis`s story is astonishing,, two weeks ago mother in law basically got paid $4919 putting in ninteen hours a week an their house and their best friend's ex-wife`s neighbour did this for eight months and actually earnt more than $4919 part-time from there labtop. applie the instructions from this address, Exit35.comTAKE A LOOKflamencoguy - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
A version with a Snapdragon 600 has already been announced.editorsorgtfo - Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - link
LOL @ Polyurethane. Editors or GTFO.