After teasing for days, Oppo has officially launched the Oppo F21 Pro in India. The mid-range smartphone arrives with a revamped design and a new set of features. Just like its predecessors, it has a unique look and feel, but comes with mediocre specs. Is this phone any better than other devices in the segment? Should you buy it? I try to answer these questions in this review.

Before delving into the review, I would like to put a disclaimer that this review is based on my personal experience with an Oppo F21 Pro review sample loaned to me by Oppo India. The opinions stated here are mine alone, and the company had no early look or editorial input.

Oppo F21 Pro Review

Box Contents

• Oppo F21 Pro
• Transparent Case
• 33W SuperVOOC Charger
• USB Type-A to Type-C cable
• SIM Ejector Tool
• Documentation

Unlike previous models in the lineup, the device does not ship with a free pair of wired earphones.

Design and Build

The best thing about the Oppo F21 Pro is its design. The phone comes in two color options, namely Sunset Orange (fiberglass leather) and Cosmic Black (glass). 

I have the former color variant. The back of this version is made of fiberglass leather. This artificial leather finish feels good in the hands and looks fascinating in the orange color. It’s one of a kind, as there aren’t many orange-colored smartphones in the market.

I didn’t use the case included in the box at all. Clearly, the handset wants to be used naked. During my week of usage, the leather back did not accumulate any noticeable dirt.

Another notable thing about the phone’s design is its camera island. It mimics a camcorder with a dual-tone finish. Apart from an LED flashlight, there’s also an LED ring for notifications.

The flat frame of the handset is made of plastic, but it feels sturdy in the hands. The two sides of the frame are occupied by a tactile power key on the right and volume buttons, as well as the SIM card slot on the left. 

The top only includes a secondary microphone hole. Whereas, the bottom houses a 3.5mm headphone jack, a primary microphone hole, a USB Type-C port, and a speaker grille.

As a whole, the smartphone measures only 7.54mm in thickness (excluding the camera bump) and weighs just 175 grams. Hence, it is very comfortable to hold for a long period of time.

Display and Sound

The Oppo F21 Pro sports a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with a punch-hole on the top left corner. The canvas has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels with a 20:9 aspect ratio.

The screen supports up to 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. The display performs well for the price. It gets sufficiently bright under direct sunlight. 

However, it is worth noting that the panel could not run at 90Hz refresh rate at all times. This could be either due to the lower mid-range chipset or because of the software optimization. It is a known issue on phones with a similar configuration.

Interestingly, though the screen supports HDR10 and HLG standards, it cannot play HDR videos on YouTube. Also, the device lacks Widevine L1 certification, and therefore, it cannot play HD videos on popular streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. But Oppo says these issues will not be present on the retail unit. 

Unlike most smartphones in the segment, the Oppo F21 Pro does not come with dual stereo speakers. Though it has a single bottom-firing unit, it is loud enough for binge-watching. Anyway, the absence of stereo sound will always be felt if you are used to it, like me.

Then, there’s a headphone jack for those who don’t own or prefer wireless earphones. But as mentioned earlier, you won’t find a free pair of wired earphones in the box.

Hardware and Software

The Oppo F21 Pro is run by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC. The chipset is paired with 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. 

The handset also has support for up to 5GB of virtual RAM. By default, it ships with the 3GB virtual RAM option enabled. I did not make any changes to the value throughout my usage, as most users would.

On the software front, the device boots ColorOS 12.1 based on Android 12. The experience is the same as what you would find on Oppo smartphones with the same software, but only slower. This means you also get bloatware, but unfortunately, they are uninstallable.

Though the software tries to be responsive as possible, it is held down by the lower-end chip. That does not mean the phone is dead slow. It’s just not as fast as the competitors and Oppo’s own Reno 7 and Reno 6.

The handset performs well for day-to-day usage. It can hold multiple apps in memory, but not for a long period of time, which is expected from a similarly specced device. Just don’t expect a good gaming experience, as it is not built for it.

Camera

The Oppo F21 Pro comes equipped with a triple camera setup on the rear. The system consists of a 64MP OmniVision OV64B primary sensor, a 2MP Galaxycore GC02M1 sensor with a 15x microlens, and a 2MP Galaxycore GC02M1B depth sensor. Whereas, on the front, it features a 32MP Sony IMX709 RGBW sensor for selfies.

Out of the four cameras, only two of them are useful. The depth sensor is of no use like on any other smartphone. On the other hand, there’s not much to do with the microlens. One would get bored in a while and may forget that it even exists.

Talking about the primary camera first, it is the same sensor found on the expensive Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G (review) and Oppo Reno 6 5G (review) last year. However, the software processing is quite different.

Those two Reno handsets couldn’t output the proper skin tones of human subjects. But the new F21 Pro comes close. I really like how it shows the color of dark skin. The device even does not make changes to irregularities like pimples. The output from the camera is almost the same as what you see in real life.

But the color accuracy is not great, and that’s fine because people love pictures that are appealing to their eyes. There’s no over-saturation as such, which is a good thing.

HDR or high dynamic range is good but just like the Renos I have tested earlier, the processing is sometimes too extreme when there’s more backlight. Hence, you get to see halo effects in such images.

In low light conditions, the pictures are grainy, as you would expect from a lower mid-range smartphone. The night mode does not help much either.

Coming to the selfie camera, though the device has good hardware, the processing is poor. I did not like using the front camera at all. The skin tones are way off the chart. But the other aspects are similar to that of the main camera. Additionally, both the front and rear cameras have a wider lens to accommodate more subjects.

As far as video recording is concerned, both the rear and front cameras are limited to 1080p at 30fps quality. The videos out of these two sensors are average at best. They are slow at focussing and there’s no stability. In low light, they are grainy, just like the photos. Anyway, the audio captured by the microphones is clear, but there’s no noticeable noise cancellation.

Miscellaneous

The handset is limited to 4G connectivity, which is fine as 5G networks are yet to go live in India. Even if the new generation network gets launched by the end of 2022 or early 2023, it won’t be widely available across the country.

Talking about what’s present, LTE mobile data works well as it should and so does mobile hotspot. There’s no issue with the audio from the headpiece, and the same can be said for the microphone quality. Similarly, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work fine. I did not face any drops.

Finally, the LED ring light for the microscope camera can also be used for notifications, call alerts, charging indications, and even for game launches. Though it looks cool, I didn’t find any use for it as I usually place my phone backside down.

Battery and Charging

The Oppo F21 Pro gets its juice from a 4,500mAh battery. On a full charge, it can easily last a day and some more. Because the Snapdragon 680 chip present inside the device is energy-efficient as it uses a 6nm process.

At the same time, the battery can be recharged in less than 90  minutes with the included 33W SuperVOOC fast charger. It takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes to fill from 10% to 100%.

It is definitely not the fastest charging handset in the segment. But that’s fine for most people, unless you are one of those who are always in a hurry.

Verdict

Just like most Oppo smartphones, the Oppo F21 Pro is not meant for everyone. It is average in all categories, except for the design. The phone’s look and in-hand feel need to be experienced firsthand to appreciate them.

There are consumers for whom design comes first. For them, this could be the best purchase.

Whereas, for others, if you are fine with the shortcomings mentioned above, there’s nothing wrong in choosing this handset over competitors. 

Alternately, the Oppo F21 Pro is probably one of the best options for those looking for a secondary smartphone in this price segment. Mostly because it is thin and light and offers a good battery life, in addition to its looks being a head turner. 

RELATED:

• OPPO Reno7 Pro Review: Shiny New Flat Design, Solid Software, & Capable Cameras
• OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G Review: Fancier Design but no Major Hardware Upgrades
• OPPO Reno7 5G Review: Good Looks Alone Don’t Make a Worthy Upgrade
• ColorOS 12 Review: A Step In The Right Direction

The post Oppo F21 Pro Review: Should you Buy it or Skip it? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Oppo has just launched its highly anticipated F21 Pro series in India. The lineup includes two models, which are the F21 Pro 5G and F21 Pro 4G. Both models are quite similar in many ways but with some key differences. So let’s find out.

Design & Display

Both the F21 Pro series is basically rebranded versions of the Reno7 Pro series. So the 4G version resembles the Reno7 Pro 4G (only available in some markets), while the 5G model is identical to the Reno7 Pro 5G. The F21 Pro 5G and 4G feature a triple camera setup on the rear, on a rectangular module that has a slightly different design and layout. Meanwhile, the front features the same sized 6.43 inch display. Although, the panels aren’t identical and come with certain different specifications.

The 5G version comes with a Full HD+ AMOLED display that only offers a 60Hz refresh rate, meanwhile, the 4G variant offers a higher 90Hz refresh rate. Notably, both models also come with the industry’s first fibreglass leather design that adds to their premium feel and look. Furthermore, the 4G variant features orbit light around the module that highlights notifications. On the other hand, the 5G model comes with dual orbit light that illuminates two of the rear image sensors.

Specifications

Under the hood, both F21 Pro models are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. However, the 4G only version comes with the Snapdragon 680 SoC, while the 5G model features the Snapdragon 695 SoC. Both phones also come with 8GB of RAM that can be virtually expanded by up to another 5GB. For storage, the 4G and 5G F21 Pro offer 128GB. A large 4,500mAh battery pack powers both models and it also supports up to 33W fast charging as well.

Software

The F21 Pro series runs on ColorOS 12 out of the box, which is based on Android 11 OS. Oppo also placed an emphasis on user friendliness and privacy with the UI, which features anti peeping notification feature. This basically hides notifications if your phone detects someone else looking at your smartphone’s screen. IT also supports Ar Gestures to answer or mute calls.

Camera

The F21 Pro 5G arrives with a triple camera setup on the rear, which consists of a 64 megapixel primary camera, a 2 megapixel macro lens, and another 2 megapixel depth sensor. On the front, it has a 16 megapixel punch hole camera for selfies. Meanwhile, the F21 Pro 4G is also equipped with a 64 megapixel primary camera, paired with a 2 megapixel micro lens, and a 2 megapixel depth sensor.

However, its front camera stands out, as it is a 32 megapixel IMX709 RGBW selfie sensor. This camera is 60 percent more sensitive to light when compared to the previous generation and also reduces noise levels by 35 percent as well.

Pricing & Availability

The Oppo F21 Pro 5G is available in India in a single storage configuration and is priced at 26,999 INR (roughly 355 US Dollars). Prospective buyers can even choose between two color options, namely Rainbow Spectrum and Cosmic Black. On the other hand, the lone model of the F21 Pro 4G is priced at 22,999 INR (roughly 302 US Dollars) and can be purchased in a Sunset Orange and Cosmic Black color variants. The 4G model will go on sale starting from April 15, while the 5G version goes on sale on April 21 via Amazon. Those who have pre-booked their F21 Pro series smartphone will receive the device by 13th April 2022.

RELATED:

• OPPO A57 5G launched with 90Hz display, Dimensity 810, and 13MP dual cameras
• Oppo F17, Oppo A73 starts receiving ColorOS 12 Beta update in India and Vietnam
• OPPO K10 Pro full specifications tipped, may get rebranded as a OnePlus device
• OnePlus Fold foldable phone could be in works, likely to be rebranded OPPO Find N

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