By Editor
It’s not easy rocking the smartphone boat with established brands using their sizable war chests and legacy to maintain the status quo. However regional newcomer OPPO is attempting to do just that, thanks to a couple of industry firsts and thinking outside the box
OPPO’s journey into a truly innovative global brand continues apace with the latest launch of the brand’s OPPO R5 and N3 series in the region.
The new phones feature two advances that have come to define the brand’s relatively short existence-ultra-slim form factor and a unique rotating camera. The result is the world’s thinnest phone on sale today and the first motorized rotating camera phone while not compromising on tech.
“We are offering a total of nine models in the market including the new models,” said Henry Tang, GCC Regional Sales Manager at OPPO. “We have received good feedback especially from the youth. They are quite happy with our product quality, user experience, good user interface etc. so we expect to see rapid growth in the next few months,” Tang added.
With a 4.85mm ultra-thin shape, a minimalist design and quality camera performance, the R5 seeks to illustrate its market positioning of “Form Beyond Shape”.
Boasting a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core processor and a5.2 inch Super AMOLED display with 1080P resolution, the R5 is a tightly packaged smartphone that does not scrimp on performance. The R5 camera is a Schneider Kreuznach-certified 13-megapixel camera delivering 50-megapixles of ultra-high-definition picture clarity that is backed by OPPO’s PureImage 2.0+ technology.
The N3 features the distinctive feature of the N series, the rotating camera with an added function – automation. The N3’s camera has the ability to rotate 206b degrees and is capable of taking pictures using its free-stop and multi-angle shooting features, a truly unique experience in mobile technology and photography.
The OPPO N3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core CPU and is packed with 32G ROM and 2G RAM and a 5.5-inch screen made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for maximum clarity and durability.
“Even though there are many Android phones out there, we do stand out because we offer a clear interface in our phones which is easy to use,” observed Tang. “We have good camera, battery life, and excellent software for enhanced user experience with our PureImage 2.0 that offers high definition clarity. The Fingerprint reader is another standout feature. The new N3 offers also offers motorized rotation for shooting pictures,” Tang added.
The R5 is not the first ultra-thin phone to have been designed and created by OPPO. In July of 2012, OPPO launched what was then the world’s thinnest smartphone, the OPPO Finder. To create a device that is ultra- thin and ultra-strong, OPPO overcame various industrial design and material challenges. The OPPO R&D department worked hard to deliver the ultimate sleek smartphone with advanced technology, gorgeous design and top-performance features.
The R5 carries a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-Core (MSM8939) processor paired with an Adreno 405 GPU. This CPU is composed of two quad-core processors, one for power consumption optimization and the other for high performance.
“Oppo is positioned as a premium Brand in China,” explains Tang. “We are priced higher than many other brands in china because of the quality we bring with our products. We are reckoned as being in the top three when it comes to the China market with Indonesia, Vietnam being among our top performing markets,” said Tang.
The N3 camera can take panoramic shots of wide-angle shots, such as cityscapes, with a simple click activating the automatic rotation to capture clear, stable images in both landscape and portrait orientations. With OPPO focusing more on details, its 16megapixel camera can take high resolution images, and is perfect for high quality prints.
The N3 boasts a well-loved feature – Touch Access, which is not only secure and convenient, but allows for a higher recognition rate. The touch-sensitive device will also respond to wet or gloved hands, making it the ideal phone for users in any situation or environment. In addition, to make the camera even more user-friendly and for maximum ease, users can control the camera rotation in three ways –by O-click, gestures and touch access.
The R5 and N3 sport OPPO’s VOOC mini flash charging system that can charge the battery from 0% to 75% in 30 minutes, ensuring that users will have no worries when it comes to the R5’s and N3’s battery life.
The R5 is available at Sharaf DG and Jumbo Electronics stores across the UAE and retails for AED 1899.The N3 will be available from the end of February in the UAE market. Other available models in the UAE include: Find 7, Find 7a, N1 mini, R1k, Yoyo, Joy, and Neo 3. “Oppo has strong market share in markets like China, Asia etc. and we look forward to leveraging the strength of our product quality, performance, excellent user experience, relationships with partners and customers in the region,” Tang concluded.