Picking up from a previous article that we did on the OPPO R17 Pro, we revisited this amazing phone to uncover more of what it can offer. Read on for the full review of OPPO’s hottest entry in the market right now!
Design & Construction
We simply can’t get enough of how pretty the R17 Pro is: though it’s only available in one color right now, it’s definitely one of the most unique exteriors out there. The Radiant Mist gradient in the back panel never ceases to be interesting as it seems to shift when struck by light at different angles. The R17 Pro is also a big leap for OPPO, as it is their first phone with a triple camera setup.
The R17 Pro is slim but pretty heavy at 183g. On the left are its volume control buttons while on the right is a power button. On top, right above the notch holding the front camera is a thin slit for the earpiece. At the bottom are the USB Type-C charging port, loudspeaker, and the SIM card tray.
Display & Multimedia
Its 6.4-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen can produce sharp images and text, especially with its 402ppi pixel density and 1080×2340 screen resolution. It has a small waterdrop notch that houses the selfie camera resembling that of the OPPO F9. The R17 Pro’s large display has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 which makes it resistant to minor scratches. It also runs on a ColorOS 5.2 and can produce up to 16M colors.
The R17 Pro’s overall sound quality is great but playing music at maximum volume sounds a little bit crackly and exhausts the loudspeakers. One good thing about it though is that even at lower volume levels (25%-50%), it still sounds loud enough for music or videos to be heard well in an open area or room.
Camera
Taking photos is the R17 Pro’s forte: not only does it take stunning photos at top-notch quality, but it simply outperforms other smartphones when it comes to taking photos in differing light conditions. The R17 Pro prides itself in its ability to capture detailed images even at night where there’s very little light source around. Hence their tagline: Seize the night. The triple rear camera consists of a 12MP wide lens, a 20MP lens, and a TOF (Time of Flight) 3D Stereo Camera lens that gathers a subject’s depth information. When used with a corresponding app, you can use the rear camera to take 3D photos. The 25MP front camera is perfect for taking high-resolution selfies.
There are different shooting modes present in the local camera app that allows users to explore and do more with the phone’s features. Under the default Photo mode, you can opt for PI color which helps improve color saturation and make your pictures look more lively. You can also toggle between switching the AI scene recognition on and off. The Portrait mode, on the other hand, offers amazing depth of field and has a live AI-powered bokeh effect. There’s also an Expert mode that lets you manually adjust all settings such as the ISO, shutter speed, exposure value, and white balance.
The Night mode is the most impressive feature so far and it really blew me away. Pictures taken in low-light conditions barely have noise and the colors don’t get desaturated as it usually does with other cameras. Thanks to the innovation present in the R17 Pro, the camera stitches up four pixels into one, allowing more light to reach the sensor. The only downside to this is that the phone itself prompts you to keep the device stable, as a higher light sensitivity can also mean that it’s much more prone to producing blurred images. We tried pushing the limits of this camera and found out that it can still capture photos even in near darkness but there will be compromises to quality.
Overall, this is definitely one of the best phone cameras I’ve tested so far. Though it’s kinda disappointing that there aren’t any built-in apps that utilize the TOF lens more (aside from the enhanced performance of the AR stickers), it would’ve been cool to have a local feature that enables you to take 3D photos.
OPPO R17 Pro Sample Photos:
Performance & Battery
The R17 Pro has a Snapdragon 710 processor, an Adreno 616 GPU and runs on an Android 8.1 OS. It can deliver amazing performance and its chipset compliments the camera setup as well. Given its large 8GB RAM, this device can multitask and run heavy games at the same time. I tried playing Identity V set at the highest graphics settings and works as smoothly as I expected it. The internal storage is also pretty spacious at 128GB, which can further be expanded to 256GB via the microSD card slot.
It also features an in-display fingerprint scanner that works better compared to the Vivo V11. There’s also the face unlock option which is very accurate and reliable, helping you secure your phone better. Even though the R17 Pro’s highlights are geared towards mobile photography, it didn’t skimp on its other features and has amazing functionality.
As for its battery capacity, the R17 Pro is powered by a non-removable 3,700mAh. It can last longer depending on use and has support for the SuperVOOC Flash Charge. This enables you to recharge the phone quickly, saving you time. We tested this feature and it worked better than we expected: from 0%, the phone was fully charged in under 40 minutes!
All in all, I can definitely say that OPPO outdid themselves with this one. The R17 Pro is an amazing device you wouldn’t want to miss out on: from the exterior to its cameras and overall performance, it was meant to be a showstopper. The OPPO R17 Pro is currently available nationwide for Php 38,990 and if you think that’s too steep for your budget, you can check out these other payment methods you can use to purchase this phone.
