Oppo N3: Head turning shooter

Oppo is one of those new companies that are worrying the big players. Couple of years ago it was just an upstart of a name, an entry into a fiercely competitive and fickle market. Then it became the first smartphone to whip out a 1080p screen, beating the likes of HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. Currently it's churning out flagships that are coming at the opponents with guns blazing. The new N3 is a big deal. It literally big and on paper, it packs quite a punch. We try one out to see if it is the contender it wants to be.

Build: The phone has a sturdy aluminum band round it that forms the tough exoskeleton. Other than that it is a fully plastic affair that feels very well built. Despite the lighter material, the phone has heft without feeling heavy, lending a premium feel as demanded by the price tag.

Design: A unique and quirky design feature is the bridge at the bottom of the device. It' cool in a way that the LED notification lights glow better reflected off the inner side. Also the speaker grill is located in the gap meaning it won't get covered up when inside a pocket.

Display: The N3's screen is a 1920 x 1080 5.5-inch IPS LCD offering 403PPI resolution. Any higher resolution would be quite pointless as this display offers brilliant white and razor sharp text. The icons look slightly more intricate due to the layered Color OS interface on the Android 4.4.4. The Color OS doesn't have an app drawer and all icons are on the home screen. That's a little Apply flavor in there and no one really complains about that.

Security: The fingerprint scanner works brilliantly. Your finger easily rest in the recess as you hold the phone and a simple click wakes and unlocks the phone. Each and every try, it worked the moment I placed my finger on it.

Memory: It's a massive storage device as you get on-board 32GB of space as well as an added microSD card slot. Unfortunately that doubles as a micro SIM slot as well so you get to choose only one.

Audio: The N3 has an excellent audio player that includes the 'Maxx Audio' setup offering multiple presets as well as the option to tailor your own preferences with graphic equaliser sliders.

Power: A 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor supported by an Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM means you're not running out of juice any time soon. Whatever games or apps I threw at it, nothing fazed it. I am yet to face a single instance of lag in anything.

Backup: The 3000mAh battery allows a good long day worth of heavy usage. The simpler display works to that advantage. If you want to stretch the limits a little more, there is the 'Super Power-saving' mode which turns off the extra features to keep the device running a lot longer. With a little careful usage, I've managed to often run it for close to two days. Facebook and games gobble up the power as usual but regular calls and managing my sites via mobile meant I could easily go into the next day without a power refill.

Camera: This is probably the biggest selling point of the Oppo. There's one single camera to satisfy all your Instagram and selfie requirements. And that single camera is a whopper. The motorized unit is a 16MP device with a Schneider Kreznauch lens. What it does it flip over when you need to take selfies and flips back when you need to shoot the world passing by.

The f/2.2 aperture means you get plenty of light onto the sensor. That translates to sharp and quick snaps even in low light conditions. The interface allows multiple options like Beauty, Panorama, HDR and Ultra HD. The Expert mode provides full control over all the important features such as exposure, ISO, white balance and shutter speed. The photos came out sharp and well rendered even in basic 'Normal' mode.

The focusing is quick and the white balance works perfectly most of the time with accurate detail. Video is 1080p at 30fps or 120fps in 720p allowing for some smooth slow-mo video. 

SPECS
Display: 5.5 inches  1080 x 1920 (~403 ppi)
Camera: 16-megapixel Motorized camera
OS: Android OS, v4.4.4
CPU: Quad Core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
GPU: Adreno 330
Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, G-Sensor, remote control
ROM: 32GB, RAM: 2GB
Battery: 3000 mAh 
Price: Tk. 54,800/-

VERDICT
The camera itself provides bragging rights for the device  The motorized unit may have been a gimmick if it wasn't backed up by the outstanding results of both still and video.  You'll love the pictures you take. It is a solidly built phone with very capable hardware. The only gripe would be the odd choice of material for the camera unit casing. Here, Oppo is still a relatively unknown brand with a hefty price tag. But it's a company that has been consistently delivering on quality and innovation. We're curious to see what comes next.