
Unboxing
Interestingly OPPO decided to buck the space-saving trend and go large with their box. Inside you’ll also find earphones and a VOOC fast charger. I’m especially pleased with the inclusion of the VOOC Flash Charge but more on that later.
Set-up and design
The OPPO R9s feels very light despite its size. It’s slim yet sturdy and solid when you hold it and the tapered sides give it a slick, sharp finish. The fingerprint-enabled home button is accurate and fast – I predict that no one will be unlocking their phone with just a pin number by the end of 2017. One of my favourite features of the fingerprint sensor is the custom-unlocking setting which allows you to open different apps depending on which finger unlocks the phone. I set this feature up so that unlocking the device with my right thumb took me to the homescreen but unlocking with my left thumb took me to Whatsapp. So handy. As for the display – I love it because the colours really pop on the 5.5” AMOLED screen so scrolling through Instagram or watching movies is a real pleasure.
Camera
The camera is clearly the focal point of the OPPO R9s – you’ll find a huge 16MP sensor on the front and back. The rear camera uses a customised Sony IMX398 sensor and has Dual Pixel autofocus which makes the camera much more accurate and faster. The R9s performs incredibly well in low-light conditions and has a complete suite of pro features and shooting modes that shutterbugs like me will love.
Here are some of the photos I took:
Now, please can we all just take a minute to appreciate the R9s’ custom selfie filter ‘Beauty Mode’? It deserves a special shout out for making you look flawless in every.single.shot. I took the first two selfies below after an intense gym session (so in real life my makeup was smudged and I was just generally looking pretty gross) and the second was taken in the office (where the bright yellowy lighting is hardly ideal for the perfect pic) and they both came out fabulous:
Other features
ZOMG, the OPPO R9s’ fast charging is the best thing since sliced bread. Not only can you charge this beauty to 2 hours of talk time in just 5 minutes thanks to OPPO’s VOOC Fast Charge technology (and inclusion of the fast charger too), the battery life just goes on and on…and on.
Overall
Love
- Battery life
- Camera
- AMOLED screen
- IOS-style emojis!

Not-so-sure about:
- Not my favourite launcher
Verdict:
I’m really quite impressed with the OPPO R9s. It’s light and compact with a lovely design, outstanding battery life and exceptional camera. If you’re looking for a superb mid-range smartphone, look no further.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the above review are my own and do not represent those of Optus or its staff.