Review Oppo F15: Is it only on the outside?

Oppo F15 is the latest product from the Chinese brand, launched in the first half of 2020. This device is located in the mid-range price segment, competing directly with successful high-priced phones such as Redmi Note 8 Pro, Poco F1, Nokia 7.2 and Realme X2.

So, Oppo F15 should not overlook this war. Highlights of this product include 8GB RAM, in-screen fingerprint sensor, VOOC 3.0 fast charging support and a 4-megapixel camera cluster up to 48MP. 

In theory, it's a recipe for a successful phone product. However, according to many evaluations and trials, the conclusion is that it is impossible to 'see the face and catch the screen'.

The 'almost' camera is complete

Oppo F15 is tested to use within 10 days and the camera of the machine proves its excellent ability. Overall, the camera F15 gives quite deep image quality, especially raising the red and green tones of the image. However, only those who love Instagram like this image. Let's take a look at the front and rear cameras of the device, respectively.

Oppo F15 has a 16MP front camera, f / 2.0 aperture. This selfie camera brings stable image quality almost every time. Daytime photos are bright, slightly yellowish but at an acceptable level and retain a great deal of detail.

The front camera of the phone also has a portrait mode, the ability to identify high angles bring good image quality. However, this function works best if there is only one object in front of the camera. Selfie in the evening is at a good level.

Coming to the main camera cluster, Oppo 15 has up to 4 lenses, including a basic 48MP camera, f / 1.79 aperture, comes with an 8MP second cam, f / 2.25 ultra wide-angle aperture (expandable to 119 degrees ). The other two cameras (2MP) are for portraits and when shooting small details, the f / 2.4 aperture each.

Overall Oppo F15 offers decent image quality and plenty of color when shooting in the daytime. Shots contain many details. However, when photographed in sunny weather, the background is sometimes slightly blurred. Evening photos of Oppo F15 have a lot of noise, sometimes it doesn't look real.

In addition, the device has a slight lag when switching to video recording mode. Video length is often longer than it actually is because each time you press it, your phone may freeze for a few seconds. This phenomenon continues after 10 days of use. There does not appear to be an update to fix this error on the device.

The hardware is the most stable but not the strongest

Oppo F15 owns 8-core MediaTek Helio processor, comes with G72 MP3 GPU and 8GB RAM.

With this type of hardware, normal applications like Facebook, Instagram, Zalo can run smoothly on Oppo F15. Multitasking works smoothly, no signs of machine heat.

However, Oppo F15 starts having difficulty running heavy tasks. Games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Asphalt 8: Airborne and PUBG Mobile can only run on low graphics platforms. Sometimes the device freezes when switching between applications, or when there are too many notifications coming at once.

Therefore, if you are a game enthusiast, the first thing you need to do when you start playing is to turn off the notifications of other applications.

In addition, the fingerprint sensor inside the screen is quite sensitive. Face recognition also responds very quickly.

Collectively, based on performance, Oppo F15 can be suitable for those who do not use heavy tasks on the phone. If only the basic applications, movies and videos are needed on the phone, this device is completely capable. However, if you are a gamer, the advice is not to choose it.

Oppo F15 stands out from the look

Design is the outstanding aspect of this device. Oppo F15 is long, slender, and has a fair share of parts. This is one of the few phones with a striking design with black tones. The back of the phone has a 3D color effect, out in the sun or when reflected light will turn blue.

Oppo F15 has a glossy black color, those who are not careful may not like this, but countless phone cases can help solve that problem.

In a few days of use, Oppo F15 did not appear any scratches even though clinging to a lot of dirt. It will perfectly survive the first time in your bag of too many things.

Despite liking the design of Oppo F15 as such, there are still two points that make users unhappy. Firstly, when holding the phone from below (this is a natural way of holding), the finger to reach the power button or volume up or down button is not easy. You have to move the hand position every time you want to use those buttons.

Second, the protruding camera assembly is placed on the edge vertically, it looks nice, but when the phone is placed on the table with the back, it is not flat. This design has made many people uncomfortable.

The screen is bright and colorful

Oppo F15 has a 6.2-inch FHD + AMOLED screen, the colors show well and the screen is bright enough when used in the sun. The screen size is also wide enough for activities such as watching videos and playing games.

The screen border is very thin. Although the front camera is on the top, it is very small and if not paying attention, it is difficult to see clearly.

ColorOS 6.1 is overloaded with many built-in applications

If you are not an Oppo user, ColorOS is a strange concept. I personally find the colorful app icons on the screen unattractive at all.

Oppo F15 runs Android 9 based on ColorOS 6.1. Oppo said it will update ColorOS 7 in February 2020.

Picture 5 of Review Oppo F15: Is it only on the outside? Picture 6 of Review Oppo F15: Is it only on the outside?

The display of the device is equipped with many built-in applications. In addition, you will receive notifications of lots of random apps, but these can be turned off in the Settings section.

There is no lag when rolling or switching between applications.

A healthy battery with fast charging mode is a power duo

Oppo F15 is equipped with a battery of up to 4,500 mAh and fast charging VOOC 3.0. If you use applications like Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify all day, the device lasts up to one and a half days. If you play a lot of games, this phone will last about a day. However, if used with battery saving mode, Oppo F15 can be used for up to two days without charging.

Fast charging mode works very well. Oppo F15 achieves charging speed from 6% to 85% in just 50 minutes.

Summary: Nice design, good feel, good typing but lack durability

If you are looking for a nice phone, good camera and good battery, Oppo F15 is the choice for you. However, if you need a strong machine and can support heavy games, this is definitely not an ideal device.

Compared to the Redmi Note 8 Pro, it may be inferior in terms of appearance, but there's no denying that it surpasses Oppo F15 in all aspects of performance.

Still a rival is the Redmi K20, which also has impressive design, camera and performance. Another option besides Oppo F15 is Realme X2, which gives the same display quality.

Basic assessment

1. Camera: 8/10
2. Performance: 7/10
3. Design: October 9
4. Show: 8/10
5. Software: 6/10
6. Battery: 9/10