Another year has passed by, and it’s another year of me, an avid smartphone photographer, being frustrated to no end. If Xiaomi can do it, why can’t Oppo and Vivo? Yes, Xiaomi unleashed the Xiaomi 15 Ultra upon the smartphone market here in India, but Vivo and Oppo are a step behind. The Vivo X200 Ultra and the Oppo Find X8 Ultra aren’t releasing in India, or anywhere outside of China, and therein lies the problem. Neither did their predecessors launch.
I’ve been using the Find X8 Ultra from Oppo for over a month now, and it is genuinely the best camera I have ever tested in any smartphone, even surpassing the Vivo X200 Ultra (although I had limited hands-on time with that device). I haven’t tried the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, and I probably won’t get the chance, as it is currently a China-only release. Nonetheless, I stand by my statement about the Find X8 Ultra.
Over the last two years, I’ve been speaking with executives and marketing professionals from Oppo, telling them that there is a genuine audience for a camera-centric flagship smartphone in India. This year, Vivo launched the X200 Pro at ₹94,999, and it was a big hit for the company. To be fair, Oppo did launch the X8 Pro, but in my opinion, there is a gulf between the Pro model and the Ultra. But alas, my pleas fall on deaf ears. Oppo has repeatedly stated that they’re evaluating the market and hope to launch the next ‘Ultra’ edition outside of China, but to date, this hasn’t come to fruition.
If it were up to me, the Find X8 Ultra would be a constant in my sling bag or backpack, which always contains an army of smartphones. The Find X8 Ultra would also be the one I’d take out the most. The camera tech has been cranked up for the ‘Ultra’ edition, and I am totally on board with it. Put it this way. The Find X8 Ultra is like a point-and-shoot camera. Take it out, open the camera, snap a photo, and voila, a crisp and detailed photo will come out as a result.
Impressive specifications and a well-balanced smartphone
The Find X8 Ultra measures just 8.78mm in thickness. It’s almost the same thickness as the Vivo X200 Ultra, but the camera bump is far less pronounced. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra, for comparison, measures 9.35mm. The Find X8 Ultra comes with Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 16GB RAM and a 6,100mAh silicon-carbon battery. The 6.82-inch display is a visual delight. With a battery life of a day and a half, the Find X8 Ultra delivers it all.
The camera, though, is what this smartphone is all about. The Find X8 Ultra features a 1-inch sensor type. The 1-inch 50MP Sony LYT-900 sensor is where the game has been one. It’s aided by a 50MP Samsung JN6 wide-angle shooter, a 50MP Sony LYT-700 tele lens (with 3x zoom) and a secondary 50MP tele lens ny LYT-600 sensor and up to 6x zoom. On the front is a 32MP autofocus selfie shooter.
With these kinds of specifications, it’s no surprise that the Find X8 Ultra shines in low-light scenarios, with a more natural bokeh on close-up shots. Thanks to a dedicated colour spectrum sensor, the correct white balance is ensured.
Hasselblad tunes the Find X8 Ultra’s cameras, and that’s where the magic happens.
Point and shoot
As I mentioned earlier, the Find X8 Ultra is the ultimate point-and-shoot smartphone. It features a plethora of imaging modules and effectively leverages its partnership with Hasselblad. The camera interface, if you’ve never used it before, is straightforward and largely unchanged from previous editions. The shooting modes and the lenses can be easily accessed. New to the smartphone this year is the dedicated camera button on the right side.
The one thing I’m most impressed with, regarding the cameras, is that it’s quick and easy to shoot a photo in any lighting condition. Even the subject, on the other hand, doesn’t matter. The results will be spectacular, no doubt. Now, if you have an extremely fast-moving subject or a jittery human being, you may end up with some blurry shots, especially when the lighting isn’t good. However, that’s the only minor complaint I have with this fantastic camera array.
Zooming in on mountains and buildings in the far distance (yes, I extensively tested this while I was on a work trip to Dehradun) was mighty impressive. The details are sharp, the colours are true to life, and the photo is overall pleasing to look at.
I also tested the smartphone during peak Delhi summers and noticed one minor thing. The sun’s true colours aren’t easily represented by the smartphone’s cameras. Even when you use one of the many filters on hand. This is one area where you’d need to put on your ‘Pro’ cap and tweak things manually.
As I mentioned above, the zoom on the Find X8 Ultra is what takes the cake. This is what makes this smartphone most impressive. The 3x telephoto lets you take vibrant and detailed photos of people, nature and even food. The natural bokeh you get sets this smartphone apart. The 6x telephoto lens enables a digital zoom of up to 20x, and even at this high level of zoom, there is no significant loss in image quality. Yes, some of it is AI image enhancement, but we can all live with that much of AI in our lives.
Low-light performance is one area where this smartphone may not excel, but it is still satisfactory nonetheless. Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, fret not, because you’ll get some great shots of buildings, people, and, surprisingly, even the road.
Now, if you only take ultra-wide photos, then the Vivo X200 Ultra will serve you better. Still, the Find X8 Ultra holds its own despite the oversaturation.
Videos, too, have improved significantly. All the cameras can now shoot Dolby Vision 4K60 footage (and also with the ultra-steady stabilisation mode). That, in itself, makes this worthy of a recommendation.
Miscellaneous thoughts
While I focused this review on the camera component (since the smartphone isn’t launching anywhere outside of China), I do have a few other thoughts to share. Firstly, if you do manage to import a unit, then I’m happy to report that it is extremely easy to sideload the Google Play Store, and thereafter, all your favourite apps. Some parts may still be in Chinese, but you can, for the most part, just ignore them.
Once you’re set up and ready to use the phone daily, you’ll also be happy that you don’t have to worry about battery backup. There is no more battery anxiety. Thanks to silicon-carbide batteries, the smartphone can maintain its sleek profile while still featuring a significantly larger 6,100mAh battery. This battery comfortably lasts a day and a half. I hardly charged my phone at the end of the day, and mostly just charged it in the morning. With a 100W charger (included in the box), the phone charges up in just 45 minutes.
Who should buy this phone?
Well, since I’m in India and typing this review, I’ll get to the point. If you’re looking for a smartphone solely for its cameras and don’t care about anything else, then the answer is a resounding yes. Import the phone and don’t look back in anger. The smartphone excels in the photography department. The Find X8 Ultra takes stunning portraits, great daylight photos and excels in low-light scenarios as well. The video department also got a much-needed upgrade.
While the photography kit over at Vivo may entice you, the Find X8 Ultra takes the cake as a whole.
I said this after using the Find X7 Ultra, and now I’m saying it after using the Find X8 Ultra for over a month. Dear Oppo, please bring the ‘Ultra’ model to global markets so that we don’t have to deal with the Chinese version of ColorOS and can have the best camera on any smartphone available.
