What you need to know

• Rumors claim Oppo is chasing a wider foldable with a chance of debuting in Q1 2027.
• The device is reportedly eyeing Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 with a 7.6-inch internal screen and a 5.5-inch cover.
• Recent rumors claim Vivo and Honor are chasing wider foldables; however, Huawei has already its version.

There's been a lot of "Wide" foldable talk in the phone space recently, and there's another recognizable name coming to the surface: Oppo.

Rumors on the Chinese social media platform Weibo from tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) claim Oppo is working on a wider aspect ratio foldable (via GSMArena). The tipster suggests the phone is being developed with a 7.6-inch internal screen and a 5.5-inch cover display. Samsung Display and BOE are being considered to handle the device's screen once the situation progresses.

On the other hand, we have speculation that this "Wide" Oppo foldable could feature a "seamless hinge." As GSMArena also states, this likely refers to hinge technology that minimizes the phone's crease so it's barely noticeable. Internally, DCS claims the phone is preparing to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 SoC, which would be its newest addition later this year.

While this last note might give the impression that a debut could be later this year, that's not entirely accurate. Rumors claim Oppo is trying to nail a Q1 2027 debut for this wider foldable. However, DCS states this is "tentative," but we weren't holding our breath anyway.

Everyone's going wide

Hearing that Oppo might have a wide fold in the works reminds us of rumors that said Honor and Vivo were working on the same thing. It was reported that Vivo's version could debut as the "X Fold 6." Regarding Honor's inclusion, that model might not debut until 2027, kind of like what we're hearing about Oppo. Of course, these rumors about Honor and Vivo were drummed up to compete with Samsung.

In the tipster's rumors on Weibo this week, they state Oppo might have Apple in its sights instead. While these companies work to develop wider foldables, one maker already did it: Huawei. The Huawei Pura X Max launched in mid-April, and it's the wide foldable we've been waiting on, just not from Samsung (or Honor, or Vivo...). The OEM called its phone the first “horizontally wide” foldable, even though, as my colleague Jay Bonggolta said, Google's Pixel Fold technically went down this route already.

The Pura X Max features a 5.5-inch cover screen and a 7.6-inch internal display with a 16:10 aspect ratio.

What you need to know

• Quick Share with AirDrop support is finally expanding beyond Pixel and Galaxy phones to more Android devices.
• Oppo Find X9 Ultra and Vivo X300 Ultra have started receiving support for AirDrop sharing.
• You need to enable AirDrop visibility on iPhone for Android devices to detect and share files seamlessly.

Google brought support for sharing files using Android's Quick Share with Apple's AirDrop to its Pixel phones last year, and it now looks like the company is finally expanding the feature to more Android devices.

Ever since Google introduced Quick Share with AirDrop support on the Pixel 10 series, we've been waiting for it to show up on more phones. Since then, it has expanded to the Pixel 9 series and more recently showed up on the Galaxy S26 lineup as well.

Samsung even pushed it to the Galaxy S25 series with the One UI 8.5 update. But outside of Pixel and Samsung devices, there hasn't been much movement until now.

Oppo launched the Find X9 Ultra last week with a promise that AirDrop support would roll out soon, and it looks like that has already started happening. I've been able to test this myself, sending and receiving files between the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and an iPhone Air without any issues.

When you open the Quick Share settings on the Find X9 Ultra, there's now a banner confirming that AirDrop file sharing is available. It also shows a quick guide explaining how to use it, which mainly involves enabling AirDrop on the iPhone and setting visibility to 'Everyone' for 10 minutes.

Once that's done, the iPhone shows up in the Quick Share menu on Android. You can also receive files the same way by setting your Android device's visibility accordingly.

My colleague Harish Jonnalagadda was also able to use this feature on his Vivo X300 Ultra, which means it's clearly expanding beyond just Pixel and Samsung phones. We still haven't seen it arrive on devices like the OnePlus 15 yet, and neither OnePlus nor Google has confirmed anything around that.

Still, it's great to finally see this feature rolling out more widely. It makes sharing photos, videos, and files between Android and iPhone much easier without needing third-party apps. We'll keep you updated as it continues to expand to more devices.

Android Central's Take

I've tested this feature myself, and it works surprisingly well. It's still a bit slower than native AirDrop-to-AirDrop sharing or even Android-to-Android sharing, but the fact that this feature exists and is expanding beyond Pixel and Galaxy phones is a big win for Android users.

If you read my Find X9 Ultra review, you'll know that I really like the phone. It has the best cameras of any flagship right now, I really like the camera-focused design, and the massive battery easily lasts two days. The software is also among the best on Android, and ColorOS 16 has plenty of useful features.

One feature I enjoy using is Mind Space; it basically collates an assortment of data and makes it actionable. You press the dedicated key on the left to add an item to Mind Space, and then the feature leverages AI to extract relevant information in that page. So if you bought movie tickets, you can just save the details to Mind Space, and it will create a calendar event easily. I used the feature to automatically add an upcoming flight to my Google Calendar, and it's pretty great to use.

A new addition on the Find X9 Ultra is an AI-assisted Bill Manager. As the name suggests, it tracks your transactions and creates a detailed view of where your money is going. I used a lot of budgeting apps, and while I used the SMS-based FinArt the longest, I didn't like that it had full access to my messages. With Bill Manager on the Find X9 Ultra, everything is opt-in; you manually add transactions by pressing the shortcut button on an order confirmation, and then the feature adds it to the list. It doesn't read your emails or messages, and I like that about the feature. Having used the feature on my Find X9 Ultra over the course of the month, I think it is a great addition to OPPO's software efforts.

What is AI Bill Manager in ColorOS 16?

As the name suggests, AI Bill Manager lets you easily manage your finances. You'll need to enter individual transactions, but it isn't as onerous as other budgeting apps that ask you to log amounts, what kind of transaction it is, and so on. With this feature, all you do is press the shortcut key on the left of the phone at an order confirmation page, and it does the rest.

It uses AI to analyze the contents of the mail or message and add the details. Where it stands out is its ability to categorizes expenses into categories, and I found this to be highly useful. I bought a pair of shoes this week, and I just took a screenshot of the Adidas confirmation mail, and it added the bill amount, tagged it under Clothing, and even noted the kind of shoes bought (Ultraboost 5).

Basically, the feature gives you a decent understanding of where your money is going, and there are useful metrics. It shows a breakdown of how much you've spent in each category, overall monthly expenses, and you can see daily or weekly spending habits.

Another positive is that the feature doesn't send any data to the cloud; it is entirely on-device, so you don't need to worry about your details sitting on an OPPO server somewhere. While it is debuting on the Find X9 Ultra, the feature will make its way to all other OPPO phones with the latest ColorOS 16.1 build.

How to set up and use AI Bill Manager

You don't have to do much to use AI Bill Manager. Just launch Mind Space and join the beta, and you can start adding transactions. This is how to do it:

1. Double press the shortcut key on the left to pull up Mind Space. If you didn't set it up, you can do so in the settings by going to the Snap Key menu.
2. Within Mind Space, go to the action menu (three vertical dots on the right).
3. Select Settings.
4. Toggle Beta version to On.

AI Bill Manager is just one of those features that makes sense. I'm using it as it's entirely on-device, and I like that it gives detailed metrics. It's an easy way to see where I'm spending my money (it's mostly shoes), and this is an AI-related use case I can actually get behind.

I attend a lot of briefings, and most of these are mundane; I listen to a product guy talk about whatever device is launching, ask a few questions, and be on my way. But when OPPO showed off the Find X9 Ultra, there was a palpable sense of excitement; that particular meeting had over 50 journalists, and we could feel that this phone was different.

That's why I was excited to get my hands on the Find X9 Ultra; I used the phone as my daily driver for close to two weeks now, and it's just as good as the Vivo X300 Ultra — something I didn't think I would say this year. In fact, I prefer the design of the Find X9 Ultra, it somehow has an even bigger 7,050mAh battery, and the software has meaningful features and great customizability.

But those are all secondary considerations. If you're eyeing this phone, it's because of the cameras, and to say that OPPO took things to a whole new level would be an understatement. The Find X9 Ultra has two 200MP cameras, but it's the size of the sensors that's notable: the 200MP 3x tele lens has a huge 1/1.28-inch sensor, making it the biggest telephoto module yet. The main 200MP camera is a 1/1.2-inch sensor, and it's clear that OPPO is positioning the Find X9 Ultra as the best flagship camera of 2026. Coming in at £1,499 ($2,023) for the 12GB/512GB edition, it costs the same as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but you're getting so much more, as you'll see in this review.

Having switched to the phone from the Vivo X300 Ultra, I'll admit that both devices excel when it comes to the cameras, but the Find X9 Ultra just has that little bit of an edge, and that ultimately makes it a better overall choice. Just like Vivo, OPPO is launching the Find X9 Ultra globally, and the phone will make its way to most countries in Asia, as well as the U.K. and other regions in the west.

There's so much to talk about with the cameras, with OPPO touting dozens of new features. The Find X9 Ultra comes with a new generation of Hasselblad Master Camera System, and the brand notes that all five cameras on the device are class-leading in their own right.

This camera system is on another level entirely

The 200MP main camera uses an f/1.5 Sony Lytia LYT-901 1/1.12-inch sensor with a 23mm focal length and OIS. Vivo uses the same sensor in the X300 Ultra, but it has a default focal length of 35mm. Having used the two, I prefer the 23mm focal length on the Find X9 Ultra, as it's a little easier to use. The main camera has better HDR and dynamic range across the board, and that's evident when using the phone against the Find X8 Ultra and the Find X9 Pro. OPPO's Lumo imaging engine is now able to take full advantage of the 200MP sensor, and it doubles as a native 2x lens, delivering shots at 50MP.

It's the 200MP f/2.2 OmniVision OV52A 3x telephoto lens that gives the phone a definite edge. The 1/1.28-inch sensor is the biggest tele lens on a phone yet, and if anything, it's bigger than the 1/1.3-inch main camera of the Galaxy S26 Ultra — and this is the secondary lens. The lens has a 70mm focal length, and it gets OIS as well. OPPO says that the lens takes in 8.9 times the amount of light as the S26 Ultra, and that's clearly evident when using it to shoot 3x photos at night. The telephoto lens produces clean shots at 6x as well, and you get 50MP shots at optical quality. And it doubles as a macro shooter, taking photos of objects just 15cm away.

Now, the Find X9 Ultra has another tele lens, and it uses the 50MP f/3.5 Samsung JNL sensor. This is a native 10x tele shooter, and it has a 1/2.75-inch sensor and 230mm focal length. It has a unique prism system to accommodate the sensor in the phone, and it delivers lossless photos at up to 20x. Now, taking photos at 10x handheld is challenging enough as it is, and as such the lens has a unique sensor-shift stabilization system designed to help in this regard. Oh, and it takes portrait shots too.

Finally, there's the wide-angle lens, which is a 50MP f/2.0 Sony LYT-600 1/1.95-inch sensor with 14mm focal length. This lens is at least a known quantity, and it gets autofocus. Up front is a 50MP Samsung JN5 sensor, and it also has autofocus.

OPPO lavished just as much attention on the image tuning as the physical cameras, and the Find X9 Ultra gets a new Hasselblad Master Mode that's even better. It uses an entirely different architecture to the standard Auto mode, and OPPO says it produces shots with no use of AI whatsoever — you have full control over the entire imaging chain. There are other custom modes, and the phone is the only one to come with Hasselblad's Natural Color Solution with HDR. You can shoot 50MP RAW as well, and it has additional extras when shooting video.

All five lenses can shoot 4K60 in Dolby Vision, and you can easily switch between the lenses and get the same color rendition. This is a big point of contention on most flagships, as while the main camera is usually good, the auxiliary lenses don't quite measure up — that isn't an issue on the Find X9 Ultra, and it makes shooting videos on the phone an absolute joy. The dual 200MP cameras can shoot 4K120 video, and there's 8K30, a new addition this year.

Okay, that covers the technical side, and let's talk about how the cameras hold up. I used the Find X9 Ultra to take hundreds of photos, and I didn't see any issues with any of the quartet of rear lenses. The main camera does an incredible job in daylight and challenging situations, producing natural tones with excellent white balance and color rendition. There's no denying that this is the best main camera of any phone, and OPPO did a fabulous job tuning it.

Similarly, the 3x and 10x lenses are among the best you'll find, and they deliver photos of the same caliber as the main camera — which is an achievement in its own right. The wide-angle lens does a good job in this area too, and honestly, there isn't a negative when it comes to the cameras.

That's not all either; just like Vivo, OPPO has camera accessories that let you make the most out of the Find X9 Ultra, and these include a teleconverter kit. The 300mm 13x Hasselblad external lens is about the biggest I've used yet, and it is an absolute unit. There's a custom case that lets you attach the lens to the phone, and the entire kit is sold as an accessory bundle.

Even if you don't buy the dedicated teleconverter kit, the Find X9 Ultra by itself does enough to stand above every other 2026 phone. The quality of the camera sensors combined with the tuning makes it the most versatile camera phone, and I don't see how any other brand can come close to this.

The Find X9 Ultra is a battery powerhouse

The Find X9 Ultra has truly amazing cameras, and thankfully, the rest of the phone is just as good. Battery life is excellent, thanks to a 7,050mAh silicon-carbon battery that's designed to last two days between charges. I got a day and a half even with heavy use, and most of the time, there just wasn't a need to charge the phone overnight.

Talking about charging tech, the phone uses OPPO's 100W charging, and the best part is that you get 55W over any USB PD charger. This makes it highly convenient to charge the Find X9 Ultra with just about any charger, and there's a dedicated battery management platform with a lot of features designed to prolong battery longevity.

On that note, the Find X9 Ultra will get the same 7,050mAh battery in all global regions, which is good to see. This was an issue last year on several Chinese phones, with the global models touting significantly smaller batteries, so I'm glad to see that not being the case in 2026.

It's designed to stand out

The design of the Find X9 Ultra stands out from every other phone, with OPPO leaning into the camera side of things. The Tundra Umber variant I'm using is styled to look like a high-end Hasselblad camera, and it has a vegan leather finish that's great to hold and use.

The styling means the Find X9 Ultra is guaranteed to turn heads; I used it at a mall last week, and it got more attention than just about any other phone — only the tri-fold Huawei Mate XT stood out more. The leather finish contrasts really well with the aluminum mid-frame, and the bevels around the side ensure the phone is comfortable to hold.

Although it has a massive battery, that isn't evident when using the phone; I had to confirm that my review unit has a 7,050mAh battery, because at 9.1mm and weighing 237g, it is only 11g heavier than its predecessor. That said, it doesn't feel uncomfortable or unwieldy in the least, and that's down to the weight distribution.

The camera island takes center stage (quite literally), and like the X300 Ultra, the Find X9 Ultra has a massive housing with a ring encircling it. Thankfully, there's no wobble when using the phone on a table. You can also get the phone in a Canyon Orange hue, but that isn't made out of leather, and as much as I like my orange iPhone 17 Pro, Tundra Umber is the better choice for this phone.

The power and volume buttons are on the right, and there's a dedicated camera control button this time as well; I like that it has an orange accent, but honestly, I don't see the point of this button. It comes in the way of shooting photos, and I accidentally switched zoom levels when trying to take photos, or triggered the camera without meaning to. Thankfully, the button can be disabled, and I did just that after a few days of use.

You don't miss out on any essentials; the Find X9 Ultra gets IP66, IP68, and IP69 dust and water resistance, and the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is among the best around. There's eSIM, NFC, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, USB 3.2 Gen 1, and a vibration motor that delivers excellent feedback.

You get the best internals of any flagship

Coming to the display, the 6.82-inch 144Hz LTPO AMOLED panel is identical to that of the X300 Ultra, and the 3168 × 1440 resolution is among the best in this category. You get ultra-thin 1.4mm bezels on all sides, and the panel is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a decent addition. It has 2,160Hz PWM dimming when the panel goes below 70 nits, and DC dimming above that brightness.

Colors are detailed, and the phone handles HDR content without any issues. There's decent customizability when it comes to changing the color balance or adjusting the font scaling, and the 144Hz refresh makes a slight difference over the usual 120Hz panels. What I like is that the phone goes down to 1nit, and this makes using it at night just that little bit more comfortable.

On the whole, there are no issues with the panel on the device, and it has good colors, great vibrancy, and holds up incredibly well while gaming.

Switching over to the internals, the phone gets the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform with advanced thermal management. Although OPPO utilized MediaTek with the other Find X9 models, there's no noticeable difference with the move to Qualcomm; I didn't see any slowdowns, gaming was just as enjoyable, and crucially, there's no overheating — which was an issue on other Qualcomm-based phones I tested this year.

My unit came with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of storage, and there's a 16GB/1TB model that's debuting globally. The 512GB model should be adequate, but I used up 170GB of storage in just two weeks, and if you're able to swing it, I'd suggest getting the 1TB variant.

The software has plenty to like

The only issue I have with the software on the Find X9 Ultra is that it won't get as many software updates as Google and Samsung phones. OPPO is obstinate about delivering just four Android OS updates, and while that's good enough on most devices, the Find X9 Ultra deserves better.

I tested the global model of the Find X9 Ultra with the Android 16-based ColorOS 16.0.7, and as it was a preview build, the phone didn't get Google Play certification. That meant I couldn't use Google Pay, and wasn't able to install a few banking utilities. Don't get me wrong; the phone comes with the Play Store and other Google services pre-installed, and it's just as easy to use as any other phone sold globally, including the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro XL. The only issue is that as OPPO hasn't certified the device, I wasn't able to use Google Pay. OPPO says the final software will be rolled out as the device goes on sale, and these issues should be resolved then.

Other than that, ColorOS 16 is great to use; it has a modern design, plenty of useful features, and a lot of customizability. You can now easily minimize notifications on the lock screen into a capsule that sits at the bottom, live alerts do a good job with food delivery updates, and there's plenty of AI-assisted features, including a new bill manager.

On the whole, ColorOS is one of the best Android interfaces around, and alongside OriginOS, it's among my favorites. I like the design, the feature-set, and it's optimized to take advantage of the internals, and is overall a joy to use.

The Find X9 Ultra is the camera upgrade you want

In fact, the overarching takeaway with the Find X9 Ultra is that it doesn't have many negatives; other than a few software quibbles, there isn't anything to point out. The cameras aren't among the best — they are the best you'll find on any phone in 2026.

The battery life is also the best of any phone I used until now, the AMOLED panel is one of the brightest, and you get the latest internals. There really isn't an area where the device falls short, and if you need a versatile camera phone, there's no question that the Find X9 Ultra is the one to beat right now.

When I reviewed the Vivo X300 Ultra last week, I said that it would take something truly extraordinary to measure up to its cameras. OPPO is aiming to do just that with the Find X9 Ultra, and while I can't talk about the cameras just yet, the fact that the device is launching globally this year — just like the X300 Ultra — means there are two strong contenders if you need a camera-focused upgrade in 2026.

I'll talk about the Find X9 Ultra's cameras and how it holds up against the X300 Ultra in my review, but before that, let's take a look at the design itself. OPPO showed over the last three years that it's willing to try out different styles, and the Find X9 Ultra doesn't look anything like the Find X8 Ultra or any of its predecessors. If anything, the bold styling is reminiscent of a traditional camera, and I like that the brand leaned into this aesthetic — I like this design better than Xiaomi's custom 17 Ultra with Leica accouterments.

The rear of the Find X9 Ultra is outfitted in leather, and it feels great to hold and use. The phone itself is built like a tank, and although it has flat edges, the bevels around the sides ensure it's comfortable in daily use. In this sense, it is similar to the X300 Ultra, and the camera island is somehow even bigger.

The camera module dominates the design at the back, and you can easily get a sense of the kind of cameras OPPO is using this year just by gauging the size of the modules. Just like Vivo, OPPO used a design where a ring encircles the camera island, and it has metal accents with an orange finish that adds a nice bit of contrast.

Obviously, the camera island extends quite a bit from the body, and that's a given with Ultras in general and the huge cameras they house. That said, the design of the island and the fact that it's centered means there isn't much of a wobble when using the Find X9 Ultra on a table.

I also like that the dedicated camera button on the right has an orange accent, and the overall design feels elegant and polished. This is the Tundra Umber model, and while the Find X9 Ultra is available in an orange hue as well, that isn't made out of leather.

OPPO's logo is prominently highlighted at the back, and Hasselblad also gets the same amount of visibility. The leather back and metal finish pairs really well, and while the phone is a little heavy, it isn't unwieldy in the least.

Having used the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Xiaomi 17 Ultra, and the Vivo X300 Ultra in recent months, I think I like the design of the Find X9 Ultra the most. The leather finish makes all the difference in this area, and the phone looks like a high-end Hasselblad camera, which is undoubtedly what OPPO was trying to achieve. Thankfully, I'll be able to share my full findings of the Find X9 Ultra fairly soon, but in the meantime, it's exciting that the phone will be available outside China.

OPPO isn't just killing it with flagships; the brand's mid-range devices contribute a bigger chunk to its bottom line, and there's plenty of choices available. The Reno 15 Pro and Reno 15 debuted at the start of 2026, and they're easily among the best mid-rangers you can buy today — if anything, the cameras on the Pro model makes it the ideal flagship killer.

I didn't use the phones immediately after launch, but I tested both the Reno 15 Pro and the standard Reno 15 over the course of the last month, and it's easy to see that these devices have a lot to like. I prefer the Pro model, so I'll start with that. OPPO changed the design this year, and the Reno 15 Pro has a smaller size thanks to a 6.32-inch panel — it's sold as the Reno 15 Pro mini in India.

The size makes the phone a delight to hold and use, and the design is just as premium as the Find X9 Pro. The brown color doesn't stand out that much, but there's an Aurora Blue model that looks exquisite, and that's the one I recommend if you're eyeing this phone.

It has all the basics covered; you get an aluminum frame with good balance, and the phone has IP68 and IP69 ingress protection. The 6.32-inch OLED panel gets bright even under harsh sunlight, and colors are excellent — I didn't see any issues while playing games or watching movies on the device.

There's plenty to like with the cameras as well, as the phone gets a 200MP Samsung HP5 main camera with a 50MP tele lens with 3.5x optical zoom and 50MP wide-angle lens. OPPO's mid-rangers held their own for a while now, but with the Reno 15 Pro, you get flagship-quality photos, and that alone makes the phone that much more interesting. Yes, the Find X9 Pro has a lot of unique extras, but if you just need a phone that takes great photos in challenging situations, the Reno 15 Pro does a great job at half the cost, and that's no small feat.

What I like the best about the phone is that it gets a decent 6,200mAh battery in spite of the smaller size. If anything, switching to the Galaxy S26 Ultra from the Reno 15 Pro feels like a downgrade because of the battery, and I easily got a day even with heavy use. You get the same 80W charging tech as other OPPO phones, and it goes up to 50W over the USB PD protocol as well.

And there's the software; the Reno 15 Pro runs ColorOS 16 with Android 16 as the foundation, and it is just as good as the Find X9 Pro. The UI is fluid, you get extensive customizability, and the modern styling and fluid design makes it my favorite Android interface now.

The phone doesn't get the latest internals, and is instead powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 8450. Even then, I didn't see any issues in daily use, and it handled demanding tasks well. There is some throttling with visually-intensive games, but that's the case with every phone I test in this category, so it isn't an outlier. If anything, the only quibble I have with the internals is that OPPO is still using UFS 3.1 storage modules — we need UFS 4.0 on these devices.

Then there's the Reno 15; it gets a lot of the same features, but is a little slower, and doesn't take photos that are quite as good. The 6,500mAh battery lasts even longer, and I got the Aurora variant of the phone, and it may just be the best-looking mid-ranger I used in the last 12 months. The unique etched pattern creates a tantalizing effect, and it instantly draws attention when using the phone outdoors.

The Reno 15 has a bigger 6.59-inch OLED panel, and while it's still good to use, it doesn't have the same in-hand feel as the Pro model, and that's one of the reasons I predominantly used the 15 Pro. Honestly, while there are some limitations with the hardware, that's about the only drawback I can think of, and the Reno 15 Pro in particular is a great choice if you need a camera-focused phone that doesn't cost anywhere in the vicinity of $1,000. The standard Reno 15 is a good alternative to the Vivo V70 Elite in Asian markets.

If you've set out to buy a new foldable smartphone in 2026 and are looking at the global market, you have a solid number of options to choose from. In the U.S., Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 is still the king of the hill, and the same holds true for many other regions, too. But challenging its reign in 2026 is the latest OPPO Find N6. We've spent two weeks with this foldable, and we can't get enough of it. It's a crying shame, then, that it won't be launching outside Asia.

Comparing the OPPO Find N6 vs. the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, both phones have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Find N6 has an edge in battery life, cameras, a folding screen, and charging speeds, but it's heavier and won't get as many OS upgrades. The Galaxy Z Fold 7, on the other hand, is lighter, has better AI features, and better global availability. The downside is that it's not as dustproof, has weaker battery life, and is due for an upgrade in a few months.

If you live in a region where you can buy either phone, here's how to choose between them.

OPPO Find N6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Design and displays

We thought the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 had a non-existent display crease when we reviewed it, but the OPPO Find N6's folding screen makes it look like a phone from a few generations ago. This is the biggest differentiator of the Find N6 vs. all other foldable phones like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Honor Magic V5. Not only is the crease barely visible, but you can also hardly feel it, which means it's the closest you'll get to using an actual tablet.

It's an absolutely stunning display too, spanning 8.12 inches with a crisp resolution of 2,248x2,480 pixels. This LTPO OLED panel boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, up to 2,500 nits of peak brightness, and an "Auto-Smoothing Flex Glass" that's certified to stay flat even after 600,000 folds, according to OPPO. The outer 6.62-inch OLED display is equally impressive with an even higher peak brightness rating. Both displays have excellent color vibrancy and touch response, and the improved hinge easily holds the Find N6 at whichever angle you open it.

The design is similar to the Find N5, and it has the same thickness when folded or unfolded as the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The OPPO Find N6 is heavier than the Fold 7 at 225 grams vs. 215 grams. It does have better dust and water protection, though, with an IP58/ IP59 rating compared to Samsung's IP48 rating. The Find N6 even supports OPPO's new AI Pen stylus.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures just 8.9mm thick when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded, making it the slimmest foldable Samsung has produced yet. The most impressive aspect is the weight, which is just 215 grams. The design is very familiar too and is instantly recognizable as a Samsung phone. The fit and finish have been polished off, and the phone gets an IP48 rating for durability.

The main display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an 8.0-inch folding Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel with a resolution of 2,184 x 1,968 and a 120Hz refresh rate. Notably, Samsung has dropped S Pen support on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to keep the phone's thickness low. This could be a big miss for many users, as the ability to doodle, sketch, sign documents, or take notes with Samsung's highly regarded stylus is not available on this model.

We don't have too many complaints about the display itself, though. It's bright and vibrant, the touch response is great, and the crease is the least prominent compared to previous generations. The folding screen is still not as flat as the Find N6, though. OPPO definitely wins this round as the Find N6 has superior display tech and is more resilient to the elements.

OPPO Find N6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Hardware and specs

The OPPO Find N6 uses the best Qualcomm chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Like its predecessor, this is a custom chip with a seven-core design that performs very well in games and with daily usage. We did notice some overheating during long gaming sessions, but that's more of a chip issue than an OPPO issue. The Find N6 comes in just one variant with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. Hong Kong-based etailer Giztop lists the phone for $1,899, which is quite a bit cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 7's starting price of $1,999, which gets you 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

The Find N6 runs ColorOS 16.0.4, which is based on Android 16. OPPO has promised four years of OS upgrades, the best that the company offers. This is much less compared to Samsung's seven-year commitment. The software itself is great and easy to use. We didn't find any glaring issues here. It's also highly customizable, which is something we really liked.

The Find N6 has one of the biggest batteries we've seen yet on a foldable. With a massive 6,000mAh capacity, 80W wired charging, and 50W wireless charging, this is a beast of a phone that easily lasts a full day and more on one charge.

Samsung increased the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in 2025, as it starts at nearly $2,000. The 512GB variant is $2,419.99, and the 1TB variant is $2,419.99. It's worth noting that only the 1TB variant has 16GB of RAM.

While performance won't hit the same benchmark numbers as the Find N6 with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the older Snapdragon 8 Elite in the Z Fold 7 is still very capable. The phone also outshines the Find N6 thanks to Samsung's seven-year software update promise. While OPPO's software is quite polished, Samsung's on-device AI features certainly set it apart.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a 4,400mAh battery, which is alright for casual use but not great if you heavily use the folding screen. The phone charges at a measly 25W when plugged in and 15W via Qi2.1 wireless charging. You don't get native magnetic Qi2 charging, but you can enable this with a compatible case.

OPPO Find N6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Cameras

The cameras on the OPPO Find N6 are easily some of the best we've seen. There's a new 200MP main sensor and upgraded ultrawide and telephoto cameras from the Find N5. Add to that the Hasselblad tuning for the main camera, similar to the Find X9 Pro, and you have a very potent shooter, no matter the challenging lighting conditions. All rear cameras can now shoot 4K 60fps video in Dolby Vision. The selfie cameras are not bad either, as you get 20MP sensors for the outer and inner displays.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 finally gets a much-needed boost for the main camera. The 200MP sensor captures stunning shots and is capable of recording in 8K. The secondary cameras do a decent job, too, but are not suitable for a phone that costs nearly $2,000. The 10MP telephoto and 12MP ultrawide simply lack the raw resolution that the Find N6 delivers. Even the selfie cameras are quite average as Samsung hasn't bothered to change these 10MP sensors for many generations now.

OPPO Find N6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Which should you buy?

The OPPO Find N6 has earned a spot in our list of the best foldables to buy in 2026. Apart from being cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, it beats it in other areas too, like the displays, stylus support, better battery life, faster charging, better performance, and more potent cameras. I'd definitely choose this over the Galaxy any day.

For folks in North America and European countries, the only way to officially get the Find N6 (or a version of it) is if OnePlus decides to launch a OnePlus Open 2. Unfortunately, a report in early January suggested that OnePlus has cancelled plans for the Open 2, although the reasons remain unknown. Hopefully, things change for the better, and we finally get an Open 2 that fans have been waiting for.

As for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, it's a fine device but a bit too expensive for its own good. The increase in price, plus the reduction in features like the lack of S Pen support, makes it hard to recommend. This is also not the best time to buy one at full price, as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 should arrive in a few months. It's still early to tell whether it will get any significant upgrades, but given how Samsung has been playing it too safe with its updates over the past few years, I wouldn't hold my breath for anything substantially better.

What you need to know

• OPPO's starting to tease an April 2026 debut for the Find X9 Ultra, which would be the first time global markets have seen such a device.
• A minimal teaser seems to showcase the phone's camera button, alongside multiple teasers about "Your Next Camera" and more.
• The Find X9 series debuted late last year, bringing strong camera improvements, a detachable teleconverter lens, and huge batteries.

It seems that global markets should expect a surprising debut: an Ultra model phone from the Chinese OEM, OPPO.

Late this weekend, the founder of OnePlus and CPO of OPPO, Pete Lau, posted on X that the latter will debut an Ultra addition to the Find X9 series globally (via 9to5Google). Lau states, "The #OPPOFindX9Ultra is going global!" While that gets us right to the point, Lau provided a quick teaser image of the device. The image is very minimal, only showing what speculation expects to be a physical camera button on the side of the Find X9 Ultra.

Other than that, we know that the phone will be silver (or, at least, this colorway option is). The image offers the tagline: "Your Next Camera." Moreover, it tells us that the phone will debut in April 2026. OPPO's CPO continues, stating that this is the "first time ever" that an Ultra model phone has launched globally.

Piling on the camera hype is Lau's statement that users should get ready for "a new benchmark in mobile imaging!" The post by 9to5 resurfaces some older leaks that claim the Find X9 Ultra will provide a 6.8-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is expected to power its functions, alongside a 7,050mAh battery with 100W wired charging.

Photos are lookin' crispy

OPPO launched the Find X9 series late last year with the Find X9 and Find X9 Pro. Both phones were pretty high on battery capacity, offering a 7,500mAh battery in the X9 Pro. Funnily enough, what's been alleged for the Find X9 Ultra sits between the Pro and the base model. However, the main difference is the other two feature MediaTek's Dimensity 9500, not a Snapdragon.

The X9 and X9 Pro also feature a new bit of hardware: the Snap Key. This button allowed users to quickly trigger functions, like the camera or AI features. Pricing will be another aspect that we should keep our eyes on. The Find X9 debuted with a ~$1,165 price tag, leaving the Pro with ~$1,515. Of course, the numbers are usually restructured to appropriately fit the market, though this gives us an idea of where the Find X9 Ultra might land.

Android Central's Take

If there was one thing the Find X9 series did, it was camera improvements. OPPO woke up one day and chose photography, and I'm not mad at them. The Find X9 series, namely the Pro, boasts a 200MP telephoto with 3x periscope zoom. It also comes with support for a detachable teleconverter lens for 10x native zoom capabilities. This makes the phone feels like you're using a conventional, strong mirrorless camera. The Ultra is going down this route, too, and I'm expecting even more photographic strength from something with that moniker.

Foldables are great at multitasking, and I like the fact that I can take a tablet-sized device anywhere I want. One of the biggest use cases is split-window multitasking that lets you use two apps side-by-side, and I do this all the time on my foldables. OPPO always did a good job with multitasking on its foldables, and the Boundless View mode undoubtedly served as the inspiration for Google to introduce the Bubbles windowed mode in Android 17.

With the Find N6, OPPO is taking things to a whole new level. The foldable has a brand-new multitasking mode called Free-Flow Window, and it essentially makes the Find N6 a productivity powerhouse. The feature lets you use four apps simultaneously, giving you the ability to adjust the size of each window as you see fit.

Basically, Free-Flow Window is the best multitasking feature I've used on the Find N6, and I don't see myself using a foldable that doesn't have the mode.

What is Free-Flow Window, and why is it so great?

OPPO says Free-Flow Window is highly useful if you're cross-referencing documents or taking notes while attending a video call. You can have up to four apps together on the home screen, and they're all active, allowing you to seamlessly switch between them as needed.

I used Free-Flow Window constantly over the last two weeks to jot down notes in the middle of product briefings, and to fill out a visa application while copying data from a document stored in Google Drive — which was active alongside Chrome. Honestly, a lot of the use cases that Free-Flow Window enables are similar to what you can do on a desktop, and the mode allowed me to fully take advantage of the real estate of the 8.12-inch inner panel.

The best part is that you can easily resize each window with minimal effort, and you can also switch focus to different windows, close an app, copy text, images, and data from one app to another without any hassle. The utility this mode offers is unmatched, and I was able to do a decent amount of mundane administrative tasks on the Find N6 without having to switch to my Windows machine.

How to enable Free-Flow Window

As Free-Flow Window essentially lets you launch floating windows, there are several ways to trigger the mode. The easiest method is to use gestures; OPPO always does a good job in this area, and a four-finger pinch in gesture lets you turn an active app into a floating window.

You can also activate a floating window through an inward corner swipe from either bottom of the screen, but you'll need to disable the digital assistant to do so — otherwise, you'll just launch Gemini. The method I used the most is via the action menu:

1. While an app is active, pull up the overview menu.
2. Select the three dots at the top.
3. Choose Floating window.

Doing so will instantly launch a floating window, and you can do the same with any app you want to use in this mode. Multitasking is just one area where the Find N6 stands out; the rest of the software is among the best you'll find on a foldable.

Then there's the design; the Find N6 has a creaseless inner panel that's unlike any other foldable, and there's a huge difference using it alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. OPPO has a distinct edge in this area, and it's unlikely other brands will be able to deliver something like this on their own products in 2026.

It was when I was playing a round of Balatro that I realized I was using a foldable and not a tablet. With every foldable I used until now, there's a tiny crease that runs down the middle of the inner panel, and while it isn't noticeable in regular use, it is evident while gaming.

But that's not the case with the Find N6; OPPO somehow created a foldable with an entirely-creaseless inner panel, and it's an absolute delight to use. You'll still see a crease if you hold the foldable at a certain angle, but it doesn't inhibit usage of the Find N6 in any way whatsoever, and this gives the device a huge advantage over just about every other foldable available today.

The creaseless design also proves its worth when watching something on the foldable, and most of the time I used the inner panel on the Find N6, it felt like I was using a tablet and not something that folds in half. That is the main differentiator with this foldable; the Find N6 does a better job in this area than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Vivo X Fold 5, Honor Magic V5, and even the Huawei Mate X7.

The 8.12-inch inner OLED panel is one of the biggest of any foldable, and it gets 2,160Hz PWM dimming, increased brightness levels than its predecessor, and Dolby Vision. The outer 6.62-inch OLED panel also gets the same features, with the only difference being greater brightness levels. I like that both panels go down to 1nit — similar to the Find X9 Pro — and it makes using the foldable a lot easier at night.

Color vibrancy is excellent, and I don't have any problems with the inner or outer panels on the Find N6. The width of the outer panel is just right; it's still big enough that you can view text comfortably, but it is a smidgen shorter than bar phones. The bezels are even thinner than last generation, and they're uniform.

OPPO says it overhauled the hinge design to deliver the Zero-Feel Crease design, and the brand used 3D printing to ensure the thousands of tiny parts that make up the hinge are of a uniform height.

The new hinge architecture combined with a new Auto-Smoothing Flex Glass layer that's designed to prevent deformations allows the Find N6 to have the creaseless panel, and it's guaranteed to last just as long as any other foldable. In fact, OPPO is so confident in the design that it says other brands won't be able to deliver a similar creaseless hinge in 2027, much less this year.

That's why it's annoying to see that the Find N6 won't make its way outside Asia. OPPO is launching the foldable globally, but it is limited to select countries in southeast Asia and the UAE — it isn't coming to the U.K. or any other western country where OPPO has a presence. Look, I'm glad that OPPO is launching it outside China, but it would have been nice to see a broader global rollout considering just how good the foldable is.

Let's talk about the design a little bit, because OPPO is doing things differently this year. The Find N6 is a smidgen thinner and lighter than last year's Find N5, and coming in at 225g, it is one of the lightest foldables. It is just 4.2mm when unfolded and 8.93mm when folded, and the rounded edges along with slight bevels around the sides make it highly comfortable to hold.

The second-gen Titanium Flexion Hinge has excellent articulation, and I didn't see any problems in this area in the two weeks I used the Find N6 as my daily driver. Coming to the materials, the hinge is made out of titanium and stainless steel, with the mid-frame of the foldable built out of an aluminum alloy. Although the Find N6 misses out on IP68 protection, it gets IP58 and IP59 dust and water resistance, giving it a decent amount of resilience.

The camera module is centered, and the design ensures there is no wobble when using the Find N6 on a table — this continues to be a constant source of annoyance with my Galaxy Z Fold 7. You get a side-mounted fingerprint sensor like most devices, and it is fast to authenticate.

What I like the most is the color options this year; the Find N6 is available in a Blossom Orange model, and that's the one I'm using. It isn't a bright orange like the iPhone 17 Pro, with the Find N6 instead featuring a pastel hue that looks gorgeous in its own right. I like that the LED flash module also has a hint of orange, and the mid-frame gets a rose gold design, contrasting the orange very well. The positioning of the power and volume buttons is ideal, but the shortcut key is located a little higher up, and it is awkward to access when using the foldable one-handed.

Also great to see is stylus integration; OPPO has a new case bundle that's launching alongside the Find N6, and it can slot in the new AI Pen stylus. The stylus is on the smaller side, but it's good enough to jot notes, annotate, or just doodle.

Battery life is another area where the Find N6 holds up incredibly well. The 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery manages to last all day without any issues, and even with heavy use, I didn't have to plug in the foldable before the end of the day. It gets the standard 80W charging, but what I like better is the 50W USB PD integration; I use PD chargers daily, so to be able to charge the foldable at 50W is ideal.

Powering the Find N6 is Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Like last year, OPPO is using a custom seven-core design, and I didn't see any issues while playing games or regular daily use. There is noticeable overheating during extended gaming sessions, but that is the case with all Qualcomm-based phones I tested this year, so the Find N6 isn't an outlier. Coming to storage, the Find N6 is available in a single configuration globally with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

The Find N6 is using an all-new AI LinkBoost tech that includes the NetworkBoost Chip S1 to deliver better connectivity, but in real-world use, I didn't see any difference whatsoever. If anything, connectivity wasn't as good as bar phones; I always get a signal in my home office when using the Find X9 Pro or other flagships, but not with the Find N6. I didn't have any issues with my home network, but it was annoying that the cellular modem isn't as effective as what you get on the X9 Pro.

Foldable cameras have gotten much better in the last two years, and the Find N6 has decent upgrades in this area. The foldable gets a new f/1.8 200MPmain camera with a 1/1.56-inch Samsung HP5 imaging sensor and OIS, and it's joined by an f/2.7 50MP Samsung JN5 tele lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS, and another 50MP JN5 sensor that acts as the wide-angle lens.

The Find N6 retains Hasselblad tuning, and it has the same Lumo imaging engine as the Find X9 Pro. The camera in general is noticeably better than the Find N5; it takes standout photos in daylight situations, and manages to take detailed shots in challenging scenarios. The tweaks to the imaging engine are evident, and it's safe to say that the Find N6 has one of the best foldable cameras available today.

What I like this year is that the tele and wide-angle lenses are better than their predecessors; while they're not quite as good as the Find X9, they're a better sight than what you get on most foldables. Video recording is better too, with all rear cameras able to shoot 4K60 footage in Dolby Vision.

OPPO always did a good job with the software features on its foldables, and the Find N6 continues that trend. The foldable runs Android 16 based on ColorOS 16.0.4, and it gets the usual customizability along with new multitasking features. My favorite addition is Free-Flow Window, which basically lets you resize windows anywhere as needed, and it makes a huge difference.

I had to fill out a visa a week ago, and it was effortless to do so with Chrome, Docs, and Keep running simultaneously, and being able to go into each app and copy data. While I regularly use split-screen multitasking, this mode is just much more convenient to use.

The software itself is pretty great, and I have no issues to point out. ColorOS is quickly becoming my favorite Android skin, and that's down to the heavy customizability, modern UI, and the unique extras OPPO continues to add to the interface. The Find N6 will get four years of software updates, and while that's not on the same level as Google and Samsung, it is as high as the brand is willing to go — at least right now.

After using the Find N5 extensively last year, I wasn't really sure what a new model would have to offer, but there are plenty of upgrades this year. The creaseless design alone makes the Find N6 a considerable upgrade, and when you add in the cameras, bigger battery, better design, and the new software features, you get what is possibly the best foldable of 2026.

Chinese brands are pushing the boundaries of foldable tech, and OPPO is proving that point once again with the introduction of the Find N6. The foldable builds on the success of last year's Find N5, with slight tweaks to the design to make it easier to hold and use, and new color variants.

The biggest upgrade this year is around the inner panel; the Find N6 has a creaseless panel without a visible crease, and it's a monumental step in the evolution of foldables. OPPO calls this the Zero-Feel Crease, and it's made possible by a combination of a new hinge architecture and a new flexible display.

Basically, the Find N6 has a new hinge mechanism that's unlike any other foldable, and it results in the device having a fully-flat inner panel without any noticeable crease. I used the Find N6 for the better part of two days now, and the creaseless inner panel makes such a big difference that I don't want to switch to another foldable.

You can still make out a crease along the middle when you see the foldable at an off-axis angle, but it is considerably less pronounced than what you get with the Z Fold 7, or even the Vivo X Fold 5. And in regular use, I didn't see the crease at all.

I like the design of the Find N6 quite a bit too; I got the orange color variant, and the pastel hue gives the foldable a much better presence than last year's Find N5. The matte texture is great to hold, and it's great to see that the LED flash module also has a tinge of orange. The mid-frame has a rose gold hue that accentuates the orange. and the rounded edges and flat sides with slight bevels make using the Find N6 a lot easier.

To get into a little bit of detail around the creaseless tech, OPPO is using a new titanium Flexion Hinge on the Find N6, and it uses a 3D printing process that's designed to create an entirely level central plate. A key limitation with the hinge design is the microscopic height variances that result in the various components that make up the structure of the hinge, and by using liquid printing, OPPO says it was able to overcome these issues.

The new hinge has an increased folding radius that reduces the mechanical stress on the panel, and that should prevent any deformation of the inner panel even with extended use. OPPO is standing by the tech, stating that the Find N6 is guaranteed to fold 600,000 times.

This is because of the Auto-Smoothing Flex Glass that the brand is using instead of the traditional Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) that you see on most foldables; this flex glass layer has better resistance to deformation, and it allows the inner panel to retain its structure much better.

I generally like using foldables, but I've been hesitant to use one as a daily longer for longer than a month or two. Initially, it was down to the weight, but that isn't a problem in 2026 — most recent foldables are just as easy to hold and use as traditional bar phones, and they're unbelievably thin when unfolded.

Even the cameras have gotten much better over the last 15 months, and while foldables aren't quite on the level of the Vivo X300 Pro or Find X9 Pro, they're not a limiting factor. With the Find N6, OPPO is delivering a foldable that's just as good as the Find X9 models, and the creaseless panel is a great starting point. I can't talk about the rest of the foldable just yet, but I'll share my full findings in my Find N6 review.

OPPO hasn't put a foot wrong in the last 15 months, and the Find X9 Pro continues to be my favorite Android phone. The brand is switching gears to talk about its foldable plans, with the Find N6 slated to launch globally on March 17. OPPO's Find N5 is still going strong, and I'm excited to see what the N6 has to deliver.

While OPPO isn't sharing too many details at this point, the brand is touting a new Zero-Feel Crease panel as a key feature. If you've used a book-style foldable in the past, you'll know that there's a visible crease along the middle — there's no way to avoid that because of the hinge. Well, OPPO says the Find N6 will come with a crease that isn't noticeable in daily use, and that is a bold claim, one I'll be putting to the test once I get my hands on the foldable.

To its credit, OPPO did a good job in this area even with the Find N3 and Find N5; both foldables had a crease that wasn't anywhere as noticeable as the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Pixel 10 Pro Fold. But to have a crease that isn't noticeable at all is a huge upgrade, and it should give OPPO a sizeable edge.

"The OPPO Find N series has always led the foldable market by being on the front end of innovative technologies," said Pete Lau, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer at OPPO. "With Find N6, we have achieved a major breakthrough in hinge architecture and display materials. By introducing the industry's first Zero-Feel Crease, we are opening up new possibilities for what a foldable smartphone experience can be."

Other than that, the teaser image shows that the Find N6 will be available in an orange color; unlike the bright hue of the iPhone 17 Pro, it looks like OPPO is going with a pastel shade, and I like how it looks. OPPO says it added gold to the hinge to give it a uniform rose gold finish, and the Find N6 will also be sold in a Stellar Titanium color as well.

The Find N6 is slated to be one of the thinnest foldables, and it is getting a new 200MP Hasselblad-tuned camera system. It's clear that OPPO is positioning this device as quite the upgrade, and to that effect, the Find N6 will get stylus integration as well, with a new accessory set to go on sale alongside the foldable.

AC's Take

I used all the major foldables, and it's evident that Chinese manufacturers are doing a better job with the hinge. If OPPO actually manages to deliver a foldable with a crease-less design, it will be a huge deal, and it will be interesting to see how other brands counter the move.

The global launch means the Find N6 will make its debut outside China, but that doesn't mean it will come to western markets — we'll need to wait until the launch to know about global availability. Having used the Find N5 extensively, I want to see how the N6 differs from last year's foldable, and if it able to make a meaningful dent in Samsung's foldable presence.

What you need to know

• OPPO was present during MediaTek's "AI for Life" keynote during MWC 2026 in which it showcased Omni, a feature that lets AI perceive the physical world for assistance.
• The companies detailed AI Portrait Glow, which helps clean up photos that were taken in "challenging" light scenarios.
• MWC 2026 showed just how "foundational" AI has become on Android, and the IDC estimates that over 37% of phones shipped this year may be Gen AI-enabled.

MWC 206 is almost over, but OPPO and MediaTek held their conference just before closing, showcasing what new AI innovations are headed to consumers.

In a press release, the companies shared details about an "AI for life" showcase that MediaTek held during MWC 2026. AI Phones was a big part of this keynote. OPPO and MediaTek each seemed to agree on their "shared vision" for progressing such devices with the newest innovations. One of the major highlights was Omni, "the industry's first on-device full-modal AI model designed for multi-modal understanding and interaction."

OPPO explains that Omni is capable of understanding live scenes and providing users with interactive Q&A sessions on a phone. Moreover, this feature will support voice, video, and text inputs. Of course, with details like this, MediaTek and OPPO see Omni as a tool to help AI "perceive" and "interpret" the physical world.

On the other side, OPPO stated during MediaTek's keynote that it's looking to advance its AI strategy. At the center of this is "On-device Compute." Jason Liao, president of the OPPO Research Institute, said "On-device Compute is a cornerstone of OPPO's AI strategy, making AI a perceptible, real-time experience integrated into everyday usage."

The idea is to also facilitate AI that's privacy-conscious with a personalized experience, as well as boasting low-latency. OPPO's developed on-device AI Translate and AI Portrait Glow; however, MediaTek states that its Dimensity 9500 helped to empower these further with performance akin to cloud-based solutions. The two announced that these features will be available soon on the OPPO Find X9 series. AI Portrait Glow is said to enhance photos that were taken in "challenging" light.

Then, OPPO explained that its Find X9 series will soon support Android's Quick Share after MediaTek and Google's close collaboration. Users will be able to transfer files between their phone and an OPPO device, alongside Apple's iOS devices.

MWC 2026 has been interesting

As we were getting ready for MWC 2026, we expected to see MediaTek. Specifically, we were privy to the company's plans for its "AI for Life" keynote. The company explained that its keynote would focus on highlighting how it's "integral" to advancing on-device AI features through its Dimensity chips. Global mobile connectivity and even automotive solutions were discussed.

MediaTek's partnerships were also teased, which we've now seen one with OPPO, and what's coming up for the Find X9 series in a future update.

I've always enjoyed using Find X devices; the Find X2 had a fabulous leather design, the Find X3 Pro and X5 Pro came with standout cameras, and the Find X6 Pro was just plain cool. With the Find X7 Ultra and Find X8 Pro, OPPO proved that it could deliver all-rounders that excelled in all areas — not just the cameras.

With the Find X9 Pro, the Chinese brand is continuing that push. After using the Find X8 Pro and Find X8 Ultra extensively over the course of 2025, I just wanted to see two things out of a successor: better image tuning, and improved global availability. Thankfully, OPPO did just that; the Find X9 Pro has a new Lumo image engine that overhauls the brand's tuning algorithms, bringing it closer to the Vivo X300 Pro — my favorite phone right now.

In other good news, OPPO is finally bringing the Find X9 Pro to western markets, making it an alternative to what Xiaomi and Vivo have to offer in this category. I'm not even counting Google and Samsung, because what OPPO and Vivo are doing with their latest flagships is so far ahead that it would be a disservice to the Chinese brands. If anything, pitting the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Galaxy S25 Ultra next to the Find X9 Pro or Vivo X300 Pro only illustrates just how far behind Google and Samsung are with their own imaging efforts.

Anyway, what you need to know is that the Find X9 Pro is incredibly good, and its only real rival is the Vivo X300 Pro. I used the X9 Pro for just over two weeks, and I think this is without a doubt the best OPPO phone yet — and one of the best Android phones around.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: Pricing and availability

OPPO unveiled the Find X9 and X9 Pro in China on October 22, and the phones debuted globally in Spain on October 28. The devices will be available in Asia, the Middle East, as well as select western regions, including the U.K.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: Design

I'll be upfront when I say that I don't like the design of the Find X9 Pro. To me, Find X devices have always been characteristized by their bold designs, and I just don't get that feeling with the X9 Pro. Don't get me wrong; the rectangular camera island looks good in its own right, and the metal ring encircling it accentuates the design well.

It's just that the phone doesn't have anywhere close to the same visual flair as the Find X6 Pro or Find X7 Ultra. OPPO's constant tinkering with the design isn't making matters any better; Xiaomi and Vivo now maintain a consistent design aesthetic between generations, but with Find X models, the design changes drastically every year.

That said, the Find X9 Pro feels good to hold and use, and while it doesn't stand out, the design looks elegant. The size of the camera island means there's little to no wobble when using the phone on a table, and it has good weight distribution. On that subject, OPPO did a fabulous job maintaining a similar in-hand feel as the X8 Pro in spite of the X9 Pro having a massive 7,500mAh battery.

In fact, the phone is only 0.1mm thicker and 9g heavier, and that's an achievement in and of itself. What I like the most about the design is that the back and mid-frame have a matte texture this time, making the device that much easier to hold. It does a good job preventing smudges as well, and the Gorilla Glass-reinforced glass has proven to be durable in my testing.

The Find X9 Pro is available in Silk White and Titanium Charcoal models, with both getting a matte texture. The white color looks a little more distinctive, and while there is a vibrant Velvet Red model, it's limited to China.

You get the usual power and volume buttons on the right, and instead of the alert slider, there's a dedicated button on the left that lets you assign actions. It's meant to be used with the Mind Space feature that lets you easily organize notes, bills, and other data in a central location.

What's also good to see is that OPPO maintained the camera control button — unlike Vivo. I don't get much out of it, but it's good to see the button continuing to exist on Find X devices. Elsewhere, OPPO switched to an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor — again, like Vivo — and it is much better. The positioning is ideal too, unlike previous years.

Rounding out the design, the phone gets IP68 and IP69 ingress protection, so it's pretty much guaranteed to withstand any weather conditions.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: Display

The Find X9 Pro has the same 6.78-inch AMOLED panel as its predecessor, but what's immediately notable is the bezels — or lack thereof. The phone has considerably thinner bezels at just 1.15mm on all sides, and it just makes the device that much more immersive when gaming. The thinner bezels means the phone is a slightly shorter and narrower, and that's always a good thing.

Other than that, it's just as good as the X8 Pro; it gets 120Hz refresh, 2,160Hz PWM dimming across the brightness range, and goes up to 3,600 nits in outdoor use. What's also notable is that it goes down to 1nit in low-light, which is something Vivo also has on the X300 Pro this year.

Another feature that has proven to be useful is Vehicle Motion Alerts; as the name indicates, it's designed to make it easier to use the phone in a moving vehicle. It does so by showing "dynamic visual cues along the edges of the screen that subtly shift and sway in sync with the vehicle’s movements," and it honestly makes a difference.

The phone is great at gaming and watching TV shows and movies, but that has been the case on OPPO phones for a while now. The main difference is the thinner bezels and increased brightness on the X9 Pro.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: Hardware

I didn't realize this until I used the X300 Pro, but the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 is a true powerhouse. The Find X9 Pro also gets the same platform, and it is one of the fastest phones around. In addition to handling demanding games better, it doesn't overheat as much, so it's a win-win all around.

The global model gets 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage as standard, and while that's decent, I would have liked the 1TB model. The vibration motor is much better this time around, and it has fantastic feedback — much better than my Pixel 10 Pro XL. Connectivity is faultless as well, and the addition of eSIM makes the Find X9 Pro a great choice while traveling.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: Battery

The Find X9 Pro has a massive 7,500mAh silicon battery, and it has the best battery life of any phone I used. I routinely got two days of use between charges, and the battery lasted a 30-hour flight to the U.S. without needing a charge. The brand is using a higher 15% ratio of silicon in the anode, and that's how it was able to achieve greater density, leading to a much bigger battery than the Find X8 Pro in a chassis that's roughly the same size.

I don't see any downsides either; the brand guarantees five years of usage while still retaining 80% battery. As always, you get the usual safeguards to extend battery, including setting a charge limit. When it comes to charging, the Find X9 Pro gets 80W charging tech, and it takes just over an hour to charge the battery. There's no bundled charger this time, but you can use any USB PD charger and get 55W charging.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: Cameras

Last year's Find X8 Pro did a great job with photos and videos, but it wasn't quite able to measure up to what Vivo was doing. Clearly, OPPO took that as a challenge, because the Find X9 Pro comes with considerable upgrades in this area.

The phone has a new 50MP f/1.5 Sony LYT-828 module that was made in collaboration with Sony. The sensor is touted to do a better job than dedicated 1-inch modules, and having tested the Find X9 Pro's cameras against the Find X8 Ultra, this is indeed the case.

There's also a 200MP 3x tele lens that uses the Samsung HP5 imaging module, and it doubles as a macro lens. It has a 70mm focal length, and while there's no dedicated 6x shooter, it does just as good a job thanks to better-quality glass and a hybrid OIS system. It leverages AI to deliver cleaner photos beyond 30x, and I found it to hold its own in this regard.

Video recording has gotten a boost as well, with the phone able to shoot 4K120 Dolby Vision video via the main and tele lenses this time, and 4K60 via all the lenses. Vivo is able to hit 4K120 Dolby Vison on all the lenses of the X300 Pro, and considering how similar both phones are, I'm not really sure why the Find X9 Pro's wide-angle lens is inhibited. Regardless, video quality itself is much better this time around, and that's what matters.

Interestingly, there's now a Hasselblad Teleconverter attachment that you can get with the Find X9 Pro, and it is similar to the X300 Pro and X200 Ultra's external lens. It does 10x digital zoom going up to 200x, and 50x video zoom. The only issue I have with the external lens is that it covers up all the cameras when in use — inhibiting its usability. This isn't an issue on the X300 Pro, and Vivo did a better job with the design of the external lens attachment.

Thanks to the new cameras and Lumo imaging engine, the Find X9 Pro takes truly standout photos and videos. Daylight shots have excellent color rendition and dynamic range, and there really isn't much to fault in this area. I didn't see any issues even in low-light scenarios, and the Find X9 Pro holds its own against its Vivo sibling.

The new imaging engine allows you to take full-res 50MP shots as standard, with the phone switching to 25MP or 12MP only in a few scenarios — like when the device gets too hot. This is done automatically, and by default, the phone shoots 50MP stills. Similarly, Motion Photo now has 4K previews, so you get cleaner short videos with the associated images.

I still prefer the X300 Pro's portrait shots, but I'll admit that the X9 Pro is just as good at segmentation and bokeh. The zoom lens is the real star of the show, producing detailed photos at 3x and 6x. If anything, the wide-angle lens is the only module that feels average, but that's only because of the standard set by the rest of the sensors.

On the whole, the Find X9 Pro's cameras are among the best of any phone today, and it's honestly just the Vivo X300 Pro that offers a legitimate challenge to the device. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and other flagships just don't measure up.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: Software

With ColorOS 16, the Find X9 Pro gets a brand-new interface with a much better design. Like Vivo and other Chinese brands, the Android 16-based interface relies on translucent effects, and while it isn't strictly original, it looks great. If anything, I like the cohesiveness of the interface, and there are dozens of small things — like the fingerprint unlock animation — that make the interface fun to use.

There's no shortage of customizability, and you can get the phone to look like an iPhone without too much of an effort. There's a split notification pane with the toggles to one side, and a clone of Dynamic Island that shows real-time notifications and alerts. There's a smattering of AI features as well, including the usual image editing, translation, and audio-to-text transcribing.

The one utility I actually used quite a bit is Mind Space; you can basically save content to the dedicated dashboard, and it serves as a hub that collates all relevant information. I found it useful to take photos of boarding passes and have it add calendar entries automatically, and save details of briefings from email invites. It also lets you take voice notes easily, and it is quite nifty overall.

Other than that, the software itself is generally enjoyable. I didn't run into any issues whatsoever, and it is just as fluid as the X300 Pro. The Find X9 Pro will get five Android updates alongside six years of security updates, and that's good enough.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: The alternatives

The Vivo X300 Pro is the logical alternative to the Find X9 Pro. Both phones are similar enough that it feels like they're from the same brand. The X300 Pro also has a similar-sized panel, same Dimensity 9500 platform, and the camera is outstanding. The Find X9 Pro has a bigger battery, and the software is a little better to use. But outside of that, you're getting two stellar phones.

OPPO Find X9 Pro: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if:

• You need one of the best camera phones
• You want a phone that lasts two days between charges
• You need powerful internals with all the extras

You shouldn't buy this if:

• You want timely software updates

The Find X9 Pro comes with meaningful upgrades that allows it to stand out in general. The battery lasts two days, and that alone is a big enough differentiator that I see this phone doing really well in Asian countries. Combine that with the groundbreaking cameras, vibrant AMOLED panel with useful features, and the overhauled software, and this is a pretty great phone overall.

Choosing between the Find X9 Pro and Vivo X300 Pro is down to your preferences of software and image tuning, and having used both devices extensively, I will admit that the Find X9 Pro makes a better case — mostly around the software. There's also the fact that you get a much bigger battery on the Find X9 Pro, and the phone handily beats the global X300 Pro in this area. As for whether it is better than the Pixel 10 Pro XL or Galaxy S25 Ultra, there's no doubt in my mind — the Find X9 Pro is leagues ahead of its Google and Samsung rivals.

OPPO is crushing it in 2025; the debut of the Find X8 and X8 Pro allowed the brand to build decent momentum going into the year, and the Find N5 showcased just what's possible with foldables. OPPO is building on that with the introduction of the Find X8 Ultra, its best phone yet. Last year's Find X7 Ultra was one of my favorite phones, and it was only bested by Vivo's X100 Ultra when it came to photos and videos, so I was keen on taking a look at what OPPO is doing this year.

The Find X8 Ultra has a new design that's in line with the standard X8 and X8 Pro, and while the overall aesthetic doesn't quite stand out quite as much as previous years, it's great to hold and use. Thankfully, the phone retains the quartet of 50MP cameras at the back, and you get a 1-inch main sensor that takes outstanding photos and videos.

There are the usual upgrades in other areas, and I like that the phone has a 6100mAh battery; it lasts longer than just about every other device I tested in 2025, and is on par with the Vivo X200 Pro in this regard. While there's obviously a lot to like, the Find X8 Ultra has the same foibles as its predecessor; the phone is limited to China as of writing, and there are no plans to bring it to global markets.

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: Pricing and availability

OPPO unveiled the Find X8 Ultra at a launch event in Xi'An, China, on April 10. I was invited to attend the event, but I wasn't able to go due to a visa rejection (which is incredibly annoying). Anyway, the device is now available in China, where it is sold in three storage configurations: the base 12GB/256GB model costs ¥6,499 CNY ($891), the 16GB/512GB edition is ¥6,999 CNY ($959), and the 16GB/1TB model is ¥7,999 CNY ($1,096).

The 1TB model is the only one that gets satellite messaging, and as I'm using the 16GB/512GB edition of the device, I wasn't able to test the feature. The Find X8 Ultra was joined by the Find X8s+ and Find X8s, with both devices offering incremental updates to the Find X8 and X8 Pro.

Annoyingly, the Find X8 Ultra won't be available outside China, and in a statement to Android Central, OPPO said: "The Find X8 Ultra is planned for release only in mainland China. However, many of the technologies featured in this device will be incorporated into future OPPO products, which will be available in more regions."

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: Design

OPPO always delivered standout designs with Find X models, but it is taking a conservative approach this time around. The Find X8 Ultra has a similar aesthetic as the X8 and X8 Pro, and it misses out on some of the design flair of previous generations. The Find X7 Ultra was one of the best-looking phones of 2024 thanks to a gorgeous dual-tone leather and glass design, and the Find X6 Pro also had a distinctive design.

While the X8 Ultra misses out on some of that flamboyance, it has the same great build quality. Most phones now use flat sides — ostensibly to deliver bigger batteries and increased longevity — and the X8 Ultra is no different. Thankfully, the sides are beveled, and that makes holding and using the device that much more comfortable. Coming in at 226g, it has a good heft and doesn't feel unwieldy in the least, and OPPO did a good job with the weight distribution.

Notably, it is thinner than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, but you don't notice it that much because of the sheer size of the camera island at the back. Like previous years, the oversized camera dominates attention at the back, and the quartet of lenses are arranged symmetrically. I got the white model, and it has a matte texture that's good to hold — all while minimizing smudges.

The phone is clearly built to last; I didn't use it with a case, and after two weeks of testing and several tumbles, there's no visible damage or scratches whatsoever. You also get IP68 and IP69 ingress protection, and I didn't see any issues using the device in a sauna.

OPPO also switched to an ultrasonic module this time, and it is fantastic; it is fast to authenticate and doesn't have any issues even if you use the sensor with wet fingers. The location is ideal — unlike previous years — so I was able to use my thumb to unlock the device without any hassle.

A notable addition is a dedicated button on the right that serves as a shutter button. Pressing it twice launches the camera, and you get to shoot with a single press, with a slide along the button to adjust the zoom level. The button sits flush with the mid-frame, and while it is a decent enough addition, I didn't use it quite as much — just like Camera Control on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Another new inclusion is the Shortcut Button, with the alert slider making its way to a multifunction button. The feature is identical to the Action Button on an iPhone, and it allows you to toggle DND, launch the flashlight, take notes, memos, and so on. The menu to configure the button is also identical to iOS, and some originality in this area would have been better.

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: Display

I'm not going to talk about the panel too much, as there isn't much that's new. The Find X8 Ultra uses a similar-sized 6.82-inch AMOLED as previous years, and it has a QHD+ resolution of 3168 x 1440 and 120Hz dynamic refresh that goes down to 1Hz. The main difference is that the panel is fully flat, and it has uniform bezels of 1.4mm on all sides.

The panel has standout colors and contrast levels, and I had no problems in this regard. It gets bright in outdoor use, and only the Pixel 9 Pro XL outmatched the device in overall brightness. Stereo sound is loud and detailed, and gaming is enjoyable on the device. With 2160Hz PWM dimming as standard, it's easy on the eyes too.

ColorOS has decent customizability when it comes to always-on styles, and you get a decent set of choices in tailoring the device to your tastes. While the overall brightness is lower at 2500 nits, the phone gets brighter in real-world use, and that's what you actually need.

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: Hardware

While the regular Find X8 Pro used the Dimensity 9400, the Find X8 Ultra goes back to Qualcomm silicon. There is no difference in daily use between the two, but the X8 Ultra tends to get hotter. This isn't just limited to the X8 Ultra — all phones I used powered by Qualcomm silicon this year had issues with overheating.

That said, the Find X8 Ultra is one of the fastest phones you can buy today. I didn't see any slowdowns whatsoever, and even demanding games ran without breaking a sweat. Having used over a dozen devices powered by this silicon, it's clear to me that there's more than adequate headroom; now we just need console-quality games to test the caliber of the hardware.

As I'm using the Chinese edition of the phone, I ran into issues with connectivity in general. Calls tended to be glitchy (those on the other end couldn't hear me), and OPPO has hard-coded DNS as standard, so if you use a custom DNS, you'll need to go into the settings and use a static IP and manually change your DNS server.

Other than that, there are no issues. The vibration motor is among the best on Android, delivering granular feedback when navigating the interface and using the keyboard. While it doesn't have Bluetooth 6.0 like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, that's about the only limitation I can think of, and it has one of the best hardware packages of any device in 2025.

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: Battery life

One of the biggest changes this year is the introduction of silicon-carbide batteries, and the X8 Ultra uses the tech to good effect. The phone has a much bigger 6100mAh battery, and it lasts a day and a half comfortably. In two weeks of heavy use, I didn't have to charge the phone before the end of the night, and more often than not, I just had to charge the phone once a day and a half.

There is no reason to worry about the battery, and aggressive memory management with Chinese ColorOS 15 makes the device last a little longer. Charging it takes just over 44 minutes thanks to 100W tech, and as an added bonus, it goes up to 50W over USB PD, so you don't need to use the bundled charger all the time.

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: Cameras

OPPO knows how to deliver a strong camera package, and the Find X8 Ultra is one of the best phones I've used this year. It has a 1-inch 50MP Sony LYT-900 sensor (the same as last year), 50MP Samsung JN5 wide-angle, 50MP Sony LYT-700 tele lens with 3x zoom, and a secondary tele 50MP that uses the Sony LYT-600 imaging module going up to 6x. There's a 32MP camera at the front with autofocus.

The caliber of the imaging modules alone makes the Find X8 Ultra a real powerhouse, and the brand is leveraging Hasselblad's tuning to eke out magnificent shots. The interface itself is unchanged, and you can easily access the shooting modes and lenses via the viewfinder or the dedicated button on the right.

The device excels at taking videos, with all four cameras at the back able to shoot Dolby Vision footage at 4K60. That is a big deal in and of itself, but what's particularly great this year is that the device shoots Dolby Vision footage even when the ultra-steady stabilization mode is enabled.

Daylight photos have faultless detail and color vibrancy, and there isn't anything to criticize in this area. It's great that the X8 Ultra retains the 1-inch sensor; it allows the device to take better photos than just about any other phone today. I didn't see any problems in low-light conditions, with the phone consistently delivering vibrant shots with no visible noise.

But it's the auxiliary lenses that are truly noteworthy; you get four great cameras on the back of this phone, and the inclusion of two tele lenses makes things that much more interesting. The ability to get detailed shots at 6x and beyond is wonderful, and I got passable shots at up to 20x.

Basically, the Find X8 Ultra has one of the best camera packages I used until now. It does a better job than the Find X8 Pro, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Pixel 9 Pro XL, and holds its own against the Vivo X100 Ultra and X200 Pro. The only issue with the camera is that the device isn't launching globally, limiting its potential. While the brand says it will use these technologies in other products, it would have been great to see the Find X8 Ultra outside China.

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: Software

The Find X8 Ultra is available only in China, so it's using the Chinese version of the ColorOS skin based on Android 15. It is visually similar to the global model, but includes a ton of extras, including a local digital assistant dubbed Breeno. It is just as fluid in regular use, and the interface looks modern and has a cohesive design. That said, it ends up looking like iOS thanks to the changes introduced this year.

My biggest issue with the software is the sheer amount of bloatware that's pre-installed; it's definitely more than what's bundled with the global versions. Thankfully, most of the utilities can be uninstalled. There are the usual issues with push notifications and aggressive memory management, and it makes using the Find X8 Ultra a little annoying.

Continuing with the list of annoyances, ColorOS 15 has the worst DND of any Android phone; it clubs calls and messages into a single category, so there's no way to mute message notifications and not get calls. This is clearly set up by someone who doesn't make or receive any calls, because in regular use, it just doesn't make any sense.

Usually, I'll have to do at least some tweaking to get Google Mobile Services installed on a phone running a Chinese build, but that wasn't the case on this device. The Play Store APK is included, and it can be easily installed, and then you can log in to your Google account and install everything else.

Coming to updates, the Find X8 Ultra will get five years of Android updates along with six years of security updates, and that is in line with most Chinese devices. Honor is delivering seven years of Android updates to the Magic 7 Pro, but that device continues to be an outlier — at least in the context of Chinese manufacturers.

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: The alternatives

I really like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and the device has a standout camera package along with a great design and all the other extras. The best part is that the phone is available outside China — it is now on sale in India and the U.K. I prefer the color balance of the Find X8 Ultra over the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, but there's no arguing that Xiaomi has the better software package as it comes with the Play Store and all associated Google services out of the box.

I'm interested in seeing what Vivo does with the X200 Ultra, because that may just be the only device that can do better than the Find X8 Ultra; the device is slated to launch in May, so we don't have to wait too long to see what it delivers.

OPPO Find X8 Ultra: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if:

• You need the best camera package
• You want a phone that takes stunning portrait shots
• You need versatile cameras that shoot great videos
• You want a battery that lasts a day and a half
• You need all the extras

You shouldn't buy this if:

• You need a phone with the Play Store pre-installed
• You need the same number of software updates as your Pixel

The only negative with the Find X8 Ultra has to do with the software; the Chinese version of ColorOS has too many inconsistencies to be usable outside the country — particularly if you want to use Google services. That's why it's annoying that the device won't be debuting in global markets; OPPO has to do better in this area, and launch its best products to a wider audience.

Other than that, there isn't anything to fault with the device. It has a great AMOLED panel, the best hardware currently available, standout battery life with the best charging tech in the industry, and the best cameras. The main 1-inch camera continues to be a delight to use in 2025, and the auxiliary lenses are among the best of any phone I used this year.

The Find X8 Ultra does a fantastic job with videos as well, and I thoroughly enjoyed using the phone. That said, I still wouldn't recommend it unless you've used a device with a Chinese interface in the past. If you don't mind the hassle of buying it via a reseller and missing out on after-sales service, then I'd suggest getting the phone solely because of the cameras.

OnePlus is a major player in the Indian smartphone market, offering a wide range of devices, from flagships to midrange phones like the new Nord CE 4. However, the picture across North America looks quite different and, in its current state, a bit unclear. With a limited selection of phones available and the lack of major carrier support, it remains to be seen how the company will retain its identity in a smartphone market dominated by Samsung and even smaller players like Motorola.

OnePlus' journey in the U.S. has been a tale of unexpected events. The company recently launched the OnePlus 12R in North America, a higher-mid-range phone from the company's R-series, a line that previously wasn't sold in the U.S. That said, a certain strategic shift brought the phone to the table. Over time, the company’s strategy has continued to evolve based on its target audience, and its offerings have expanded with its first Wear OS smartwatch, a high-end foldable, and its first tablet.

OnePlus' flexible strategy

Ten years ago, the company marketed itself as a global brand instead of a China-based brand. It was known as a ‘Flagship killer,’ offering phones with high-end features at a lower price than established giants like Samsung and Apple. More recently, it pivoted to a 1+4=X strategy, focusing on a single flagship phone offering premium features in its design, display, camera, and battery while expanding into a variety of other products like wearables and smart TVs.

“OnePlus is a young and nimble player in the market and understands the need to remain flexible and address market needs,” said Maurice Klaehne, senior research analyst at Counterpoint Research. 

As such, OnePlus has decided to rebrand itself as an “ecosystem builder,” offering a range of devices beyond phones, like the recent OnePlus Watch 2 and the OnePlus Tablet.

Anshel Sag, a senior analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, says that OnePlus wants to offer a “halo” effect “with a healthy family of affordable devices like the 12R and Nord series. They are also building an ecosystem of products like the smartwatch and tablet around the phone leadership experience.”

Unlike other Chinese phone brands that are often pitted against each other, OnePlus wanted to create a significant presence as a global phone manufacturer.

It succeeded in India, becoming the fastest-growing smartphone brand in 2023, with 68% YoY growth. Sag attributed OnePlus’s success in India to its strong community and brand recognition. 

The U.S., however, was a tougher shell to crack “because it requires a lot more marketing dollars as well as carrier involvement, and just certifying on carriers isn’t enough, even though it is expensive,” Sag added. Cellular carriers rule the smartphone market in the U.S., and most people rely on these carriers to get new devices every year. Only in 2018 did OnePlus partner with T-Mobile to launch one of its best-selling devices, the OnePlus 6T. 

OnePlus kept up its partnership with T-Mobile for some time, with the OnePlus 7 Pro and other devices being exclusive to the carrier. However, the partnership hit a rocky patch when the OEM decided not to launch the OnePlus 11 on T-Mobile and instead sell the flagship phones unlocked via retailers like Best Buy and Amazon. It is speculated that there were disagreements surrounding device timelines and that T-Mobile wanted to keep phones on its shelves longer than OnePlus was willing to. It also had a brief gig with Verizon in 2020, but that also ended swiftly. 

While its flagship phones didn’t seem to make much headway in the U.S. market, the company introduced its budget-focused Nord N series phones. OnePlus benefited from its carrier partnership with T-Mobile and the introduction of the Nord N10, N100, and N200 5G back in 2021, followed by newer devices like the Nord N300 5G in 2022. However, as of now, only the Nord N30 is offered through the carrier, meaning consumers will have to go elsewhere for other OnePlus models.

When we compare the Indian OnePlus website to that of the North American one, there’s an obvious difference. In India, the company offers a selection of five flagship phones and three Nord series phones. At the same time, the U.S. website sees slim picking with only a total of four phones: the OnePlus 12 and 12R, the OnePlus Open, and the Nord N30.

Despite the slim offerings, the company is working to make its phones more enticing against heavy hitters, notes Klaehne. “Nevertheless, the company is offering big discounts on its devices through the OnePlus store and other outlets through a trade-in program, which has been a great way to entice customers.”

A spokesperson from OnePlus told Android Central that the company “tailors its product portfolio based on different consumer demands in the various regions.” With the U.S. market dominated by premium players like Samsung and Apple, it’s clear OnePlus wants a piece of that pie. Meanwhile, OnePlus refused to comment on how the sub-flagship 12R was fairing in North America, although it’s still quite early.

Future of OnePlus in the US

In an interview with Forbes in 2023, OnePlus’s North American CEO, Robin Liu, said that the company’s mission is to focus on products that give customers the best experience. “We are also targeting a different audience—spreading our brand awareness to more users. It will take some time because it costs a lot (of money and effort). We’re also working together with our retail partners to expand our products to a larger audience.”

Whether or not OnePlus will succeed in making a dent in the North American market remains up in the air. Still, according to the company, it will continue to bring “high-end flagship smartphone devices to the North American market at an affordable and competitive price point.”

Sag reiterated that the Chinese OEMs have the hardest time getting into the market, which is the biggest challenge he sees for OnePlus. This perception may still affect OnePlus in the U.S. as tensions continue to affect relationships. “Huawei is the first and foremost. You don’t see a lot of TCL or ZTE anymore, and it’s the same with Oneplus.”

Klaehne points out that if OnePlus can also enter other markets, OPPO will have a harder time entering.

Data from Q4 2023 shows that while Samsung and Motorola held 18% and 8% of the U.S. market, respectively, OnePlus remained relegated to the ‘other’ category of phones, which contributes to 8% of overall sales. For context, TCL and Google managed to squeeze 1% and 2% of the market, respectively.

The dominance of Apple, Samsung, and, to an extent, Motorola/Google in the U.S. market has been challenging for OnePlus in the carrier market, especially with limited mindshare here compared to other regions. The U.S. market is hard to penetrate as it’s so carrier-dominated, margins are low, and carriers often have specific requirements for SKUs and specs. However, Klaehne suggests that OnePlus still has what it takes to be successful in North America, provided it sticks to what it does best.

“For continued success, OnePlus should focus on its ecosystem approach and provide consumers with a strong value proposition combined with clear messaging and cohesive product line.”

What you need to know

• Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and Realme phones can now integrate their default gallery apps with Google Photos.
• After connecting the photo apps, users can back up photos to Google Photos and view their Google Photos library in the default app. 
• OnePlus added this functionality as part of the OxygenOS 14 upgrade. However, the official requirements for the integration are an Android 11 phone or later from the above manufacturers. 

Google Photos is a premier option for photo storage among Android users, but most OEMs include a default gallery app of their own. Now, if you use a phone from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and Realme, you can link the default gallery app to Google Photos. After integrating the two apps, you'll be able to back up your on-device photos to Google Photos and view Google Photos media in your phone's default gallery app. 

The new functionality is outlined in a Google support document and was first spotted by Mishaal Rahman at Android Police. Officially, Google says you only need a few things to link Google Photos to a default gallery app. First, only Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and Realme phones are supported. Then, the phones need to be running Android 11 or later with the latest version of the Google Photos app installed. However, each OEM might have different requirements for using Google Photos integration. 

For example, OnePlus started supporting the feature with the release of OxygenOS 14, which is based on Android 14. OnePlus' new flagships shipped with OxygenOS 14, and OnePlus Open users gained widespread access to OxygenOS 14 starting this month. Both the OnePlus 12 series and the OnePlus Open should be able to link OnePlus' default gallery app with Google Photos as a result. 

To start taking advantage of this integration, you might only have to respond to a pop-up in your phone's default gallery app. If asked to give the default app access to Google Photos, you can either choose Allow or Don't Allow. After that pop-up disappears, access can be granted in the settings menu of your phone's default gallery app. Under a tab called either "cloud sync" or "cloud backup," follow the on-screen prompts to grant Google Photos access.

Xiaomi has the most robust support for Google Photos integration with its gallery app. Xiaomi's gallery app and Google Photos can work together to provide a thorough two-way sync that includes album sharing. 

To revoke Google Photos access, you can go to the same page in your phone's default gallery app. Alternatively, the gallery app will appear in the list of apps with Google Photos access in the Google Photos app, and the connection can be terminated there.

For now, this functionality is limited to the aforementioned four OEMs, but it could be extended to more brands in the future. 

Oppo is well known for its affordable Android phones but that doesn't mean there's no chance to save on an Oppo phone this Black Friday. UK network EE just kicked off its Black Friday sale with one Oppo deal that stands out. Right now, you can snag the Oppo A72 for just £30 upfront and £35 per month with 10GB of data. The main draw for this deal, though, is the fact that it bundles in a Nintendo Switch for free!

Out of all the Black Friday Android phone deals, we'll see this year, this one is likely to be among the first to sell out because of that attractive freebie so be sure to get your order in now to avoid disappointment.

The Oppo A72 normally sells for about £200 at Amazon so it's not exactly an expensive phone on its own. The 2020 phone features a 6.5-inch display that goes edge-to-edge, large 5,000mAh battery, and 128GB of storage (expandable via microSD). The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 665 chipset and 4GB of RAM.

On the back, there's a quad-camera setup that consists of a 48MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth, and 2MP black and white array. For a phone of this price, you'll get solid shots and there's even a dedicated night mode. Check out TechRadar's Oppo A72 review for more on how it performs.

You probably already know all about the Nintendo Switch but, if not, you can check out the ultimate Nintendo Switch guide by our pals at More for any further info you might need.