Can you boast that your Android phone has a high quality motorised rotatable camera and takes ginormous 16-megapixel photos, in addition to flattering selfies on the go? The Oppo N3 fulfils exactly all that.
The Oppo N3 is slightly bigger than my palm. Photo © Gel ST.
Layout of the Oppo N3 box contents. Photo © Gel ST.
Technology
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core CPU, the N3 is packed with 32GB on-board memory and 2G RAM, and a 5.5-inch screen made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for maximum clarity and durability. Basically, the phone screen is tougher and stronger than previous Gorilla Glass, is scratch-resistant and can be cleaned easily.
The boot-up screen of the Oppo N3. Photo © Gel ST.
Design
The Oppo N3 phone display matches the iPhone 6 Plus at 5.5 inches across, and is 27g heavier than the Apple device, weighing 192g. With the 5.5-inch screen consideration, the N3 is not any smaller than an iPhone 6 Plus. It’s 9.9mm thick – big, chunky, and almost sticks out of my jeans pocket. It’s a technological ensemble of the best mobile phone technology possible, making it slightly unwieldy and thick. At the same time, it’s white and clean, and I don’t think you’ll misplace it in a long while, mainly because you’ll miss the bulk in your jeans pocket, unless of course you love to store your phone in the bag instead.
In my hand, it feels well made, but I wish I have a real silicon case to protect the clean white plastic rear and swivel camera. It features a “robust industrial grade aluminium alloy 7075 micro-arc frame”. Basically, it’s advertised to be tough, but the phone sports a beautiful white exterior, and I certainly do not want to drop my phone.
The LED notification light glows colours of the rainbow under the curved part of the phone, customisable for new emails, messages, or other functions. In a society where “clean” Apple products dominate the market, a quirky phone like the Oppo N3 is a conversation starter for me. It seems to be as unique as a clamshell phone in this age, and whenever I whip my phone out in a new environment, somebody would ask if it’s a new Japanese product.
The Oppo N3 uses a micro-SIM card, and offers you an expansion slot for your own microSD card; I tested my Sandisk 32GB microSD card. It works. You’ll need it if you spam 5,000 selfies and 100 panoramas everyday.
For connectivity, the 4G works relatively well, and matches up to my iPhone 6. The Wi-Fi is 802.11ac, but don’t worry; the N3 basically works happily with your existing routers. However, you will need both an 802.11ac router and the N3 paired in order to enjoy the best Wi-Fi speed possible. After all, the high-PPI phone screen does make videos look great. You might be inclined to actually stream YouTube videos on it because they’ll look crisp and clean.
What I found the most innovative is Oppo’s proprietary VOOC (Voltage Open Loop Multi-step Constant-Current Charging) rapid charging system that will have the phone ready faster than you finish a 7-course meal. A 30-minute charge will restore 75% of the N3’s battery. I was honestly impressed.
However, to achieve such charging speeds, you must use the official supplied charging adaptor and cable. Since the technology is proprietary, you’d be hard-pressed to find another random user with a suitable charging setup. As such you might have to consider bringing your own Oppo charging adaptor and cable with you on long days. This might or might not add on to more bulk as you travel, as the VOOC technology will not work with a normal portable battery bank. Fret not though; Oppo does sell one that will work with VOOC technology.
This VOOC charger is unlike other chargers, as the output current is much higher than normal. Photo © Gel ST.
The micro-SIM card tray and slot is located on the left side of the Oppo N3. Photo © Gel ST.
Camera
An obvious benefit to N3’s rotating camera module is that all your photos will be taken with the same 16-megapixel f/2.2 Schneider Kreuznach-certified lens – it’s German precision optics married with Oppo tech to create a one-of-a-kind motorised rotating camera. You might not be impressed by the brand, but to put it in perspective, Schneider lenses have been used in NASA space programs. Now that’s some serious street cred you can use when you bring out that N3 in front of strangers. Along with a good quality lens comes a promise of sharp images, and the large-aperture lens allows more light into the camera sensor, ensuring a brighter picture as compared to conventional camera phones.
The camera module rotates back and sits flushed to the surface of the phone when you quit the Camera app. Photo © Gel ST.
The back view of the Oppo N3 motorised rotating camera when it sits flushed with the phone. Photo © Gel ST.
The focusing is fast and snappy, and there’s no obvious shutter lag time, although you do have to tap the screen firmly to take a photo. Even for low light and night shots, the Oppo N3 speeds along.
I can control the camera movement using on-screen gestures, Touch Access, or via the O-Click 2.0 Bluetooth Remote Control. Honestly, I prefer to adjust the camera physically with my fingers for the exact movement, but Touch Access (imagine sliding your finger up or down the phone screen) is the next best option. Besides, the phone really impressed my family and friends when the camera seems to have a life of its own.
Photo © Gel ST.
Brunch, shot in Normal mode with the Oppo N3. Photo © Gel ST.
Close-up of a pair of watches, shot in Normal mode with the Oppo N3. Photo © Gel ST.
One of the ingenuities of this motorised rotating camera is effectively a free panoramic phone feature for the phone; as long as your scene doesn’t move (why would it?), the Auto Panorama feature is outstanding. Just hold the Oppo N3 steadily in your hand or place it on a mini tripod, press the on-screen Shoot button, and let the camera do its job.
As a bonus, when the camera module rotates on its own axis instead of a 3-dimensional field (iPhone users, just imagine rotating your whole body with your arm stretched out while holding your phone), the resulting photos are much more stable and pleasing.
My first panorama photo, without looking at instructions. Photo © Gel ST.
I tried to keep it steady while taking a panorama photo within a clothing store. Photo © Gel ST.
Yes, vertical panorama is possible too. Photo © Gel ST.
Another software feature is the ability to take RAW photos – the digital equivalent of a negative image in film photography. A RAW photo supposedly retains the unprocessed data straight from the camera’s sensor. You would have to download the RAW camera feature from within the Camera app though . If you have an interest to manipulate your photos, the Oppo N3 gives you the liberty to go wild and fine-tune your photos with more leeway than a straight-up and processed JPEG files.
In addition to the Auto Panorama feature and the RAW photo feature, one can also download the Super Macro package for a digital zoomed-in view, instead of physically moving the phone closer to your subject.
Oppo N3 – Normal (L) and Super Macro (R). Photo © Gel ST.
Low-light close-up photo of drinks cup, in Normal mode. Photo © Gel ST.
Verdict
Already selling millions of copies in China alone, the N3 is a selfie-addict’s dream come true.
It’s all about the experience, and the Oppo N3 really delivers spades of fun, even as other camera-enabled phones in the market are pushing the 40-megapixel boundary. It’s the right step forward from the year-old Oppo N1, having vast improvements in processing power, the availability of the expansion slot, and of course on the camera module that forms the backbone of this phone’s capabilities.
The Oppo N3 is available for purchase at the Oppo Flasghip Store.
Oppo Flagship Store
Suntec City Mall – Tower 3
#01-627 to 630
Temasek Boulevard
Singapore 038983
(All photos taken by the Oppo N3 in this article are JPEG images straight out of camera. With the exception of cropping and resizing them to a web format, there was no other manipulation or post-processing involved.)
