Oppo Find X8 review

Design, build quality, handling

The Apple design inspiration for the Oppo Find X8 is very hard to miss, not necessarily from the back side, where that large, circular camera island kind of makes for a unique look. The overall body shape, however and the very rounded corners are unmistakenly Cupertino.

As long as Apple doesn't have any problems with this flattering imitation, we don't either. Plus, as we mentioned, the backside of the phone is still quite memorable and unique. The two-level circular camera island extends out quite a bit and features plenty of writing akin to real camera tech. We personally think the big HASSELBLAD "H" in the middle of the island is a bit tacky, but that might just be us. Besides, we think the camera island pulls off a "camera-inspired" design quite well.

The back panel of the Find X8 features a smooth glass finish. You can get the phone in Star Grey, Space Black or Shell Pink. Our review unit Star Grey is sort of a metal-like, titanium-like, silver-like color. Very hard to pinpoint, but also very subtle and neutral, which we kind of like.

The Find X8 doesn't exactly have what we would call a standard button setup. Unfortunately, as mentioned, the dedicated camera shutter key of the Find X8 Pro is absent here. There is still one extra key, though - an alert slider. It toggles the sound mode of the phone between ring, vibrate and silent. We find it supremely convenient, and it is very well-positioned to be out of the way for general use.

Oppo Find X8

Besides that, you get a volume rocker and power button on the phone's right side. Both are well-positioned height-wise, pretty spacious and with a nice tactile feedback.

The top of the phone has plenty of holes, mostly for microphones, but also one for the built-in Infrared blaster - an increasingly rare feature.

The bottom of the phone has more microphone holes and the main, bottom-firing speaker of the Find X8. The amplified earpiece handles the other audio channel, which is practically invisible above the display. In fact, there are no visible sensors or other hardware on the frame above the display. Everything is hidden away underneath the panel. There wouldn't be any room for extra hardware in the symmetrical display bezels since they are very thin, measuring just 1.45mm.

That includes an under-display fingerprint reader. It is of the simpler optical variety, but it generally works very well and is both speedy and accurate. It is well-positioned height-wise and is big enough to be comfortable.

The Oppo Find X8 looks and feels very premium, which is hardly surprising given its premium bill of materials. The frame is made of aluminum and rounded at all four corners and the front and back. It has a slightly brushed texture to it.

The front and back panels of the Find X8 are made of glass, Gorilla Glass 7i specifically.

The entire device is very well sealed and offers IP68/IP69 ingress protection, which means it should be able to survive a dip in up to 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes and exposure to water jets.

The middle frame doesn't really stain or gather any dirt. The glass back is a bit more susceptible to gathering grease from fingers and isn't particularly easy to keep clean, either.

The Find X8 feels very solid and comfortable to hold. There is no flex to the frame or hollowness to the back. It is very well constructed.