Introduction
Oppo has always had its own way of standing out among the growing crowds of Chinese phone manufacturers and judging by sales reports and fan approval, the OEM seems to be doing at least something right.
The F-series of affordable, camera-centric devices has played a vital part in this success formula since the beginning of 2016. The Oppo F1, the original "selfie-expert", managed to appeal to a surprisingly broad user base. Its obvious selling-point aside, the F1 proved to be a quite decent all-round mid-ranger with fast performance, great build quality, excellent display and nicely sounding speaker.
But it was the F1 Plus, the follow-up that came a couple of months later, that really got the series popular. It ushered in a design change and addressed many of the weak points of its predecessor, with additions like a bigger, 1080p AMOLED panel, MediaTek Helio P10 SoC, 4GB of RAM and an even better 13MP selfie shooter. Naturally, the price point was changed as well, almost doubling the $250 or so asking price of its predecessor. Despite the price hike, however, the F1 Plus sold quite well helped by a successful marketing campaign. At one point Oppo even claimed it is shipping an R9 unit (its model name in China) every 1.1 seconds for a total of over 7 millions about two months ago.
With such numbers, it is only natural for the Chinese OEM to do the best it can to keep the ball rolling. Enter the F1s. It is a rather controversial step that could either make or break Oppo's next few quarters. Instead of leaning on the popularity of the F1 Plus formula, Oppo apparently decided to bring its prices back down again and re-focus on the budget segment. This has resulted in a device that is in the original F1 price league with a $270-ish price tag, but also way too close to it specs-wise for anyone looking for an upgrade.
Oppo F1s key features
- Beefed-up selfie camera: 16MP, 1/3.1" sensor size
- 154.5 x 76 x 7.4 mm, 160g body
- 5.5" 720 x 1,080px LCD with 267 ppi; 2.5D scratch-resistant glass
- ColorOS V3.0.0i , based on Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Very quick and accurate fingerprint reader in the home button
- MediaTek MT6750 chipset, octa-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 CPU; Mali-T860MP2 GPU; 3GB RAM
- 13MP, f/2.2 camera with 1/3" sensor size; 1080p@30fps video recording and phase detection autofocus; Single LED flash
- 32GB of built-in storage and a dedicated microSD card slot
- Dual-SIM connectivity
- LTE Cat.6 (300Mbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n; A-GPS/GLONASS receiver, Bluetooth v4.0, FM radio with RDS
- Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
- 3,075mAh non-removable battery
Main shortcomings
- No OIS
- No VOOC fast charging support
It looks like Oppo tried to make a cheaper version of the F1 Plus, but they might have just gone a step too far in slimming down the specs of their new proposal. What this means is that performance-wise, the F1s positions itself dangerously close to the original "Selfie expert," which is far from ideal when you are spending close to $300.
Oppo F1s in official photos
This all sounds quite gloomy, but at least the F1s has the stylish and slick new exterior design going for it. Follow along in the next section for a more in-depth look.
Unboxing the Oppo F1s
Similar to previous "F" family devices, Oppo hasn't cut any corners when it comes to presentation. The F1s arrives in a pretty solid two piece cardboard box, with an extra sleeve on top.
Inside the box, we find a plastic tray for the unit and underneath it, a sturdy cardboard box, containing some leaflets and a bonus transparent soft silicone case for the phone.
Oppo F1s retail box
Underneath it, a piece of plastic is designed to hold a pair of nice-looking Oppo earbuds. Right next to them is the wall charger, which sadly doesn't have any green coloring on the USB port. That means that just like the original F1, the F1s doesn't support Oppo's excellent VOOC fast charging technology. This is another major step away from the F1 Plus, which does come with VOOC support and the necessary power brick and cable. All you get here is an ordinary 2A charger and a simple white USB cable.
Oppo F1s 360-degree spin
The Oppo F1s measures 154.5 x 76 x 7.4mm, keeping its metal shell surprisingly thin. It tips the scales at 160g, which is a bit more than the original F1 and even the F1 Plus. However, the extra weight has gone towards a battery capacity increase to 3075 mAh (vs. 2500 mAh on the F1). That's a trade-off we would gladly take any day of the week.
As far as bezels go, Oppo has reduced them quite a bit compared to the F1, but the F1 Plus still has the upper hand when it comes to slim bezels.
Hardware
Other than that, the Oppo F1s has taken a lot of design cues from the F1 Plus, and we don't object as the latter is a great role model. There's the familiar slick metal exterior, as well as the nice finish and the 2.5D effect on the front glass edges.
The substitution of the AMOLED panel from the Plus model with a simpler LCD has also had its adverse effects on the side bezels. The F1s can't come close to the 1.66mm thin bezels of the F1 Plus but still looks more refined than the original F1. The 2.5D glass finish also ties the whole design nicely together. There is also a factory pre-installed screen protector on the phone (they haven't done the best job out of fitting it on our specific unit, but it's a freebie so we don't mind.
Other than that, the front of the phone looks incredibly clean - there is no branding whatsoever. The only elements that can be seen here are the rounded home button and two subtly backlit navigation keys next to it. The front should also be quite sturdy too as it comes covered with a front glass made of Gorilla Glass 4.
Clean front side
The button is not only a design trait carried over from the F1 Plus but also brings along the older model's excellent fingerprint reader. It is one of the fastest we have seen. Clicking the button near instantaneously lands you on the homescreen, which feels more like the backlight just turned on than what happens, where the phone scans your print and then unlocks the phone.
Oppo has also cleverly eliminated any homescreen animation, so the icons don't waste any time, and the homescreen just appears instantly as soon as you press the home button. And the sensor is not just fast but also accurate, with next to no failed attempts despite the lightning fast scanning rate.
Oppo F1s in the hand
Unlike the F1 Plus, however, the reader isn't always on. That means that simply putting your finger on it won't wake and unlock the device; you have to push the button - much like you would on an iPhone. The good news is that once you get into the habit of pressing the control, you won't even notice the absence.
The back is also a looker. It appears to be made out of metal for the most part. There are plastic antenna strips on the top and bottom, colored in a slightly different shade. Unlike the F1 Plus, Oppo didn't boast about the metallic ratio or manufacturing process of the F1s, but going by looks and feel alone, we would say the F1s is made from materials of the same grade of quality. However, it is worth noting that the device is still pretty slippery without a case.
Polished rear
The back gently curves upwards and then turns flat along the sides, ending in a mirror-finish chamfer. But the sides don't quite blend into the display; instead, the display is slightly raised, which gives the glass a slight edge that you can feel with your thumb.
The sides of the Oppo F1s are quite clutter-free. There is nothing on top, beside a small secondary noise-canceling microphone.
Nothing but a secondary mic on top
The bottom is a bit busier and houses: the 3.5mm audio jack, the primary microphone, the microUSB port, then finally, the speaker (a single one).
Bottom: the microUSB and the headphone jack along with the mic and loudspeaker
The left side only features a pair of volume buttons, near the very top of the frame. The buttons are conveniently located while holding the phone in hand but accessing them while the phone is lying flat on a table is a bit difficult due to their shape and location.
Discrete volume buttons on the left
On the opposite side, we find the power button, positioned within perfect reach of your index finger or thumb. The only other thing present is the Dual SIM card tray, which also has a slot for a microSD card. It is worth noting that the slot in question is dedicated, which is a first for the "F" family and oddly still a rarity as a whole.
We appreciate the convenience of not having to choose between a second SIM card or extra microSD storage on the F1s. Instead of a hybrid DualSIM slot, this one comes with a tray that can house both two SIM cards as well as a microSD card.
Card tray and power button on the right
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