After posting teasers last month, the the Philippine launch of the OPPO R17 Pro will happen tomorrow. While here at the Mi Mix 3 media workshop, my colleague and good friend Emman Tortoza lent me his R17 Pro. Now I am not certain if I’ll be able to secure a review unit so I’m taking this opportunity to do a quick first impressions of this phone.
OPPO R17 PRO SPECS:
| OS: | Android 8.1 Oreo with ColorOS 5.1 |
|---|---|
| Processor: | 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 Octa-Core processor | Adreno 616 |
| Display: | 2340 x 1080 6.4" Full HD+ AMOLED Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| Wireless Connections: | LTE-A, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, A-GPS, GLONASS |
| Memory: | 128 GB Internal Storage, 8GB RAM |
| Connectors: | USB Type-C, OTG Support |
| Cameras: | 12 Megapixels f/1.5-2,4 26mm Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS + 20 Megapixels f/2.6 + TOF 3D Camera (Main Cameras), 25 Megapixels f/2.0 (Front) |
| SIM Card Slots: | 2x Nano SIM Cards required (hybrid) |
| Battery: | 3,700 mAh |
| SRP: | P38,990 |
OPPO R17 PRO FIRST IMPRESSIONS: HARDWARE
At first glance, the front of the OPPO R17 Pro is similar to the OPPO F9, but don’t assume that they have the same specs. Primed as a high-end phone, the R17 Pro uses an AMOLED display instead of their usual IPS which should give provide more vibrant colors. It still retains the resolution of 2340 x 1080 and screen ratio of 19:5:9. The teardrop notch is still there where the camera is located.
OPPO has been impressing us with the designs of their phones this year, and I have a lot of good comments on the R17 Pro’s exterior. The gradient hues of purple and blue are eye-catching. You have to move the phone in different angles to see the colors change. OPPO also added some nice “touch” to the R17 Pro. The texture of the phone feels like satin which I really liked. It’s not slippery to hold at all. It’s less of a fingerprint magnet too. I wish they’ve also added this texture on to the OPPO Find X.
What makes the phone really cool is the fingerprint scanner on the display, a first in OPPO. I had Emman unlock the phone with his finger several times and it worked flawlessly.
Being a high-end phone, it ditches away the MTK processor in favor of the faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 710. Internal storage is 128GB and RAM is 8GB. I also noticed that the 3.5mm headphone jack was also non-existent, and I reckon this is the direction of OPPO for their high-end phones like the Find X.
OPPO R17 PRO FIRST IMPRESSIONS: SOFTWARE
The OPPO R17 Pro is installed with Android 8.1 Oreo with ColorOS 5.2. It’s pretty much the same as what the F9 has.
OPPO R17 PRO FIRST IMPRESSIONS: CAMERA
Unfortunately, I was not able to take sample shots with its triple camera. My only comment for now is the R17 Pro’s protruding cameras which can be prone to accidental scratches when placed on a surface.
Overall, my first impressions of the OPPO R17 Pro are very good and I’d like to see it in the market. We don’t have an official price yet, but that will be announced tonight. My forecast is around P34,900, but there’s a possibility that it could be cheaper by around P2,000 or more if they subsidize it.
Hopefully, OPPO will send us a review unit of the R17 Pro so we can further evaluate it.
