Introduction
Find X showed me how far design can go, and now the Oppo F9 — a real successor to the Oppo F7 that was released five months ago — arrives from the same Chinese manufacturer with a clear selfie focus: the selfie expert in the F series keeps pushing camera quality while balancing a sensible spec sheet under a mid-range price tag, so the device feels like a thoughtful smartphone for everyday users.
I noticed Oppo chose to launch it in a short time under pressure from competition such as Honor Play and Huawei Nova 3i, and although the highest screen-to-body ratio legacy of the Find X still turns heads, this review is about practical experience — how the phone performs against its competitors in real use.
Design and Display
When I first got my hands on the Oppo F9, I noticed a huge leap in design and beauty compared to its predecessor. The phone may look like it’s made of metal or glass, but the body is actually plastic—lightweight yet premium in feel. On the back, there’s a fingerprint scanner positioned above a horizontally aligned dual-camera setup in the top left corner, giving it a neat and stylish look. What makes the design truly exquisite is the flower petal pattern that reflects light beautifully from different angles. On the front, the waterdrop notch neatly houses the camera and earpiece, keeping everything standard yet elegant.
Build and Colors
On the right, you’ll find the power key, while the left side holds the volume rocker, dual-SIM tray, and microSD card slot for extra memory. At the bottom, there’s a charging port, single speaker grill, microphone, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and unfortunately, the older micro USB instead of the modern USB Type-C. The gradient color options are simply gorgeous — Sunrise Red, Twilight Blue, and Starry Purple. I used the Red model for this review, and it looked stunning and bright, shifting to a soft Purple when viewed from certain angles.
Display Performance
The display is one of the main highlights of the Oppo F9, featuring a 6.3-inch Full HD+ panel with a resolution of 2340 x 1080, producing 409 PPI and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The compact notch and bezel-less screen make it perfect for an immersive viewing experience. The screen is sharp, pleasant, and performs well under sunlight, with excellent color reproduction and wide viewing angles. Whether you’re watching movies, playing games, or exploring apps, the visuals look fantastic. There’s a minor interruption when full-screen content is played, but it can easily be adjusted manually or optimized to hide the notch automatically for a smoother experience.
OS
The Oppo F9 runs on ColorOS 5.2 based on Android 8.1 Oreo, giving the phone a unique experience compared to ordinary Android devices. While the Color OS can mimic iOS and offers several options and shortcuts, it does take away some of the clean aesthetics of standard Android. Simple tasks like swipe to dismiss a notification now require an extra swipe and click, which can feel irritating at times. On the brighter side, Full-screen multitasking lets you swipe from the notch to access the multitasking menu, which can be customized to your liking. Typing feels safer too, as the Oppo secure keyboard replaces the ordinary keyboard, keeping your password and privacy protected.
Interface and Experience
The Oppo F9 also comes with handy features like Gesture controls, Clone Apps, Game Space, and App Split Screen, while security is enhanced with Payment Protection, App Lock, Kids Space, and Private Safe. However, all these options inside the ColorOS can sometimes feel like an annoyance, requiring too many clicks for simple tasks. Personally, I feel that EMUI still feels a bit cleaner, but ColorOS is evolving with every new version, even if it can seem slightly bloated at first.
Performance and Battery
The Oppo F9 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 Octa-core processor, a reliable mid-range chipset that also appeared in the F7. With RAM upgraded from 4GB to 6GB and 64GB internal storage, the smartphone handles daily activities like browsing, surfing the internet, and loading web pages without noticeable lag or slowing. Even on benchmark tests such as AnTuTu and Geekbench, it performed admirably. However, during heavy usage and intensive gaming, the device does get a bit warm and can feel sluggish. Dedicated game mode exists to improve performance, but we noticed that games like Real Racing, deer hunter, and especially Asphalt 9: Legends, which are graphic and resource-consuming, still push the phone to its limits.
Battery Life
The battery of the Oppo F9 is impressive, featuring a 3500 mAh handset that supports fast charging. In just 5 minutes of charging, you can get about 2 hours of talk time. During moderate usage tests, the phone consumed only 13% of battery, giving almost a full day of use, while heavy usage tests used 20%, equating to nearly 5 hours screen on time. Even with demanding tasks, the Oppo F9 manages to deliver a full day of battery life, making it reliable for both regular and power users.
Camera
The Oppo F9 comes with a dual rear camera featuring a 16MP main sensor and a 2MP depth sensor for blurred background shots, while the front houses a 25MP camera in a waterdrop notch with smart AI features. Compared to the Oppo F7’s single camera, the dual-camera setup in the Oppo F9 feels like a true selling pitch for Oppo phones. In auto mode, the camera captures decent pictures in good light, producing sharp, natural-looking images with a wide dynamic range, though turning HDR on sometimes deteriorates the quality of the picture. The Super vivid mode enhances colors but can make them look artificial or oversharpened, especially in greenery.
Portrait mode automatically applies background blur or bokeh effect, but it cannot be done manually, making most pictures average. The selfie camera shines, though turning beauty mode off is recommended to avoid whitewashed facial contours.
Verdict
The Oppo F9 is packed with features that make it the epitome of a 2018 smartphone. Its near-bezel-less screen and compact notch give the phone an appealing design and modern form, which is a defining trait for users who care about aesthetics. While the average performance may not impress power users, it is suitable for moderate smartphone users who want a long battery and stunning design.Although the Oppo F9 isn’t a game-changer and comes with some shortcomings, it still reflects the company’s innovation in design and usability. For someone who prioritizes a visually pleasing phone with practical features and reliable performance for day-to-day tasks, this device remains a solid option.
