OPPO F9 Unboxing, Quick Review: A New Display Twist

We check out the latest Selfie Expert from OPPO!

While the F7 is roughly four months old, OPPO decided to pull off a surprise by unveiling the F9 this August. The F9 is at best an incremental upgrade to the F7 given the changes it has both outside and inside. While it has the same SRP as the F7 when it launched back in April, a number of people—specifically those who bought the F7—would ask: Is the F9 a worthy upgrade?

While it shares the same hardware with its predecessor (specifically the processor, RAM, and internal storage), the F9 introduces a few changes. These include a waterdrop display, a dual rear camera setup, and the return of VOOC quick charging. VOOC last appeared in the F series with the F3 Plus.

What’s in the box?

Just like other OPPO phones, the F9 comes with a white box with a photo of the phone itself on the front.

The first thing you see when opening the box is the unit itself. underneath it, you have a packet containing documentation, a SIM ejector pin, and a clear jelly case. Underneath it, you have a MicroUSB cable, a pair of earphones, and a VOOC quick charger.

What are the differences between the F7 and F9?

Let’s start on the outside: for the front, the F9 has the same display size but sports a slimmer notch OPPO calls a waterdrop design. It is sleeker than the notch found on the F7, and it is just enough to house the 25-megapixel selfie camera. The new notch design helps in giving a higher screen-to-body ratio for the F9 while maintaining roughly the same size as the F7.

Going to the back, the F9 has the same polycarbonate build as with the F7, though the materials used for the F9 is more refined, which explains why the F9 feels heftier than the F7 even if they are just the same size. While you also have the same fingerprint scanner location, a major change on the F9 is the use of a dual rear camera setup: this time, the 16-megapixel rear camera is accompanied by a 2-megapixel depth sensor that aids in delivering smooth bokeh.

One of the big changes on the F9 is the return of VOOC charging. OPPO’s quick charging tech lets you enjoy two hours of talk time with just five minutes of charging, making it perfect for those who need a quick boost on the go.

For the port layout, it’s basically the same: You have the speaker, MicroUSB port, and headphone jack at the bottom, volume controls and SIM tray on the left, and volume controls on the right.

For the cameras, the main upgrade here is the addition of a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The secondary camera helps the F9 attain more polished depth effects, but we have to do our thorough review before we can consider it as a major upgrade. The front camera remains the same, so expect the same quality of the selfies.

For the internals, you are getting the same Helio P60 processor and 64GB internal storage of the F7. For the RAM, however, we are getting only the 6GB variant, which should be a factor in considering the F9 as a more bang-for-the-buck phone compared to the F7. Speaking of performance, we expect it to be on par with the F7, though the additional RAM should give some boost to the F9.

How much does it cost?

As we mentioned earlier in this article, the F9 has the same Php 17,990 price of the F7 when it was launched. While it did get a few upgrades, the F9 is slated to face a tough competition. That being said, those who bought the F7 should not feel bad: save for the dual rear cameras, VOOC charging, and a smaller notch, the changes are incremental at best.

We do find OPPO’s latest phone to be promising, but like always, it has to go to our usual review before we give our final say. Before we recap the spec sheet, here are highlights of the F9 launch held at Shangri-La Fort: