The red Oppo R11 seems to have launched elsewhere in the world earlier this year, but is now available in Australia, dual cameras and all, the day before Apple’s new iPhones launched.
A new “limited edition” red coloured Oppo R11 smartphone has launched “exclusively” at J Hi-Fi for $649. The red model isn't yet listed at JB Hi-Fi as I type, but this page lists the black and gold models, and is where the red edition should show up soon, too.
The company bills itself as a “camera phone brand enjoyed by young people around the world”, and proudly boasts its R11 has “the world’s first 20-megapixel selfie camera as well as dual 20MP and 16MP rear cameras, allowing you to capture every moment in the greatest clarity.”
Like the iPhone 7 Plus introduced last year, the R11 “also offers portrait mode” which the company says delivers an “advanced bokeh effect” which “helps you to stand out in every single shot by blurring the background and making the subject the centre of attention.”
{loadposition alex08}The front camera also has an “intelligent Beautify technology to produce the best version of you”, with the company ironically suggesting that “#nofilter required,” even though a Beautify mode that changes and presumably enhances the way you look is the very definition of a type of filter.
We’re told the Beautiful technology “accurately studies facial contours in exquisite detail, producing selfies that prominently feature you against gently blurred backgrounds.”
There’s also Oppo’s claim that its “Red R11 will quickly become an important fashion accessory to help showcase your style,” although this is clearly marketing, because fashionistas desiring a specific red colour would have either purchased a red case for their existing phone, or would have purchased a Red iPhone 7 or 7 Plus a few months ago.
Oppo is well known for smartphones that are available at affordable prices, and seem to take great pride in closely emulating Apple’s look, feel, UI and features.
Precisely how Oppo has been able to get away with this is likely the same kind of question you’d ask of Xiaomi, a brand likely unfamiliar to most everyday Australians as yet, but also renowned for unashamed iCloning.
Whether it has anything to do with Apple not wanting to feel the wrath of the Chinese Government, which has effectively banned Apple’s American contemporaries, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other services from operating in China, while Apple remains largely (but not completely) unmolested by the authorities is perhaps a reason why some Chinese companies are able to copy Apple so closely without seeming consequences.
It also helps Oppo customers get the look and feel of Apple’s products without being an iOS user or having access to the iOS ecosystem, and without having to pay Apple’s prices.
Of course, Apple will state “if it isn’t an iPhone, it isn’t an iPhone,” but people who buy Oppo’s products know what they’re doing, and have the Android ecosystem of apps and accessories available to them, which Google does its best to evolve as rapidly as it can each year, even if Apple’s processors and various features usually catapult it a year ahead of the competition every year at the new iPhone launch.
Naturally, without making any mention of iDevices in the blatant fashion that I do, Oppo’s Executive Director in Australia, Michael Tran said: “Smartphones are quickly becoming an important fashion accessory, as well as a being a practical tool to help you showcase your style. But practicality often doesn’t leave much room for style. That’s why we’ve launched the Red R11.
“Not only does the phone look stunning and is unique, compared to all the black and gold devices on the market, but it offers brilliant camera capabilities to help you capture your best self in perfect clarity.
“It’s time Aussies had a phone that matched their personal style and fits in with today’s fashion landscape, and OPPO is providing just that with the limited edition Red R11.”
Indeed, it reminds me that there is one thing Oppo’s Red R11 does that Apple’s Red iPhone 7 models doesn’t, and that’s feature black bezels around the front screen, with Apple’s iPhone featuring white bezels, something that not everyone was enamoured with at the time.
You do miss out on features like NFC so won't have access to Android Pay, for example, but you do get 4GB RAM, an AMOLED screen, Gorilla Glass 5, 4K video recording, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Android 7.1 and more. Looking at the specs below (after the company’s promo video), it’s easy to see that the R11 will do the almost everything you’d expect a 2017 phone to do today, along with an 8-core SnapDragon 660 processor that should be no slouch.
So… if you tend toward the Android side of the force fence, and don’t feel like paying the $1499 price tag of the Note8, or similar pricing for the super premium iPhone, but still want to revel in some noteworthy features like very high megapixel dual cameras with bokeh-enhanced portrait mode, and a very high megapixel selfie camera, the Red R11 may well be on your list of Android phones to upgrade to next.
Here are the Oppo R11 Specs:
Dimensions/Weight
Height
154.5 mm
Width
74.8 mm
Thickness
6.8 mm
Weight
150 g (with battery)
Basic Parameters
Colour
Gold, Black and Red (limited edition)
Operating System
ColorOS 3.1, Android 7.1
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Octa-core 2.2GHz + 1.9GHz
GPU
Adreno 512
RAM
4 GB
Storage
64 GB (expandable by up to 256GB MicroSD card)
Battery
3000mAh (Typical) Li-Po Battery (non-removable)
Display
Size
5.5 inches
Type
AMOLED (401 PPI)
Resolution
FHD (1920*1080 pixels)
Colours
16 million
Touchscreen
Multi-touch, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Camera
Rear Sensor
16MP + 20MP
Front Sensor
20MP
Aperture Rear
f/1.7 + f/2.6
Aperture Front
f/2.0
Video Mode
4k/1080p/720p
Connectivity
SIM Card Type
Single Nano-SIM
GPS
Supported
Bluetooth
4.2 LE
Wi-Fi
802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz, 5GHz
NFC
No
OTG
Supported
Sensors
Light and Proximity Sensor, G-Sensor, E-Compass, Gyro-meter