Oppo lately renewed its partnership with the legendary pictures firm, Hasselblad. To mark the event, I used to be invited over to Hasselblad’s hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden, and I spent the week taking pictures images on Oppo’s strongest digital camera cellphone, the Discover X8 Extremely.
The cellphone initially launched again in April, however it’s solely formally out there in China. So, till now, I hadn’t been in a position to totally check its capabilities. Some are calling it one of the best digital camera cellphone ever made, however the competitors from the likes of Samsung and Apple is extraordinarily fierce, so how good is that this factor, precisely?
The digital camera {hardware}
Beginning with the primary digital camera, the Oppo Discover X8 Extremely utilises a 1-inch kind sensor, the most important you’ll discover on a contemporary smartphone. For reference, it’s round 30% bigger than the primary sensor on mainstream flagships just like the iPhone 16 Professional Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely.
Which means the X8 Extremely will carry out higher in low-light situations, and it’s able to producing extra background blur on close-up pictures – identical to you’d see with a mirrorless digital camera or DSLR.
It’s clear that some very intelligent engineering went into this handset
Luke Baker
This large fundamental sensor is joined by a 15mm-equivalent ultrawide, a 70mm (3x) periscope telephoto and one other 135mm (6x) telephoto. There’s additionally a devoted color spectrum sensor to assist guarantee right white stability, even in scenes with difficult multi-coloured lighting.
All of those cameras have a 50Mp decision sensor, and most use considerably bigger sensors than their mainstream competitors. Across the entrance, there’s a 32Mp selfie snapper with autofocus.
It’s a significantly spectacular array of lenses, however what stunned me extra is that the digital camera bump isn’t gigantic. Subsequent to telephones just like the Xiaomi 15 Extremely and Vivo X200 Extremely, the Oppo Discover X8 Extremely appears shockingly slim. It’s clear that some very intelligent engineering went into this handset.
Luke Baker
After all, {hardware} is just a part of the story; digital camera telephones depend on picture processing to get one of the best outcomes, and that’s the place Hasselblad’s experience comes into play.
The collaboration has resulted in a Hasselblad-tuned Grasp Mode, in addition to movie simulations and really in-depth guide management choices.
The outcomes
Regardless of the lighting situations or topic, I used to be regularly impressed with the images I shot on the X8 Extremely throughout my journey. Whether or not zooming over lengthy distances or capturing an intimate close-up, these cameras deliver out all the small print, with a really interesting color palette.
Luke Baker
The cellphone undoubtedly favours the cooler tones, and that’s much more obvious when utilizing the Hasselblad movie simulations. On this scenario, it labored in my favour, I feel the cool tones and wealthy blues marry effectively with Swedish structure.
Nonetheless, I don’t really feel it’s precisely true-to-life. To my shock, it was truly scorching sizzling in Gothenburg, and I don’t assume the blue tones of my images at all times mirror that. The precise heat of the summer season solar wasn’t as straightforward to convey utilizing the cellphone’s filters and film-sims; as an alternative, you’d must tweak manually.
The 3x telephoto is phenomenal for close-ups of meals and nature, whereas the 6x helps you to digitally zoom as much as round 20x with barely any perceivable loss in high quality
Luke Baker
Actually, although, that’s one of many solely downsides. The 3x telephoto is phenomenal for close-ups of meals and nature, whereas the 6x helps you to digitally zoom as much as round 20x with barely any perceivable loss in high quality. In case you zoom additional, AI picture enhancement makes an attempt to choose up the slack, and it does an honest job, however any severe photographer goes to scoff at that.
The principle digital camera can deal with some significantly low-light taking pictures, making it nice for indoor areas and late nights in town. That mentioned, the 3x isn’t far behind, and also you is perhaps stunned by how effectively it retains up.
The selfie digital camera isn’t an enormous draw for this cellphone, however I used to be pleasantly stunned by the standard. It captures glorious pores and skin tones, sharp element, and handles low mild higher than most. After all, for actually gorgeous portraits, the rear cameras are nonetheless the best way to go.
The ultrawide is the one digital camera that didn’t “wow” me. It’s completely respectable and matches the opposite cameras effectively, however it’s nothing too distinctive. Actually, that’s normally the case with ultrawide cameras; it’s solely actually Vivo that’s pushing the envelope right here.
Is the Oppo Discover X8 Extremely one of the best digital camera cellphone?
As I’m positive you’ll be able to inform, I’m fairly taken with the Oppo Discover X8 Extremely. Whereas I may not be able to declare it one of the best digital camera cellphone ever, it’s definitely up there with the likes of the Xiaomi 15 Extremely, Vivo X200 Extremely and Huawei Pura 80 Extremely.
Sadly, most of those telephones a fairly onerous to get your palms on within the West. Xiaomi’s finest is obtainable within the UK, however in any other case, you’d have to have a look at importing. And within the States, the scenario is even more durable.
Nonetheless, that will not be the case for for much longer. After pulling out of Europe altogether throughout a patent dispute with Nokia, Oppo got here again with a bang late final 12 months.
It launched its Discover X8 Professional within the UK, however sadly, the Extremely didn’t observe go well with. There’s a glimmer of hope that we’d see the subsequent Oppo Extremely cellphone launch internationally.
If it does, that might be very thrilling certainly, particularly as we now know that the Hasselblad partnership will proceed. For now, I’m positive Apple and Samsung‘s dominance will proceed, however when you’re a severe photographer, neither is coming near matching China’s newest batch of Extremely flagships.