OPPO’s first NPU finds its niche with Find X5, Find X5 Pro and Find X5 Lite

OPPO has unveiled its answer to the Samsung Galaxy S22, dishing out the details on the Find X5, Find X5 Pro and Find X5 Lite.

The main star of the show here is OPPO’s new house-branded MariSilicon X neural processing unit (NPU). First announced back in December 2021, the company says that the enhancements offered by this new piece of silicon translate into a fourfold improvement in “perceived night video resolution,” reduced grain and better color reproduction. 

Perhaps the biggest claim by OPPO here might be the promise that this improvement in night video quality makes 4K night videography more than a mere technical possibility (a la the 100x Space Zoom on Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra) but rather something that Find X5 and Find X5 Pro users will actually want to do.

In addition to the integration of their first dedicated NPU imaging processor, Oppo are also looking to bolster their smartphone photography portfolio through a new partnership with global imaging brand Hasselblad.

This collaboration comes on the back of a similar partnership between OnePlus and Hasselblad, with the cameras on the Find X5 and Find X5 Pro benefiting from a dedicated Hasselblad Camera for Mobile app and new “Natural" color calibration.

The standard OPPO Find X5 is built around a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with 10-bit color and  Gorilla Glass Victus protection. While the resolution caps out at FHD+, the refresh rate goes all the way up 120Hz. Under the hood, the device runs on a Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of on-board storage. 

The middle-of-the-range choice this time around, the standard Find X5 also boasts dual Dolby Atmos stereo speakers and support for up to 80W wired charging (when paired with OPPO’s SuperVOOC charger) and up to 30W wireless charging (when paired with OPPO’s AirVOOC charger).

When it comes to cameras, the OPPO Find X5 is armed with a 32-megapixel front-facing camera and a triple-lens rear camera. The latter combines a 50-megapixel wide angle lens, a 50-megapixel ultra wide angle lens and a 13-megapixel telephoto lens. 

The standard OPPO Find X5 will be available in two colors (black or white), both of which are kitted out with a 4800mAh and IP54 water and dust resistance. 

As you might expect, the Find X5 Pro raises the stakes across the board. 

OPPO’s 2022 flagship sweetens the deal with a more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a larger 6.7-inch WQHD+ display, a bigger 5000mAh battery, 4GB of additional RAM (bringing the total to 12GB), better IP68 water resistance and support for up to 50W wireless charging (though, as with the standard Find X5, you’ll need an OPPO AirVOOC charger to make use of this).

The Find X5 Pro also boasts a significantly more capable camera on the back, thanks to 5-axis optical image stabilisation and a wider aperture on the main lens and support for 5x hybrid zoom on the telephoto one. 

The front-facing camera on the flagship also boasts integration with the MariSilicon X NPU, which promises to bring the same low-light and other AI-powered image enhancements found in the rear lens camera to the selfie side of the equation.

The Find X5 Pro is available in two colors: Ceramic Black and Glaze White.

The most affordable option in the range, the OPPO Find X5 Lite features a smaller 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 90Hz, a MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor, 65W wired charging and camera setup that’s a little less enthusiast and a little more everyday.

In addition to the 32-megapixel selfie shooter on the front, the Find X5 Lite is loaded up with a 64-megapixel main camera, supported by a second one with an 8-megapixel ultra wide lens and a third with a 2-megapixel macro lens. 

Optics aside, the OPPO Find X5 Lite features a slightly-smaller 4500mAh battery, the same 8GB of RAM, the same 256GB of on-board storage and the same Color OS 12.1 operating system. 

Beyond the absence of the MariSilicon X NPU that promises to elevate the photography capabilities of the Find X5 and Find X5 Pro, the biggest exclusions to be found here are a lack of water resistance and support for wireless charging.

As with the other models, the Find X5 Lite is available in two color variants: Starry Black and Startrails Blue.

The OPPO Find X5, Find X5 Pro and Find X5 Lite will officially launch in Australia on the 19th of April, 2022.

The flagship OPPO Find X5 Pro is available from $1,799 while the standard model comes in at $1,399. The OPPO Find X5 Lite starts at about half that, with an RRP of $799.

For reference, last year’s OPPO Find X3 Lite, Find X3 Neo and Find X3 Pro launched in Australia at the following prices. 

• OPPO Find X3 Lite: $749
• OPPO Find X3 Neo: $1,199
• OPPO Find X3 Pro: $1,699

As for those considering picking up one of OPPO's latest devices on a postpaid mobile plan, Telstra and Optus are likely to be your best bet. The OPPO Find X3 range was sold on plans through both, so it's not impossible to imagine either opting to stock the new devices, though the exact ranging may vary between the two.