Oppo F1s Review: Great camera, battery for extensive selfie sessions

Oppo had launched F1s in India earlier this month to add more options in its growing selfie smartphone series. Following the success of F1 and F1 Plus, the Chinese manufacturer's latest offering comes as a good deal for people looking for a premium camera experience with mid-range budget.

Launched at Rs. 17,990, Oppo's F1s went on sale on August 11 across major cities. Here's our comprehensive review of the new selfie smartphone. We have already covered the Oppo F1s display and design review in our first impressions, and now we continue to the core functions of the device such as its camera, performance and battery.

Camera

The biggest USP of Oppo F1s is its camera, especially the front snapper used for clicking selfies. It features an impressive 16-megapixel front-facing camera with ISOCELL technology, an f/2.0 aperture, 78.1 degree wide-angle lens, Beautify 4.0 and screen flash.

We tested the camera for selfies and the results were quite impressive. There is detail in the photos shot on Oppo F1s. They are also balanced and have true colours. The Beautify 4.0 is an interesting feature that gives an edge to Oppo over its rivals.

There are plenty of photo-editing tools built into the phone's camera to get the perfect shot for you.

Overall, Oppo F1s certainly deserves the selfie expert title.

The rear camera features a 13-megapixel sensor with a 1/3-inch sensor, a large F2.2 aperture, PDAF and ultra-fast focus speeds. Low-light photos were better on the front camera, but the rear camera isn't a disappointment at all.

Cameras are Oppo's strongest suits, and Oppo F1s complies with the company's optimum camera performance. Below are some of the sample photos shot using Oppo F1s cameras:

Battery

Oppo had proved its expertise in reliable battery life with F1 and F1 Plus. Oppo F1s is no different as it continues to carry forward the company's legacy with an impressive 3,075mAh battery. In our testing, Oppo F1s easily pushed through the day with average usage of calls, messages, browsing internet, games and music. When we limited usage to just calls, messages and internet browsing, the handset lasted more than 10 hours, which is quite impressive. Oppo also offers power saving mode to add a few extra hours to the battery life of the F1s, which can be helpful while traveling or when there is no access to a charging source.

Oppo F1s will easily deliver up to 10 hours of mixed usage and up to 7 hours for avid photographers and gamers

While the discharging levels proved to be impressive, Oppo F1s takes up to 2 hours to fully charge the phone. It is disappointing as Oppo chose not to give its VOOC fast charging technology, which was one of our favourite features in the F1 Plus. We certainly felt the need for rapid charging feature in the F1s.

Performance

Oppo F1s has quite decent specs under the hood. It is powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek processor, which is paired with 3GB RAM and Android 5.1 Lollipop-based ColorOS 3.0. Overall, it is a complete performance package for the F1s.

We must admit that the F1s isn't the best performing phone in its price range, but it certainly doesn't disappoint in your daily tasks. The RAM configuration is good, allowing multiple apps to run in the background without delaying the launch of new apps or causing lags. We ran some benchmarking tests on the phone to determine its capability and the results are shared below:

We also have the ColorOS 3.0 to thank for the optimum user experience delivered by F1s. The new custom UI offers 25 per cent faster performance compared to ColorOS2.1. Moreover, the UI is simple, fast and responsive without any lags.

Be it an avid gamer or an average user, Oppo F1s bridges the gaps to deliver similar user experience.

Oppo F1s also features a fingerprint scanner integrated within its home button. There's nothing to complain about it as it can scan the registered fingerprint accurately and unlock the device in a fraction of a second. The F1 Plus also had similar accuracy and speed and the F1s is not an exception.

Pros

• Excellent camera
• Long-lasting battery
• Consistent performance
• Attractive metal design
• User-friendly UI
• Accurate and fast fingerprint scanner
• Dual SIM support and a dedicated microSD card slot
• ColorOS 3.0 features such as power saving mode, privacy protection mode, integrated virus scanner, long screenshots and eye protection feature.

Cons

• Has HD resolution display for its price
• Lacks VOOC charge technology
• Still runs Android 5.1 Lollipop
• A tad pricy for the competition

Verdict

Clearly the pros outweigh the cons. Oppo F1s is certainly a worthy investment if you are looking for a great camera smartphone with lasting battery. The performance of the device, its design, display and other features are nothing out of the ordinary for a smartphone its price, but nothing disappointing either.