Oppo F17 Pro review

Two-minute review

The Oppo F17 Pro is a new mid-range device from the company which banks high on design and a light body. The F17 Pro is easily one of the most comfortable and convenient devices we’ve handled in 2020. It includes an excellent super AMOLED panel, but misses out on the high refresh rate, having to settle for a standard 60Hz screen.

The device is available in a sole 8GB RAM variant which is packed with 128GB of onboard storage. For performance, Oppo has gone with MediaTek Helio P95 chipset, which we had no issues with on daily usages, but found to be rather tedious when it came to gaming. We’d not recommend this device for those who rely on online gaming or graphics-intensive gaming a lot. The chipset just can’t deliver the best and struggles more often than not. 

Oppo has done a really nice job with the latest version of Color OS 7.2. It is now cleaner and simpler with less bloat and little to zero spammy push notifications. The device delivers on battery life and the Oppo F17 Pro can go without charging for a day even with heavy usage and to top it all, you get Vooc charge 4.0 30W fast charge which can take the device from nothing to full in under an hour. 

Lastly, the primary camera on the device does a pretty good job though the other three are average with the F17 Pro. There is also a dual selfie camera setup on the front. You can get a ton of AI modes with the device, but I would rate the overall camera performance as just average. More of this later. 

The Oppo F17 Pro works for those who want an excellent screen, battery life and fast charging. Those who are dependent on camera and heavy games, look elsewhere. While better options do exist in this segment, stocks can be difficult to find. On the other hand, Oppo’s retail network is robust. 

Oppo F17 Pro launch date and price in India

The Oppo F17 Pro was launched in India on September 2 along with Oppo F17 and Enco W51 true wireless earbuds. This was also the Oppo F17 series’ global debut. The Oppo F17 Pro is priced at Rs 22,990 in India. It is available in only one configuration with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage and in three colour options - Matte Black, Magic Blue, and Metallic White. 

Check out the Oppo F17 Pro on Amazon | Flipkart

Design

• 7.48mm thick
• 164 grams
• Polycarbonate body

The F series has always been youth-centric which means they come in eye-popping colour options, lightweight, with some appealing designs. The Oppo F17 Pro is no different. The device just weighs just 164 grams, which is absolutely crazy in 2020. You need to feel it to believe it. With phones easily crossing the 200-gram mark, the Oppo F17 Pro is really a welcome change. Even phones such as the OnePlus Nord felt bulky and dated in comparison. The 7.48mm thickness is also legit and great to hold. You will appreciate these as soon as you pick the device up.

On the usability front, the device handles well in one hand, and I found it easy to get to all on-screen options. We got the Magic Blue variant for testing, which I felt looks the classiest of the three colour options. The back has a gradient finish reflecting two shades and the edges reflect a purple line while the colour at the back is blue that also appears green often, shifting colour with every angle change based on where the light falls. The 400mm coating on the back instead of the usual 200mm offers  better grip and view. The polycarbonate body means that you can flaunt the device without a case with no fear of shattering the rear panel like glass-back phones. 

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The button placements are standard, with the power switch placed at the right and the volume rockers on the left. Both are easily accessible with one hand. Towards the bottom, you get a mono speaker grill, a Type-C port, a microphone, and 3.5mm headphone jack, which is good to see in this price segment and especially in a phone so slim. To the top, there is a secondary microphone. With Oppo F17 Pro, you are looking at a dual-punch hole camera for selfies which is one of the smallest cut-outs on a phone. 

Display

• 6.47-inch Super AMOLED screen
• 2,400 × 1,080 resolution
• 60Hz refresh rate

Oppo has gone with a 6.4-inch super AMOLED screen on the F17 Pro. You get Full HD+(2,400 x 1,080p) resolution. The bezels on top and sides are very slim and on the bottom, you have a decent amount of bezels which gives the device 90.07% screen to body ratio. The display is tall and pretty standard for a 2020 smartphone with 20:9 aspect ratio. And lastly, the display is also TUV Rheinland certified for low Blue light.

We live in an era where users won’t forgive you if a smartphone is priced above Rs 20,000 and not having a 90Hz refresh rate. And this is where the Oppo F17 Pro slips. You will have to settle for a standard 60Hz screen. It is also worth mentioning that the Oppo A53 which is priced under Rs 13,000 comes with a 90Hz panel. 

The display is quite flat and you can feel the sharp edges often. The super AMOLED panel renders perfect colours most of the time, though they do feel oversaturated at some points, albeit in a good way. There is the 5000000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, which helps in getting those deep blacks. 

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The display was quite enjoyable while viewing content from YouTube and other OTT apps. In addition, you also get support for HDR content and there is also Widevine L1 support for HD playback on Netflix and others. The peak brightness can go up to 800 nits, making it quite readable outdoors with sun out. The lowest brightness is also quite low and you can take advantage of eye comfort mode which allows you to play with colour temperature. And, finally, Oppo has also added Always on Display feature which is absent of OnePlus devices with AMOLED screens. 

Overall, the Oppo F17 has one of the best super AMOLED screens in the segment. Watching content is pure joy and the viewing angles are also pretty great with the device. There’s also an in-display fingerprint scanner which works very well. You get both speed and accuracy with it. For even faster unlock, there is a 2D face unlock which is quite reliable as well.