Paris. The city of lights, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe and Roland Garros. As you may know if you follow tennis, this is one of only four annual Grand Slam tournaments and the only one of the group that has a clay court. Therefore, it is quite unique, well suited to the city in which it is set.
What does all this have to do with smartphones, you may be wondering? Well, Oppo has been a premium partner of Roland Garros for three years and recently announced that it has renewed its partnership with the tennis competition for this year and next. To celebrate, the company kindly invited me to participate in the women’s singles final at Roland Garros, which took place last Saturday, June 5th.
For someone who has never attended a Grand Slam tennis tournament in person, it was understandably quite exciting, so I wanted to try something new and create this feature which is partly a travel report and partly a hands-on experience. in the real world, away from rigid numbers, datasheets and test labs.
And what better phone to go to Paris with than Oppo’s latest flagship, the Find X5 Pro? He has been my companion on hand all weekend, as I explored the city and Roland Garros stadium, as you will see below – note that all the photos in this article that are not from the Find X5 Pro was shot On Find X5 Pro. So if you’re ready to join me, let’s go to Paris!
Friday: Notre Dame and Louvre at the Arc de Triomphe
Since the flight landed at noon on a Friday, he left for the hotel for a quick and efficient check-in and an equally quick recharge of the Find X5 Pro’s battery as I wanted to make sure it was 100% when I left. Thankfully, this is very easy to do with the Find X5 Pro’s blazingly fast charging, that is, if you don’t forget to pack the included cable and charger. I didn’t, so around 4pm it was time to head to the tourist areas.
Charging itself was only a matter of minutes, which weirdly still can’t be said for the flagship phones that people buy the most (looking at you, Apple, and Samsung). Seriously, you can’t overstate how great it is to be able to charge your phone for 15-20 minutes (if it’s not already dead) and pretty much have enough power to last the rest of the day.
From now on, I’ve spent a lot of time on Google Maps trying to locate interesting tourist attractions to visit, then get directions, find restaurants to eat at, supermarkets to buy water from, and so on. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Find X5 Pro was almost always in my hands and used a lot, yet it got through the roughly eight hours I’ve been running around smoothly. It also stayed cool the entire time, without even a hint of overheating despite heavy use of GPS and mobile data, and a lot of multitasking. I didn’t have time to play on my trip, but for this kind of on-the-go use the cooling system inside has certainly worked very well.
The screen is also great, it’s incredibly beautiful to look at and the side curves help a lot with the back gesture when using gesture navigation – your finger never goes over anything sharp, thanks to the way the screen curves into the frame . I have never encountered accidental touches due to the curves of the screen.
While the Parisian sun was missing in action for most of the weekend, it came out here and there and the Find X5 Pro’s display was easily readable even in direct sunlight, though it’s fair to note here that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra goes even further When needed. On the other hand, I never felt the need for more brightness during all my time with it.
To get to the central areas I took the Paris Metro, which probably should be a tourist attraction in its own right, being among the oldest systems in the world and everything in between. Trains are also interesting, due to the controversial use of rubber tires on some lines, which creates a very characteristic smell when one of the trains leaves the station, but also a very characteristic noise – and this is also heard from inside a train. I used the subway system for pretty much all of my weekend trips to the city and it was a fun experience.
Notre Dame and surrounding areas
I went out near Notre Dame and documented the status of its repairs from afar, and it looks like they are progressing well. After about half an hour of walking around the adjacent area I found a restaurant which appeared not to be of the tourist trap variety, where I had a rather amazing lunch which you can see from the photos above.
Next was what for many could be one of the main events in Paris: the walk from the Louvre museum to the Arc de Triomphe. With stops on the way, mostly for photo opportunities, and I have to say the experience of shooting with the Find X5 Pro is just great, even if you’re missing out on a long zoom due to the lack of a periscope camera (Hi, Apple !).
The Louvre Museum and the surrounding area
Shutter-to-shutter speeds are refreshingly surprising, even after managing a bunch of other companies’ flagships over the past few months. Find X5 Pro’s camera app is the smoothest I’ve ever used, on any phone. It’s just plain buttery, with the usual Android exception of switching between cameras – it’s smoother than other Android devices, but still not quite as smooth as on an iPhone.
As you’ll see, there’s virtually no quality penalty ranging from main shooter to ultra-wide, and that’s still a tough nut to crack even in 2022 for most Android devices, and even the science of color seems to match a lot. well between the three sensors, so it won’t instantly, obviously it will look like you have three different cameras with you. Sure you can still see some differences here and there if you search for them, but overall, the results are impressive and the Experience shooting with the Find X5 Pro is, so far, second to none.
Starting with the Louvre, of course everyone knows about the iconic pyramid that is now the museum’s entry point, but the sheer size of the museum’s oldest buildings surrounding it might initially be disconcerting – or awe-inspiring. Or both. It’s just a huge complex and unfortunately there was no time to sit in line and visit, but even walking takes quite a bit of time. It’s just that big.
Advancing from the Louvre to the Champs-Elysees
It is also aligned, in a straight line, with the Arc de Triomphe del Carrousel right next door, the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe, as well as the Grande Arche de la Defense which is located in the district office a few miles to the northwest. If you sit right in the Louvre area you can almost distinguish all of these monuments “through” each other, if that makes sense, since they are all lined up. And so the amazement returns.
Advancing towards the famous Champs-Elysees I crossed the Jardin des Tuileries and Place de la Concorde, and then it was a very slight climb up to the Arc de Triomphe and its crazy roundabout that has no road markings and apparently no rules for subsidence. This creates a symphony of honking many times, but even though I’ve spent more than 20 minutes around there, I’ve witnessed zero crashes. So despite the supposed insanity of this system, I guess it really works?
Arc de Triomphe and dinner
It was already late by this point, so we headed back to the hotel again on the metro, for a very tasty dinner and some rest as Saturday was a big day – it was all about Roland Garros.
Saturday: Roland Garros by day, Montmartre by night
As the hotel was within walking distance of the stadium, I walked through some quaint French lanes, savoring plant-infused balconies left and right. It was great to be off the main tourist routes and have this piece of the city all to myself on the way to the women’s singles final at Roland Garros.
Once there, entry was a breeze and I explored the park a bit before heading to Court Philippe Chatrier, which is the new name for Roland Garros’ main court. This was completely demolished and rebuilt between the 2018 and 2019 tournaments, and then in 2020 it finally added a retractable roof, thus ensuring that the most important matches can take place regardless of the weather. This was very useful when it started raining just as Polish player Iga Świątek won the final she played against Coco Gauff from the United States. The roof closed without any interruption in the game, very quickly and silently.
Generally in tennis tournaments the sponsor logos around the court all share the same background color, so as not to distract the players too much, and at Roland Garros this background is green as you can see – which coincidentally or not matches the branding very well. Oppo (and Rolex too, for that matter).
On the way to and from Roland Garros
The match lasted just over an hour and it was amazing to see something like this live after spending many, many years watching these finals on TV. If you like tennis, you should definitely try to make it to a Grand Slam tournament at least once – it’s a great experience. With the game over, including the very nice words the two players had to say to each other at the end, and the rain started, I went back to the hotel where I practically waited for what was now a real storm to calm down. On the way I passed the Parc des Princes, which if you follow football you know is the home of PSG.
Parco dei Principi and surroundings
As the rain luckily stopped a couple of hours later, I headed to Montmartre, a very picturesque area on a hill, where the Sacre Coeur church is right in the middle. And in front there is a great view of a part of the city, although not of the Eiffel tower because it is from the side. Either way, access is via (many) stairs or the Funiculaire de Montmartre, which despite being called is no longer a proper funicular, more like an inclined lift. However, it is very welcome if you don’t really like climbing stairs.
Montmartre at the Sacre-Coeur at sunset
After getting off with it again, I spent half an hour or so wandering around the many nice little streets filled with cafes and restaurants before finally finding one to grab a pizza (don’t judge me, it looked great). And then I went back to the hotel by taking the metro from Abbesses station, which has the traditional “Metropolitain” branding on the outside – and I couldn’t help but snap a photo of this as you can see below.
On this subject – did you know that Metropolitain is a shortened version of the name of the first transport company to operate the Paris Metro? Or the fact that the word “metro”, now in use all over the world, derives from the abbreviation of the word Metropolitain, used for the first time in Paris? Well, if you haven’t, now you know.
Montmartre and Gare Saint-Lazare at night
In Montmartre, I was really impressed with the Find X5 Pro’s photo processing speed, even when using night mode. This is by far the fastest night mode I’ve ever encountered, and the speed makes using it a breeze. In addition, even the shots in Auto mode are quite spectacular. So while you can definitely set night mode for all night photography, since there’s hardly any speed penalty (shot-to-shot time was generally less than 2 seconds, just to give you an idea), in generally it is not necessary because The car will do – and I don’t even mean “will do” in the way that “you will learn to live with it”. It has a bit of the magic of automatic night mode built in, and it’s even faster than manual night mode, which, given the speed of night mode, will feel almost instant.
Sunday: Eiffel Tower and top view
By now you’re probably wondering what kind of person goes to Paris without taking a picture of the Eiffel Tower, and don’t worry: after checking out of the hotel on Sunday, that’s exactly where I went. With a short detour to the nearby Jardins du Trocadero to take some photos of the beautiful fountains in front of the museums. And then yes, I jumped across the bridge to the Eiffel Tower, but I didn’t go in because the lines were crazy. Also – if you are in the eiffel tower you can’t really take good pictures from the Eiffel tower.
Eiffel Tower and surroundings
So, wanting to avoid the crowds but still enjoy the beautiful views over the whole city, I went to the Montparnasse tower. It is the first and oldest skyscraper in Paris, and although it is about 100 meters shorter than the Eiffel Tower, the rooftop terrace is a much more relaxed and spacious place. The weather, as you can see, was not the best, but it wasn’t raining and so I was able to appreciate very well the immensity of the city that surrounded me.
Views from the top of the Montparnasse tower
The last stop on my trip was the Galeries Lafayette department store on Boulevard Haussmann, just because I wanted to see the breathtaking dome inside.
Opera Garnier and the dome inside the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann
Okay, I confess, I also looked around the shops and went to the roof terrace as well, but while it has some nice views especially the nearby Opera Garnier and access is free, it’s too low to compare to what the top of the Eiffel tower or the Montparnasse tower would give you. I’m just saying.
Key takeaway
Oppo’s top-of-the-line devices, ever since Find X2 Pro launched a couple of years ago, have always been incredibly underrated in my opinion, with much of the mainstream focus elsewhere (cough … Apple … cough … Samsung). And that’s a shame because the Find X Pro line has consistently delivered outstanding performance, record-breaking smoothness and better handling than any other competitor, yet it has done it all pretty much under the radar.
The Find X5 Pro sticks to the formula very well, although it doesn’t look like the Find X2 Pro from the rear and only slightly resembles the Find X3 Pro. While its design may be controversial to some, you should really only judge it after holding one in your hand. . It is by far the most comfortable to use of all traditional slab year flagships, due to the curves everywhere. There are simply no sharp edges here, and that’s refreshing. Add to that the unique feel of the ceramic back and you get a nice touch of luxury too.
While you may not necessarily “see” its high price reflected in this phone’s spec sheet, you will certainly be able to feel it the moment you touch it. The same goes for the case included in the box, although it’s by no means elegant, the satin finish is much more pleasant to the touch than the usual jelly case that other Chinese manufacturers throw in their boxes (and even Oppo for cheaper devices. ). It’s also semi-transparent, so you can still see some of that ceramic through it, which is a nice touch. The camera island is oddly shaped for a reason, by the way: you can rest your index finger on its lower ridge if you’re right-handed, and this greatly aids one-handed usability while also making sure you don’t touch any of its sensors holding the device.
Performance was top notch as you’d expect from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset inside. And in terms of fluidity, compared to all the phones we’ve reviewed over the long term, it’s arguably the best. ColorOS 12.1 is just pure butter, there’s no better way to say it.
In addition, Oppo needs to correct the automatic brightness curve, which at this time is set to favor the transition from brighter to dimmer very slowly. Adjustment is instant in the other direction, which is great, but why not both? As it was, I needed to manually adjust it to reduce the brightness when I walked into a place, for example, where it wasn’t as bright as it was outside. This is clearly something that can be fixed via a software update, so hopefully it will be. Likewise, the fact that Do Not Disturb mode simply doesn’t work as expected if you schedule it to turn on and off at specific times each day.
These were literally the only two bugs I found in the Find X5 Pro software, and it’s not surprising given that ColorOS, over the past couple of years, has really accustomed me to a bug-free experience, far more so than most other Android skins. . It has consistently been among the best of the bunch for lack of bugs, at least when it comes to the Find series (sadly my time with the Renos and A-series devices has been limited so I can’t vouch for those, but in theory I don’t see why things should be different).
It is simply a joy to capture photos with this phone, although it may be missing in the hardware department if you want a lot of zoom. Sure, the 3x sensor can crop, but beyond 5x the quality degrades to an extent that is visible – and that is, ironically, thanks to how relatively good the shots have been so far. Clearly this isn’t the phone for you if you want 10x or 20x zoom shots that still look good, but for everything else, it’s pretty amazing in terms of cameras.
When you are around a lot on a city break like this, battery life is extremely important, even more so than when you are in your city because there is no charger “at work” and you move around a lot, so rely on data mobile (notoriously more battery hungry than Wi-Fi) and you are probably also capturing a lot of photos and using GPS navigation a lot and so on. With all of this in mind, I found the Find X5 Pro’s battery life to be very good, if not extraordinarily great.
I won’t give you the actual battery life numbers here, as they depend on so many variables, but I’ll tell you this: if you travel this way and go around from very early morning until late at night using your phone constantly, you may need to do a Fast charging at one point, it’s unlikely to hold up for 16 hours on mobile data with constant use of GPS and taking photos. However, for days spent on Wi-Fi at home and / or at work, it definitely has what it takes to be a “full day” phone, don’t worry. And when you’re on the go, super-fast charging is far more revolutionary than when you’re at home.
Seeing that both Oppo and Rolex are sponsors of Roland Garros made me think that there are actually interesting similarities between the strategies of the two companies, at least when considering the Oppo flagships. Listen to me: Rolex is “luxury” without being considered haute horlogerie, and focuses on making great products that may, on the face of it, not “deserve” their price tags, but have thought long and hard, down to the smallest detail. that most people might just miss out on, especially without ever trying one. Yet people still aspire to own a Rolex.
Oppo definitely nailed the first part, with its pricing for its top-of-the-line devices, as well as the sheer quality of those products and its exquisite attention to detail. So now he just needs to make people see the Find series as ambitious, and then get them to buy these phones in ever-increasing numbers – and clearly sponsoring elite sports tournaments like Roland Garros is a big part of getting there, trying to create the association in your mind between a premium tournament like this and an Oppo phone.
This is exactly what Rolex has been doing for decades, not only with tennis, but also with Formula 1 and countless other events that are considered premium in one way or another. Oppo has started a similar path, now it just needs to keep it and ramp up its marketing game more in places where brand awareness is still lacking, like Europe.
And then, in a few years, maybe the association between the brand and the high-end things it sponsors will remain? We’ll have to wait and see, but in the meantime, I hope Oppo continues to churn out good flagship smartphones like Find X5 Pro and doesn’t stop paying attention to details that other companies may simply overlook, such as the actual feel of using a device. the easy handling, stutter-free and near-bug-free software experience, and lightning-fast reloading.
This year it also used its own internal camera processing chip, MariSilicon X, and I have no doubt that it will continue to improve it in the future to keep the upcoming Find series devices at the top of the camera game, which is where the Find X5 Pro at the moment. If you’ve come this far and are interested in learning more about the Oppo Find X5 Pro, be sure to read our in-depth review.
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