There’s no question the Galaxy Note 9 is a phenomenal-looking phone with top-notch specifications and a beautifully symmetrical design, but at the same time, it’s pretty obvious Samsung fell short of high-end perfection in a number of key areas.
Oppo, one of the mobile industry’s fastest-growing manufacturers, already made serious waves a couple of months back with a decidedly innovative albeit fragile “bezelless” design, striking again today by unveiling another remarkable handset.
The R17 is not quite as powerful as the Find X or Samsung Galaxy Note 9, packing however an upper mid-range processor Qualcomm barely announced last week. The Snapdragon 670 is a respectably fast and extremely power-efficient chip based on a 10 nm fabrication process, including eight Kryo 360 CPU cores, an Adreno 615 GPU, Snapdragon X12 LTE modem, and a multicore AI Engine.
In a nutshell, this allows the Oppo R17 to deliver raw processing speed (almost) in line with high-end devices at a substantially lower price. Unfortunately, that part hasn’t been unveiled yet, although sales are set to begin on August 18 in China.
The 6.4-inch phone is unlikely to come to any Western markets, at least under the aforementioned name, but there’s a very good chance it will inspire the OnePlus 6T. Like the India-focused Oppo F9, the R17 uses an ingenious “waterdrop” notch to maximize its screen-to-body ratio, listed on the company’s official Chinese website at a mind-blowing 91.5 percent.
Gorilla Glass 6 screen protection is another standout feature compared to the Galaxy Note 9... and every other high-ender on the market, promising enhanced durability. There’s also in-display fingerprint recognition support (although not the ultrasonic type), and of course, two rear-facing cameras and a single selfie shooter squeezing the most out of the latest AI technologies.
The Snapdragon 670 SoC is paired with a whopping 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage space, while a decently sizable 3,500 mAh battery is responsible for keeping the lights on, supporting blazing fast VOOC Flash Charge functionality. That’s a pretty dreamy set of specs, don't you think?
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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