Here's why I'm skipping the new Oppo Find X8 Ultra as a Find X7 Ultra owner

It's been less than 24 hours since its official unveiling, and here I am, ready to knock down the brand-new Oppo Find X8 Ultra.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that the Find X8 Ultra is "bad" or "weak" in any way – quite the opposite.

What I want to do here is explain why I, a Find X7 Ultra owner, won't be upgrading to the new Find X8 Ultra. Let's not swear it, as anything can happen – but I'm, say, 95% sure I won't buy the new flagship.

If you happen to have stumbled upon an article or two of mine here at PhoneArena, chances are that you're probably sick of me constantly obsessing with mobile photography.

However, this is the front that mobile phones have been excelling on – while handsets may've plateaued in terms of performance, design, and usability, cameras have been getting better and better by the day.

That's how, after a trip to Southern Spain, I was sold on the Oppo Find X7 Ultra – of course, that's not "the best" camera phone out there, as there is no such thing as the best camera.



I've gotten some jaw-dropping results with Xiaomi Ultra phones, Vivo has some amazing flagship up its hat, Sony, Samsung, Apple: so why Oppo?

Well, it floats my boat in the best way – it has got just what I need in terms of focal lengths, modes and features. I find myself using the 3x zoom almost all the time, as the 6x zoom camera is for special moments only. The 1x (main camera) is incredible, but I happen to like telephoto focal lengths.

That's because a telephoto compresses things nicely in the photo. Wide lenses exaggerate the distance between objects, making them appear farther apart. In contrast, telephoto lenses compress the scene, bringing distant elements closer together and reducing the sense of depth.

Plus, I bought the Find X7 Ultra (brand new and) for almost half the price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I love it.

The new Find X8 Ultra is thinner – but so what?

My wallet is about to grow some feet, stand up and congratulate me over the fact that I don't particularly fancy thin phones. Otherwise, I'd be screwed up, since the new Find X8 Ultra is 8.78 mm thick, which makes it thinner than both its predecessor and one of its rivals, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which is ~9.5 mm thin.

This doesn't tempt me a bit, though, as the 9.5 mm of the X7 Ultra model is perfectly fine to hold and carry around. With the case on, it's about a centimeter thick, but I like to keep it safe.

The very reason I shoot with a phone is that I don't like to carry around extra stuff, cameras, lenses, bags, backpacks and whatnot – so, I can definitely conclude that I like to keep things pocketable. The phone – even at ~10 mm thick, is compact enough for me. Super thin phones may be impressive, but they don't impress me, as I have large enough pockets.

The top-shelf chipset also doesn't tempt me

The Find X8 Ultra, like many Android flagships, packs the Snapdragon 8 Elite under the hood.

I'm not obsessed with using the latest and greatest tech, but having a snappy phone just feels so good. And it can save you from having public meltdowns in the middle of a foreign city when Google Maps doesn't load, because it's a resource-demanding app.

The Find X8 Ultra will provide an even better performance than the X7 Ultra, but how much better? Enough to make me draw my wallet out? Not a chance. Maybe it's just me – and maybe you really need Snapdragon 8 Elite powers – but I find the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to be mind-blowing. It's snappy, it never stutters, it doesn't lag, it performs so well that I'd make it a General Manager in my restaurant (if I owned a restaurant).

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is presented as offering significant improvements over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, including a 45% faster CPU and 40% enhanced GPU performance, while achieving 44% better power efficiency.

This is great, but I don't need better CPU and GPU performance – at least not yet. I don't edit or render video on my phone, I don't game on it, I try to open and then close the apps I'm using: that's hardly a hardcore usage. Hence, the Elite chipset is just not relevant to my day-to-day routine.

Battery: can't deny I'm tempted!

The Find X8 Ultra comes with a 6,100 mAh battery cell, the X7 Ultra – with a 5,000 mAh. Okay, a clear point for the new model in my book!

The difference between the two is big, but still not big enough to make me buy the new phone. I'm currently charging my phone up to 80% to preserve its battery life, and these 80% are enough to get me through the day.

Cameras: same, but different, but (almost) same

Ah, now we're talkin'!

Since mobile photography is what I care most about, it's perhaps best to admit that if the Find X8 Ultra had a camera system twice as good as that of the Find X7 Ultra, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, regardless of chipset, battery, screen, or whatever.

This is not the case, as you can guess – nowadays, yearly model upgrades just don't bring that "x2" vibe along.

The new Find X8 Ultra retains the same sensor – Sony LYT-900, 1-inch type – for the main camera. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra also packs it.

I'm extremely pleased with it from my experience with it on the X7 Ultra, so I didn't expect it to be ditched for the X8 Ultra. It delivers a ton of detail, great colors, super contrast and has amazing low-light capabilities.

Now, there's an upgraded 8-element lens in front of it plus a "high refractive index glass element" to minimize chromatic aberration (the nasty color fringing around high-contrast edges). This is nice, but not that tempting at the moment.

The updated 3x periscope zoom camera uses a larger Sony LYT-700 sensor with a brighter f/2.1 aperture, reducing glare and ghosting. It supports telemacro shots with a close focus distance of just 10 cm. I like that, since I'm mostly using the 3x unit on my X7 Ultra: the LYT-700 should be great!

The 6x periscope zoom also sees improvements, now featuring a (slightly) bigger LYT-600 sensor and a brighter f/3.1 aperture compared to its predecessor.

What's notable about the Find X8 Ultra is that it packs a fifth module, the True Chroma Camera. This is a 9-channel multispectral system that analyzes color across a grid for highly accurate white balance and realistic color rendering – a key upgrade given past issues with color accuracy in the Find X7 Ultra. Thankfully, these issues were resolved early last year via a software update.

If you need it, get it

Don't be surprised to see me down at the flea market, desperately trying to sell my X7 Ultra. I'll be on my way to get the Find X8 Ultra. That's in case our own PhoneArena tests reveal that the Find X8 Ultra is surpassing its predecessor on all fronts in a big way.

I don't see how this can be true, though.

So, who is the Find X8 Ultra for? Obviously, if you're on the lookout for a camera phone, you should give it a closer look. Of course, explore other options and brands as well, but don't stop at high-end Samsung and Apple phones: there are so many options out there.

Those who have a flagship from the last couple of years, should not update, unless they want to feel what it's like to have two standalone periscope zoom cameras. However, if you're in the US, be prepared to pay some extra costs due to the new tariffs.

Those who have a mid-ranger, but want a taste of a huge battery, incredible camera setup, top-shelf performance and some money to spend, will be blown away by what 2025 brings in terms of flagships.

While I'm 95% sure the Find X8 Ultra is not enough of a miracle to replace my trusty Find X7 Ultra, that doesn't make it anything less than one of the best camera phones out there.