My favourite new phone has already seen its price slashed ahead of Black Friday
The Oppo Find X9 Pro is currently a no-brainer for photography fans
As Stuff’s resident smartphone specialist, I’m not short on options when it comes to picking a personal handset. The Oppo Find X9 Pro is still in my pocket months after publishing my review, on account of its phenomenal photography and epic endurance – so now that network provider EE is selling one cheap for Black Friday, it’s easier than ever to recommend. It launched in October at £1099 SIM-free, but is currently available for £929.
While still a pricey present if shopping for someone else, it should settle the debate for anyone unsure about spending extra over the closely related OnePlus 15. Both phones might look visually similar and run versions of Android that are virtually identical, but the Oppo has gone with MediaTek power over the OnePlus’ Snapdragon silicon, finds room inside for a bigger battery, and has a higher quality trio of rear cameras.
The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 might not have quite as much raw oomph as a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but day-to-day performance is still unflappable and games look buttery smooth on the 6.78in AMOLED display thanks to a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Crucially the chipset isn’t too power-hungry, letting the simply huge 7500mAh battery get you through multiple days of use before it’ll need topping up.
Photography is what really sets the Oppo apart, though. Its 50MP lead snapper takes wonderfully clean and composed shots in all lighting conditions, while the 200MP telephoto delivers some of the nicest looking zoom shots you’ll get on any phone. This is also the only way to get Hasselblad-approved colour science without splurging thousands on one of the firm’s medium format digital cameras, now that OnePlus has decided to go it alone on the image processing.
The optional Hasselblad lens converter accessory can bump this up even more, with 10x optical zoom – though getting hold of one isn’t as straightforward as the phone itself, unless you’re willing to import one (or Oppo starts selling it in other countries).
A few of my favourite snaps from my review below show what this phone is capable of.
Right now, you can buy the Oppo Find X9 Pro SIM-free for £929 from network provider EE in either Titanium Charcoal and Silk White colours. That’s a £170 saving from the usual £1099 asking price.
No other retailers have matched this absolute banger of a discount at the time of writing, and unfortunately for US shoppers Oppo doesn’t officially sell is phones in the States.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
