OPPO Find X3 Lite 5G

OPPO Find X3 Lite 5G – at $749 what’s not to Lite? (review)

9

The OPPO Find X3 Lite has the lowest cost of the Find X3 series that range from $749 to $1699. It holds its own against similarly priced mid-range 5G phones, but we are not sure if it deserves the Find X3 moniker. Why? Because elsewhere, it is a Reno5 5G.

Sometimes the family name works because they are all from the same mother, but this bears almost no familial resemblance. So before you buy, have a look at our OPPO Find X3 familial differences article. The differences, in brief, compared to both the Pro and Neo are

  • Qualcomm SD765/Gen X52 Gen 2 modem
  • 8/128GB
  • 6.4″ AMOLED
  • Wi-Fi 5 AC 433Mbps
  • 4200mAh battery (still SuperVOOC 2 65W fast charge)
  • No Qi or reverse charge
  • Mono speaker (Dolby Atmos support)
  • 64+8+2+2MP EIS camera and 32MP selfie

In its own right, fairer comparisons to the OPPO Find X3 Lite are the LG Velvet, Moto Edge, Google Pixel 4a/5 and even the 2020 OPPO Reno4 and 4Z.

OPPO Find X3 Lite Model CPH2145

  • Australian website here
  • Price: $749
  • Colours: Astral Blue and Starry black
  • *From: OPPO Online and major CE retailers like JB Hi-FI, Harvey Norman, Goodguys, Officeworks, and Catch.com.au
  • Elevator pitch: Mid-range Qualcomm SD765G 5G smartphone
  • Warranty: 2-years global traveller
  • Country of Manufacture: China
  • Company: OPPO is now #2 for Australian Android smartphone market share. It has achieved that by excellent product and after-sales service.
  • Other GadgetGuy OPPO news and reviews here

* Grey market – no Australian warranty

We issue the standard warning that you must buy the genuine model with Australian firmware. Why? Because 5G IMEI numbers are registered with the Telcos and must be activated here. It can also make a 000-emergency call (not 911) without a SIM. Look for the Australian and NZ regulatory mark under Settings, About Phone, Regulatory. We have named and shamed the major grey marketers here. Get a genuine ‘Made for Australia’ model. Do not buy the Reno5 5G – it is for Asia only.

First impression

OK, another ‘Astral Blue’ slab, but I rather like the textured finish. Astral Blue or Starry Black – they look more youth-focused than the bigger siblings. And it has a 3.5mm audio port that some will love. The textured finish means no fingerprints and great grip. Otherwise, it’s a flat-screen with a single O-hole selfie top left and a quad-camera bump rear top left.

OPPO Find X3 Lite 5G

Screen – Bright, colourful 90Hz OLED

Size6.4″ 60-90Hz (Auto-adjusts when an app does not support 90Hz)
TypeLeft top O-hole selfie, AMOLED
The screen edge is slightly curved but does not affect touch areas
Resolution2400 x 1080
PPI/Ratio412, 20:9
Depth
Brightness
Black
Contrast
Delta E
Vivid
Gentle
Temp adj
16.7M
430 typical, 600 max, 750 peak (Tested 400/580/740)
pure black
infinite
3.5 (<4 is excellent) after tweaking from 5.6
93.28% NTSC/135.13% DCI-P3 (Tested)
73.72% NTSC/100% sRGB (Tested)
Cool to warm
Daylight
Angle
AOD
Dark
Blue light
More than bright enough for direct sunlight
AMOLED allows for extreme off-angle viewing
Yes – not customisable
Yes
Yes
DRMHDR10/HLG, Widevine L1, HDCP 2.3. It plays Netflix HD HDR.
GamingThe screen has up to 90Hz refresh and 3.2ms G-t-G. Add the Qualcomm SD765, Adreno 620, OPPO Game Space app, and it is suitable for most medium to high frame rate games
ProtectionGlass not specified (possibly GG3 or 5) and pre-fitted screen protector
Fingerprint
Face ID
Optical under glass – Test: 10/10
8/10

It’s a lovely bright screen with excellent colour gamut and good daylight readability. Place it beside the Find X3 Neo, and you can see the subtle differences – still, it is very good.

Processor – Excellent mid-range choice

SoCQualcomm SD765G 7nm
GPUAdreno 620
ModemX52 5G Gen2 sub-6Ghz only, limited Carrier Aggregation support
Game useMid-range frame rates
RAM8GB LPDDR4
Storage1288GB (105 free) UFS 2.1
Androbench Tests
Internal: 950/470Mbps sequential read/write – lower-end SSD territory
Remember to turn OTG connection on for external storage
USB-C 2.0 supports a maximum of 480Mbps or about 60MBps half-duplex. Maximum external storage sequential read/write rate is about 30/30MBps
micro-SDNo
Geek
Bench 5
Single: 604
Multi: 1793
Open CL: 1248
Vulcan: 1223
Throttle
15-min test
Max: 157,158 GIPS, Average: 153,700, minimal loss over 15 minutes
CPU temp reached 50°

The SD765G is the Goldilocks chip for 2020 (just right) – that democratised 5G. It performs pretty well, the same in OPPO Reno 4 and 5, Vivo V20 Pro, Moto Edge, Google Pixel 4a/5, LG Velvet and about 100 more.

This only has USB-2.0 480Mbps (60MBps half-duplex) data transfer rate. It is barely fast enough to record 4K video to an external drive. It is a shame that it does not use the X3 Pro USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 5Gbps (625MBps).

Lack of throttling shows OPPOs expertise in temperature management.

Comms – Plenty fast but limited to 433Mbps

Wi-FiWi-Fi 5 AC 1×1 dual-band MIMO (maximum speed 433Mbps)
Signal Strength 5Ghz – distance from Netgear RAX200 AX1100 router
2m:  -23dBm/433Mbps
5m: -42dBm/433
10m: -58dBm/433
15M: -63dBm/433
BluetoothBT 5.1
GPSSingle-band but supports QZSS as well
NFCSupports HCE, NFC-SIM, and Android Beam
USB-CUSB-C 2.0 – maximum 480Mbps half-duplex
SensorsCombo BMI160 accelerometer/gyroscope, e-Compass, pedometer, gravity, proximity sensor

You come back to earth with a bit of a thud when the Pro/Neo manages 2400/1200Mbps, and this is 433. But it holds the signal very well – again, a testament to OPPOs antenna design.

LTE and 5G

SIMSIM 1 supports 4G or 5G, and SIM 2 is 4G
Both active but one at at a time use
Ring toneSingle
SupportVoLTE – carrier dependent – yes (not via most MVNOs)
Wi-Fi calling – yes
DL/ULTest: 12.5/9.3Mbps, 35ms – average in a 3-bar reception area
LTE Band1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/38/39/40/41/66
World phone
5GSub-6Ghz NR: n77/78/38/40/41/1/3/5/7/8/20/28
Not mmWave
Test-105dBm/31.6fW in a 3-bar reception area (very good)
Found next tower at -114dBm/20fW
Found the third tower at -116/12.6fW

It is not often that a smartphone finds three towers – and it occasionally found a fourth!

While it has OPPOs excellent antenna design, the signal strength (femtoWatts) indicates it is more suitable for city, suburbs and regional city use.

Battery – damned fast charge

Battery mAh4200mAh
ChargerOPPPO SuperVOOC 2 5V/2A/10W and 10V/6.5A/65W
It also supports any PD and QC charger (5V/2A/10W – slower)
Claim: 100% in 35 minutes
Test:
0-50% – 12 minutes
0-100% – 40 minutes
Using 5V/3A standard USB charger and cable – approx 4 hours
Tests
All at 90Hz
Video Loop test: 1080p/50%/aeroplane mode – 17 hours
Netflix 1080p/50%/Wi-Fi – 14 hours
Typical use 4/5G, Wi-Fi,  –  14 hours
MP3 music test: 50% volume played from storage – 24+ hours
100% load Battery drain –  8 hours
GFX Bench Manhattan 3.1 Battery: 397.9min (6.63Hrs) and 2038 frames
GFX Bench T-Rex: 486min (8.1 hours) 3310 frames
PC Mark 2.0 battery drain: 14.48 hours

Battery life is spectacular, and with OPPO SuperVOOC 2.0 charge, it is almost irrelevant as 40 minutes will fill it. It eats all comers in this class. In any case, it will give you over 15 hours of screen-on time or two days of typical use.

OPPO SuperVOOC 2.0 is one of the safest fast charging methods. The trick is that it uses two 2100mAh series-connected batteries and two charger circuits, so it never stresses the battery. This requires an OPPO charger and cable that delivers 2 x 5V/3.25A circuits equivalent to 10V/6.5A/65W.

Sound – Mono

SpeakersEarpiece (front and up-firing) and down-firing speaker Mono
Dolby Atmos-certified for decoding to its mono speaker or stereo headset
AMPAK4376 Stereo 32-bit DAC, 16dB SNR for excellent BT transmission
Single TFA9892 digital amp capable of 6.6W RMS at 8W
Considered superior to the Qualcomm Aqstic SD765G amp
BT CodecsSBC (standard), AAC (Apple), LDAC (Sony), aptX/HD (Qualcomm)
MicDual Noise cancelling
3.5mmYes, and  OPPO standard earphone/mic supplied
Tests dB
Anything over 80dB is excellent
Media – 78
Ring – 80
Alarm – 80
Earpiece – 55
Handsfree – 75
Sound stageThere is no sound stage for a mono device
 It has solid mid and low treble for clear voice.

This has the standard Dolby Atmos presets – smart, movie, gaming and music. They don’t make a significant difference to the speaker frequency response but do impact BT and cable headphone use.

The BT 5.1 drove our reference Sony WH-1000xM4 in SBC and LDAC modes and provided good clear sound and plenty of volume. We also tested with the M3 version that supports aptX and its variants. There was plenty of volume and an excellent clear feed.

We do not test sound signature for mono devices.

Build – OPPO quality

Size/Weight159.1×73.4×7.9mm x 172g
ColoursAstral Blue
Starry Black
BuildFront: Glass unspecified
Frame: Likely polycarbonate
Back: Likely textured multi-layered polycarbonate
IPNot rated, but we understand its similar to IP52 – spray resistant
In the boxBumper cover
65W charger
USB-A to USB-C cable
3.5mm earphones

Excellent workmanship rather than the masterpiece of the Find X3 Pro or Neo. It is made to a price and is exceeds what you can expect. Add to this the positive feedback from readers about its after-sales service and 24-month global travellers warranty.

It now has a trade-in program, and this brand is serious about keeping its customers. You can’t go wrong.

Android 11

AndroidGoogle Android 11
Security patch date: 5/2/2021
UIColorOS 11.1
GoogleAll standard apps, Google Lens and Assistant. Dedicated Google Assistant key.
BloatwareMostly productivity and utilities
Update PolicyAssume two OS update. Security patches should come monthly
SecurityOptical Goodix Fingerprint sensor
FaceID

We won’t go into ColorOS 11.1 except to say that it is the grease on pure Android’s wheels and makes this phone far more fluid and easier to operate. It also allows OPPO to tune the operating system to the hardware for best performance.

OPPO Find X3 Lite camera – overall one of the best for this price

The Find X3 Pro and Neo use the new Sony IMX766 50MP sensor, but this reverts to the more traditional quad camera with a 64MP primary (bins to 16MP), 8MP Ultra-wide. 2MP Macro and 2MP mono. It is a camera set up comparable with most in this class.

CameraPrimary
64MP
(bins to 16MP)
Ultra-Wide
8MP
Macro
2MP
Mono
Depth
2MP
Selfie
32MP
Bins to 8MP
SensorOmnivision
OV64B
HI-846OV02B10GC02M1BSony IMX615
Lens6P5P3P3P5P
Focus2×2 PDAFAFFFsamesame
Aperture f-stop1.72.22.4samesame
Pixel size um.7
(bins to 1.4
1.121.751.75.8 (bins to 1.6um)
FOV° and cropped80 (68.8)119898985 (69.7)
StabilisationEIS videoEISEIS video
FlashSingle LED   Screen fill
Zoom20X digital2X   
Video Max4K@30fps   1080p@30fps
FeaturesHDR
Dual view video
   HDR

Daylight, outdoors

OPPO Find X3 Lite
1X Perfect shot 64MP binned to 16MP
OPPO Find X3 Lite
Using the 8MP ultra-wide angle lens – good but not as bright
OPPO Find X3 Lite
5X using 64MP lens – excellent colour and low noise
OPPO Find X3 Lite
20X – forget it – too much noise
Perfect Marco

Indoors Office Light (400 lumens)

Low light (room with <40 lumens)

OPPO Find X3 Lite
Excellent low light with good contrast and detail
OPPO Find X3 Lite
Night mode really makes this shot pop bringing to near office ligth with superb detail

Selfie

It is the same throughout the Find X3 range and takes terrific selfie shots in most light conditions.

Video

Electronic image stabilisation (EIS) means that it crops the larger frame to achieve a stable horizon. It will shot 4K@30fps, but we recommend either 1080p@30fps for non-tripod shooting.

GadgetGuy’s take

The Find X3 Pro and Neo have many flagship features and similarities; the Lite is totally different.

Overall, it is what I expect from a mid-range smartphone built largely to a Qualcomm reference design. And that is probably the most significant issue – there are dozens of adequate competitors. Apart from the excellent SuperVOOC 2 fast charge – which is reason enough alone – it does not stand out of the crowd.

So it is not a decision to buy this or the excellent Find X3 Neo or Pro – it’s a decision about what 5G phones you can get for $749.

That includes the Samsung A52 5G ($749), Google Pixel 4a ($799), the amazing LG Velvet ($799) or the OPPO 2020 Reno4 ($649) and Reno 4 Z ($599). I hate to confuse you, but some excellent 5G phones are now at $499 or less.

And then if 5G isn’t needed (and that is for most of us), you can get down under $399 with the OPPO A91 ($299), Moto G30 ($299), or realme 6 ($299) – all with great cameras.

Rating

The Find X3 Pro scored 9.8/10, and that is about as good as it gets. It faces off to the Samsung S21+ and Ultra, and I suspect it has a slight edge.

The Find X3 Neo is $500 cheaper, but at this price, we still expect a better IP rating, and we think USB-C 3.1 should be standard for any flagship without microSD expansion. So it came in a smidge lower at 9.6/10.

OPPO Find X3 Lite passed all of our tests, so it starts with a pass mark of 8/10. We have added extra points for SuperVOOC 2.0 charging, a better camera than you could expect and OPPOs unswerving commitment to its users to provide excellent after-sales service. Its trade-in program may help retain its second-hand value too.

OPPO Find X3 Lite 5G
The Find X3 Pro and Neo have many flagship features and similarities; the Lite is totally different.
Features
9
Value for money
9
Performance
9
Ease of use
10
Design
8
Positives
Great grippy textured finish
Bright and colour accurate screen
Killer battery life and recharge time
Camera is as good as it gets for the price
Negatives
No formal IP rating or microSD
Oversized charger takes up two power point spaces
9