There are some good reasons to look past the Oppo R9s' alarmingly Apple-ish design. First, this follow-up to the Oppo R9 has got killer battery life. Second, the front and rear 16-megapixel cameras are serious business. And third, you can pick up the R9s for a fraction of flagship prices -- AU$600 (around $435 or £350, converted).
The phone does have some shortcomings, like actual rough edges and a needlessly complicated interface, but it's hard to beat the R9s' excellent camera, long battery life and price.
Key specs
- 5.5 inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel screen
- 16-megapixel front and rear cameras
- 4GB RAM
- Dual SIM
- Android 6.0 with ColorOS 3.0
- 64GB ROM, expandable to 256GB
- Fingerprint scanner
A happy snapper
Both front and rear 16-megapixel cameras are some of the R9s' biggest selling points. Developed in conjunction with Sony, the zippy shutter speed, admirable low-light performance and full slew of features and camera modes hit all the sweet spots. Beauty Mode, which is Oppo's custom selfie filter, warrants special mention for making you look amazing. Honestly, don't take selfies without it. Join me in lying to yourself.
Battery
The R9s' battery life is outstanding. In testing, it clocked in at just under 16 hours of continuous video playback, which puts it on par with our pick of the midrange, the OnePlus 3T, and hours ahead of the Pixel and iPhone 7. Anecdotally, even an obsessive watcher of battery life like me got a very comfortable two days before I was scrambling for the charging cord.
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