I totally loved utilizing the Discover X7 Extremely earlier this yr, and the one motive I nonetheless do not use the telephone as my each day driver is that the Chinese language-flavored ColorOS software program is a little bit too limiting. Ignoring that, the system is terrific; it has arguably the very best design of the yr, top-of-the-line digital camera and {hardware} packages, and industry-leading charging tech.
So it was annoying to see that OPPO restricted the Discover X7 Extremely to China, with the model curbing a world launch. Fortunately, it is making amends with the Discover X8 and X8 Professional; each fashions are actually accessible globally, and are on sale in key markets just like the U.Okay. and India.
That in itself is a giant deal, and the truth that these gadgets are on sale globally makes them far more accessible. There’s lots to love on the {hardware} aspect of issues as nicely; the Discover X8 is basically the OnePlus 13 in all however identify, and the X8 Professional incorporates one of the crucial versatile digital camera programs — it has twin telephoto modules.
Clearly, each telephones have so much to supply, and on this overview, I am focusing my consideration on the Discover X8 Professional. I used the telephone for simply over every week now, and whereas the primary digital camera is not fairly nearly as good because the Discover X7 Extremely, the remainder of the system holds up simply as nicely, and that is nice information for OPPO’s international ambitions.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: Pricing and availability
OPPO unveiled the Discover X8 and X8 Professional in China on October 24, and each gadgets made their worldwide debut at a launch occasion in Bali, Indonesia on November 21. The Discover X8 is out there in 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB variants, and the X8 Professional is bought in a single 16GB/512GB mannequin globally. You’ll be able to choose up the Discover X8 in Star Gray, Area Black, and Shell Pink colours, with the X8 Professional accessible in Area Black and Pearl White choices.
The Discover X8 prices ₹69,999 ($830) in India and 13,999,000 IDR ($878) for the 12GB/256GB mannequin and ₹79,999 ($947) in India and 15,999,000 IDR ($1,003) in Indonesia for the 16GB/512GB version. The Discover X8 Professional, in the meantime, retails at ₹99,999 ($1,185) in India and 19,999,000 IDR ($1,255) for the 16GB/512GB version, and as all the time, OPPO is being aggressive in India because it’s nonetheless attempting to choose up market share on this section.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: Design
The Discover X6 Professional and X7 Extremely maintained an identical design aesthetic with leather-backed variants, and it made the telephones look distinctive. OPPO is switching issues up with the Discover X8 Professional, and the telephone has flatter sides and a glass again with a silky end. You continue to get an enormous digital camera island, however the general design would not stand out anyplace as a lot.
Having used the Discover X7 Extremely extensively, I am not a fan of the design of the X8 Professional; I believe OPPO ought to have continued its present design language. That stated, the Discover X8 Professional is 0.7mm thinner and 6g lighter than the X7 Extremely whereas that includes an enormous 5910mAh battery (910mAh greater than the unit on the X7 Extremely), so whereas the design is probably not as thrilling, it’s simpler to carry and use the system.
Whereas it has flat sides, the beveled edges and delicate curves on the again make sure the Discover X8 Professional is snug to carry, and I did not have any points on this space. The perimeters have a coated texture that mimics soft-touch plastic, however the mid-frame itself is made out of steel, and it’s resilient in opposition to tumbles. The system slid proper off a desk twice within the week I used it, and fortunately, it got here away unscathed each instances.
The digital camera island dominates the again of the telephone, and just like the final two years, there is a textured ring that sits beneath the housing, differentiating the design. The quartet of cameras is organized symmetrically throughout the housing, with a stylized Hasselblad emblem situated within the center. The digital camera housing would not protrude an excessive amount of from the chassis, and there is not any noticeable wobble when utilizing the telephone on a desk.
Though you get an enormous battery and sizeable cameras on the again, the Discover X8 Professional would not really feel heavy or unwieldy within the least; weight distribution is good, and also you get an ideal in-hand really feel. The one usability difficulty I’ve with the telephone is that the in-screen optical reader sits too low on the display screen, making it awkward to unlock the system one-handed. This is not a brand new difficulty on OPPO gadgets both, and if something, the fingerprint sensor is even decrease this time round.
You solely get two colour selections of the Discover X8 Professional globally — Area Black and Pearl White — and I might suggest going with the latter. The black mannequin simply would not have the identical stage of pleasure, and even if you happen to put the telephone in a case, you will need a design that stands out on this class.
Mainstays just like the alert slider are intact, and you’ll simply toggle between ring, vibrant, and silent modes. It is a needed characteristic on the Discover X8 Professional, as the standard DND mode throughout the software program is needlessly convoluted, however extra on that later. You continue to get an IR blaster as nicely, and the SIM card tray sits on the backside, and might absorb two SIM playing cards. Sure, eSIM is out there globally along with the standard SIM card slots.
What’s new this time is the introduction of a devoted button to launch the digital camera and take images. Much like Digital camera Management on the iPhone 16 Professional Max, the button on the Discover X8 Professional helps you to launch the digital camera with a double press, and you need to use it as a shutter button. It sits flush with the chassis and is not noticeable, and you need to use swipe actions to regulate the zoom stage. It is not a button technically because it makes use of the vibration motor, however you get respectable suggestions.
I discovered the positioning of this button to be extra handy than Digital camera Management on the iPhone, and you’ll alter the stress sensitivity so it would not set off by accident. In the event you do not just like the button, you possibly can disable it completely. Rounding out the design, the Discover X8 Professional will get IP69 ingress safety, which is the very best tier accessible. Along with submersion in as much as 1.5 meters of water, the system is resilient in opposition to water jets, making it proof against any climate situation.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: Show
Identical to its predecessor, the Discover X8 Professional makes use of a 120Hz AMOLED panel made by BOE, albeit one which’s barely smaller at 6.78 inches. It has the identical brightness figures, going as much as 1600 nits in HBM mode and 4500 nits in HDR content material, and also you get Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+ integration.
Colours and distinction ranges are glorious, and just like earlier years, you get respectable customizability in tweaking the colour stability to your preferences. There’s an eye fixed consolation mode that does a good sufficient job switching the panel to hotter hues, and you’ll tailor colours based mostly on ambient gentle.
What’s fascinating is that the bezels are uniform, and at simply 1.9mm, they’re thinner than earlier years. The ultra-thin bezels make utilizing the system that rather more immersive when streaming content material, and on that notice, I did not see any points with HDR content material typically.
Gaming is equally satisfying, and however the largest difficulty is that video games are nonetheless restricted to 60fps. This has been a relentless annoyance prior to now, and whereas I used to be holding out for OPPO to alter its technique with ColorOS 15, that hasn’t materialized. Notably, the X8 Professional has 2160Hz PWM dimming, whereas the common mannequin will get 3840Hz dimming, so if you happen to’re delicate to PWM flicker, the usual Discover X8 is the best way to go.
One other downside is that the system would not fairly as shiny as its rivals. Sure, the touted figures are among the many highest, however in precise use, the Discover X8 Professional would not get near the Pixel 9 Professional XL or the Honor Magic 6 Professional. I did not have any points utilizing the display screen underneath harsh daylight, however the panel simply would not ship on this space.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: Efficiency
In an fascinating transfer, OPPO determined to go together with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 on the Discover X8 and X8 Professional in lieu of the standard Qualcomm {hardware}, and that is a giant deal. There’s undoubtedly so much to love with the Dimensity 9400, which as soon as once more sees MediaTek use an all big-core design, this time made up of the brand new Cortex X925, Cortex X4, and A720.
The Immortalis-G925 GPU is an thrilling improve as nicely, and the Discover X8 Professional is without doubt one of the quickest telephones you should buy right this moment. I did not see any issues in each day use within the week I used the telephone — there wasn’t any errant lag or slowdown, and the telephone did a unbelievable job in demanding titles, delivering secure framerates.
| Class | OPPO Discover X8 Professional | ASUS ROG Cellphone 9 Professional |
|---|---|---|
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Total) | 16435 | 25733 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Internet Shopping) | 19410 | 25064 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Enhancing) | 6834 | 9311 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) | 14464 | 34828 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Photograph Enhancing) | 31693 | 56377 |
| Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 2747 | 3137 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 8404 | 9936 |
| Geekbench AI (Quantized Rating) | 1946 | 5479 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) | 6176 | 5935 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) | 36.985 | 35.54 |
| 3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (rating) | 9308 | 10038 |
| 3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (FPS) | 36.395 | 38.17 |
That stated, the system has aggressive thermal administration, and throttles early to keep away from overheating. In 3DMark’s demanding Metal Nomad Gentle stress take a look at, it had a stability rating of simply 52%, which is on the decrease aspect of issues. Additionally, the Immortalis-G925 does a standout job with rasterization, nevertheless it would not fairly measure as much as the Adreno 830 in ray tracing workloads.Â
The upside is that I did not see the telephone cross 42 levels Celsius, so there have been no points with usability even throughout prolonged gaming periods. Exterior of two situations the place there was some jitter after half-hour of gaming, the telephone held up fairly nicely on this regard.
Like earlier years, the most important limitation is you can’t play video games at 120fps, with ColorOS implementing a strict 60fps restriction. It’s annoying when the Dimensity 9400 is clearly in a position to deal with demanding titles with ease, nevertheless it seems to be just like the model is as soon as once more being conservative on this regard.
Switching to the system from the ROG Cellphone 9 Professional, what’s evident is simply how a lot floor MediaTek lined within the final yr. Whereas I nonetheless give the sting to Qualcomm, the Dimensity 9400 is simply nearly as good in each day use, and that is a sizeable achievement. It is no marvel, then, that each OPPO and Vivo selected to go together with MediaTek this time round.
There aren’t any points in different areas. I obtained rock-solid 5G connectivity in Hyderabad, India, and a secure connection in my residence community. Calls went by way of with none points as nicely, however weirdly sufficient, the earpiece is not as loud, so I needed to flip up the amount.
The telephone has the standard LDAC and LHDC codecs, however you additionally get Qualcomm’s AptX and AptX HD, permitting you to make use of a wider vary of earbuds and unlock better-quality streaming. The remainder of the connectivity is consistent with different high-end telephones; you get Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, USB-C based mostly on the USB 3.2 normal, and dual-band GPS.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: Battery life
I obtained a day’s value of use out of the 5000mAh battery within the Discover X7 Extremely, and the Discover X8 Professional takes issues to an entire new stage. The telephone has an enormous 5910mAh battery, and it makes use of a new silicon-carbon tech to ship higher density — that is the primary motive why the telephone is thinner whereas nonetheless delivering an even bigger battery.
I am but to make use of among the different telephones that use the identical battery tech, however what’s already evident is that 2025 telephones ship heady positive factors on this space. I obtained almost two days of use between costs, and that is greater than another system I used but. Even with heavy use, I obtained a day and a half earlier than needing to plug within the system, and that is an achievement in and of itself.
Whereas OPPO has 100W charging, the Discover X8 Professional makes use of 80W as normal, and what’s fascinating is that it goes as much as 50W over the USB PD normal, so that you needn’t use the bundled energy brick — you need to use any USB PD charger and rise up to 50W. It is a large deal in my very own utilization, and whereas I just like the effectivity of the 80W normal, the bundled charger is cumbersome, and the flexibility to make use of any GaN charger to get 50W makes issues that rather more handy — you can solely get 10W over PD prior to now.
Anyway, charging the telephone with the bundled 80W charger takes simply over 50 minutes. It is significantly longer than the Discover X7 Extremely and different gadgets I examined prior to now, and that is as a result of the telephone now has a single cell as a substitute of the twin batteries which have been normal within the final three years. Whereas it isn’t fairly as quick at attending to 100% because the OnePlus 12, it’s nonetheless significantly better than different mainstream telephones.
Along with common charging, you get 50W wi-fi charging, and there is a magnetic charging accent that appears fairly cool. I did not get an opportunity to check it but, however it’s significantly smaller than standard charging mats, and it is an unknown if it will likely be bought in all international markets.
You get the standard safeguards to make sure the battery lasts a number of years with none degradation. You’ll be able to set a cost restrict to 80% and use optimized charging, and the model notes that the change to a silicon anode ought to ship better longevity typically.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: Cameras
The most important motive to choose up the Discover X8 Professional is the cameras, and there is a lot to love on this space. The telephone has a quartet of 50MP cameras on the again; there is a predominant 50MP 1/1.4-inch Sony Lytia LYT-808 module with OIS, 50MP ISOCELL JN5 wide-angle lens, 50MP 1/1.95-inch Sony LYT-600 with 3x optical zoom, and a secondary 50MP telephoto that makes use of the IMX858 and goes as much as 6x optical zoom.
You get OIS modules on all of the cameras aside from the wide-angle lens, and the inclusion of two telephoto periscope lenses offers the Discover X8 Professional a definite benefit. There is a new imaging engine, and AI-assisted zoom past 10x that delivers usable pictures.
One other notable change is the flexibility to take images of fast-moving objects; that is one thing each the Pixel 9 Professional XL and Magic 6 Professional excel at, and the Discover X8 Professional shoots as much as six pictures a second, and it does a greater job than its predecessor on this regard. In an identical vein, all 4 sensors on the again ship the identical colour stability, and that is as a result of all pictures undergo the identical processing stack.
To construct on that, you possibly can take as much as 200 pictures in burst mode, and all images can have the identical high quality — that is one other differentiator from final yr. The telephone makes use of on-device AI topic detection, and it does a good job. Stay Photograph is nice, and what’s notable is that the video that is recorded makes use of the identical high quality because the picture.
You get good upgrades on the video aspect of issues as nicely, with the telephone in a position to shoot 4K60 Dolby Imaginative and prescient footage from all 4 lenses on the again in addition to the entrance shooter. There’s the flexibility to shoot HDR video with the Extremely Regular stabilization enabled, and actually, this is without doubt one of the finest digital camera packages you get right this moment.
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As you possibly can think about, the Discover X8 Professional takes excellent images and movies in nearly any scenario. Daylight pictures have glorious element and dynamic vary, and foliage is rendered precisely with out a lot in the best way of artifacts. The wide-angle lens additionally holds up simply as nicely, producing pictures of the identical caliber.
The telephone does a unbelievable job in low-light conditions as nicely, and I’ve no issues on this regard. You get good element and colour stability, and there is not any seen noise. The most important differentiator with the telephone is its portrait pictures; you need to use the 3x and 6x lenses to shoot portraits with attractive bokeh, and whereas the latter might require you to face again fairly a great distance, I discovered the 3x lens to be the best alternative on this space.
The portrait pictures have good segmentation and tonal stability, and just like the Discover X7 Extremely, I simply used this mode more often than not. It does a good job with inanimate objects as nicely, and that wasn’t the case in earlier years.
You additionally get a good variety of AI-assisted utilities, together with AI Eraser, AI Readability Improve, and AI Unblur. These work as supposed and I did not have any points, however the one I preferred probably the most is AI Reflection Remover; the characteristic does a superb job clearing reflections, and as somebody who has taken a whole lot of pictures taken at museums and galleries of objects behind glass circumstances, this was fairly helpful.
Total, the Discover X8 Professional is without doubt one of the finest digital camera packages accessible right this moment. The principle digital camera would not fairly come as much as the usual set by the Discover X7 Extremely, and that is comprehensible — there’s clearly a Discover X8 Extremely coming quickly, and it is sensible that the 1-inch module is unique to that system. Apart from that although, the Discover X8 Professional does a unbelievable job in all conditions, and it simply outshines something Google and Samsung have to supply.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: Software program
The Discover X8 Professional runs ColorOS 15 based mostly on Android 15 out of the field, and it seems to be fairly totally different to ColorOS 14 — and never in a great way. The brand new design is clear and has a contemporary aesthetic, nevertheless it seems to be a little bit an excessive amount of like iOS 18 to my liking. After 4 years of attempting to ditch resemblances to iOS, ColorOS is again to leaning closely into it, and it is irksome.
The interface continues to be fluid, however the styling is a bit heavy-handed, and that will get in the best way even in each day use. Fortunately, you possibly can nonetheless select a unified notification shade with the toggles and notifications in the identical pane, nevertheless it’s clear that OPPO desires to go together with a break up possibility. Will this toggle nonetheless be accessible subsequent yr? I doubt it.
Whereas the UI emulates iOS, the resemblance is just skin-deep, as among the points in earlier variations are nonetheless current. DND continues to be flaky on the system. I like to depart DND enabled all through the day as I do not wish to get disturbed by fixed notification messages, however I get a whole lot of deliveries, so I enable all calls to return by way of. That is not attainable on the Discover X8 Professional (and another ColorOS telephone) as a result of it golf equipment calls and messages right into a single class. The one alternative is to permit each calls and messages to override DND, and that defeats the concept of getting the mode enabled.
Speaking a few supply of fixed frustration, push notifications proceed to be inconsistent, and I missed a number of Gmail alerts within the time I examined the system. Some notifications come by way of, nevertheless it’s the sporadic nature that is annoying; at the very least with MIUI, you do not get any notifications in any respect, so that getting into.
One other quirk with the software program is that once you launch an app from the app drawer and ultimately exit, you keep within the app drawer as a substitute of going to the house display screen. It takes a further gesture to return to the house display screen, and that is simply annoying. The one new characteristic I like is Share with iPhone. There is a sharing possibility that lets you switch content material to an iPhone — offered the iOS app is put in — and it really works seamlessly.
In fact, AI is now a giant speaking level with all Android skins, and ColorOS 15 is not any totally different. You get AI-backed options to help you to jot down messages and mails, summarize paperwork, transcribe audio notes, and there is Circle to Search as nicely. I haven’t got a lot want of AI, so I did not use these options past the standard testing, however if you would like software program with at the very least a modicum of helpful AI-assisted instruments, you are lined with ColorOS 15.
On the subject of software program updates, the Discover X8 Professional will get 5 years of Android OS updates and 6 years of safety updates. That is a sizeable improve from final yr, and whereas Google and Samsung ship seven years of updates, I haven’t got an issue with OPPO’s replace assure.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: The competitors
The Discover X8 Professional is launching globally forward of its rivals, however Vivo’s X200 Professional is not far behind. That telephone can also be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400, and it has the identical AMOLED panel and predominant 50MP digital camera on the again. You get a fair greater battery, and I like Vivo’s digital camera tuning a little bit higher, so it ought to ship higher images. The worldwide launch continues to be a short while away, however the X200 Professional is the closest rival to the Discover X8 Professional, and it is nice to see each telephones accessible globally.
The common Discover X8 is an effective alternative as nicely if you happen to do not want a second zoom lens. As I stated initially, it’s principally the identical system because the OnePlus 13, and the one distinction is the badge on the again.
OPPO Discover X8 Professional: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want a telephone that takes beautiful images
- You need the top-of-the-line portrait cameras accessible right this moment
- You want a robust {hardware} package deal
- You need a telephone that lasts two days between costs
You should not purchase this if:
- You want 120fps gaming
- You need frustration-free software program
Whereas it would not have the best possible cameras, the Discover X8 Professional continues to be a frontrunner on this space, and it handily beats the Pixel 9 Professional XL, iPhone 16 Professional Max, and Galaxy S24 Extremely with out an excessive amount of hassle. The principle digital camera takes beautiful images and movies, nevertheless it’s the portrait pictures the place the telephone actually comes into its personal. The twin zoom lenses make a giant distinction on this space, and with the telephone now accessible globally, the tech is lastly turning into accessible to a wider viewers exterior China.
I do not like the brand new design, and I really feel that OPPO should not have moved away from its distinctive aesthetic. That stated, the telephone is thinner and lighter than its predecessor whereas slotting in an enormous battery, and that could be a sizeable achievement. There are completely no points with the {hardware}, and the telephone ought to be simply as quick because the Qualcomm-powered alternate options debuting within the coming weeks.
The one level of rivalry is the software program. Much like the {hardware} design, OPPO determined to take a special tack with ColorOS 15, and the interface now seems to be like a poor imitation of iOS 18, which wasn’t the case within the previous three years. It nonetheless has a superb quantity of customizability and is fluid in common use, nevertheless it has annoyances with DND and notifications, and the design feels backward.
In the event you can overlook the software program, the Discover X8 Professional is a wonderful telephone. OPPO did all the appropriate issues with the {hardware}, show, battery, and cameras, and it’s a terrific various to the Galaxy S24 Extremely and Pixel 9 Professional XL.
