Sunday, November 24, 2024

Major Samsung Galaxy rival could be about to make a return to the UK

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Even though Samsung sells the most Android phones of any brand in the UK, there are many competing manufacturers out there making devices that are just as good, if not better. The issue is not all of these rival handsets are sold in every country globally, so you can often be limited to which phone you can buy depending on where you live.

Although Brits have it pretty good when it comes to Android choice, Chinese phone giant Oppo has been absent from UK shelves of late after some legal issues. We loved 2021’s Oppo Find X3 Pro and 2022’s Find X5 Pro, but the X6 and X7 series where not sold in many regions outside of China, starving Europe of phones with slick design and truly excellent cameras.

In what could be a major turnaround Oppo has just confirmed that its latest high-end flagship smartphones, the Oppo Find X8 and Find X8 Pro will be launched globally – a tantalising hint that the handsets could finally be landing back on UK shores.

The phones were unveiled for the Chinese market on 24 October, though in a press release Oppo said it “looks forward to expanding the availability of its upcoming flagship Find X8 series to overseas markets.

“Stay tuned to learn more about Oppo Find X8, Find X8 Pro, and ColorOS 15 at the upcoming global launch.”

We’re still not sure when that launch is, but it has become normal for Chinese phone brands to launch their top devices in their home country first before expanding availability globally. This can sometimes include the UK – Oppo’s sister brand OnePlus sells its phones in Blighty, but their stablemate Vivo rarely does these days.

The Find X8 and Find X8 Pro look impressive on paper with large OLED screens, slim bezels, premium designs, and top tier cameras. The phones run on the zippy MediaTek Dimensity 9400 chip that’s set to rival the Snapdragon 8 Elite for a place in the best Android phones over the next 12 months. They’ll run Oppo’s ColorOS 15, which is based on Android 15.

“Find X8 series sets a new standard for smartphone excellence, combining our superior Hasselblad Master Camera System with next-generation performance, battery technology, and a leap forward for Oppo AI as part of ColorOS 15,” said Pete Lau, SVP and Chief Product Officer at Oppo.

“Find X8 is incredibly thin and light despite its ultra-powerful performance across the board, and Find X8 Pro is a camera flagship pushing industry limits with its incredible zoom.”

There are curiously minor differences between each phone but they have excellent camera hardware thanks to a partnership with Hasselblad, the legendary camera brand, plus enormous batteries, the Pro’s topping out at 5,910mAh. It can even charge at a very fast 80W if you have the right charger.

This maxed out model also has a ‘Quick Button’, a button that can be used as a camera shutter button like we’ve seen on the iPhone 16 series and most Sony Xperia phones from the last decade.

Keep your eyes peeled if you want a bit of Android variety in your life, as the Find X8 series could well be set for a UK announcement very soon. If that happens, we’ll find out the all-important price and whether the firm could once again challenge Samsung.

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