Introduction
Oppo released some awesome phones in 2025 – now if only it would let people buy them. Seriously, some of the best phones of the year are exclusive to China.
Jealous window shopping aside, Oppo did actually release some impressive phones worldwide – here are the highlights (and lowlights) of the last 12 months.
Winners: Oppo Find X9 and Find X9 Pro
The Find X9 Pro is “almost too good to be true”. That was our verdict when we reviewed this versatile flagship. The battery life is the second best that we’ve ever tested and the charging speed is quite good.
Even better, the Pro has an impressive set of cameras with the large 1/1.28” in the main and the standout 200MP 70mm periscope. The optional Teleconverter Kit is cool if pricey. The Dimensity 9500 performed well, though it clearly needed better cooling for long gaming sessions.
The Oppo Find X9 is a smaller (6.59” vs. 6.78”) version of the Pro. Yes, it has some downgrades to the rear camera, but it is a capable 50MP trio nonetheless. Also, the lower price of the vanilla model will boost its popularity as the Pro may be out of reach for some.
Oppo Find X9 Pro
Oppo Find X9 5G
Loser: Oppo Find X8 Ultra
The Oppo Find X8 Ultra brought some important upgrades this year like improved autofocus on the 3x telephoto camera and a larger sensor paired with a brighter lens in the 6x telephoto. All this while maintaining the massive 1”-type sensor in the main. The phone also improved battery life and posted great charging speeds.
Oppo Find X8 Ultra
In short, this was one of the best camera phones (both for stills and video) of 2025. The only problem is that most of you couldn’t get one – Oppo didn’t release the Ultra outside of China this year either. This means that it missed out on sales and buyers missed out on a properly awesome camera. Oh well, maybe next year.
Winner: Oppo Find N5
Last year, we lamented the lack of a Find N3 sequel – and it’s finally here. Although it arrives a year later than we would have liked and is not quite petite, the Oppo Find N5 is one of the most capable foldables of 2025.
Oppo Find N5
The slender 8.9mm frame houses a long-lasting 5,600mAh battery. The 6.62” cover display may be larger than some would have hoped (the N3 had a 6.31” display), but both it and the 8.12” main display are excellent panels. You get a versatile camera with a 50MP 1/1.56” main and a 50MP 3x/75mm telephoto (tele cameras have been a traditional weak spot for foldables). The 8MP ultra-wide left a bit of a sour taste, though. Using a lower-binned Snapdragon 8 Elite on such an expensive phone tasted even more sour. Still, the near-invisible crease and excellent connectivity help push the N5 over the line.
Oppo Find N5
Winner: Oppo K13 Turbo and K13 Turbo Pro
In our Oppo K13 Turbo Pro hands-on, we found that the active cooling fan doesn’t boost benchmark results – but it did have a noticeable effect in 3DMark’s 20-minute Wild Life Extreme Stress Test. Stability went up from 50% to 85% and the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 ran a little cooler.
A close-up of Oppo K13 Turbo Pro’s cooling fan
The Oppo K13 Turbo is basically the same phone except for the chipset – it is equipped with a Dimensity 8450. We haven’t tested this one, unfortunately. Still, RedMagic basically had the “actively-cooled gaming smartphone” market cornered and more variety is always welcome.
Oppo K13 Turbo 5G
Oppo K13 Turbo 5G
Losers: Oppo Reno15 and Reno15 Pro (global versions)
Is it really a good phone if you can’t buy it? The Oppo Reno15 and Reno15 Pro were announced for the Chinese market in mid-November and weeks later we are still waiting for an official word on a global rollout. These two are winners in our book, but we heard some troubling news.
Oppo Reno15
Rumor has it that the global Reno15 phones will be completely different. The Reno15 (in China) has a 6.32” display and a large 6,200mAh battery – sounds awesome if you are looking for a small phone, doesn’t it?
Well, the global model will apparently have a 6.59” display instead. And it will lose the 200MP main camera, while the Dimensity 8450 chipset will be swapped for a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4. The camera and chipset changes apply to the Reno15 Pro too. Again, this is just a rumor for now – the official reveal is allegedly set for February.
We would have loved some competition to the upcoming vivo X300 FE. We might get a compact Find X9s to go up against the vivo X300, but not before the end of the month.
Winner: ColorOS 16
The new glassy look of Oppo’s Android 16-based OS leans towards derivative, although the UI is actually quite different from Liquid Glass. On the plus side, the amount of polish that the software has received can’t be denied – it runs silky-smooth.
Also, there are more customization options and there is a rich selection of AI features. We know it’s cool to hate AI, but simple tools like AI Speak, AI VoiceScribe and AI Translate are genuinely useful.
ColorOS 16’s rollout schedule
