We unbox Oppo’s N3!

Back in October Oppo launched the N3 along with the R5 in a Gala event in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, and today we’ve finally managed to get a retail sample to review. If you’re not a fan of backreading, the Oppo N3 is the company’s follow up to the N1 (yes, they skipped a number) which had a single, rotating camera on the top that functioned as the both the front and rear camera. The N3 is a refinement of that design, and adds a number of other innovations to the mix.

Oppo N3 specs

• 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AA quad-core processor
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 5.5-inch full HD display, 1920 x 1080 resolution
• 32GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 128GB
• 16-megapixel Schneider Kreuznach certified rotating camera with auto panorama, 1.34µm pixel size
• Dual-SIM
• 3G, LTE
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
• Android 4.4 KitKat with Color OS
• 3000mAh battery

Packaging and contents

Since the N3 is Oppo’s flagship smartphone, it would make sense that it would come in a very swanky box. The box that the N3 comes in is a hard, white plastic material that has the company’s logo on the front and is quite large, as far as phone packaging goes. It’s also quite sturdy, which makes sense considering what it’s protecting inside.

Once you open it, you’ll see the N3 inside, sitting in what looks to be a cut-out on a faux leather panel. Aside from the phone, Oppo has also thrown in a couple of other goodies as well – an O-Click remote control that controls the camera, long USB cable, VOOC fast charger (that’s advertised to charge the phone to 75% in just 30 minutes), requisite user manuals and a nice in-ear headphones with extra silicon tips.

Initial Impressions, part two: still as impressive and imposing as the last time we saw it

We’re no strangers to the Oppo N3 as we attended its official unveiling a few months ago in Singapore, but having the device to play with now, away from the crowds and the noise we’re able to explore more of the features in the flagship. It’s obviously smaller than the N1, possesing a 5.5-inch display compared to the N1’s 6-inch display, but it’s still as imposing, probably due to the extra height generated by the rotating camera and the motorized assembly to make it work on top. The phone, as a whole is rather beefy, but isn’t that heavy, and the overall fit and finish of the device is impeccable. There’s an aluminum band that runs around the body of the N3 that gives it a bit of a visual push, which contrasts nicely with its solid plastic back.

Button and port layout for the N3 is a bit unusual, as Oppo had to move it around because of the Skyline notification light on the bottom and the motorized camera on the top. The volume keys are located on the right side while the power key is located on the left, while the 3.5mm jack has been moved to the right side, located directly above the volume rocker. The USB port is on the bottom left of the N3, while the dual-SIM slot sits right on top of the power button.

Once you turn the phone over, you’ll notice the fingerprint scanner on the back, as well as the arrangement of the Schneider Kreuznach certified rotating camera and the accompanying dual LED flash. The whole motorized assembly has been treated to faux leather with very nice stitching, which adds to the overall premium feel of the N3.

The N3 sports a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AA quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM, which is still rather good, though other phablets of international companies have offered beefier specs. Its benchmark scores are what you’d expect from the hardware combination in the device, and it’s almost guaranteed that it’ll run most of the stuff you try to run on it without any issues.

The real test of the N3 will be the camera and what it brings to the table. One thing we’ll be looking at the coming days is overall durability – since the N3’s camera is motorized, we’re not exactly sure if it’ll stand up to being fiddled with and accidentally moved while in our pants pocket, so it’ll be interesting to see how it’ll fare during our review. We’ll also be looking at overall photo quality, and hopefully the N3 delivers great photos to people craving for them.

The Oppo N3 is priced at Php 29,990.