OPPO’s F3 siblings are due for a match-up
It’s another Head-to-Head article here at Unbox and this time, we’re featuring the two, dual-camera toting F3 and F3 Plus brothers for a cage match. Let’s see who comes up top.
OPPO F3
- MediaTek MT6750T octa-core processor
- ARM Mali-T860 MP2
- 4GB RAM
- 5.5-inch FHD display, 1920 x 1080 resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- 64GB expandable storage, via microSD
- 16-megapixel rear camera
- 16-megapixel main front camera
- 8-megapixel secondary front camera
- Dual SIM, 3G, 4G VoLTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, A-GPS
- Fingerprint scanner
- 3200mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow (ColorOS v3)
- Php 16,990
OPPO F3 Plus
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor
- Adreno 510 GPU
- 4GB RAM
- 6-inch Full HD IPS Display, 1920×1080 resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- 64GB of expandable storage, via microSD
- 16-megapixel rear camera, PDAF, f/1.7 aperture, LED flash
- 16-megapixel main front camera, f/2.0 aperture
- 8-megapixel secondary front camera 120-degree wide-angle lens
- Dual SIM, 3G, LTE
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
- Fingerprint scanner
- 4000mAh battery (Super VOOC Charge)
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow (ColorOS v3)
- Php 23,990
The F3 Plus’s Snapdragon 652 is more powerful than the F3’s MT6750T
Objectively speaking, the SD 652 packs a cluster of newer Cortex A72 cores at a higher clock speed, plus a cluster of A53 units, compared to the MT6750T’s eight A57 cores, which are also from the same gen as the A53.
MediaTek’s Helio X20 is the correct match-up for the SD 652. Same goes for each SoC’s GPUs – the Snapdragon’s Adreno 510 pulls ahead of the competition. Various online benchmarks will attest to this.
Design and size are matters of preference, convenience
Design-wise, the F3 and F3 look mostly the same, so no biggie there. The F3 comes in a smaller 5.5-inch form factor, though it’s still “phablet” sized. The F3 Plus measures at a large 6-inch footprint. Both have Full HD resolution and have the same Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
In the end, the choice boils down to preference. Want a large, sometimes unwieldy 6-inch phablet? Get the F3 Plus. 5.5-inch displays the sweet spot for your hands? Get the F3.
Cameras look the same, but we’ll have to wait for more details
Both the F3 and the F3 Plus have the same dual front camera setup – a 16-megapixel shooter with an f/2.0 aperture paired with an 8-megapixel wide angle camera capable of taking photos at 120 degrees for group shots.
We’ll have finish our F3 review first before we can drop the verdict on its dual cameras, but even money says it performs just like the ones on the F3 Plus.
The F3 Plus has better battery life, uptime, on paper
We’ll go with the F3 Plus’s Snapdragon 652 and 4000mAh battery combo (with Super VOOC charging) over the F3’s lesser SoC and smaller 3200mAh battery capacity (which may or may not have Super VOOC).
While both handsets’ SoCs have the same fabrication process at 28nm, the Snapdragon 652 features a newer Cortex A72 core cluster, which (usually) translates into better power efficiency and regulation compared to the last generation. While the F3 Plus does have a larger display size at 6.0 inches, the F3 isn’t drastically smaller than the former. Of course, real world testing and careful benchmarking will need to be done to find out which handset has better battery life. As it stands, on paper at least, the F3 Plus edges out its smaller sibling here.
Verdict: A question of wants, yet again
The F3 Plus is currently pegged at Php 23,990. The F3 is priced at Php 16,990, so it’s considerably cheaper than its bigger brother.
We’re crossing high mid-range territory with these two handsets, so like sub-flagships and flagships, the dilemma here, again, is about what the user wants out of their smartphone.
The F3 is Php 7K cheaper, but features a smaller display size, a weaker MediaTek SoC, and a smaller battery pack (which may or may not even have Super VOOC charging). It does, however, ship with the same dual selfie cameras the F3 Plus is packing.
The F3 Plus is the more expensive option, with a larger 6-inch display, a very powerful SD 652 processor and better uptime thanks to its 4000mAh battery and Super VOOC fast charge.
