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Oppo’s latest smartphone, the Oppo R7s, is set for its world premiere on October 18. Dubai’s Gulf Information Technology Exhibition, shortened GITEX, is hosting Oppo’s unveiling as well as a range of other consumer electronics conferences.
The Oppo R7s is the company’s refresh of its smaller Oppo R7. The latest device has a large 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display to complement its full-metal unibody, according to a recent report from Chinese telecom regulator TENNA, dated September. A screen of that size balances Oppo’s R line, being not as large as the 6-inch R7 plus and also not as compact as the 5-inch R7. The TENNA entry also reveals its 151.8 x 75.4 x 6.7 mm dimensions and 3 GB of RAM. The chipset is not revealed by the regulator though it is speculated to be Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615 chip. The 615 model is shared by the R7 family, making it likely the R7s will include it as well. The phone is expected to include 32 GB of internal storage, which can be supplemented with a microSD card if needed. The camera used seems to be a 13 MP shooter on the back and an 8 MP setup for selfies. The Android device comes with Google’s latest version of Lollipop, 5.1.1.
Officially, Oppo’s press release reveals little more than generalized statements for its newest smartphone. “The R7s will offer consumers a bigger battery, a larger screen and double the storage space of the R7, all the while boasting the full-metal unibody and stellar photo-taking capabilities of its predecessor.” It is reassuring that the R7s is going against what seems to be a trend in some high-end smartphones by increasing the battery size instead of reducing it. Some devices are relying completely on their improved processors to account for battery improvements. Also, an increased battery is especially important in phones that sport a unibody. As is the case with the HTC One series, these types of phones suffer from non-removable batteries.
GITEX is a weeklong affair, which means Oppo has plenty of opportunities to highlight its latest line of devices. The smartphone manufacturer will present a few of its most recent smartphones, including its Mirror 5, R7 Lite, R7 Plus, and R7. The new R7 Plus Barcelona Edition is also being displayed at GITEX. Oppo is looking to impress potential customers with its line of metal smartphones, but in the increasingly crowded marketplace within Android, finding device differentiators is a tough job. Oppo is stressing its quality materials and range of screen sizes as advantages.