With the budget to buy a premium 5G smartphone, you only have two choices – OPPO Find X3 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series – the latter is a good, better, best scenario with S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra 5G.
It’s a long story, but I have been using the Samsung Galaxy S series as my daily drive since the 2015 S5. I guess I subconsciously compare all smartphones to this standard and Samsung’s ease of use.
Before that, I was a deliriously happy Windows Phone/Nokia user. I had a brief and unhappy flirtation with the Apple 6-series as well. The result – I am an Android person.
Long story short, OPPO challenged me to swap daily drives ‘for a month’ from Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G to the OPPO Find X3 Pro 5G. Its logic was to challenge the subconscious comparison (no intentional bias intended) to see any substantive differences between the two premium flagships.
I have both on the testbed. Objectively (is there any other way?), we run through the specs and characteristics to see which offers more. The answer? Well, it is not all about specs, so sorry, you may need to jump to
GadgetGuy’s take
at the end.
OPPO Find X3 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Methodology: We compare OPPO with Samsung and objectively declare a category winner. In some respects, it may seem to be unfair to compare the $1499 OPPO Find X3 Pro 256GB (website
here
) to the S21 Ultra 256GB $1949 (website
here
). We have repeated all significant tests to ensure fairness.
OPPO is the left column in any table. In many instances, we have used only an OPPO or Samsung image to illustrate a point.
Apologies – a blank cell indicates we don’t quite have all the comparative data and if we have made any errors, we don’t think it would materially change the review.
Switching from Samsung to OPPO
My most significant fear was not using the excellent
Samsung Switch software
to update from one generation Samsung to the next using Wi-Fi or cable.
But it turns out that there are several options to swap from Samsung to OPPO.
Highly recommended is to use cloud apps like Gmail or Microsoft Outlook for Mail, Contacts and Calendar. As a Windows user, Outlook was a no-brainer. Frankly, I found Samsung productivity app alternatives adequate but not all that compelling. So that covers critical data.
Next, copy all your photos to a PC or flash drive. These can chew up terabytes of data, and it is faster to switch phones without them.
Next is to backup everything to Google Drive – that means all your apps, data, records, and settings. It is easy to restore from there too. BTW
no switching software copies passwords or logins,
so no matter what you do, you will need to re-enter these unless you subscribe to a password manager like Last Pass – I do! Easy.
OPPO has its
Clone Phone app
(iOS or Andriod) that displays a QR code to install on the old phone. Once done, OPPO acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot for the old phone –fast. It transfers everything completely, including contacts, messages, call history, photos, videos, audios, files, system application data, installed apps and data.
But there was one minor issue – not OPPO’s fault. Samsung Galaxy apps (and there are plenty) don’t seem to work as well on other phones, so you need to delete these. For example, S-Health was giving weird results.
If I want to switch back, I have Samsung Switch that should handle it with ease.
Design
I like big phones. The Samsung is heavier and thicker, more so with the bumper cover to stop the large camera hump from being scratched. OPPO is ‘svelte’, lighter and has a nice glass back – it’s a shame to put abumper cover on that too.
OPPO has a definite design edge.
Resale value – second hand
Samsung, like Apple, has a trade-in system that perhaps keeps second-hand values higher than they would typically be. Well, OPPO has struck back, offering an
even more generous trade-in program
and will trade in Apple, Samsung and Google phones. A Note 20 has a whopping $620 value, Apple XS $595 and Google 5 $470. It is about to announce 2021 trade-in prices.
Winner – it is a draw, but OPPOs trade-in program is increasing second-hand resale value with its 2020 Find X2 Pro still selling for around $900 on GumTree (watch out for the phone scam
here
).
Screen
Interestingly OPPO has a Samsung S6E3HC3 LPTO OLED display that we will likely see in the iPhone 13 and perhaps the Samsung S22 Ultra.
Item
OPPO Find X3 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Size
6.7”, 20:9
6.8” 20:9
Type
Top left O-holeLTPO OLED (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) exclusively for high-end phonesMostly flat with a 2.5D edge
Centre O-holeDynamic AMOLED 2XDitto
Refresh
Adaptive from 1-120Hz and 240Hz touch rate. Or select a fixed 60 or 120Hz rate.
Adaptive from 48/60/96/120Hz only at 1440p.Same
Resolution
3216 x 1440
3200 x 1440
PPI/Ratio
525ppi, 92.7% screen to body ratio
515, 89.8%
Colour depth
1 billion colours 10-bit
16.7m 8-bit
Brightness
1300nits peak (tested to 1380)
1500nits peak (tested to 1400)
Adaptive Max
800nits (Test 860)
Similar
Adaptive off
500 nits (Test 490)
400nits (tested to 410)
Uniformity
100% – OLED can completely turn off a pixel
Same
Contrast
Infinite (difference between pure black and pure white)
Same
Gamut Vivid
100% DCI-P3
100% DCI-P3
Gentle
100% sRGB
100% sRGB
Delta E
0.8 (excellent – below 4 is good)
2
Adaptive
Automatically recognises sRGB and DCI-P3 images, displaying them with accuracy. Similar to Apple True Tone.
No
Colour temp
Adjustable from cool to warm
Same
Ambient light
Automatic natural tone display
Same
SDR upscale
Can upscale SDR to HDR video content
Same
Certification
DisplayMate A+ and .4 JNCD pro-grade colour accuracy
No
Daylight view
Excellent
Excellent
Viewing angle
OLED has the widest viewing angle without colour loss
Same
AOD
Customisable patterns
Slightly more customisations
Dark mode
Load themes from the Theme store
Same
Blue light
Ambient light sensor and time of day adapt the intensity and reduce the amount of blue lightTuV certified
Similar
Edge lighting
Display different colours for notifications screen off
Similar
HDMI out
Yes, Android screen to 1080p monitor
Same plus Samsung DeX – a type of Android desktop
Accessibility
Full range of Android colour, font and sizeOPPOs Colour Vision Enhancement allows users with Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD) to see colour-corrective hues and deeper contrast levels for colour differentiation. It is perfect for colour blindness and eye protection.
SameSamsung accessibility features are similar
Haptic feedback
Good
Good
DRM
Widevine L1, HDCP 2.3HDR10, HDR10+ and HLGVideo out via USB-C is disabled when playing copyright content.Netflix FHD in HDR and faux upscales SDR as well.
Widevine L1 HDCP 2.2HDR10, HLGSamsung claims HDR10+, but DRM Info does not find thisNetflix FHD in HDR
Gaming
Perfect for gaming with a 2.4ms rise and fall combined and 7.5ms Grey-to-Grey. It also has zero latency game control that adjusts a 60Hz game from 51-72Hz to suit.
3.2ms G-T-G
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 5Pre-fitted screen protector
Corning Gorilla Glass VictusSame
FingerprintFace ID
Optical under glass – Test: 10/10Test 8/10
Ultrasonic under glass – Test: 8/10Test 8/10
Stylus
No
On S21 Ultra but not S21 series
OPPO’s 10-bit, 1.07 billion colour screen (which carries over to its Full-Path Colour Management System photographic processing) is vastly superior to the Samsung 8-bit. In day-to-day use on auto-brightness, auto-refresh and at the same resolution, the OPPO has purer whites and accurate colours.
Samsung’s 16.7m screen is very good and supports an S Pen if that is your need.
Winner: OPPO screen quality by a long way
Processor
SoC
Qualcomm SD888 5G
eight-core 5nm 1×2.84GHz, 3×2.42GHz, 4×1.80GHz
Exynos 2100
eight-core 5nm1 x 2.91, 3 x 2.81. 4 x 2.21
GPU
Adreno 660 840MHzTests: Open CL: 4574Tests: Vulcan: 4463
Mali G78Open CL: 4111Vulcan: 3296
Game use
This is the world’s fastest SoC, and with the excellent screen and adaptive refresh and OPPO’s dual speakers and Game Space, it will play all current games
It is one of the fastest SoCs and should have no issues with high frame rates. But some gamers report that the 120Hz refresh was an issue. I understand that recent firmware updates have fixed this.
RAM
12GB LPDDR5 – 4-channel 3200fastest memory
12GB LPDDR5 – Dual-channel
Storage
256GB (215GB free) UFS 3.1x 2 lanesOTG supports up to 2TB external drivesTests: CPDT (sequential read-write)256GB internal: 748/416Orico iMatch 1TB USB-C 3.1, 1200/426HP USB 3.1 512GB 989/418OWC Envoy 256GB 732/421
128GB ( 100Gb free) UFS 3.1SameTest: CPDT MBps128GB internal: 608/230
Orico Match 1TB USB-C 3.1 SSD
1390/224
HP USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 5Gbps 512GB
557/221
OWC Envoy 256GB USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 5Gbps SSD drive
608/230
micro-SD
No, but with USB-C 3.1 Gen 1, it can write 4K video direct to an external device.This is the first device we have tested that automatically works with all USB-C storage devices without having to find OTG settings and reboot after device insertion or removal.
No, Samsung has USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 and can read/write 4K files to external media.Samsung requests a reboot after a USB device is interested/removed – we ignored that warning.
GeekBench 5
Single: 929Multi: 3397There is no faster Qualcomm Snapdragon
6173004
Throttle15-minute test
Max: 240,292GIPS, Average: 223,47110% loss over 15 minutesCPU temp reached 50°CExternal temperature on the back: 39°CIt has a vapour chamber and graphite cooling system that copes with extended load with minimal throttling
Max: 227,660 GIPS, Average: 198,97416% loss over 15 minutesCPU temp reached 50°External temp 47°
The OPPO SD888 is a better all-rounder. Its two-lane HS-Gear4 storage gives twice the sequential write speeds, so it is excellent for direct video recording to an external SSD drive. OPPO Game space is impressive.
Winner: OPPO and SD888
Comms
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 and 6E AX 2×2 MIMO, VHT160Tests:Signal Strength 5Ghz – distance from Netgear RAX200 AX11000 router2m:-15dBm/2400Mbps5m: -30dBm/2400Mbps10m: -44dBm/1800Mbps20m: -56dBm/1200Mbps
Same using BMC4389C1 chipset2m:-23dBm/2400Mbps5m: -49dBm/2400113410m: -52dBm/180015m: -59dBm/1200
Bluetooth
BT 5.2 LE
Same
UltraWideband
No
Yes
GPS
Dual-bandTest: Accuracy to less than <2m excellent for high-speed turn-by-turn navigation.
Same
NFC
Dual antenna supports eSE/HCE/NFC-SIM
Same – PayWave only
USB-C
USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps/625MBps half-duplex)Alt DP outIt has an Analog Audio Switch and DAC for headphone use
SameSame plus DeX desktop
Sensors
Combo LSM6DS0 Accelerometer and Gyro Magnetometer e-CompassGravityPedometerNoTCS3408 Ultra-high sensitivity light-to-digital converter for Ambient Light Sensing (ALS), colour (RGB) sensing, and selective flicker detection.STK33502 Ambient Light sensor
SameSameSameSameBarometerHall, Proximity, Ambient LightGame rotation and tilt vector,
The OPPO has stronger Wi-Fi signal strength but otherwise – draw.
LTE and 5G
All tests are with a Boost 4G service on the Telstra network.
SIM
Dual SIM (both cards are active, only one in use at a time)eSIM disables SIM2 and is subject to carrier support
Single SIM and eSIM
Ring tone
Single (many people prefer dual ringtones)
Dual
Support
VoLTE – carrier dependentWi-Fi calling – carrier dependent
Same
DL/ULTest
Telstra Band 3 – 3-bar area30/20Mbps and 43ms
Telstra Band 3 – 3-bar area17.5/18.8Mbps and 43ms
4G Bands
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 66
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66
5G sub-6Ghz
1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78, 79
1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78
4G LTE Test
-101dBm/158.5fWFound next tower at -103dBm/63.1fW
-100dBm/70fWDid not find other towersNot Blue-tick certified – S21/+ is
Both phones support low-band 5G and sub-6Ghz. The OPPO has a far higher signal strength and finds neighbouring towers, so it is the clear winner.
Bat
t
ery
Battery
4500mAh rated for 800 complete charge cycles – long life
5000mAh – no cycle rating provided but expect similar
Charger
65W SuperVOOCTest:0-50% – 12 minutes0-100% – 35 minutes5V/3A – 4 hours
None supplied. Recommends25W (PD3.0)0-50% – 30 minutes0-100% – 75 minutes5V/3A – 4 hours
Wireless
OPPO AirCharge 30-45WQi from 5-18W.Test:Belkin 15W Qi charger – 4 hoursAirVOOC 45W <60 minutes
Qi Charge 15W maxTest:Belkin 15W Qi charger – 4 hoursN/A
Reverse wireless Charge
Up to 10W
Up to 4.5W
TestsAdaptive
Video Loop test: 1080p/50%/aeroplane mode – 16 hrsNetflix 1080p, 50%, Wi-Fi – 13 hrsTypical use Wi-Fi Test – 13 hrsMP3 music: 50% vol from storage –24+100% load Battery drain –7.3 hoursGFX Bench Manhattan 3.1 – 301.2minutes (5 hrs) 3742 framesGFX Benchmark T-Rex: 555.6 minutes (9.27hr) and 3369 framesPC Mark 2.0: 10 hours 25 minutes
Video Loop test: 1080p/50%/aeroplane mode – 19 hoursNetflix 1080p, 50%, Wi-Fi – 13 hrsTypical use 4G, Wi-Fi Test – 12 hrsMP3 music: 50% vol from storage – 24+100% load Battery drain – 8 hoursGFX Benchmark Manhattan 3.1: Gets out-of-memory-errorGFX Benchmark T-Rex – 306.6min (5.17hrs) 5861 framesPC Mark 2.0: 9.40hrs
Both are one-day phones, but OPPOs SuperVOOC 2.0 and AirVOOC way outperform Samsung. A full charge in 35 minutes versus 75 minutes and AIR VOOC charge in 60 minutes versus 4 hours. OPPO is the winner.
Sound
Speakers
Stereo earpiece and down-firing speaker.Balanced for volume and toneDolby Atmos-certified (and subsets) for decoding to its2.0 speaker
Stereo – earpiece and down-firing speakerAKG tunedDolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus decoding to 2.0 speaker
AMP
Qualcomm Aqstic speaker amp WSA8835 with some additional OPPO smarts
2 x CS35L41 D-Class amps 5.3W each at 1% THD allowing individual volume matching for both speakers
Codecs
SBC/AAC/aptX/aptX HD/aptX TWS+/aptX Adaptive/LHDC/LDAC/
SBC/AAC/LDAC (Sony) and proprietary Samsung scalable codecNo Qualcomm aptX codecs
Mic
Dual Noise cancelling. A third mic on the camera bump for audio zoom video use
Dual top noise-cancelling and for audio zoom – focuses on the direction of interest during recording.Third mic at the bottom USB-C Port
3.5mm
No port – OPPO supplies its standard USB-C buds
No, and no buds supplied
Tests dBAnything over 80dB is excellent
Media – 85Ring – 82Alarm – 82Notification – 65Earpiece – 55Handsfree – 75Music – 89
Media – 78Ring – 80Alarm – 80Notification – 65Earpiece – 55Handsfree – 72Music – 86
Handsfree
Excellent clear voice and adequate sound.
Loud and clear, but the mic (top or bottom) drops off quickly over 1m. Its NC is superb. We noticed that was at the expense of natural voice – callers heard more robot voice.
Sound stage
Much wider than the device with good Left/Right separation.Dolby Atmos adds a slightly wider stage, but there is no 3D spatial sound.
Narrow sound stage with good Left/Right separation.Dolby Atmos content does not have spatial sound via the speakers.
Winner – OPPO has better BT CODEC support and far better left/right sound stage.
Sound Signature
OPPO has a bright vocal signature which is fine for vocals and a clear voice. It has Dolby Atmos decoding, but the pre-sets are new to me. It has environmental – indoor, on-the-go, commute and flight. And it has scenario-specific – smart, movie, gaming, and music. They don’t appear to make a significant difference unless using headphones.
Samsung – you would expect the best, and at 70% volume, it presents a rich, full sound. But we measure at 100% where three things become apparent. First, the recessed mid/upper treble means that it affects ‘location’ – where the sound comes from in the relatively narrow sound stage. Next, mid-bass is there, but it suddenly dips at 100hz, almost obliterating high-bass – you need this more than mid-bass to add some gravitas. Finally, the frequency response is relatively flat from 200Hz to 10khz then builds to upper-mid and lower treble.
It is essentially a mid-signature which is excellent for clear voice but not so great for most music. You can read more about sound signatures
here
.
Winer: OPPO by an ear.
Build
Size/Weight
163.6×74.0×8.3mm x 193g
165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm x 227gIt is 11.15mm thick at the camera bump
Colours
Gloss BlackBlue Frost
Phantom BlackPhantom Silver
Build
Front: Gorilla Glass 5Frame: AlloyLiquid Ceramic Glass back*
Front: Gorilla Glass VictusFrame: AlloyBack: Gorilla Glass Victus
IP
68
Same
Warranty
2-years ACLGlobal traveller’s warrantyPrimary support from Sydney with support facilities in most statesOPPO claims one of the lowest fault rates in Australia.
12 monthsPrimary support from Sydney with support facilities in most other statesSamsung has a good track record for reliability
In the box
Bumper cover65W chargerOPPO Super VOOC USB-A to USB-C cableUSB-C earphone and mic
USB-C to USB-C cable
* We have to quote OPPO
The back panel of the OPPO Find X3 Pro is a single piece of glass (GG5). It has more than 2000 control points to complete the shape, precisely controlling the ultimate balance between the glass’s rigidity and the curved surface’s softness. The ‘Ring Mountain’ image mirror set uses a hot forging glass process rarely seen in industrial mass production. It presents a 3D curved front and back transition and creating a rounded feel. It is a technological breakthrough in industrial design.
The first thing you notice about the OPPO is that it is far lighter and thinner despite a similar screen size to the Samsung. I love big phones, but I really appreciate that svelte size in my pocket.
The second thing is the inclusion of the charger, bumper cover and buds.
Winner – OPPO as it feels better in the hand
Android
Android
Google Android 11Security patch date: 5/06/21
Same1/06/21
UI
ColorOS 11.2
One UI 3.1
All standard apps, Google Lens and Assistant
Same
Bloatware
Mostly OPPO alternatives to Google and utilities
Mostly Samsung and Microsoft productivity and utilities. The Samsung apps include the Galaxy Store (unique Galaxy Apps), Mail, Contact, Calendar, Dialler, SmartThings, Samsung Health, Pay, AR, Switch, DeX, and Pay. Why it persists with Bixby is beyond me.
Update Policy
Two years of OS updates includes two major updates and monthly security updates.
Two years of OS updates. Security patches should come monthly for three years
Security
Optical FingerprintFaceIDA private system function behind a security barrier mirrors the public system so that hackers cannot get your data. A Private Safe guards private data.System cloner allows two profiles – one for work and one for private
Ultrasonic FingerprintFaceIDSamsung Knox provides an excellent level of security (not Anti-virus)
The real issue here comes down to how user-friendly is OPPOs ColorOS to Samsung One UI. To me, UI is like a pair of comfortable slippers. It paves over the raw cracks of Android and works seamlessly.
But ColorOS has come a very long way, and it seems to be equal. The fundamental difference here is OPPO’s AI versus Samsung’s AI, and there is not much between them.
After four weeks, there is nothing between them. Everything I need to do is there, in almost the same place. There is only one minor criticism of ColourOS – when I hit ‘clear all’, it clears all but the current app – Samsung wipes the lot. Nitpicking!
With Samsung and OPPO offering similar upgrade paths, the winner is a draw.
Missing
Charger
65W Fast charge included
No charger max 25W
Bumper case
Included
No
Micro-SD
No
No
aptX
Yes all
No
10-bit screen
Yes, 1.07 billion colours
No, 8-bit 16.7m
Camera
The cameras are where there is the most significant difference. Yet, in practice, both are equally strong. Samsung has 100X Super Zoom (that is hopeless – review
here
for all photos) versus OPPO 60X digital Zoom (ditto review here for all photos ).
OPPO goes with dual 50MP (wide and super-wide – both bin to 12.5MP), a 13MP Telephoto and a 3MP 60X Microscope. Selfie is 32MP (bins to 8.1MP)
Samsung goes with a 108MP wide (bins to 12MP), 12MP super-wide, 10MP telephoto and periscope 10MP. In addition is has a LiDAR depth sensor. Selfie is 45MP that bins to 6.5MP or 10MP wide.
DXOMark gives the OPPO 131 points that is far ahead of Samsung at 121 points. The Benchmark is the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, and it scores 130 points. According to DXOMark scores, OPPO is the highest performing Google Android camera in Australia at present.
But here is the conundrum – both produce equally excellent shots. Here are some comparison photos, and if I had to pick a winner for everyday consumer photography, the OPPO is ahead. One difference – Samsung recognises QR codes, but OPPO uses Google Lens – it is one more step, but the results are more consistent.
OPPO Find X3 Pro (L) and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (R)
OPPO is more saturated but also has better detail
OPPO was taken under LED lights, but the photo and colours are more accurate
Both are excellent macro shots
OPPO Night mode brings out the colour and sharp details.
GadgetGuy’s take
We are now at the end of the specification comparisons, and frankly, I did not know the outcome until this stage.
Humans all suffer from cogitative dissonance. We tell ourselves that what we bought is the best for us. It is like the old Holden versus Ford argument. Guilty – I felt that way about Samsung (and perhaps still do). For OPPO to so convincingly be ahead in most categories astounded me. I mean, I know it is good, but could it be my daily drive? Well, now I am like a dog with two bones!
Let me say that either is excellent. I knew OPPO Find X3 Pro would eat the S21 and S21+ lunches but the Ultra? No way! Yet the plucky OPPO Find X3 Pro meets or exceeds the heavyweight S21 Ultra.
S21 Ultra has 100x periscope zoom (useless above about 30X) that I do use, whereas the Find X3 60X Zoom (ditto) and a 60X microscope is a little limited
S21 Ultra has that 108MP camera that collects so much detail (in that mode). Dual 50MP sensors are not shabby either on the Find X3 Pro.
Samsung will do
[email protected]
video – do you need that?
Find X3 Pro photo results are visually more pleasing – not necessarily better. It shows excellent computational AI photography with warmer saturated colours. Samsung is more à la naturel.
Find X3 Pro’s 10-bit, 1billion colour screen is impressive and quite ahead of the Samsung
Find X3 Pro has more BT codecs, including the Qualcomm aptX suite.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon SD888 is a tad faster than the Samsung Exynos 2100 – but how much power do you need?
Find X3 Pro has 65W charging – bloody fast. The S21 Ultra has nothing. Well, you even have to buy the 25W charger, and it takes three times longer
S21 Ultra can support a stylus and cable or wireless DeX desktop on a monitor
Warranty – OPPO is well ahead
Support – a draw.
Because there is so little between them, prestige flagship buyers should consider both. I suspect that when you get the lighter, svelte OPPO Find X3 Pro in your hands, you will fall in love and live happily ever after. And that, to a died in the wool Samsung man, is surprising.