We took the OPPO F7 Youth for a spin to check out how good its cameras are.
In our full review, we found out that the OPPO F7 is one of the best camera phones in the midrange category. In fact, it is actually one of its highlight features, aside from the screen notch and its processing prowess.
But a few months after its release, the company released a follow-up — the OPPO F7 Youth. As expected, this device has some compromised hardware to accommodate the cheaper price tag.
The standard OPPO F7 had a ludicrous 25-megapixel front camera and a single 16-megapixel shooter on the back. But with the F7 Youth, we only have an 8-megapixel and 13-megapixel front and rear cameras, respectively.
Considering how impressive the OPPO F7 cameras are, we’re curious to see how the F7 Youth performs on that regard. Is the photo quality actually distinguishable from each other? Do consumers need to really spend more money to get the F7 to take better pictures?
Here’s our OPPO F7 Youth camera test to see how it actually performs in the imaging department. Let’s start!
First off, let’s talk about the primary 13-megapixel camera on the back. This thing has an aperture of f/2.2 — which is definitely not the best that we have seen on any smartphone camera. By looking at the low-light images below, you can really see the effects of having a narrow aperture.
The images taken in low-light scenarios entails a lot of noise and dullness in color. It might still get some likes when you post it on social media, but the grains are really noticeable and the sharpness is taking a hit.
On the upside, the OPPO F7 Youth can take decent pictures in good-lighting scenarios. The colors are projected decently, the dynamic range is surprisingly okay, the contrast is not the best but acceptable.
Although you might want to turn off the Super Vivid mode on this thing. As you can see on the sample images, the details have been cranked up too much that it started to look really artificial and ugly. We find this feature works better on the F7 thanks to its sharper 16-megapixel sensor as it provides the software more space to work with while implementing this effect.
See also: OPPO Find X
Next stop, we have the 8-megapixel selfie camera. The F7 might have broken the norm with its high-resolution camera as it allows you to take professional-looking photos. But with the F7 Youth, it is going to be the same old story.
The actual camera quality is fine. The sharpness is mediocre, although the colors are slightly washed out. But of course, you wouldn’t want to use this camera without enabling its novelty features.
There’s also the AI Beauty Mode. It does a good job of analyzing your face and then providing the right amount of beautification effect so it will look just right without going overboard — providing a slightly more natural look.
In addition, there’s also the AR stickers. There are a few available effects that come pre-installed, with more available for downloaded from the camera app itself.
To wrap it up, the OPPO F7 Youth sure has a capable set of cameras. It might not be as good as the F7, but for what it can do, plus all the other features it offers besides the camera, the OPPO F7 Youth is clearly a good alternative to its bigger and more expensive brother.
The OPPO F7 Youth is now available nationwide for a price of Php13,990. It is also available in 0% Home Credit installment plans.
OPPO F7 Youth Specs
- Android 8.1 Oreo, ColorOS 5.0
- Dual SIM, Dual Standby
- 6-inch FHD+ IPS 18:9 aspect ratio display, 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~402ppi
- MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core processor
- 4GB RAM
- Mali-G72 MP3 GPU
- 64GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 256GB
- 8-megapixel front camera
- 13-megapixel rear camera, LED flash
- AI Face Beauty, AI Scene Recognition
- Face unlock
- HSPA+, 4G LTE
- WiFi 802.11
- Bluetooth
- GPS
- Dimensions: 156.5 x 75.2 x 7.8mm
- Weight: 155g
- Colors: Solar Red, Diamond Black
- 3,410mAh non-removable battery