OPPO Find X8 Ultra review: A camera beast you won't be able to buy

I’ve spent the past week with the OPPO Find X8 Ultra, and it’s the kind of Android flagship that makes you want to go out and start shooting everything around you. It’s an evolution of the already impressive Find X8 Pro, with OPPO cranking the camera tech even higher, while quietly refining the design. If it were easy to pick up globally, it would be an instant recommendation. The problem? Unless you’re in China, you’re looking at imports and compromises.

Design and display

Gone is last year’s two-tone vegan leather back, replaced by a clean matte finish that feels more modern and less gimmicky. The rounded sides make the 6.8-inch phone surprisingly comfortable to hold for its size. Up front, you’re looking at a flat LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 2,500 nits. Watching HDR content here is a joy, with vivid colours and deep blacks, without overcooking contrast.

Performance and battery life

Inside, the Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers exactly what you’d expect: flagship-level speed and stability. Whether it’s gaming, editing high-res photos, or juggling multiple apps, it doesn’t break a sweat. The real surprise is the 6,100mAh silicon–carbon battery. It’s not just about size; it’s about endurance. Even with heavy use, I struggled to drain it below 30 percent before bed. On lighter days, it easily stretched into a second day without hunting for a charger.

Cameras that deserve the hype

Let’s be clear: this is one of the best phone camera systems in 2025. There’s a 50MP one-inch main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide, and two 50MP telephoto lenses at 3x and 6x optical zoom. The main shooter produces incredibly detailed shots with excellent dynamic range, particularly in low light. Colours stay natural without the typical saturation boost you see on many Android flagships.

The 6x telephoto is a personal favourite. It delivers crisp detail with minimal noise, even in less-than-ideal lighting. Macro performance from this lens is also surprisingly good, avoiding the over-sharpened look some phones can’t resist. The ultrawide is a notch below but still excellent, though you’ll spot a touch of oversaturation in bright daylight.

Video is where OPPO has made real strides. Stabilisation feels gimbal-like, lens-switching is smooth, and you can shoot at 4K60 with an update promised for 4K120. In the right conditions, this is the first Android phone I’d consider as a true rival to the iPhone for video work.

The quirks and frustrations

It’s not all perfect. The replacement of the alert slider with a “shortcut button” feels like a downgrade, with limited customisation and awkward integration into the camera. Then there’s the elephant in the room: this phone simply isn’t sold outside China. Importing is possible, but you’re looking at potential carrier compatibility issues (worked fine on Jio in India) and a higher overall cost.

Verdict

The OPPO Find X8 Ultra is a masterclass in smartphone photography, paired with stellar battery life and a sharp, responsive display. If it were sold globally, it would be a serious contender for best flagship of the year. But until OPPO changes its mind on availability, it remains the ultimate camera phone you probably won’t own.