OPPO Find X9 – Posing as your First Hasselblad
The OPPO Find X9 has been one of the most anticipated flagship phones this year, and it’s easy to see why. From the minute I picked up the phone, it was clear OPPO had paid a lot of attention to the details, building on the strengths of the Find X8 while introducing features to keep the experience fresh and practical.
Build and Design
OPPO kept the compact size that made the Find X8 stand out, but gave the Find X9 a slight design revamp. It measures just under 8mm thin, making it easy to hold and slide into your pocket. The new rear camera module sits up top-left, echoing the look of Reno 14 Pro 5G but stamped with a bold Hasselblad logo. I wished for a more daring cutout, but at the end of the day, it isn’t a deal breaker. The phone comes in three finishes: Space Black, Titanium Grey, and Velvet Red; each one has a distinctive feel and texture that makes the device look less generic and more premium. Despite the sleek lines and flat-edged frame, it stands up to real life, boasting IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings that provide solid protection against dust, water, and even high-temperature jets.
If you loved the Alert Slider on the Find X8, you may be skeptical about the new Snap button. I loved the Slider’s tactility, but let’s be real: it was getting outdated. The Snap button does more and doesn’t mess with OPPO’s design philosophy. It’s customizable, responsive, and ready to help you shortcut apps, manage sound profiles, or launch the new AI features. For someone who likes physical controls, this is a welcome change.
Display
Screen tech on the Find X9 holds steady as a highlight. There’s the 6.59-inch AMOLED display with thin, symmetrical bezels—just 1.15mm all around. Colors are sharp, contrast is high, and visuals remain bright even in direct sunlight thanks to the peak outdoor brightness of 3600 nits. The display gets impressively dim, down to 1 nit, which is comfortable for late-night reading. OPPO added vehicle motion alerts for those who use their phone while on the road, helping minimize motion sickness. HDR and Dolby Vision are here, making media and photos look punchy and vivid every time.
Hardware
Inside, OPPO packed flagship-grade components into a compact body. The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 sits at the heart, partnered with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage. That’s enough power for heavy multitasking, gaming, and creative work. Even under stress, thanks to the upgraded vapor chamber cooling (now 21.6% larger than the previous version), the Find X9 stays cool and snappy. The fingerprint scanner is now a 3D ultrasonic variety—super quick, reliable, and not fazed by wet or oily fingers.
Benchmark
While I’m still running long-term benchmark tests, initial impressions are strong. Apps open in a flash. GameHub Lite OSS installed without a hitch, and I was able to emulate Steam games, including Silksong, at stable 60fps. This MediaTek 9500 outpaces the older Dimensity 9400 and 9400+ in raw speed and efficiency, even with battery saver modes on. The new LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage help make everything feel smooth.
Software and Other Software Features
ColorOS 16 sits on top of Android 16, bringing a bunch of new tricks: Seamless Animation makes transitions smoother, and the Luminous Rendering Engine’s AI enhancements make everything look good without lag. Features like AI Portrait Glow and Mind Space are practical and used every day. The Snap button’s link to Mind Space is smart and genuinely useful. OPPO’s Trinity Engine keeps resources balanced, so it doesn’t slow down even under pressure.
Camera
This is where OPPO’s partnership with Hasselblad really pays off. The Find X9 sports a triple 50MP rear setup (main, ultra-wide, and periscope telephoto) with upgraded sensors and optimizations. Pictures come out sharp and vibrant, and the True Color Camera means colors are rendered true even in messy lighting. Night shots, neon, and portraits all look way better than on the Find X8.
The new LUMO Imaging Engine is no slouch—computational photography and smart algorithms help produce clear shots with minimal noise. Portrait mode stands out, showing off cinematic bokeh and precise subject separation—often even better than the output on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
All rear cameras support 50MP shots by default, plus you get Hasselblad Hi-Res mode for cropping into scenes without losing detail. OPPO keeps the 120x zoom, but now zoomed shots look much clearer and more useful.
This is great when shooting specific subjects from far distances. There are also other Hasselblad specific modes like XPAN, which you can merge into a collage; and CCD filters inspired from Hasselblad colors.
Pro video mode supports everything up to 4K120fps with Dolby Vision and LOG recording, giving creators a real professional toolkit in a phone. Stage Mode and Sound Focus are handy for concerts or events.
The only major downside with the current software build of the OPPO Find X9 is it does not seem to be ready as a “concert phone”. I struggles when shooting in low light and in focusing the subject.
Audio
The Find X9 packs loud, clear speakers. High tones are pronounced, lows less so. Calls and podcasts sound crystal clear, but if bass matters to you, you’ll want headphones. Four-mic arrays help with better audio capture during video recording; Sound Focus mode is a nice touch, cutting down on background noise and boosting vocals.
Battery
OPPO made real strides in battery. The Find X9 holds a 7,025mAh silicon-carbon cell, a huge leap from the Find X8’s 5,630mAh. I’m clocking up to 19 hours and 35 minutes with regular use, with around 20% battery left—more than enough for a packed day. After five years, OPPO expects the battery to keep 80% of its charge, which is impressive. The charging system works fast: 80W SuperVOOC wired, 50W AirVOOC wireless, and even 10W reverse wireless for topping up accessories.
Verdict
OPPO Find X9 is a smart evolution. It brings meaningful changes: a refined design, tougher build, smarter controls with the Snap button, a top-notch display, serious performance gains, and cameras that legitimately rival pro gear.
ColorOS 16 makes the phone feel fresh and adaptable and fixes that matter for day-to-day use. I’ve got minor wishes like more creativity on the camera cutout and improved video stability and focus, but none are deal breakers at the moment.
Battery life, camera features, and overall speed make it one of the best flagship choices for anyone who wants a compact, high-performance device. If you’re moving up from the Find X8 or any older flagship, the Find X9 feels like a natural upgrade, with enough practical tools to keep things exciting well into the future.
Source: Gadget Pilipinas
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