The OPPO N3 is a phablet with a 5.5-inch display and a unique motorized 16MP rear camera that can swivel 206 degrees. It has good performance powered by a Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB of RAM, but is thicker and heavier than most other phones. The N3 has numerous innovative features like the swivel camera, fingerprint sensor, O-Click accessory, and fast charging, but its high price of 42,999 Rs puts it against other strong phablet options in India.

1. OPPO N3
Review in pictures
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2. Smaller than its predecessor…
OPPO is among the first brands who boarded the large-screen bandwagon with the N1
However, instead of upsizing the 5.9-inch display panel on its successor, the N3 sports 5.5-
inch display – which is a good thing, since it makes it slightly easier to handle
The phone has different design language than most phones in the market… the top portion
holds a swiveling camera while ports and buttons are on the right and left edges
On the chin, there’s a hollowed-out arc hiding the LED dubbed as Skyline Notification 2.0
The back hosts the fingerprint sensor that also doubles up as the O-Touch panel,
surrounded by a metal frame
DESIGN

3. …but as unwieldy as before
While the size is smaller, the OPPO N3 is still thicker and heavier than most phones in
its class
In fact, with the heft of 192g, it’s among the most bulky phones out there
All this makes it difficult to use with a single hand and also affects pocketability
The device has a unibody design and is constructed from plastic
Thanks to an aluminium band running along its edges, it has a premium look and it
also feels solid in hands
DESIGN

4. A phablet-grade display that reproduces sharp
visuals
While the display size has reduced, the resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
remains the same… offering a rich pixel density of 403ppi
The IPS display offers sharp text and vibrant colours, and wide viewing
angles
Sadly, the brightness isn’t impressive and you might need to increase it to
the maximum level to read it outdoors
Protecting the display against scratches is a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass
3
DISPLAY

5. Colourin' Android
The OPPO N3 comes with
Android 4.4 KitKat, layered
with the custom skin dubbed
ColorOS
Similar to its Chinese
counterparts, the homescreen
brings all the apps and
widgets at one place
There’s also a dedicated
space for music and photos
on the homescreen
In terms of preloaded apps,
the phone offers default
Google apps along with a
Security Center
USERINTERFACE

6. The features are countless
Security Center is quite
useful, as it allows you to
check data consumption,
manage permissions, among
other things
The suite also has an app
encryption option, that allows
you password protect a few
apps and you can also use
the fingerprint sensor with it
The phone supports gestures,
both when the it’s on standby
state as well as when it’s
awake
There’s also a one-hand
mode on the phone that
shrinks the screen
USERINTERFACE

7. A twister of a shooter…
The OPPO N3 takes the idea
of its previous model to the
next level
Not only does it sport a swivel
camera that can be rotated
206 degress, it can now also
rotate automatically thanks to
the motor
You can control the rotation
via the software interface or
O-Touch panel at the back
In terms of specs, the device
features a 16MP snapper
which is supplemented by
dual-LED flash
The same camera can be
used for shooting selfies,
making it quite an interesting
choice for selfie enthusiasts
CAMERA

8. … with good image quality
The 16MP shooter clicks image that
offer good amount of detail and colour
variance
We liked the landscape shots and
close-up shots, though the HDR mode
overexposes some areas and thus isn’t
impressive
Images taken in low light are nice, and
can be further enhanced with the dual-
LED flash
Numerous modes available on the
camera app give user the option to
capture the scene / object as per their
liking
Surprisingly, unlike other flagships, it
doesn’t have 4K recording and can only
capture in 1080p resolution
Close up
Long shot
CAMERA

9. A speed demon
The muscle power comes from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, a quad-
core processor purring at 2.5GHz
The chipset is clubbed with 2GB of RAM
The hardware delivers zippy performance and blazes through basic navigation
and intensive games
Thanks to the Adreno 330 GPU, the experience of running heavy games such as
Badland and Riptide GP2 was awesome
PERFORMANCE

10. Store to your heart’s content
The OPPO N3 comes with
32GB storage on board
Users will be able to access
around 25GB out of it for
installation of apps or storing
their files
You can also utilise the
secondary slot, if you don’t
want to use it as a dual-SIM
device to add more storage up
to 128GB
The phablet also supports
USB OTG capabilities to plug
in flash drives
PERFORMANCE

11. Offers a day-long battery
Providing juice to the OPPO
N3 is a 3,000mAh embedded
battery
It allows the phone to last a
day comfortably, though
gaming or GPS navigation
will deplete the battery faster
It clocked 8 hours and 30
minutes of video playback
time as part of our standard
battery test
You can make use of various
modes to extend the battery
life
The Super Power-saving
mode is quite handy for
emergency situations
PERFORMANCE

12. The innovations just doesn’t end with the specs
Unlike the N1, OPPO is
bundling its keyfob-like
accessory called O-Click 2.0
It connects with the phone
via Bluetooth and act as a
remote control
You can use it for tracking
the smartphone or capturing
images remotely
It also allows you to control
the swivel of the camera
The O-Click will also blink in
case of missed calls and
messages
PERFORMANCE

13. At a glance…
161.2 x 77 x 9.9 mm
192g
5.5-inch display, full HD resolution
2.5GHz quad-core processor
2GB RAM
32GB storage, expandable up to
128GB
16-megapixel motorised swivel
camera with dual-LED flash
4G support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
and GPS
3,000mAh fixed battery
Android 4.4 KitKat

14. Pros and cons
Solid build
Swivel camera mechanism and
good image quality
Fingerprint sensor
O-Click accessory is quite handy
Thick and heavy construction
Specs don’t match the current
flagship standards

15. Pricing & verdict
Price:
Rs 42,999
“OPPO has managed to carve its own niche with its
devices, and the N3 makes that even more evident.
It offers top-end specifications along with
numerous innovations, be it the motorised swivel
camera, the O-Click, and VOOC charging among
others. However, its high pricing brings it against
formidable options like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4
and Moto Turbo, if one is looking for phablets.
Unless you want to stand out from the crowd or
have some specific use cases for the swivel camera,
the OPPO N3 isn’t a clear choice in its price
segment.