Yesterday, OPPO hosted a new product launch event for the Find X8 series at the Qujiang Economic Center in Xi'an, unveiling three smartphones and three smart ecosystem products. This event followed closely on the heels of the Find N5 launch, occurring less than two months prior.

The spotlight of this launch centered on imaging capabilities. During the event, Liu Zuohu conducted a controlled experiment comparing the new OPPO Find X8 Ultra with a renowned overseas competitor in night portrait photography, demonstrating how to capture a "vibrant" look for subjects in nighttime settings.

Earlier, the Find X8 series had been mocked by netizens as the "OPhone" due to its iPhone-like design. This time, Liu Zuohu humorously acknowledged the nickname during his speech. Design uniqueness has always been crucial for brands aiming to differentiate themselves, and OPPO often leads the way in this regard. Among the announced or leaked Ultra models, OPPO stands out as the only one opting for a flat screen.

This strategy aligns with recent market performance. According to Canalys data, OPPO's market share and shipments declined in the third quarter of 2024, dropping out of the top five in the Chinese market. However, in the fourth quarter, OPPO successfully regained its spot among the "Big 5," largely due to the strong performance of the Find X8. Official OPPO data shows that as of the end of February, sales of the Find X8 series doubled those of the previous generation. Additionally, RD statistics reveal that OPPO ranked fourth in February 2025 with a market share of 15.1%.

Amid the trend of large-sized models, the success of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra underscores the market's demand for robust mobile phone imaging capabilities. But what role does the algorithm play in mobile phone imaging? The new Find X8 offers a compelling answer.

01. When Imaging Flagships Break Free from the 'Bulky' Stereotype

While the industry continues to stack specs and enlarge modules for 'Ultra' models, OPPO Find X8 Ultra has chosen a path that resonates more with user perception. From declaring "not making a camera that can make calls" to positioning it as "the first Ultra suitable for women," the core message is clear: a true imaging flagship doesn't have to compromise on hand feel and aesthetics.

The Find X8 Ultra continues OPPO's commitment to trendy design. The Dawn Glow color uses a gradient coating process to evoke the dawn horizon, transitioning smoothly from pink gold to light blue as light flows. This fusion of natural imagery with technology aligns with the Reno series' trendy genes but exhibits even greater refinement in texture. The matte glass backplate of Starfield Black enhances business attributes, while Moonlight White maintains the Find series' pure aesthetics with a glazed finish.

Moreover, the Find X8 Ultra breaks the norm of curved-screen Ultras, achieving a slim body with an 8.78mm thickness and a total height of 13.99mm. Notably, Liu Zuohu emphasized that it "truly meets the needs of female users, bidding farewell to being thick, protruding, and heavy." Labeling the 226g body weight and 8.78mm thickness as "lightweight" reflects OPPO's challenge to the abnormal expansion of "super-sized" models.

The centered punch-hole 6.82-inch, 2K resolution flat screen offers an exceptionally high screen-to-body ratio, with the bezel narrowed to 1.15mm, further boosting screen occupancy. Additionally, the LTPO OLED screen supports an adaptive refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz and 4320Hz high-frequency PWM dimming technology. It not only satisfies spec enthusiasts but also avoids curved screen touch issues with its flat design.

In terms of configuration, the Find X8 Ultra is OPPO's first model equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Supreme Edition chip, featuring a 6100mAh silicon-carbon battery that supports 100W wired fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging. The former breaks capacity bottlenecks through new material technology, while the latter alleviates battery anxiety with "a full charge in 25 minutes."

However, imaging is undoubtedly the star of the show, with the new Find X8 model once again focusing on the user's personalized shooting experience. The rear camera boasts a five-camera ultra-light-sensing computational optics system, including a 50-megapixel 1-inch Sony LYT900 main camera, a 50-megapixel LYT600 6x periscope ultra-telephoto lens, a 50-megapixel Sony LYT700 3x periscope telephoto macro lens, and a 50-megapixel JN5 ultra-wide-angle lens.

Beyond specs, what may resonate with users is the newly added left-side shortcut button. From one-touch camera and voice recording activation to custom shortcut commands, the return of physical buttons embodies the pursuit of ultimate efficiency.

Hasselblad's renowned "authenticity" in imaging is further enhanced with the Find X8 Ultra's new Danxia True Color lens and zonal color temperature sensing technology, pushing portrait photography to new heights. In complex lighting scenarios, the system automatically separates ambient light from human face color temperature, preserving the neon atmosphere while presenting a natural rosy complexion. In contrast to the "straight blood-red look" of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Find X8 Ultra's photos resemble the meticulous lighting work of a professional, explaining why Liu Zuohu boldly stated at the launch event that "infrared light is an invisible killer."

02. When Algorithms Become the New Telephoto

Objectively, the Find X8 series isn't invincible solely from a hardware perspective. While competitors use 200-megapixel ultra-telephoto lenses, the OPPO Find X8 Ultra still employs a 50-megapixel LYT900 sensor. Marketing-wise, competitors may have an edge as users are "digitally sensitive creatures." However, in actual tests, its performance is comparable to that of a 200-megapixel sensor.

Traditionally, a smaller aperture reduces light intake, lags shutter speed, blurs images, and increases noise. Telephoto or macro photography often involves a trade-off between overall sharpness and light intake.

OPPO's breakthrough lies in leveraging AI imaging technology. With a 70mm f/2 hardware foundation, it achieves an f/16 effect while maintaining an actual light intake level of f/2.1. This poses a significant challenge to the imaging algorithm but represents AI's most crucial application scenario in mobile imaging.

To achieve accurate white balance, the Find X8 Ultra introduces the True Color lens, named the "Danxia True Color lens." As the name suggests, it's designed to further restore the color temperature and light captured by the sensor.

Its implementation principle is intriguing. Traditional smartphones usually lack color temperature sensors, resulting in the camera sensor capturing and mixing all colors into the image. In complex lighting environments like bars, music festivals, and concerts, photos often appear overly colorful and unfinished.

Therefore, compared to the hardware combination, the OPPO Find X8 Ultra's algorithm is even more powerful. It employs intelligent zonal color temperature calculation to enhance imaging accuracy in complex lighting and color temperature environments. For instance, darker scenes typically present two issues: obvious algorithmic traces that smear facial and clothing details, and slow focusing speed with a risk of out-of-focus. However, tech bloggers' reviews indicate that in single-light-source scenarios, the OPPO Find X8 Ultra suppresses lamp light sources and accurately restores the light-shadow transition on the model's face.

Some argue that excessive algorithm involvement in mobile phone imaging is meaningless and that AI imaging lacks authenticity. However, "New Standpoint" believes that given current optical and optoelectronic limits, algorithms are essential for meeting basic imaging requirements. Therefore, mobile phone photography cannot completely abandon algorithms at present.

A zoom lens that meets resolution, edge imaging control, chromatic dispersion control, and purple fringing control costs no less than 10,000 yuan, with no upper limit. But thanks to algorithms, even 2000-yuan smartphones exhibit minimal optical flaws in photos. It can be argued that algorithmic innovation has propelled mobile photography to its current heights.

In the "Ultra" market, a prevalent opinion dominates consumers' perception of flagship phones: more, stronger, and more professional. This mindset often leads to bulky bodies, cumbersome imaging modules, and extreme but not necessarily demanded functions, making Ultra almost synonymous with "non-daily use." It seems that if it's not "extreme" enough, it's not worthy of the Ultra name. Beyond this, Apple consistently tops the market with a different design philosophy for Ultra: pragmatism.

Now, OPPO Find X8 Ultra has joined this camp. It doesn't reject the traditional "Ultra" concept but seeks a deep balance without superficial extremes. For example, OPPO defines the Find X8 Ultra as "a regular high-end flagship with strong imaging capabilities," identical to the iPhone Pro Max. A favorable market opportunity lies in recent environmental changes potentially leading to significant price fluctuations for some foreign products, further enhancing the competitiveness of domestic brand flagship phones.

03. Final Thoughts

The return of the pure flat screen, the addition of dual-periscope telephoto macro photography, the color temperature control of the Danxia True Color lens, and the AI image assistant collectively form a comprehensive answer: The OPPO Find X8 Ultra is both a high-end imaging device and a daily-use flagship smartphone.

When the Find X8 Ultra's artificial intelligence algorithm compensates for physical imaging limitations, users can finally own an Ultra phone that doesn't constantly need to prove its professionalism but performs reliably in every moment.

This breakthrough doesn't lie in overwhelming specs but in deeply mining users' real-world scenarios. The dual-periscope telephoto lens aids compositional freedom during travel, zonal color temperature sensing meets store visit photography needs, and AI flash notes resolve information anxiety in learning and work.

As Steve Jobs said, "Design is not just how it looks and feels, but how it works." This launch event also signals the second half of the flagship phone competition. When the spec ceiling is within reach, whoever transforms technology into user-perceptible value will hold the scepter of defining high-end.

*The title image and images in the article are sourced from the internet.