Review: OPPO F21 Pro -- phone with the bling ring

OPPO has been doing a great job with their devices in the last couple of years - putting innovation in the forefront, addressing customer pain-points and improving the tech in every iteration. The last phone we reviewed was OPPO Reno6 and we were fairly impressed with it. Now we have our hands on OPPO's latest device for Bangladesh: F21 Pro. F series has a long-standing history of focusing on aesthetics and camera. How does the latest iteration fare? Here's our take.

Firstly, our review unit came in the standard commercial box. Although the YouTube reviewers got a special box much more accessories, we had to remain gratified with our mundane box. Our review unit came with a transparent back cover and a 33W SuperVOOC charger brick.

Design: Our review unit also came in the much-hyped sunrise orange fibreglass leather. One of the positive parts of this fibreglass leather is that it is durable, and you can wash it to remove any smudges. The overall colour scheme and design of the phone are quite hip and good enough to turn a few heads in meetings when I kept the phone on the table. The texture on the back felt good and provided a solid grip. The metal camera cut-out on the back was sturdy yet elegant. The chrome finish with complementing colours added a nice flair to the phone. The form factor is slim and quite light. Aesthetically, the phone is easily able to stand out in the crowd. Good job done by OPPO here.

Camera: Coming to the most prominent aspect of the phone - the camera is impressive, considering what you pay for. The usual gimmicks are there, but what we have new is the microscopic camera. Thanks to this camera, now you can take 15-30 times up-close photos of objects. Also, the camera has a bling ring - an orbital light which can double as a notification light. The orbital light's breath-in mode makes the phone even fancier.

Display: The display of the phone is what you expect these days - AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate. The full HD+ resolution of the phone offers better than many of the phones that the competition is offering. The colours were bright and vibrant, but with a slightly cool tone. However, that colour tone can be adjusted according to the user's preference. The fingerprint was snappy and touch responsiveness as per current standard.

Performance: Performance-wise, the phone is not the best, but we do not have any complaints about that. This phone was not meant to be a performer, rather it is meant to be a looker. But that does not mean that your daily activities will not be able to fly like a gentle breeze through it. You will be more than happy with its multitasking capability. The hiccup in performance can only be noticed when you are trying to play graphic-intensive games. The battery life of the phone was decent and the SuperVOOC charger made life even simpler. ColorOS of OPPO has also come a long way from cartoonish UI to a close-enough stock Android experience.

All in all, the F21 Pro by OPPO is an impressive phone with aesthetics that will definitely add bling to your lifestyle. At this price point, out of the several brands, OPPO's F21 Pro is definitely worth considering.