Oppo Find 7 vs HTC One (M8): the weigh in

The HTC One (M8) is currently sitting comfortably on top of Stuff’s Top 10 smartphone list, and it’s already defended its position against the Sony Xperia Z2 and Samsung Galaxy S5. But that doesn’t mean it can relax.

The Oppo Find 7 is one of many rivals waiting in the wings, waiting to usurp the M8.

We’ve already reviewed its brother the Find 7a, but we’re comparing how the 2K Find 7 fares against the One M8 on paper. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Pixel power

The HTC One (M8)’s 5in screen is a little larger than the original One’s 4.7in offering, but it’ll still look small compared to the Oppo Find 7’s huge 5.5in display.

Despite the larger screen, the Find 7 comfortably trounces the M8 in the ppi department, thanks to its insane 2560 x 1440 resolution. That’s quad HD (QHD), otherwise known as 2K, and it’s the same resolution we expect to see crop up in the LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime.

While the M8’s screen is lovely in its own right (and will be much easier to use one-handed), we have to give this round to the Find 7 for now.

Winner: Oppo Find 7

Metal vs plastic

The HTC One (M8) is widely regarded as the most premium Android handset ever made, thanks to its machined unibody aluminium build.

Its rounded design lets it sit comfortably in the hands, and its brushed metal finish oozes class.

If the Find 7a is anything to go by, then the Find 7’s build will be solid and well-made, despite its plastic construction. Its textured back should offer some much-needed grip, and its bottom curve LED notification strip is a nice little touch that sets it apart from the competition.

For its pure class however, the M8 wins the design round once again.

Winner: HTC One (M8)

Imaging prowess

Both the M8 and Find 7 have interesting cameras. The M8 retains the same 4MP UltraPixel camera found on its predecessor, but adds a second lens which captures depth information.

This allows the M8 to refocus on subjects and background after photos have been taken, Lytro-style.

Detail is sometimes lacking however, due to the 4MP sensor. The M8 isn’t the best option for people who like cropping into photos. It does perform well in low-light conditions however, thanks to its light-guzzling sensor.

The Find 7 doesn’t have a fancy depth sensor, but it does offer something else. 50MP photos. Well, sort of.

In reality, the Find 7 stitches together ten 8160 x 6120 burst shots to create one huge 50MP photo, allowing you to crop into shots without losing much detail.

It performs admirably in both well-lit and dim conditions, though doesn’t offer the absolute best smartphone shots around.

If you prefer fine detail and like cropping into photos, then the Find 7’s camera will be the better choice for you.

If you’re content with just snapping memories and sharing them on Facebook however, then the M8 is the way to go.

Winner: Draw

Power and battery life

Both the Find 7 and M8 have quad-core Snapdragon 801 processors, although the Find 7’s is clocked slightly higher at 2.5Ghz.

The Find 7 also has 3GB of RAM, and although we’ve yet to see the 2GB of RAM on the M8 struggle, the Find 7 is the more future-proof device, on paper at least.

The HTC One’s 2600mAh battery might be smaller than the Find 7’s 3000mAh offering, but the M8 has a smaller screen with less pixels to push (along with an excellent power-saving mode), so we expect battery life to be similar, if not slightly less on the Find 7.

Winner: Draw

Android Tweaks

The One M8 comes with Android KitKat 4.4 straight out of the box, with HTC Sense 6.0 layered over it.

Sense 6.0 is one of the best Android skins available, and it offers some genuinely useful features in addition to looking pretty.

BlinkFeed is the main attraction, offering up social updates and news with a simple swipe on the home screen.

The Find 7 is still running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean along with Oppo’s ColorOS which allows gesture controls to open up apps as well as different themes to drastically change the look when you’re in the mood for a makeover.

For having KitKat, coupled with one of the best Android skins around, the M8 takes this round.

Winner: HTC One (M8)

Initial verdict

While there’s plenty to like about the Oppo Find 7, we’d pick the HTC One (M8), thanks to its superb build, better OS experience and clever camera.

We also expect the M8 to have a better battery life, although we can’t confirm this until the Find 7 has been reviewed in full.

If you’re a screen fiend and care about size, then the Find 7 will obviously be your preferred choice. We’ve yet to see the 7’s 2K screen in person, but if you think 1080p is more than enough for your retinas to soak in then you might want to take a look at the Oppo Find 7a or Galaxy Note 3 instead.

Stay tuned for a full in-depth Oppo Find 7 review, after which we’ll update this feature to reflect any changes.

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.