Oppo F31 Pro 5G first impressions

We’ve just spent some time with the new Oppo F31 Pro 5G, and this phone feels like it’s trying to punch way above its Rs 26,999 price tag. It’s got a wild mix of premium features, quirky design choices, and one absolute monster of a battery. Let’s get into what it actually feels like to hold and use this thing.

The first thing you notice is the colour. Our review unit came in a “Space Grey” which is this very dark, almost charcoal grey with a warm undertone that feels quite luxurious. It’s also relatively slim for what it’s packing, measuring just 7.96mm thick. The frame has a convincing metallic look and feels extremely sturdy in the hand, though it’s not clear if it is actually metal.

The back panel itself is plastic. The whole thing feels its 190g weight, which is fair enough given the power plant inside. The phone is quite slippery, so you will probably want to use the included black rubber case.

The standout design choice is on the back. A massive squircle-shaped camera array houses what looks like four lenses. Looks can be deceiving though. You actually get two cameras, a flash, and one completely fake lens – perhaps for symmetry.

Let’s talk about the main event, the battery. Oppo has managed to cram a colossal 7,000mAh cell into the F31 Pro 5G. This is the kind of capacity that makes you forget where you put your charger. A few months ago, a phone with this much power would have been an absolute brick.

But thanks to recent silicon-lithium battery advancements, Oppo can keep the profile reasonably slim, while also (hopefully) delivering multi-day endurance. When you eventually run it down, the included 80W charger should get you back up to 100% in no time.

ALSO READ: Oppo K13 Turbo Pro review

Up front, the phone is built around a 6.57-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s something of a sweet spot when it comes to sizes, offering plenty of screen real estate without feeling uncomfortably large – though we wouldn’t declare it “compact” by any means.

The bezels look impressively thin at first glance – even if they are not quite uniform, with a slight chin at the bottom. Under the hood, the device is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset, which is kept cool by a 5219 mm² SuperCool VC system for thermal management. Our model came with 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

Perhaps the most shocking spec is its triple IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings for water and dust resistance, which is frankly insane for a phone at this price.

The camera system is headlined by a 50MP main sensor, supported by a 2MP secondary lens. For selfies, there is a 32MP shooter on the front. A nice bonus is that you can shoot 4K video on both the front and rear cameras.

So what do you think? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for the full review on Croma Unboxed!