The base variant of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro has established its position as a great all-rounder in the sub Rs. 15,000 segment. As you go higher up the variant order, though, you will notice that the higher priced variants face competition from the likes of the Realme X2 and the Redmi K20. The freshly launched Oppo F15 is available in only one configuration for Rs. 19,990 and is also now a competitor to the top-end variant of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, which costs Rs. 17,990 in India. There is a price difference between the two, so should you spend extra for the Oppo F15, or does the Redmi Note 8 Pro have the chops to keep you happy? We compare these two smartphones to find out.
Redmi Note 8 Pro vs Oppo F15 design
We already know that the Redmi Note 8 Pro (Review) is a well-designed smartphone. It offers Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and the back, which gives it a premium look and feel. However, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is a thick smartphone and it might not appeal to everyone. The Oppo F15 (Review) also has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the front but has a laminated back. While this also looks relatively premium, it doesn’t feel as nice in the hand. However, the Oppo F15 does have size and weight on its side, as it is thinner and lighter making it easier to use.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro sports the bigger display here, measuring 6.53-inches while the Oppo F15 sports a 6.4-inch display with thin bezels all around. The button placement on the Oppo F15 is a lot better than that of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. It also has an edge with its in-display fingerprint scanner whereas the Redmi Note 8 Pro sports a traditional scanner on the back. Both smartphones have USB Type-C ports, 3.5mm headphone jacks, and loudspeaker grilles at the bottom. The Redmi Note 8 Pro also sports an IR blaster on the top which is quite handy.
The Oppo F15 is lighter than the Redmi Note 8 Pro
Oppo has managed to keep weight down but the battery capacity has taken a small hit. At 4,000mAh, the battery is smaller than the 4,500mAh battery in the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The F15 gets support for fast charging, and Oppo has bundled a 20W charger in the box whereas the Redmi Note 8 Pro has an 18W charger.
Redmi Note 8 Pro vs Oppo F15 specifications and software
These two smartphones are powered by completely different hardware. The Redmi Note 8 Pro sports the MediaTek Helio G90T and is available in three variants. The base variant offers 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for Rs. 14,999, while higher variants offer 128GB of storage with 6GB RAM or 8GB RAM, priced at Rs. 15,999 and Rs. 17,999 respectively.
The Oppo F15, on the other hand, is powered by a MediaTek Helio P70 SoC, which we have even seen in other smartphones priced at around the Rs. 10,000 mark. This smartphone is available in one configuration only, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage priced at Rs. 19,999.
Both smartphones sport UFS 2.1 storage and offer the option to expand it using their dedicated microSD card slots. The Oppo F15 packs in an AMOLED display while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro has an HDR LCD display. The Oppo F15 runs Colour OS 6.1.2, whereas the Redmi Note 8 Pro runs MIUI 11, but both skins work on top of Android 9 Pie. You can read about these UIs in detail in our full reviews of these respective smartphones. We prefer ColorOS because it is less intrusive in terms of notification spam.
Redmi Note 8 Pro vs Oppo F15 performance
If you have read our review of the Oppo F15, you will know that it does not have the kind of brute power that the Redmi Note 8 Pro does. You won’t really notice the difference between the two when it comes to day-to-day use, as both deliver smooth performance without any lag or stutter. However, benchmarks and heavy apps or games will tell a different story.
Since we have the 8GB RAM variants of both these smartphones, we went ahead and put them through our benchmark tests to see how they compare to each other. In AnTuTu 8, the Redmi Note 8 Pro managed to score 2,87,943 whereas the Oppo F15 scored 194,983. In Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core tests respectively, the Redmi Note 8 Pro scored 487 and 1,636 while the Oppo F15 managed 279 and 1,417. As for graphics benchmarks, the Oppo F15 managed 36fps in the GFX Bench T-Rex scene, while the Redmi Note 8 Pro delivered 58fps.
The Oppo F15 has an AMOLED display while the Redmi Note 8 Pro has an LCD panel
We played PUBG Mobile on both these smartphones and it was evident that the Redmi Note 8 Pro has the edge. It defaulted to the High settings compared to the Medium settings that the Oppo F15 ran at. Interestingly, the Oppo F15 ran the game without any issues while the Redmi Note 8 Pro did get warm to the touch after gaming for a while.
In our HD video loop battery life test, the Redmi Note 8 Pro managed to go on for 14 hours while the Oppo F15 managed 14 hours and 48 minutes. This is surprising since the Oppo F15 has a smaller battery. Both smartphones lasted over a single day of ordinary use. For charging, the Oppo F15 has an advantage thanks to a smaller battery and faster charger. It managed to charge to 47 percent in half an hour and 88 percent in an hour. The Redmi Note 8 Pro managed to charge to 32 percent in 30 minutes and went up to 62 percent in an hour.
Redmi Note 8 Pro vs Oppo F15 cameras
Both the Oppo F15 and the Redmi Note 8 Pro sport quad-camera setups, but the configurations are different. The Oppo F15 has a 48-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera that also functions as a macro camera,a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor. At the front, it has a 16-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro sports a 64-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.79 aperture. The second camera is an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle one with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. Xiaomi has also added a 2-megapixel macro camera, and the fourth one is a 2-megapixel depth sensor. At the front, this phone has a 20-megapixel selfie shooter.
Both phones have simple, straightforward camera apps which are easy to use. We shot the same scenes using the two phones at the same time to gauge their performance. Both phones are quick to lock focus, and their respective AIs were capable of detecting the scenes we were shooting. In daylight, both phones were capable of metering light correctly, but the Redmi Note 8 Pro delivered more accurate results.
Daylight Redmi Note 8 Pro and Oppo F15 camera samples (Tap to see resized sample)
While taking close-ups, we did notice that the Redmi Note 8 Pro had trouble locking focus. You will need to check for focus when shooting with the Redmi Note 8 Pro, whereas the Oppo F15 could manage it on its own. The results, however, were in favour of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, as it managed to reproduce much better details than the Oppo F15.
Closeup Redmi Note 8 Pro and Oppo F15 camera shots (Tap to see resized samples)
For macros, the Oppo F15 uses its wide-angle camera which helps it deliver higher resolution images with better details. The Redmi Note 8 Pro with its 2-megapixel dedicated macro camera is no match for the Oppo F15 here. For portrait shots, both smartphones let you set the level of blur before taking a shot. Both phones manage edge detection quite well, but the Oppo F15 managed colour tones better than the Redmi Note 8 Pro.
Macro Redmi Note 8 Pro and Oppo F15 camera shots (Tap to see resized samples)
Portrait Redmi Note 8 Pro and Oppo F15 camera shots (Tap to see resized samples)
Both phones metered light correctly when clicking selfies. With beautification enabled, we noticed that the Oppo F15 was a little more aggressive with the skin smoothening but you can dial it down before taking a shot. The Redmi Note 8 Pro, on the other hand, sharpens images a bit too much. With beautification turned off, it was the Oppo F15 that produced better selfies.
Selfie Redmi Note 8 Pro and Oppo F15 camera samples (Tap to see resized samples)
In low light, the Redmi Note 8 Pro was aggressive with sharpening again, causing the edges of objects to look jagged. The Oppo F15 fared better than the Redmi Note 8 Pro in low light. With night mode enabled on both phones, they managed to produce brighter images. The Redmi Note 8 Pro captured better details, but at the cost of some artefacts in the output.
Night mode Redmi Note 8 Pro and Oppo F15 camera samples (Tap to see resized samples)
Video recording maxes out at 4K on the Redmi Note 8 Pro while the Oppo F15 is restricted to 1080p which is quite shocking considering its price. There is stabilisation on both these devices, but the Oppo F15 metered light better than the Redmi Note 8 Pro.
Verdict
The Oppo F15 was launched recently, and we found it to be overpriced when we reviewed it. At Rs. 19,999 it costs Rs. 2,000 more than the top-end version of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, even though the latter has several features that are more attractive. The MediaTek Helio P70 SoC powering the Oppo F15 cannot keep up with the MediaTek Helio G90T in the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The Oppo F15 is stylish, easy to carry, and offers slightly better battery life. Its macro and selfie camera performance is also better. If you are looking for any of those specific things, you can consider the Oppo F15. However, for most people and most use cases, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is a no-brainer as it offers very good performance and will also save you Rs. 2,000. If you don’t need 8GB of RAM, you can even save Rs. 4,000 by going for the middle variant which has 6GB of RAM and the same 128GB of storage.
Redmi Note 8, Redmi 7, Realme 5s, and More: Which are the best phones under Rs. 10,000 in India right now? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
