This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
I've just finished my review of the Oppo Find X9 Pro, and I'll cut straight to the chase: this is the phone that iPhones and Galaxies dream of becoming when they grow up. Yes, it's that good, and it's slim pickings as to what other current phone can be considered a noteworthy rival to that exotic hailing from China.
I will not be yapping about the virtues of the Oppo Find X9 Pro, of which it has many: superb battery life, great display, top performance, and a very capable camera. No, instead, I will tell you about one very cool feature that has improved my quality of life as a father. A minor improvement, but one nonetheless.
Live Photos are the unsung hero of phone photography
Ever since my son was born five years ago, I've always tried to stick with a phone that lets you capture Live Photos. You know, those three-second short videos your iPhone captures just prior to and shortly after you hit the shutter button, the one feature that most regular people probably don't really care about.
The ability to both take a photo AND a short video comes in as indispensable when you want to capture a lovely memory, not only because you get slightly more context to an otherwise still photo but can also select another key frame when your newborn inevitably moves and fashions up a blurry mess.
Come to think of it, I haven't used a phone incapable of capturing live photos since 2020. That's because while they debuted on the iPhone, Live Photos quickly crossed the border and immigrated to Android, where they are currently thriving: pretty much all the relevant phone manufacturers have their own Live Photo alternative, like Pixel's Top Shot or Samsung's Motion Photo.
Chinese phone makers bring that up to eleven by, ahem, copying Apple's original concept nearly 1:1 on their devices. I know, I know, we should all huff and puff and be outraged that a Chinese company is stealing Apple's holier-than-thou features, but let's be honest, the opposite has happened as well, so there's no moral high ground here.
Oppo's Motion Photo elevates the concept
To my knowledge, the Oppo Find X9 Pro is the first phone that allows you to capture an actual Live Photo while recording a video with the camera. A big moment for all people that have little ones running around the house or creating that lovable chaos with their tornado energy and mysteriously sticky fingers.
Recommended Stories
Most phones have been capable of capturing a still image while recording a video for a pretty long time now (not so long for the iPhone though), but all of these have been exactly that: still images. No more, says Oppo, as the Find X9 Pro has a nifty setting that allows you to either capture a still or a motion photo that acts just like your regular Live Photo.
And that's genius! Now, while capturing a 4K video of my son or my newborn daughter, I can quickly tap the auxiliary shutter button, and then presto, a live photo will be waiting for me in the phone's gallery.
What's more, when you edit the motion photo, you can choose a different key frame and apply a slo-mo effect, creating a short but potentially stunning video.
While it's not a truly revolutionary feature and probably one you'd hardly ever care about, it's one that I will definitely use whenever possible, and I appreciate the thought that went into implementing it on the Oppo Find X9 Pro.
Buy 3 Months, Get 3 Free
Visible+ Pro – up to $135 savings on Verizon’s fastest 5G
Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: