Oppo's 5G Find X5 series to employ both Qualcomm and MediaTek AP chipsets

According to Weibo-tipster Digital Chat Station, Oppo plans on releasing a handset this year that will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000, the chipmaker's top-of-the-line chipset. But at the same time, the company is also planning on releasing the same handset that will be equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The tipster says that the model sporting the Snapdragon component will be known as the "Qualcomm Edition."

While it isn't certain which Oppo model will be the recipient of this maneuver, one guess is that the top-of-the-line Find X5 series will be involved. Digital Chat Station says that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 version of the phone will be equipped with Oppo's own MariSilicon AI image processor which will not be found on the Dimensity 9000. As a result, the MediaTek powered version of the Oppo Find X5 might not feature a camera array with top-level features.

It would also indicate that the "Qualcomm Edition" of the device might be the Find X5 Pro which will offer several advanced AI-powered photography options. Oppo introduced the MariSilicon AI a little over two weeks ago and it will be manufactured by TSMC using its 6nm process node. Oppo says that it has three times the efficiency of the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) found inside the Snapdragon 888 SoC which Oppo deployed on the Find X3 line.

Now you might be wondering why Oppo would follow up the Find X3 with the Find X5 and not the Find X4. That's because the Chinese word for the number four is very close to the Chinese word for "death." We could see three different variations of the phone: the Oppo Find X5, the Find X5 Pro, and the Find X5 Pro Plus. The Find X5 is rumored to sport a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Refreshing the display 120 times a second could help drain the battery fairly quickly. So the display uses a low-temperature Polycrystalline oxide backplane (LTPO) which allows the screen to use a variable refresh rate depending on the content up on the screen. For example, a mobile game is bound to refresh at 120Hz for smoother animation. Static images like an email could refresh at a much slower rate which saves on battery life.

The Find X5 could be available in two configuration options (such as 8GB of memory and 256GB of 3.1 UFS storage, or 12GB of memory paired with 256GB of 3.1 UFS storage). The MediaTek version of the Find X5 may have a triple-camera setup including a 50MP primary camera using a Sony IMX766 sensor, a 50MP ultra wide-angle camera, and a 13MP Samsung telephoto camera. A 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor would handle selfies and video calls.

The buzz around the phone calls for a 5000mAh capacity battery to keep the lights on and Oppo's 80W SuperVOOC should make short work out of charging. That's for wired charging by the way. Oppo's 50W AirVOOC delivers fast charging via wireless charging pads.

Oppo's handsets are not available from any carrier in the U.S. and the company has said in the past that it has no plans to invade America. Still, having said that, Oppo recently merged with OnePlus which is one of the few Chinese smartphone manufacturers that is able to sell its phones through U.S. wireless providers. You might recall that in the past, some features introduced by Oppo would show up on OnePlus phones the following year.

This is because Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, Vivo, and IQOO are all owned by BBK Electronics, a Chinese smartphone, and consumer electronics manufacturer. And while many of these units might operate independently, the aforementioned brands are all under the same corporate umbrella.