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Oppo N1 Mini Hands on, Initial Review, Photos and Video

Oppo launched Oppo N1 mini in India and although the price was in line with what Oppo is asking in other markets, it wasn’t as aggressive as some other Chinese players are offering. We liked Oppo N1 in our time with the device and let’s talk about our expectations from Mini variant and whether it transfers the same experience to the mini variant.

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Oppo N1 Mini Quick Specs

  • Display Size: 5 Inch HD IPS LCD, 1280 x720 resolution, 294 PPI
  • Processor: 1.6 GHz Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 GPU
  • RAM: 2 GB
  • Software Version: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean based Color OS
  • Camera: 13 MP camera, Capable of FWVGA, 1080P video recording
  • Secondary Camera: rear swivel camera doubles as front camera as well
  • Internal Storage:  16 GB
  • External Storage: No
  • Battery: 2140 mAh
  • Connectivity:  HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, aGPS, Micro USB 2.0

Oppo N1 Mini Unboxing, Hands on Review, Price, Camera, Features, Comparison with N1 and Overview[Review]

Design, Build and Display

As you can observe, the design is identical to Oppo N1, but the Mini variant is easily manageable, more pocket friendly and light in weight, without making any compromises. The swivel camera is nicely built and smooth in operations. Oppo has paid attention to minute details and we really like the build quality on the device. You can also choose from light blue, lemon yellow (will arrive later) and White variants. Speaker Grill, Micro USB and Audio jack are all present at the bottom.

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Display is 5 inches in size and perhaps is slightly less dense at 294 pixels per inches, but colors, brightness and viewing angles of IPS LCD panel are good. At this price range the display lacks FHD resolution and Gorilla Glass 3/ Asahi Dragon trail protection, which will be difficult to swallow.

Processor and RAM

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Instead of Snapdragon 600, the mini variant employs 1.6 GHz Snapdragon 400 cortex A7 processor with Adreno 305 GPU, similar to what we saw in HTC Desire 816. The processor is in no way a slouch but is shadowed by availability of Snapdragon 800 in phones like Nexus 5, Gionee Elife E7 and Xiaomi Mi3 for same or lesser price.

Camera and Internal Storage

The 13 MP swivel camera is indeed better than what we saw on Oppo N1. The 13 MP sensor can also shoot 24 MP shots, a software trickery it borrows from Oppo Find 7 & 7a. We don’t see ourselves using it much on day to day basis but it’s another cool feature to have. The camera app is standard Color OS app same as that in Oppo N1. It definitely challenges the HTC Desire 816 camera which is also pretty good.

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Internal storage is 16 GB and unfortunately this is not expandable. This is another drawback at this price point as 16 GB runs out quite fast and this doesn’t make it an ideal device for heavy users.

User Interface and Battery

User interface is color OS on top of Android 4.3 jelly bean. It’s not android Kitkat and you won’t get optional ART runtime, but it still comes with FSTRIM for better storage management. On user end, the software is heavily customized with color ROM offering several options, but whether or not you like it will be depended on your taste.

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Battery capacity is 2140 mAh which again sounds average on paper. Oppo hasn’t yet revealed any battery backup data yet. We will comment more on the battery backup after full review.

Oppo N1 Mini Photo Gallery

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Conclusion and Price

Oppo N1 Mini is a well built decent smartphone which successfully transfers Oppo N1 experience to a not so mini 5 inch variant, but it is not for everyone. The price isn’t very aggressive but even with presence of Nexus 5 and Elife E7 in the vicinity, Oppo N1 Mini has a build that will tempt you to prefer it over others. A slightly better display and expandable storage or perhaps a lower price tag would have made the device more attractive. It will be available for 26,990 initially starting from today.

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Deepak Singh

The Author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to, and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion to write, learn and improve drives him each day. When his day ends, he enjoys the pleasant languor and detoxifies with family. You can connect with him on and Twitter