First look: OPPO F33 — The phone built for big group moments

In India, to say social media has taken off is a gross understatement. Everyone these days is either creating reels or posting new pictures on their Instagram. As a result, a phone with a good front-facing camera has become critical. However, phones that house an excellent front camera setup are often the flagships. There aren’t many options available in the mid-range segment as such. 

But that is changing since OPPO has recently unveiled its F33 series. With the release of this particular lineup, the brand aims to shift the narrative of its F series and position itself as the “Selfie Champion”. 

The OPPO F33 Pro and the OPPO F33 make up the lineup, both designed to capture big group moments. Let’s take a look at how well the OPPO F33 series manages to do so.

A selfie for everyone 

The OPPO F33 Pro’s front features the GC50F6 sensor, which supports an f/2.0 aperture, guaranteeing high-resolution selfies with clear facial details. The selfie samples speak for themselves. However, it doesn’t stop there; the device has additional tricks up its sleeve that have not been seen in this segment before.

When taking a group selfie, often a common disappointment is that not everyone fits in the frame. Imagine a group of 5 to 6 people struggling to fit in – it’s a common occurrence for everyone. But to tackle this, OPPO has played a very smart game; they’ve integrated a 50MP ultrawide camera on the front, which goes to 0.6x zoom and offers close to a 100° FOV, enabling big group pictures to be possible.

The device further enhances this experience with intelligent detection in the selfie camera. As soon as the phone detects that there are more than 2 people in the frame, it seamlessly switches from a 1x view to a 0.6x wide-angle to house more people in the picture. 

The rear, meanwhile, houses a dual 50MP + 2MP camera setup, which produces excellent results in both daytime and nighttime. Additionally, users can also add creative film styles, which offer colourful tones, offering soft colours to make photos look more natural and stylish. I particularly enjoyed playing around with the new film styles that have been added with the F33 series, since they add a unique feel to every image.

One of the best features that I noticed with the rear camera was the inclusion of the AI Portrait Glow, which uses the rear flash. It is extremely useful when clicking portraits in the dark. Due to the rear housing a flash, the nighttime results are mind-blowing. It provides a complete lighting solution, automatically fixing difficult lighting so that faces never look flat or dull. 

Additionally, there’s also the super useful front fill light, which does the same job as the rear flash but for the selfie department. It is a multi-coloured flash that adds colourful lighting to your selfies to help create stylish photos. It adds soft, adjustable colours that help faces look brighter and more natural. Ideal for night selfies, and it is easy to access within the camera app itself. 

Design that stands out from the rest

Another aspect where OPPO has evolved is with the design of the F33 Pro. After a long time, OPPO has introduced a completely redesigned camera module, which houses the dual camera setup and the flash. Due to this, the camera sits flush with the overall phone, helping you provide a much more premium experience.

Not only that, but they’ve made a strong case with the back panel and the various colour offerings. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Misty Forest colour variant, which looks and feels very unique. It most certainly is a headturner, as almost everyone around me wanted to grasp and look at the phone. Inspired by layers of mist and light in a quiet forest, the back panel gives a premium look.

Additionally, there’s also the bold Passion Red colour, which looks super premium, along with the Starry Blue colour, which is meant more for the calm and deep audience. Safe to say, there’s a colour offering for almost everyone. But aside from that, the overall profile, too, is very slim, at just 8.29 mm thickness. The phone is also very lightweight at just under 194 grams.

Creativity that never stops

The OPPO F33 series includes two unique camera features that have been the standout so far. One of them comes in the form of videos and is called the ‘dual-view video mode’, while the other one is the Popout feature. Both these features allow you to be creative in your very own way. 

Starting with the dual-view video, it has been built for the next generation of travellers and storytellers. The feature allows both the front 50MP camera and the rear 50MP main camera to record videos simultaneously. After that, the videos from the front and back are combined into a single video in real-time, which allows you to capture both the view of a destination along with your authentic reaction to it. All in all, creating a new meaning for lifestyle vlogging altogether. 

Coming to the Popout feature, it’s pretty unique as it allows you to create some moments that literally stand out. It has been designed to transform standard pictures into artistic collages with a single tap. The feature automatically isolates the subject from the background and then applies a stylistic effect to the environment. The final results are very unique, as they’re close to a 3D-like effect where the subject appears to “pop out” from the screen.

Speaking of additional AI features, the devices support Advanced AI Editor 2.0, which makes editing photos easier than before. It’s a set of AI tools built within the Photos app, and using just a few clicks, it becomes possible to edit your images with ease. 

Starting with the AI Perfect Shot, it can fix closed eyes or awkward expressions by using AI. It scans your previous photos taken for reference and offers expression options for seamless replacements. Moving on, there’s AI Recompose, which has been trained on professional data. Using AI, it automatically configures crucial things like aspect ratios and crops and adjusts images by fixing distortion and applying various filters. 

Lastly, there are a ton of AI-based one-click features like AI Reflection Remover, AI Clarity Enhancer, AI Unblur and AI Eraser 2.0, which are extremely useful to fix shots that might have some minor clarity issues here and there, hence making them a perfect picture.

Performance that doesn’t slow you down

Moving to the internals, powering the OPPO F33 series is the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 Max chipset, which has been built on a 6 nm process. This processor is specifically optimised to balance high-performance gaming and multitasking, along with efficiency for day-to-day usage.

The F33 Pro comes with 12GB of physical RAM, which is further expandable via RAM expansion on ColorOS 6. Along with that, it gets up to 256GB of fast storage, too. So safe to say that whether you are storing thousands of 50MP selfies or you are running twenty apps in the background, the hardware is tuned to ensure a lag-free experience.

To further enhance this, OPPO has also introduced the 72-Month Fluency Protection. This works by utilising OPPO’s proprietary Trinity Engine. It optimises RAM and storage by using AI to predict user behaviour. Things like pre-loading frequently used apps and cleaning up system junk in the background so the phone remains as snappy even in the long run.

Zero compromises on battery and charging

While major smartphone manufacturers have started pushing larger battery capacities due to recent advancements in battery technology, the biggest complaint that still concerns most users is charging. Having a big battery is a wonderful thing, but using the same old charging tech really compromises the day-to-day usage. Imagine being connected to the wall, waiting for your phone to charge – not the most optimal scenario, is it?

But with their F33 series, OPPO has listened to this feedback, and they’ve implemented it well. Not only do the phones pack in a massive 7,000 mAh battery, which is easily enough to last you two full days of usage, but as a cherry on top, there is the proprietary super-fast 80W SuperVOOC charging. It ensures that even a quick 10 to 15-min charge is enough to keep your phone full for a day’s worth of usage.

Most makers have also started reducing the contents of the box; for example, chargers have seen a big debate. Most flagships and mid-rangers these days do not even come bundled with a charger in the box, but OPPO’s approach is different. They’ve bundled their fast charger in the box of the F33 Pro, ensuring that users don’t have to spend any more money.

Durability that goes beyond the spec-sheet

Smartphones today often come with varying levels of durability. While most manufacturers claim that their phones can withstand drops, the actual performance in real-world scenarios is often disappointing. But the OPPO F33 series not only markets durability but also presents it as an engineering breakthrough.

The series introduces IP69K water and dust resistance, which is the industry’s highest standard. This ensures protection against high-pressure, high-temperature water jets and full immersion for up to 12 hours. And to top it off, the device has also passed 7 military standards i.e. the MIL-STD-810H environmental tests, ensuring it operates in extreme heat and humidity.

It goes above and beyond just the spec sheet since it also includes minor yet crucial touches. Critical components like the camera, speakers, battery, and vibration motors sit within a layered “airbag” system. Which is almost like foam and silicone pads that act as micro-shock absorbers. This zone helps prevent cracks and separation during drops. Hence, ensuring that the durability is not just for the spec sheet, but much more than that.

Software that complements the hardware

Hardware alone isn’t always the best way to judge a phone; software plays an equally important role, helping create the perfect smartphone experience. While some manufacturers are renowned for their excellent software, it is nearly impossible to find a device that strikes a balance between these two crucial factors. But OPPO, on the other hand, is again that rare maker who is known for both.

ColorOS has long been the standout for OPPO phones, which fuse a wonderful day-to-day experience with features that are actually worth using. For instance, take the F33 series; it runs on ColorOS 6, which is based on the latest Android 16, and it offers not only a wonderful experience but also combines some of the most useful AI features ever.

They are not merely for display; instead, you will find them highly useful, helping you in improving numerous aspects. For starters, there’s the AI Ultra-Clear Document Scanner, which is the native tool that automatically fixes shadows, folds, and uneven lighting in scanned documents into clear, usable PDFs. Furthermore, there’s also AI recording and transcription, which helps provide precise transcriptions and summaries, making it effortless to review interviews or meetings.

The device also supports seamless connectivity via O+Connect. This allows a really nice ecosystem pairing, as it supports users to mirror their screens and sync clipboards across Mac and Windows devices. For security-based features, there’s OPPO’s O-Lock, which introduces a remote lockdown system that prevents access to your device’s data if it gets stolen. There are options for forced shutdowns, USB data theft, and firmware flashing if the device is lost.

Final verdict

At the end, it is safe to say that the OPPO F33 series stands as a prime example of the idea that technology is at its best when it comes to bringing people together. It isn’t just any regular smartphone, but rather calling it a “group selfie champion” would justify its worth. The devices have been built to ensure that every important person is there for your biggest moments.

The OPPO F33 Pro comes at a starting price of Rs 37,999 and is available across offline stores, OPPO E-Store, Flipkart, and Amazon from 23rd April 2026. Meanwhile, the OPPO F33 starts at Rs 31,999, and it will be available from 29th April 2026.

Check out the pricing for the OPPO F33 series below: 

Phone	Variant	Price
OPPO F33	Rs 31,999	6GB + 128GB
OPPO F33	Rs 34,999	8GB + 128GB
OPPO F33	Rs 37,999	8GB + 256GB
OPPO F33 Pro	Rs 37,999	8GB + 128GB
OPPO F33 Pro	Rs 40,999	8GB + 256GB