the match that reveals Apple's weaknesses in photography

During a sea expedition off the Norwegian coast, we confronted several high-end smartphones with particularly demanding conditions, as part of the filming of one of our future YouTube videos. On board, the cold was bitter (-14°C), the air humid and the light often delicate.

Among the smartphones tested today: the Oppo Find X8 Pro at 1,199.90 euros and the iPhone 16 Pro Max at 1,479 euros.

This article was written as part of a press trip organized by Oppo.

Note that we deliberately chose automatic mode, the default mode, on both smartphones, without going through a RAW format or manual mode.

To go further
Oppo Find X8 Pro review: so much power under such wise looks

The promise of extreme zoom

From our first shots, the Find X8 Pro displays color. It features a dual 50 MP periscopic telephoto lens, with a zoom of up to x120 and smooth transitions between 3x and 6x in optics.

Opposite, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 12 MP periscopic telephoto lens, capping at 5x optical zoom and 25x digital zoom.

To start, we captured some ultra wide-angle (x0.5) images from the pontoon, despite the bitter cold.

The Oppo reveals astonishing sharpness, even on floor slats, while the iPhone shows rougher algorithmic processing, with less detail and duller colors.

The difference is significant, but does not prevent the iPhone from producing a “correct” photo.

Zoom all the way

We then pushed the test to the maximum zoom of the iPhone, i.e. x25, while the Oppo was ready to go well beyond, up to the famous x120. This is where the gap widens significantly.

At x25, the iPhone is no longer able to preserve details: digital noise is omnipresent, colors are less precise, and sharpness evaporates. On distant elements such as the boat's antenna or the hollows of the cliff, the image becomes barely usable.

The Oppo, with its dual 50 MP periscopic telephoto lens and “AI-boosted” processing (developed in partnership with Hasselblad), retains a surprising level of detail at similar zoom factors. The smoothing is there, but the photo remains significantly more usable, which is all the more impressive given its lower price than the iPhone.

The x120 zoom on trial

To go further, we compared a photo of an isolated house. The Oppo captured it at x120, while the iPhone stopped down at x25, before we cropped the iPhone's image to try to simulate an equivalent zoom. The result is clear.

On the Oppo image, the contours remain legible. The AI ​​perhaps smoothes the textures a little too much, sacrificing a little naturalness, but the result remains impressive and usable.

Colorimetric treatment and style

Our expedition allowed us to capture a stunning Norwegian sunrise, providing an ideal testing ground for the color rendering of both cameras. In x5 optical zoom, the iPhone 16 Pro Max regains the advantage in terms of sharpness. As expected, once it comes out of its extremes, it knows how to offer impeccable quality.

The Oppo, forced to crop beyond x3, loses a little of its sharpness, but preserves more subtle light nuances and more faithful to what we saw on site.

In classic wide-angle mode, both terminals deliver impeccable results. The differences relate more to the aesthetic signature specific to each brand than to technical superiority. Here, the iPhone remains solid and consistent, while the Oppo is sometimes more creative in color management.

Use and autonomy in real conditions

Despite the Norwegian cold and the sea wind, the Oppo Find X8 Pro was pleasant to use. The interface is clear, navigating between the different zoom levels is intuitive, and its 5910 mAh battery shows no signs of weakness after a long day of shooting.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, for its part, also benefits from excellent battery life and a fluid and stable photo application.

The verdict after a day at sea

This sea expedition confirms that the Oppo Find X8 Pro clearly dominates in the particular exercise of extreme zoom, offering impressive image quality and algorithmic processing, especially at 1,199.90 euros. Compared to it, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, sold for 1,479 euros, appears less efficient on this specific point. This is a surprising finding, given Apple's reputation for excellence, and the premium status of its flagship.

However, let's not forget: the iPhone 16 Pro Max remains an exceptional smartphone. But contrary to popular opinion, the iPhone 16 Pro Max does not dominate mobile photography. Its strength lies in its versatility and consistency: it offers reliable results in all situations, without excelling in any particular area.

Faced with the Oppo Find X8 Pro, the technical limits of the iPhone become obvious, particularly in terms of zoom and image processing in complex conditions.

To find out more, visit our YouTube channel. We will soon publish a complete comparative video between these two smartphones, as well as with the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Pixel 9 Pro. You will then be able to judge for yourself the performance of each in varied conditions.