Droid DNA-challenging, Oppo Find 5 1080p smartphone given $499 price tag in U.S.

The Oppo Find 5 1080p smartphone looks set to challenge the HTC Droid DNA soon, as a website has appeared offering the phone for $499 SIM-free. It's set for official announcement next week.

Before smartphones with 1080p screens reached the U.S. with the Verizon-exclusive Droid DNA, one of the first phones which boasted a Full HD screen to be discussed was the Oppo Find 5. Oppo may not be a brand one instantly connects with mobile devices, as it’s better known for its Blu-ray players, but if the Find 5 is anything to go by, the company is working hard to change that perception.

Initially expected to only be released on the Chinese market, it’s looking like Oppo will bring the Find 5 to the U.S. too, judging by its barebones oppousa.com website. It has been given a SIM-free price of $499, and is supposedly compatible with T-Mobile and AT&T’s networks.

For those who’ve not heard of the Find 5 before, here’s what it’s all about. The screen measures 5-inches and has a Full HD, 1080p resolution with a 441ppi pixel density, along with a covering of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2. Inside is a Qualcomm APQ8064 processor, better known as the quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, with a 1.5GHz clock speed. There’s 2GB of RAM to help it along, plus 16GB of internal storage memory too. The Oppo Find 5 runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, plus it has other features including GPS, Wi-Fi, DLNA, NFC and support for HSPA+ networks.

December 12 debut

Many were disappointed by the Droid DNA’s 2020mAh battery, although it hasn’t performed quite as badly as feared, but the Find 5 has a 2500mAh battery inside. While this has the potential to provide more energy, its longevity can be affected by how well the software has been optimized too; however, Oppo does not mention a skin over the top of Android, so this could be a clean install of Jelly Bean, which could help out even more.

The Oppo Find 5’s design is sleek, although all we have to go on at the moment is a set of press shots which look a little too computer generated for our liking. The $499 price is good, and comes in below that of the Droid DNA and the Samsung Galaxy S3, but until we see the real thing along with Oppo’s warranty information, it still remains a wild card.

Oppo will be launching the Find 5 at a special event to be held in Beijing on December 12, so we can expect the U.S. website to be updated after that time. You never know, it could turn out to be the second, major smartphone bargain of the year.