Oppo R7 Plus review: Monster truck

Synthetic benchmarks

The Oppo R7 Plus is powered by the Snapdragon 615, coupled with 3GB of RAM - the same hardware setup as the regular R7.

That said, Oppo has set different caps on the two quad-core clusters of Cortex-A53 cores and the R7 Plus reports a configuration of 1.5GHz and 1.21GHz for the CPU. The 5-incher had those numbers at 1.46GHz and 1.11GHz, while Qualcomm's default figures are 1.7GHz and 1.0GHz respectively.

And while Qualcomm's numbers are closer to the big.LITTLE idea, despite the actually identical processor cores, Oppo's take on the matter veers towards the Mediatek concept for True octa-core. Whatever you choose to call its CPU architecture, the Oppo R7 Plus is nicely equipped and we expected solid results.

It started to deliver as soon as it hit GeekBench, where it placed close to the Nexus 6 which packs a mighty Snapdragon 805 inside. Obvious archrival Huawei Mate7 is near, but trailing nonetheless. The whole S615 bunch is entirely left behind. The Galaxy A8, sporting an Exynos 5430 SoC, is somewhat better, though.

GeekBench 3

Higher is better

• HTC One E9+
  4796
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  4242
• LG G Flex2
  3604
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  3394
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  3375
• Motorola Nexus 6
  3285
• Oppo R7 Plus
  3204
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  3165
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  3094
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
  2937
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  2922
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  2880
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  2709
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  2683
• LG G Pro 2
  2585
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  2451
• LG G3
  2370
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  2336
• vivo X5Max
  2291
• HTC One Max
  1899

In the compound Antutu benchmark the R7 Plus splits the difference between the big boys and the pedestrian S615 performers. While slightly older flagships are comfortably in the lead, there are no S615-powered devices to threaten the R7 Plus. That includes the Galaxy A7, which scores nearly 10% less. Then again the Exynos-powered Galaxy A8 climbs to the top, rivaling last-year's Note 4. More importantly though, the Sony Xperia C4 posts superior results in both tests.

AnTuTu 5

Higher is better

• HTC One E9+
  50753
• Motorola Nexus 6
  49803
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  49554
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  49273
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  48361
• LG G Flex2
  47680
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  46307
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  45632
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  42460
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
  42211
• LG G3
  42038
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  41510
• Oppo R7 Plus
  37750
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  34491
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  31436
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  29907
• vivo X5Max
  29630
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  29452

The general results are much the same, when we head over to Basemark OS II. The R7 Plus is good enough to beat the competition with the same chipset, with the Xiaomi Mi 4i (not actual market rival, used here for performance comparison) coming the closest. Here, however, the Xperia C4 places behind the R7 Plus too.

Basemark OS II

Higher is better

• LG G Flex2
  1601
• Motorola Nexus 6
  1509
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  1370
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  1332
• LG G3
  1327
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  1267
• LG G Pro 2
  1140
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  1120
• HTC One E9+
  1109
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
  1003
• Oppo R7 Plus
  913
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  857
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  843
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  830
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  814
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  786
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  737
• vivo X5Max
  620
• HTC One Max
  588

Perhaps most troubling here is the single-core score. It's of little consolation that the last place is shared with the Galaxy A7, when many apps still only rely on one processor core and the R7 Plus is finding it hard to keep up.

Basemark OS II (single-core)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  2574
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  2559
• LG G Flex2
  2528
• HTC One E9+
  2439
• LG G Pro 2
  2401
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  2334
• LG G3
  2267
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
  2236
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  2216
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  2118
• Motorola Nexus 6
  1967
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  1932
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  1853
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  1819
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  1651
• vivo X5Max
  1618
• Oppo R7 Plus
  1572
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  1572

The Oppo 6-incher picks up speed in the multi-core section of the benchmark, where it's on par with the S810-powered LG G Flex2. Mediatek's actual True octa-cores are stealing the show here, joined by the Huawei Mate7, packing an in-house Kirin 930 chip.

Basemark OS II (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  16911
• HTC One E9+
  16580
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  15012
• LG G3
  9975
• Motorola Nexus 6
  9915
• Oppo R7 Plus
  9817
• LG G Pro 2
  9802
• LG G Flex2
  9758
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  9590
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
  9364
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  9332
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  9284
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  9198
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  7749
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  7515
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  7002
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  6467
• vivo X5Max
  5212

Different numbers, but similar proportions are to be observed in the newer Basemark OS II 2.0 benchmark. The major difference here is the multi-core test, where the R7 Plus is pushed down the ranks.

Basemark OS 2.0

Higher is better

• LG G Flex2
  1726
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  1353
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  1267
• Motorola Nexus 6
  1267
• HTC One E9+
  1227
• LG G3
  1189
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  1089
• Oppo R7 Plus
  968
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  939
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  849
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  813
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  757
• vivo X5Max
  656
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  296

Basemark OS 2.0 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  6165
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  6068
• Motorola Nexus 6
  5624
• LG G Flex2
  5597
• LG G3
  5396
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  4365
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  4338
• HTC One E9+
  3444
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  3008
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  2900
• Oppo R7 Plus
  2707
• vivo X5Max
  2580
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  2480
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  2452

Basemark OS 2.0 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• HTC One E9+
  28201
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  24035
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  22387
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  21753
• Motorola Nexus 6
  21026
• LG G Flex2
  18856
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  18386
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  17882
• Oppo R7 Plus
  16784
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  16640
• LG G3
  16485
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  13521
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  9755
• vivo X5Max
  8327

The Adreno 405 GPU inside the Snapdragon 615 was never one to impress with performance but Oppo does seem to be making the most of it. It posts virtually the same score as the R7 in Basemark X, both well above the chip's average.

Basemark X

Higher is better

• Motorola Nexus 6
  20901
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  20043
• LG G Flex2
  19360
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  13414
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  13075
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  11875
• LG G3
  10580
• HTC One E9+
  9639
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  8838
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  6501
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  5382
• HTC One Max
  5353
• Oppo R7 Plus
  5349
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  4953
• vivo X5Max
  4893
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  4875
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  4802

GFXBench reports mostly the same scores for all S615 devices and the ones we picked for comparison are all 1080p units so there isn't the usual 720p/1080p division. Higher-grade Adrenos inside flagship chipsets perform notably better, but even the Mali T628 inside the Mate7 manages to pull ahead.

GFX 2.7 T-Rex (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• LG G Flex2
  49
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  40
• Motorola Nexus 6
  38.9
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  31
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  30
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  28
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  27.2
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
  26.3
• LG G3
  26
• LG G Pro 2
  22.9
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  16.4
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  15
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  15
• HTC One E9+
  15
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  15
• Oppo R7 Plus
  15
• vivo X5Max
  15
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  14.2
• HTC One Max
  14
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  14

GFX 2.7 T-Rex (onscreen)

Higher is better

• LG G Flex2
  48
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  30
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  30
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  28
• Motorola Nexus 6
  27.4
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
  26.7
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  26
• LG G Pro 2
  24.1
• LG G3
  20
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  19.5
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  17.4
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  15.1
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  15
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  15
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  15
• Oppo R7 Plus
  15
• vivo X5Max
  14
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  14
• HTC One E9+
  10

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• LG G Flex2
  22
• Motorola Nexus 6
  18.6
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  18
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  13
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  13
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  11.3
• LG G3
  11
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  11
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 S800
  9.9
• LG G Pro 2
  8.7
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  8
• HTC One E9+
  6.6
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  6.2
• Oppo R7 Plus
  6
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  6
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  5.9
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  5.8
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  5.7
• vivo X5Max
  5.7

The Kraken 1.1 JavaScript benchmark displays an interesting division between the compared devices. Snapdragon 800-series devices are grouped together, among them the Mate7 and the Zenfone 2. Then comes the second tier, formed by the familiar S615 bunch, with the R7 Plus smack in the middle. Trailing the chart are the competing Mediateks.

Kraken 1.1

Lower is better

• LG G Flex2
  4621
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  5057
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  5094
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  5181
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  5567
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  6072
• Motorola Nexus 6
  6088
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  6382
• LG G Pro 2
  6578
• LG G3
  7632
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  11257
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  11439
• Oppo R7 Plus
  11908
• vivo X5Max
  11967
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  12266
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  15815
• HTC One E9+
  17430
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  18124

All-round HTML performance appears to be more dependent on software, as members of different chipset groups are all over the place. The R7 Plus takes two important victories in this one - both the Mate7 and the Xperia C4 are a mile behind.

BrowserMark 2.1

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop
  2232
• LG G Flex2
  2086
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  1992
• Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML (Z3580) retail
  1853
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (S615)
  1655
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  1543
• LG G3
  1453
• Motorola Nexus 6
  1447
• Oppo R7 (retail)
  1433
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  1396
• LG G Pro 2
  1346
• Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5)
  1343
• HTC One E9+
  1279
• Oppo R7 Plus
  1224
• Huawei Ascend Mate7
  795
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  793
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  748
• vivo X5Max
  607

Uninspiring single-core results aside, the Oppo R7 Plus is among the best-performing Snapdragon 615 devices, we've had the opportunity to test. The GPU was never meant to excel with FullHD resolutions but does a decent job, while the overall results are consistently first among equals.