A 10x optical zoom telephoto lens inside a smartphone. That’s the headline feature of Oppo’s new Find X9 Ultra, and it’s not a digital trick — it’s real optical reach, achieved through a quintuple prism periscope system that bends light five times to fit inside the phone’s body. The result is a lens that shrinks by about 30% compared to conventional designs, yet still delivers sharp, stabilized long-range shots at f/3.5. For mobile photography, this is a leap into territory once reserved for dedicated cameras.

The Find X9 Ultra stretches reach to [460 mm], but the question is: who needs it most?  
Credit: New Atlas


Oppo’s strategy here is clear: tackle the areas where smartphones have traditionally struggled — zoom, control, and consistency. The Find X9 Ultra builds its system around dual 200‑megapixel sensors, one for the main camera and another for a 3x telephoto module that doubles as a macro lens. These are joined by a 50‑megapixel ultra‑wide with a 123‑degree field of view and a multispectral color sensor. Together, they cover focal lengths from 14 mm to 460 mm, giving the phone a range that spans landscapes, portraits, and distant wildlife. Hasselblad’s tuning ensures color accuracy and low‑light performance that aim to rival professional gear.

£1,449 buys a phone that thinks it’s a modular camera.  
Credit: New Atlas



The optional Hasselblad 300‑mm Explorer Teleconverter pushes this ambition further. It’s an external lens that mounts onto the 3x telephoto module, using a 16‑element optical design to extend reach to the equivalent of 300 mm. That translates to 13x optical zoom, with improved clarity even at 30x. No other smartphone maker has attempted something quite like this — it blurs the line between phone and modular camera system. For photographers, it means carrying a phone that can transform into a long‑range lens setup without the bulk of a DSLR.

“Color accuracy that rivals professional gear,” Oppo claims, as Hasselblad tuning takes over.  
Credit: New Atlas


Video capabilities are equally ambitious. The Find X9 Ultra records in 4K at 60 frames per second with Dolby Vision, supports 4K slow motion at 120 fps, and even captures 8K at 30 fps. For creators, Oppo adds professional tools: O‑Log2 for color grading, ACES workflow support, and the ability to import or burn in LUTs. RAW capture across focal lengths and Hasselblad’s Master Mode expand creative control, while film simulations provide quick stylistic options. This isn’t positioned as a casual point‑and‑shoot device — it’s closer to a hybrid production tool.

A [10x optical zoom] hides inside a body barely thicker than rivals.  
Credit: Oppo


The hardware backing all this is flagship‑grade. A Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor drives a 6.82‑inch AMOLED display with a 144‑Hz refresh rate. Power comes from a 7,050‑mAh battery, supported by 100‑watt wired charging and 50‑watt wireless charging. The design carries Hasselblad‑inspired detailing and durability ratings of IP66, IP68, and IP69, meaning it’s resistant to dust, immersion, and even high‑pressure water jets. Pricing starts at £1,449 in the UK — about $1,940 — with availability beginning next month. An official US release isn’t planned.

The Find X9 Ultra sits at an intersection: part smartphone, part compact camera, part creator’s toolkit. It reflects a broader trend toward camera‑centric devices, but Oppo’s approach is unusually aggressive. By integrating optical systems that were once thought impossible in a phone, and by offering modular expansion through the teleconverter, Oppo is testing how far mobile photography can go before it truly replaces dedicated gear. Whether it succeeds will depend not on spec sheets, but on how well these innovations perform in the hands of photographers. And that’s the real question: when the next breakthrough arrives, will the phone in your pocket finally be the only camera you need?


Source: New Atlas