OPPO F29 review: style meets strength

OPPO recently unveiled two smartphones under its new F29 lineup. As expected, the Pro model grabs the spotlight with a more powerful chipset and faster charging capabilities. Meanwhile, the standard F29, priced at Rs 23,999, may appear more modest on paper – but it’s still worth a closer look.

Despite its affordable price, the OPPO F29 doesn’t cut corners when it comes to durability and key features, matching up well with its more premium sibling, the OPPO F29 Pro. Both variants also offer a similar camera setup and display. That raises the question: Is the standard F29 worth considering over its Pro sibling and rivals like Motorola and Nothing in the sub-Rs 25,000 segment? Read on to find out.

Verdict

The OPPO F29 5G makes a strong case for itself with a long-lasting battery for general users, a sleek yet highly durable IP69-rated design, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, and a vibrant AMOLED display. The phone also offers a decent camera system, although it continues to skip the ultra-wide snapper. Its performance is well-suited for casual users, but power-focused users may want to consider options from POCO and iQOO.

Design and display

Right off the bat, the OPPO F29 impresses with its premium design. Inspired by ‘natural minerals, ‘ the back panel features a smooth, stone-like texture that elevates its minimalist aesthetics. The phone has two colour options: solid purple and glacier blue. I used the Glacier Blue variant for review, which exhibits a striking colour shift under light and a subtle paintbrush-like texture when viewed from different angles.

Despite its plastic unibody, the OPPO F29 doesn’t feel sub-standard from any angle. OPPO has also prioritised durability by incorporating an industry-leading IP69 rating and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – the best protection for phone displays. The handset is protected against 18 different liquids, both hot and cold substances, making it one of the most resilient smartphones on the market. OPPO adds that its “360-degree Armour body” can withstand drops from considerable heights. We didn’t have the heart to drop the smartphone to test its durability, but the F29 undoubtedly feels sturdy.

The handset also provides a good in-hand feel, thanks to its flat edges and thin and lightweight design. Despite packing a mammoth battery, the OPPO F29 weighs only 189 grams and measures 7.7mm in thickness. As a part of its minimalist appeal, the back panel only has OPPO branding etched and a clean squircle camera module that doesn’t protrude. The rear module also blends in nicely with the phone’s subtle colour. 

The OPPO F29 boasts stereo speakers that are decently loud and crisp, along with a USB Type-C port on the bottom edge for charging and data transfer. For security, it features a reliably fast in-display fingerprint scanner. Additionally, OPPO’s exclusive Network Boost technology aims to maintain stable connectivity in a variety of scenarios – whether you’re out in the open or in more challenging environments like lifts or basements.

The OPPO F29 sports a 6.7-inch display of AMOLED variety with 1,200 nits peak brightness, FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and a punch hole setup for the selfie camera. It is a good display to look at with punchy and vibrant colours, even when looked at from an angle. Users do have the option to tweak the colour profile between Natural and Vivid, along with temperature: warm and cold, from the phone’s settings menu. Since it is an AMOLED panel, the contrast level remains impressive, ensuring deep blacks for an immersive viewing experience. 

However, there are slight bezels around the edges, and the phone can only stream content in FHD from Netflix and other streaming platforms. These, and the limited peak brightness, which might not always be legible under direct sunlight, are the only drawbacks of an otherwise excellent display.

Cameras

In terms of optics, the OPPO F29 features a 50MP primary camera paired with a 2MP mono sensor on the rear. The third lens ring is purely cosmetic and is included to maintain visual symmetry in the camera module. The front camera is a 16MP snapper for selfies and video calling. While this is not the most versatile camera setup within the price range, the OPPO F29 manages to hold its own. The handset delivers visually pleasing shots, particularly for casual users who prefer brighter, more flattering images. Portraits and selfies benefit from a softening effect that many might find appealing for social media use. However, its low-light photography needs improvement.

To give you a better perspective, we compared the OPPO F29 camera output with the OPPO F29 Pro and Realme 14 Pro.

Daylight

Despite featuring similar 50MP primary cameras, the three smartphones produce noticeably different results. The OPPO F29 tends to favour warmer or sepia tones with boosted exposure, which may appeal to some users. However, the handset fails to capture those fine details, which are better retained in the more natural-looking images from the OPPO F29 Pro. The Pro model also preserves shadows more effectively, resulting in superior dynamic range.

Compared to the Realme 14 Pro, the OPPO F29 produces less vibrant colours but avoids the excessive sharpening seen on the Realme. While neither phone offers particularly accurate colour reproduction, the OPPO F29 may appeal to users who prefer brighter overall results.

Portrait

The OPPO F29’s portrait shots also carry a noticeable warm tone, giving the subject’s face a yellowish tint. Clothing colours appear slightly off, but the phone captures relatively sharper details. In contrast, the OPPO F29 Pro delivers more accurate skin tones. When it comes to edge detection and the bokeh effect, both smartphones perform on a comparable level.

The Realme 14 Pro also struggles with edge detection and accurate skin tone reproduction. Its portraits exhibit a noticeable reddish cast, which gave my T-shirt a purplish hue. That said, the bokeh effect appears more natural than the OPPO F29.

Selfie

Once again, selfies from the OPPO F29 Pro’s front camera appear more balanced compared to the standard model. Furthermore, skin tones and colours aren’t as accurate as those captured by the F29 Pro. That said, the regular F29 tends to smooth out facial details for a more flattering look, which may appeal to casual users.

Much like its portrait shots, the Realme 14 Pro introduces a reddish tint to selfies, adding a touch of contrast to the images. It also preserves shadows and offers more facial detail than the OPPO smartphone. However, with its brighter output, the OPPO F29 could be an easier pick for most users.

Low-light (night mode)

The OPPO F29’s low-light images are best with night mode. While it doesn’t quite match the performance of the F29 Pro or the Realme 14 Pro in terms of controlled lighting and balanced exposure, it still manages to capture respectable detail—especially considering its price point. Colours may appear washed out, but the results are usable for casual photography.

In comparison, the Realme 14 Pro’s low-light images appear noticeably grainier than those from the F29 Pro.

Performance and software

At the core of the OPPO F29 lies the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB non-expandable storage onboard. It is a mid-range chipset from Qualcomm, which may not be the most powerful for the price but remains reliable for most daily activities. Before diving into the real-world performance, here’s a look at its synthetic performance.

The handset scores around 6 lakh on AnTuTu, which places it behind the Realme 14 Pro but roughly on par with the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion and OPPO F29 Pro. In Geekbench tests, the OPPO F29 demonstrates slightly better processing capabilities than the Realme 14 Pro, though the difference is unlikely to be noticeable in real-world use. That said, the OPPO’s Burnout CPU throttle score reflects solid, sustained performance. It throttled to around 80 percent of its peak, outperforming both the Realme and Motorola devices by a fair margin under continuous load.

The OPPO F29 is capable of running all popular smartphone games smoothly. In our tests with BGMI, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Real Racing 3, the handset delivered frame rates comparable to its competitors at similar settings. However, its thermal management during gaming could be better, as it warmed up by approximately 9 degrees on average after 30 minutes of continuous gaming per title.

That said, the OPPO F29 isn’t designed for power users or hardcore gamers. Instead, it caters to casual gamers and everyday users who prioritise a balanced experience for messaging, browsing, social media, and entertainment, making its performance trade-offs more acceptable in its segment.

On the software front, the OPPO F29 boots Android 15-based ColorOS 15 out of the box. If you have used an OPPO smartphone before, the UI will feel familiar, with more fluid animations, refreshed app icons, Clear Voice for background noise reduction during calls, and Instant Translation to convert text into any language, among other useful additions. The smartphone also features basic AI photo editing tools such as object eraser, remove reflection, enhance clarity, and more. The results are acceptable for the price.

The Pro model also comes with AI writing, summary assists, and more, which I couldn’t find on the regular F29 model.

The smartphone offers a wide range of customisation options but comes with a fair amount of pre-installed apps. On the bright side, most of these can be uninstalled after setup, allowing users to declutter their experience to an extent. Additionally, OPPO promises two years of major software updates and three years of security patches, ensuring decent long-term support.

Battery and charging

The OPPO F29 rocks a 6,500mAh battery, which is beefier than its Pro model by about 500mAh. This made the phone last about 16 hours and 5 minutes on the PCMark battery test, which simulates real-world tasks until the battery drops below 20 percent from 100 percent. The score is the second best in the segment, falling behind the Realme 14 Pro by just 4 minutes. Be that as it may, the OPPO F29’s efficiency while streaming videos is on par with the Realme offering. The handset consumed 3 percent battery after streaming a YouTube video for 30 minutes.

However, during gaming, the smartphone consumed 22 percent of its battery after playing BGMI, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Real Racing 3. While this is slightly on the higher side, it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for regular users who will primarily use the OPPO F29 for messaging, browsing, social media, streaming, and other everyday tasks. The battery can juice up from 20 percent to 100 percent in just over an hour using the charger provided in the box. The handset supports 45W charging, which is standard for the price range.

Final verdict

The OPPO F29 stands out as one of the most durable smartphones for Rs 23,999. It boasts an IP69 rating and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, which are typically reserved for ultra-premium devices. Beyond its rugged credentials, the handset strikes a balance between design, battery life, and day-to-day usability, making it a decent option in the mid-range segment.

Highlights include an immersive AMOLED display and a massive 6,500mAh battery that easily lasts a full day on a single charge. Powering the device is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, which handles everyday tasks and light gaming with ease. On the software front, the F29 ships with Android 15, complemented by OPPO’s thoughtful customisations.

While it may not lead the pack in raw performance or camera capabilities, the F29 focuses on what matters most to mainstream users – especially those shopping offline: durability, display quality, and long-term reliability.

Editor’s rating: 7.7 / 10

Reasons to buy

• Stylish design with an IP69 rating and excellent build quality.
• Large 6,500mAh battery with reliable endurance.
• Vivid 6.7-inch AMOLED display with good colour calibration.
• AI photo editing tools get the job done.

Reasons not to buy

• Cameras lack ultrawide lenses for landscape photography.
• Not ideal for heavy gaming or performance-centric users.