Don't buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, buy the Oppo Find X5 Pro instead

It's a question of price: the X5 Pro is now cheaper than Samsung's S22 Ultra for Black Friday sales

Oppo Find X5 Pro deals
(Image credit: Oppo / Future)

Price really dictates what's within your reach, especially when it comes to picking out one of the best new phones. Much as I love the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (I mean, c'mon, it was a T3 Award-winning handset this year), there's a big Black Friday deal bargain on the Oppo Find X5 Pro's asking price.

So if you're thinking "I want an S22 Ultra" then, well, this deal might well change your mind. Both Samsung and Oppo handsets are bona fide five-star products, no doubt about that, it's just that even last week a shiny new Oppo X5 Pro would cost you over a grand. Today that's dropped by 30%, bringing the asking price down to just £739

Oppo Find X5 Pro: was £1049, now £739 on Amazon

Oppo Find X5 Pro: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8434&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FOPPO-Smartphone-Snapdragon-primary-Supervooc%2Fdp%2FB09TBDZ92X%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">was £1049, now £739 on Amazon

The thing that really stands out about the X5 Pro is its design: there's an all-in-one rear glass panel that curves to meet its camera design. It looks like nothing else on the market today. It's also super powerful, thanks to Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 power, plus twin 50-megapixel cameras make it a dab hand in the photography department too.

I know, it might be hard to let go of your norm and shimmy over from Galaxy land to Oppo's world, but I don't think you'll regret it if you're letting your wallet lead the charge. The thing that really stands the Oppo apart from, well, everything for me is its design: the unique curved glass rear, which curves up to the camera enclosure, is unlike anything else you can buy today. 

Thinking you'll miss out on the cameras if you go Oppo X5 Pro instead of Galaxy S22 Ultra? It depends how much you want zoom. The Samsung has a 3x zoom lens as its third camera, whereas the Oppo has a 2x zoom. If you're zoom-crazy then, okay, the Samsung may be your best match. Otherwise give the Oppo a good think-over. 

So that's my pitch: don't default buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, consider the Oppo X5 Pro as a cheaper alternative instead. Or flip a coin, because I think both of these handsets are great flagships if you're looking for one of the best Android phones going and you'll be happy as Larry either way. 

Mike Lowe
Tech Editor

Mike is the Tech Editor and AV Editor at T3.com. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 and, as a phones expert, has seen hundreds of handsets over the years – swathes of Android devices, a smattering of iPhones, and a batch of Windows Phone products (remember those?). But that's not all, as a tech aficionado his beat for T3 also covers tablets, laptops, gaming, home cinema, TVs, speakers and more – there's barely a stone unturned that he's not had a hand on. Previously the Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for a 10 years, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more. In addition to his tech knowledge, Mike is also a flights and travel expert, having travelled the globe extensively. You'll likely find him setting up a new mobile phone, critiquing the next MacBook, all while planning his next getaway... or cycling somewhere.