OPPO’s metal-clad F1 smartphone comes to Australia for AUD$299

Chinese smartphone manufacturer OPPO is bringing its latest wallet friendly smartphone – the OPPO F1 – to Australia at the beginning of next week. Despite a AUD$299 price tag, the OPPO F1 boasts an almost all-metal body, making it one of the cheapest locally available options for those looking for a "premium" device on a budget. Most other smartphones sold at a similar price point rely of plastic for the majority of their construction.

The device itself is a 5-inch Android handset running a customised version of Lollipop called ColorOS. OPPO has however been working on an almost unmodified version of Android for its family of phones, referred to as Project Spectrum. At present, Project Spectrum is only available for the Find 7 and R5, but OPPO has confirmed that it will come to other devices including the F1.

The OPPO F1's core specifications include a 720p display, a Snapdragon 616 octo-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, and a 2,500mAh battery. The device's front- and rear-facing cameras come in at 8MP and 13MP respectively.

OPPO says the front-facing camera's 1/4-inch sensor and f/2.0 aperture makes the F1 ideal for selfies.

The OPPO F1 will be available from February 8 from OPPO's online store, Dick Smith, and Move.