Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G Review: A Dependable Mid-Range Phone | But Is It Worth Buying?

I've been fiddling around with the Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G in its stunning Himalayan White finish for about a week now, and it's quickly become my go-to for those long days out and about without a charger in sight. The highs are hard to ignore: that massive battery that barely budges, a build tough enough to survive my clumsy adventures, and a display that's a joy for binge-watching on the go. But it's not flawless—there's some pesky bloatware cluttering the experience. At a starting price of Rs. 32,999 in India, it's positioned as a rugged mid-ranger that prioritises endurance over flashy-ness. But in a market flooded with powerhouses, is the Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G's focus on reliability enough to justify skipping newer chipsets for something that just won't quit? Let's find out in our detailed review

Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G Design

From the moment I unboxed it, the Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G felt like a premium piece in my hand, with its sleek polycarbonate back and aerospace-grade aluminum frame giving off a luxurious vibe that's a cut above most mid-rangers. The Himalayan White colourway is a standout, a subtle shimmer that catches the light without screaming for attention, and it resists fingerprints way better than darker shades. I love the circular camera ring on the back; it's a refreshing throwback to cleaner designs, especially when so many brands are just aping Apple's square module like it's 2020 all over again. That said, the boxy silhouette with its flat edges and minimal curves makes one-handed use a bit of a stretch.

At 7.7mm thin and 195 grams, it's surprisingly light for its size, but the weight shifts toward the bottom, which can make it tippy on a desk. Durability is where it shines, though - with IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings plus MIL-STD-810H certification, I accidentally dunked it in a puddle during a hike and it came out unscathed—no water damage, no drama. Ports and buttons are thoughtfully placed for right-handers like me—the USB Type-C sits at the bottom flanked by the speaker grille and SIM tray on the same edge, keeping things symmetrical and cable-friendly. Volume and power buttons are textured and clicky on the right spine, while the top edge houses the IR blaster and noise-cancellation mic, leaving the left side blissfully empty. Overall, it's a phone that looks expensive and handles like it can take a beating.

Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G Display

The Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G rocks a 6.8-inch flexible AMOLED panel from BOE, clocking in at FHD+ resolution (2800 x 1280 pixels) with a pixel density of 453 PPI, a max refresh rate of 120Hz, and touch sampling up to 240Hz for snappy interactions. It supports 1.07 billion colors in 10-bit depth, hitting 100% DCI-P3 in Vivid mode or 100 percent sRGB in Natural, with typical brightness at 600 nits and a peak of 1600 nits in HBM for those sunny afternoons. Protected by AGC DT-Star D+ glass, it's got a 93.5 percent screen-to-body ratio that makes bezels feel non-existent.

In my time with it, the display has been a delight, colours pop vividly for movies on Netflix, and the adaptive 120Hz makes scrolling through Instagram or Reddit buttery smooth without any stutter. Responsiveness is spot-on for gaming taps or quick swipes, and the deep blacks make late-night reading easy on the eyes thanks to 2160Hz PWM dimming. Outdoors, it's mostly reflective-free under overcast skies, but direct harsh sunlight can wash out finer details a tad, forcing me to cup my hand around it more than I'd like. Still, for a mid-ranger, it's immersive and reliable.

Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G Performance

Under the hood, the F31 Pro+ 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset on a 4nm process, paired with up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM (expandable virtually to 24GB) and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage in higher configs—my unit has the base 8GB/128GB setup, which feels plenty zippy for multitasking. In my Geekbench 6 runs, it hit a single-core score of 777 and multi-core around 2510, while the GPU OpenCL benchmark clocked in at 3471.

On Antutu v11, it's pulling over 1,073,000 total, with solid breakdowns across CPU (404k), GPU (209k), MEM (200k), and UX (258k). These numbers paint a picture of a capable all-rounder—it's no flagship beast, but it sails through daily chores like email, browsing, and light editing without breaking a sweat. Gaming-wise, it holds up admirably, BGMI at high settings averages 50-60 FPS with minimal dips, and even Genshin Impact runs smoothly on medium graphics for sessions up to an hour. It does warm up noticeably after 30-40 minutes of intense play—peaking at around 42-degree celsius on the back—but the 5,219mm2 SuperCool VC cooling system keeps throttling at bay, so frame rates stay stable. For someone like me who games casually, it's more than enough; power users chasing 120FPS esports might feel it's a step behind fresher silicon.

Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G Camera

The camera array keeps it simple with a 50-megapixel main Sony sensor (f/1.8, OIS) for the heavy lifting, backed by a 2-megapixel monochrome depth helper (f/2.4), and a 32-megapixel front shooter (f/2.4) for selfies— no ultrawide here, which is a bummer for landscapes, but it supports 4K video at 30fps, slow-mo, time-lapse, and even underwater modes. In portraits, I love how it nails skin tones and adds a natural bokeh blur, making family shots feel warm and professional, though edge detection falters on curly hair or busy backgrounds, leaving some haloing that requires post-edits. Video shooting is steady thanks to OIS, delivering vibrant 4K clips with good stabilisation for walking vlogs, but audio pickup from the stereo mics can get muddy in windy conditions.

Selfies are punchy and detailed in daylight, with the AI smoothing giving a flattering glow, but it overprocesses in low light, washing out textures like freckles, fine for social media, less so for authenticity. Night photography is where it middles out - the OIS helps capture brighter scenes with less noise than my old phone, pulling usable shots at dusk without a tripod, but in pitch-black urban alleys, details blur and colors desaturate, making it just okay for Instagram stories rather than print-worthy. It's a reliable snapper for everyday moments, opinionatedly fun for casual users like me, but it won't wow shutterbugs craving versatility.

Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G UI

ColorOS 15 atop Android 15 is the F31 Pro+ 5G's software soul, and while it's fluid as silk with gesture navigation and smooth animations, it borrows heavily from iOS—like the split control center and notification shade—for an intuitive flow that makes switching from my old iPhone feel seamless. App launches are quick, and the always-on display is customsable without draining juice. That said, the bloatware is a real drag: out of the box, it's saddled with many pre-installs, including third-party junk like games and shopping apps that push notifications non-stop until you hunt them down.

The proprietary App Market is a hindrance during installs—it reroutes you through its ecosystem instead of Google Play, slowing things and feeling like an unnecessary gatekeeper. Worst of all, Hot Apps and Hot Games folders are glued in place; you can't delete them, turning your home screen into a digital flea market. AI perks like real-time translation and photo erasers are cool bonuses, and with two years of OS updates plus three for security, it's future-proof enough, but cleaning up the clutter took me a solid hour—once done, it's a pleasure, but Oppo, please, less is more.

Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G Battery

With a whopping 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, the F31 Pro+ 5G is an absolute champ in the endurance game, easily stretching to 1.5 days on heavy use. Think 6-7 hours of screen time with social scrolling, streaming, and some gaming, without dipping below 30 percent. On lighter days, it pushes two full days, sipping just 2 percent during 30-minute YouTube binges or 4 percent per hour of navigation. The 80W SuperVOOC charging is blisteringly fast, zipping from 0-50 percent in under 30 minutes and full in about an hour with the included brick, and it supports reverse wired charging for topping up earbuds in a pinch. Bypass charging kicks in during plugged-in gaming to cut heat and wear, promising over five years of health, and I've noticed zero overnight drain.

Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G Verdict

After a week, the Oppo F31 Pro+ 5G has won me over as a no-fuss workhorse that's built to last—perfect if you prioritise a tank-like phone that won't leave you stranded mid-day over raw horsepower or camera wizardry. It's ideal for students, commuters, or anyone tired of fragile glass slabs, delivering smooth daily performance and media bliss without the premium price tag. Battery life and durability are unmatched at this level, but the dated chipset holds it back from elite gaming, and the software needs a deep clean out of the gate. If you're eyeing it for Rs. 32,999, ask yourself: do you want a phone that survives life's chaos, or one that pushes pixels to the limit? For me, it's the former, hands down—a solid pick that punches above its weight in reliability.

Published on: Monday, September 29, 2025, 05:21 PM IST