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Performance and verdict

Performance

Outpaces Google Pixel XL
Keen multitasker

The R9s is hardly a slouch, and the R9s Plus ups its stats. You get the same powerful Octa-core processor (a Snapdragon 625 running at 1.96GHz) and the same GPU (an Adreno 506 GPU). Remarkably, an extra 2GB of RAM has been squeezed in, pushing the total to 6GB.

Running the GeekBench 4 CPU test, the Oppo R9s Plus trounces its smaller sibling, and puts it within spitting distance of the Google Pixel XL. The PCMark benchmark results are unusually incongruent though, showing a score of 4953 compared to the 7001 on the R9s. Even at 4953, the R9s Plus only just misses out on scuppering the Google Pixel XL (4965) but waggles its fingers at the Samsung S7 Edge (4713).

Nonetheless, these are numbers you can be happy with, and in the real world you have a very snappy and sharp phone wedged in your pocket.

Battery

Battery will last all day
Terrific fast charging

The larger phone affords a greater capacity 4,000mAh powerplant compared to the 3,010mAh battery in the R9s. For everyday browsing and messages, the phone’s overkill, and the 6-inch screen gives you a ton of room for editing photos and watching YouTube. Again, PCMark shows impressive results for the battery test, giving a very desirable 14 hours and 48 minutes of run time.

We ran a few taxing games – XCOM Enemy Unknown, and Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars – and were left impressed. We say it a lot, but that screen gives so much scope to really enjoy the action.

And, if you do sap the battery, plug it in for 30 minutes to get an extra 2 hours of run time thanks to Oppo's proprietary VOOC 'Flash Charge' technology.

Verdict

The smaller Oppo R9s was already a fantastic mid-range phone in its own right, and now, the Oppo R9s Plus has come along to improve upon it in a number of ways.

We liked
It's got a larger battery, more screen real estate, and Oppo has even managed to squeeze in a further 2GB of RAM, bringing the total to 6GB – which is an incredibly impressive amount for a phone to have at this price point.

We disliked
The lack of NFC functionality is admittedly a bummer, and ColorOS is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. We also found that using this large phone with one hand can be troublesome.

Final verdict
Simply put, this is the best phone Oppo has made to date. If you're looking for a premium phone experience without spending a fortune, the Oppo R9s Plus is easy to recommend. Though we originally dubbed the regular R9s as the king of mid-range phones, the crown has now been stolen for that phone's big brother. All hail the new king.