The sleek, classy and almost bezel-free Oppo R7 can be pre-ordered for $400 in the U.S.

Updated on 06-25-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in news the R7 is available to order in the U.S..

Pre-order for shipping in July

If you’ve been lusting after an Oppo R7 since its announcement, but never thought you’d be able to order one in the U.S., then we’ve got some good news. Oppo sells its smartphones internationally through its own OppoStyle online store, and the R7 is now available for pre-order, with delivery to North America.

The R7 comes in either gold or silver, and costs $400 unlocked, without a contract. If you manage to grab the phone — there are limited quantities available, apparently — the price includes shipping, and a free pair of Bluetooth headphones. However, before running off to pick one up, just be aware the phone isn’t compatible with U.S. 4G LTE bands, so the fastest you can expect is a 3G HSPA+ connection.

Oppo will also put the R7 Plus up for pre-order through the OppoStyle store soon.

Metal body, gently curved screen

Oppo describes the AMOLED screen as having gentle curves, and without hard angles, and like the Huawei P8, appears to have cleverly disguised the bezels, making good use of the 2.5D curved glass to give the impression of an edge-to-edge screen. It’s the same story on the R7 Plus.

The metal unibody is shaped in a way to make the phone appear thinner and more compact, accentuating the effect. At just 6.3mm thick, it’s hardly in need of a diet anyway. Both phones are undeniably attractive, but to understand exactly how bezel-free the screen is, we’ll need to see one up close. The display measures 5-inches and has a 1080p resolution.

A 1.5GHz Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor powers the phone along with 3GB of RAM, which should make it a good performer. We were impressed with the 615 inside the ZTE Blade S6, where it has 2GB of RAM. On the back of the phone is a 13-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 lens, and an LED flash, while around the front is an 8-megapixel selfie camera. Inside is 16GB of internal memory, a MicroSD card slot, a 2320mAh battery, and Android 5.0 disguised as Oppo’s Color OS version 2.1.

The R7 Plus is a larger version of the R7, along the same lines as the Huawei P8 Max to the regular P8, but with a few cool extra features. To minimize the size of the body, Oppo has incorporated the Android keys into the screen, a first for the manufacturer. The screen is a whopping 6-inches, but the resolution stays the same at 1080p. The camera setup is also identical when compared only by megapixels, but it also gets a laser autofocus, a dual-LED flash, and a similar RGBW sensor to the one fitted to the LG G4.

Oppo has fitted a fingerprint sensor to the back of the R7 Plus, and stuffed a giant 4000mAh fast-charging battery in the all-metal body, which weighs just over 200 grams compared to the R7’s 147 grams. Dual-SIM configurations are standard on both thanks to a clever SIM tray feature, plus there is 4G LTE connectivity.

The pair are already on sale in China, with the R7 priced at around $400 unconnected, and the R7 Plus at about $480.

GO TO PAGE TWO FOR ALL THE RUMORS LEADING UP TO THE R7’S LAUNCH

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo may be working on a new device with an almost bezel free touchscreen. A variety of leaks show a large phone with a screen that reaches the edge of the body, much like the Sharp Aquos Crystal released last year.

Updated on 05-07-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in an almost complete picture of the R7, this time showing the back panel.

Oppo R7 will feature 2.5D screen

Following weeks of rumors, Oppo has started sharing teaser images regarding its next smartphone release. The first, posted on to the company’s official Facebook page, didn’t give much away, but confirmed the phone will be called the R7. A cryptic message was shared with the picture, saying, “If you count on what you want, and do what you need, you’ll receive both and lose nothing.” We’re then told the “R7 is coming.”

The day after, Oppo revealed much more about the phone. An image showing a very slim device with a polished, chamfered chassis was posted on Facebook, with the news it’ll come with a 2.5D screen. Popularized by Apple and the iPhone 6, this means it’ll be slightly curved at the sides. While it doesn’t explicitly state the screen will be bezel-less, the picture certainly suggests it will, and the caption “Experience life without borders,” backs it up.

Oppo isn’t holding back when it comes to showing off the R7 prior to its official launch, and added another rendered image of the phone to Facebook during the second week of May. You can see it at the top of the page. It looks stunning. The body looks to be made of aluminum, along with what could be a different material at the top — plastic for improving reception, perhaps. Two individual volume buttons are on the side, along with either a SIM or MicroSD card slot. Finally, the camera lens appears to be slightly raised from what we expect to be a very slim body.

An anonymous Chinese source recently stated the Oppo R7 would launch on May 20, and also speculated Oppo may announce two R7 phones on the day. The regular R7 is the one seen in the leaks here, while a second R7 Plus — which we assume will have a bigger screen — is also possible. No technical details are known about the R7 Plus, or whether it will feature the same bezel-free display we are seeing on the R7.

Leaked videos and pictures show off the R7

Even though the official name of the device is still up for debate, we’ve seen every detail of the mystery device in leaked pictures and videos. The latest video from a website called Mobile Dad shows what the leaker claims is the Oppo R7 in action. The phone is up and running, and the video zooms right in to show the bezel-free screen.

Leaked pictures have given us a better look at the next smartphone Chinese manufacturer Oppo could launch.There’s no indication this is final, though. Check out the new images below, which show what’s expected to be a 5.5-inch touchscreen fitted to a potentially 4.85mm thick body. Combine that with the bezel-less screen, and the phone is looking very special indeed.

Before the leaked images and the above hands-on video surfaced, another video showing the Oppo smartphone in action was also released. Putting aside any fears the initial leaked pictures were fakes, the video proves the phone is at the very least, a working prototype. Check out the moment where a promo video is played on the device, and the full extent of the screen’s image is revealed.

The first images of the bezel-less phone came a short while before the video, and were published on a Chinese website, where it was stated the screen measures 5.5-inches. Nothing else about the phone’s specs are mentioned. We can speculate though, as the company has already pledged to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor in future hardware, and has talked about including innovative cameras to make its new phones stand out from the crowd. However, if the screen looks like this, then we’d pay attention regardless of how cool the camera is.

Cunning tech may fool us the phone has a bezel-less screen

Recently, an Oppo patent was discovered showing an unusual way of creating a curved, bezel-free display, but without the massive expense associated with phones like the Galaxy Note Edge. According to the patent, a normal screen is hidden under a specially shaped transparent panel, which projects the image in a clever way, fooling us into thinking there’s no bezel on the phone. This could explain why in one picture, the screen appears curved at the edge, but not in the other.

It’s not certain whether the pictured phone uses this technology, or is even a model planned for production, but it’s certainly very eye-catching. Oppo’s not the only one working on minimizing the bezel on its phones either. Aside from the new Galaxy S6 Edge, LG has shown a display panel with a 0.7mm bezel, and we’re expecting a similarly edge-free phone, perhaps called the Nubia Z9, from ZTE very soon.

Previous updates:

Updated on 04-27-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in confirmation of a 2.5D screen on the R7, which appears bezel-less.

Updated on 04-27-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in an official teaser for the Oppo R7.

Updated on 04-23-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in rumors of a May launch date, and talk of a second R7 Plus model.

Updated on 04-21-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added in a hands-on video showing what appears to be the Oppo R7.

Updated on 04-17-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in new pictures showing the bezel-less Oppo phone in more detail.

Updated on 03-24-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in a short video showing the Oppo smartphone in action

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