OPPO F9 Pro's Waterdrop Screen looks hot in teaser (Update: August 21 launch)

Update, August 14, 2018 (10:13AM ET): OPPO has confirmed that the F9 Pro will officially launch, presumably in China, on August 21. The company posted an image of the phone alongside the reveal date on its website (via GSMArena) confirming the date and once again showing off that water drop-style notch OPPO seems rather fond of nowadays.

There’s still no word or pricing or an actual retail date, but the image does hint at the VOOC Flash Charge feature which OPPO claims will give F9 Pro users 2 hours of talk time on just five minutes of charge.

Original article, August 8, 2018 (05:26AM ET): OPPO has teased an upcoming smartphone, the OPPO F9 Pro, in a new trailer. OPPO posted the video on its YouTube channel (via GSMArena) on Monday, though it doesn’t give too much away about the handset.

The F9 Pro is shown off in multi-tone pink and blue color schemes, featuring a notch with a center-mounted camera (like seen on the Essential Phone), dual rear cameras, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, and headphone jack.

This is the first we’ve heard of the OPPO F9 Pro, though the standard F9 model was rumored to be the first to house Corning Gorilla Glass 6. Curiously, the F9 Pro appears here with what OPPO calls a Waterdrop Display. Is this something to do with the new Gorilla Glass screen protection?

Gorilla Glass 6 has been noted for its resistance to drops, but not necessarily water drops. What’s more likely is that the name simply refers to the shape of the notch design — which admittedly does look sleek. Still, branding the screen as a Waterdrop Display based on the shape that’s been cut around the camera seems a bit desperate.

The F9 Pro will also come with OPPO’s VOOC Flash Charge capabilities, said to help it achieve two hours of talk time in a five-minute charge. It sounds impressive, though the handset is rocking micro USB connectivity rather than the more advanced USB Type-C that appears on most flagships now.

We don’t know a thing about the OPPO F9 Pro’s price or release date, but with the teaser have just arrived, it could be unveiled before the end of the month.

Give me your early thoughts on the OPPO F9 Pro in the comments.