Oppo held the global launch of its Reno series in Dubai recently. We managed to take a quick glimpse at this latest market entrant and here’s what we think:
Oppo has always thought outside the box, and innovated on its offerings. With its latest Reno range, it has added, among other things, a notch-free full-view OLED display, a side swing, a pop-up selfie camera and powerful hardware capabilities.
A stunner in Ocean Green and Black matted hues, the Reno comes in two versions-OPPO Reno 10x Zoom Edition (to be launched in a month’s time) and the Reno Edition.
We think the Reno is a formidable rival to Huawei’s P30 Pro. It features a 6.4-inch Full HD+ OLED display, Snapdragon 710 chipset, 6GB/256GB of storage, 3,765mAh battery and an in-display optical fingerprint scanner.
The phone has a pleasing, symmetrical design with glass on two sides and a metal frame around. It is a tad chunky, though, considering that most modern phones are light, but the overall look is modern and sleek, and the ocean green piece, in particular, is a treat for the eyes.
The power switch on the phone is on the right while the volume buttons are on the left. Both these are near the middle of the phone, and so they’re easy to reach. The SIM tray can accommodate two nano SIM cards, but the Middle East version of the phone does not seem to have a microSD expansion slot, which is a pity. It has a built-in drop protection mechanism that automatically closes the “fin” in case the phone slips from your hands.
As far as the camera goes, the 10X zoom is the star, but the standard one has its merits as well. It is equipped with an Ultra Night Mode 2.0 feature that will help with grainy or shaky pictures in poor light. The Oppo Reno also has a secondary 5MP camera at the back, with a 2X zoom feature, to help capture portrait shots.
A stand-out feature in the design of Reno is its unique 16MP front-facing camera that uses a Pivot Rising Structure to pop up on demand. Its makers say this motorized Pivot Rising Structure can be used for more than 200,000 times without fail and that even if average users use it roughly 100 times per day, it can maintain over five years of usage. If that is the case, welcome to a new breed of durable smartphones!
That’s not all. Reno’s 6.4-inch OLED display has an FHD+ resolution and the colors look natural and vibrant. The phone also comes with a ”Night Shield” mode that reduces the blue light on your phone without affecting the overall colors. We did not get a chance to review its video capturing prowess, more on that later.
Its 3,765mAh battery keeps going all day. In fact, Reno introduces the Super VOOC 3.0. which can sustain high voltage during the last bit of charging . The biggest disappointment, though, is that there is no support for wireless charging in both models-standard or the 10X Zoom version.
The Reno comes at a price of AED 1,899 in the UAE and SAR 1,899 in KSA. There is only one configuration available, but for the wide range of features on offer, we think it’s a competitive price.
Our initial verdict: Go for it! Positioned as a mid-end phone, the Reno offers excellent value for money with its sleek look, abundant storage and excellent camera. How it plays out against competition remains to be seen.
