Oppo Reno8 Pro Review — A Triple-Threat Flagship Contender to Consider?

Oppo has been making quite the name for itself worldwide, and that has translated directly to the South African market too, with Oppo becoming an increasingly known household name in the smartphone department. The brand’s newest device, the Reno8 Pro, is in the contender list of the high-end smartphones on the scene, but does it bring enough to be considered as your next pocket pal?

What is the Oppo Reno8 Pro?

The Reno8 Pro 5G features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display (1,080 x 2,412 pixels) with a 120Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max (5 nm) chipset, in-display fingerprint sensor, 256GBs of RAM, and comes in two RAM options: 8GBs and 12GBs. It also features a non-removable Li-Po 4500 mAh battery. The device also features 80W Supervooc charging capability, which can get your battery up to about 50% within 10 minutes.

So, in terms of specs, everything sounds great, and in practice, it delivers. The 6.7-inch display is impressive, with very little bezel to interfere with your media viewing or app usage. It’s also 120 Hz (with a 125 Hz touch sampling rate), and the jump from using a 60 Hz screen (which most people probably are using) is a notable difference. Swiping is instantaneous and super slick, making the gesture controls feel a lot more responsive and, overall, making for a more streamlined, 1:1 experience.

Given that the device runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max chipset, which is the same chipset running high-end Xiaomi and OnePlus releases and competes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen found in the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, it handles quick app changes or multi-app functions without a hiccup. So, there’s no need to worry that there won’t be enough power under the hood.

The Oppo Reno8 Pro also runs on the company’s ColorOS 12.1 Android variation that is closer to the pure vanilla Android layout, which, in these times, is quite appreciated given all the bloatware and unnecessary UI tinkering other brands do with their devices.

Cameras

In terms of optics, the Reno8 features three cameras on the back, including a 50-megapixel primary Sony IMX766 sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and a 2-megapixel third sensor. It also includes a 32-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats and selfies. In action, the camera is extremely capable, grabbing high-detail shots with minimal fiddling and barely any autofocusing. Colours appear accurate, although a little saturated, but in terms of a smartphone camera to grab photos that your friends will gawk at, it’s ideal.

While other smartphones often neglect the front-facing camera, the Reno8 Pro includes a Sony IMX709 sensor pointing straight at you, so you get some pretty impressive selfies and video calls to your loved ones will look pretty spiffy using the Reno8 Pro.

On top of that, its Macro mode is one of the best we’ve seen, capturing close-up shots of products and finer details with ease, while creating a nice wide-angle Bokeh effect automatically. Of course, there are Pro features to play around with, but most users who stick to the AI to do its photo-optimising will find pleasant results with the Reno8.

Design

The Reno8 Pro features a very cleanly built metal body, with a glass back that just screams a premium finish. It does have a bit of a protrusion around the triple camera area on the back (assumedly to house the larger Sony sensor), which isn’t unusual, but just something to note for those who desire a super slim device in their pickets.

Pricing & Availability

The Oppo Reno8 Pro is priced at R19,999 and available in Glazed Green and black.

Verdict

The Oppo Reno8 Pro may not be the first thing on everyone’s mind when looking at a high-end flagship device, but it should be. The Reno8 Pro delivers a spectacular camera set-up, a straightforward and intuitive UI, and an interesting build and design that stands out from the crowd. It also delivers more than enough grunt to handle any day-to-day demands, and some mobile gaming thrown in too, if that’s your cup of tea.