OPPO Reno8 Pro 5G
RM3,489.00
Pros
- MariSilicon NPU
- Large RAM
- Good design
- Fast charging
- Awesome performance
Cons
- A little pricey
- Limited colour option
- No wireless charging
I remember reviewing the OPPO Find X5 Pro three months back and kept telling myself how wonderful it is with such beautiful design and great camera. And I wondered when the same aesthetics will make an appearance on any of the mid-range OPPO phones. Well, my “prayers” have been answered.
The new OPPO Reno8 Pro 5G is everything X series, but without the huge price tag. It has the camera system powered by the same MariSilicon NPU as the Find X5. Same can be said about the design and feel of the device itself. Of course, it only has the “feel” of the X series. The OPPO Reno8 Pro has a glass front, aluminium frame and glass back to reinforce the structure but not as premium as the Find X5 that uses ceramic back.
Introduction to OPPO Reno8 Pro 5G
Having said that, the OPPO Reno8 Pro comes with many features, quite similar to the X series. First of all, the camera bump at the back is huge, covering more than half of the phone’s width but with a nice slope towards the inner section. Then there’s the two obvious camera modules that house a 50MP main shooter and an 8MP ultra-wide angle camera.There is also a 2MP macro camera setup right next to the main camera while the LED flash that looks like a mini ring light sits next to the ultra-wide angle camera.
Colour options are limited to two but believe me, they both look really nice. You will get the option to choose Glazed Green or Glazed Black colourways but I honestly think the Glazed Green that I’m using is gorgeous. I love the soft pastel-ish colour and it does elevate class and status in some ways.
I also love the squarish aluminium frame that is making some sort of a comeback these days. Everything is straight and squarish all around and it feels good. I mean, I do love the squarish frame more than I do with the curved ones. I can say that I am pleased with the OPPO Reno8 Pro’s design, even with the huge camera bump at the back.
If you’re a little clumsy, there is also a TPU clear case provided inside the box if or when you need it. Inside the box, you will also get pretty much the standard stuff such as the USB-A to USB-C charger + data cable, an 80W SuperVOOC charging brick for a quick charge up to 100% in 31 minutes, some documentation such as warranty + quick guide, and the SIM tray pin ejector. Speaking of the SIM tray, the OPPO Reno8 Pro does not come with a memory card slot for storage expansion. Sorry.
Display
And to make everything else look nice, the OPPO Reno8 Pro has a large 6.7” AMOLED display with 120Hz screen refresh rate and HDR10+. Unfortunately, the screen refresh rate is not dynamic. Therefore you can select to use 120Hz or 60Hz in the settings. That means if you select to use 120Hz refresh rate, it will render at 120Hz all the time thus you will run out of juice quicker than usual. But the 4500mAh battery is able to last me about 2 days or so. That is more than ample time to add in some work + play time. You will be able to extend more if you set to use 60Hz on the screen refresh rate during normal use. That’s a good point to keep in mind.
Power and Performance
When we talk about work + play, we will surely be talking about power + performance too. The OPPO Reno8 Pro is a masterful device that can do everything you throw at it in double time. Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max and supported by 12GB of RAM, the OPPO Reno8 Pro does not know how to slow down. I also got the 256GB storage variant, which is just right for me. Keep in mind that you can also increase the RAM via the RAM Expansion feature up to 7GB of additional memory.
On the software side, the OPPO Reno8 Pro comes with Android 12 out-of-the-box and is powered by OPPO’s own ColorOS 12.1. I honestly think the ColorOS 12 is more user friendly and intuitive when it comes to customising the look and feel theme. I had more fun customising an OPPO phone’s theme than any other Android phones out there. And I usually choose a wallpaper that matches the phone’s colourway.
I just love everything about the new OPPO Reno8 Pro from the design right to the hardware and software. It is a great phone for work, play and entertainment. When it comes to work, multitasking is made easy with its floating window and split screen features. I use the floating window feature quite a lot especially when I’m driving with my Waze open. I keep the Waze in a floating window so that I don’t lose my direction and Spotify as the main window for me to select songs from my playlist. And no, I don’t text while I’m driving.
Speaking of Spotify, I am glad that the OPPO Reno8 Pro comes with really nice deep sounding stereo speakers. The earpiece doubles up as the second speaker accompanying the main bottom firing speaker. Audio comes up loud and clear, best to use when binge watching some movies or playing games. With the gorgeous AMOLED display, watching movies on the OPPO Reno8 Pro is very satisfying. So is gaming.
Gaming and Entertainment
I installed and ran Genshin Impact on the device because PUBG Mobile was having problems with the additional files. Genshin Impact however, uses more memory and really uses a lot of processing power for a smooth gameplay. In fact, it needs more power than PUBG Mobile. But having said that, the OPPO Reno8 Pro handles the game like a charm. The smoothness of the graphics is simply wonderful for this kind of game. Fight scenes with more than 10 enemies went on smoothly without any hiccups. It’s the kind of performance that you will usually get from a flagship device. I do experience lags and stutters with another device before this but none of those with the OPPO Reno8 Pro.
As for Antutu 3D benchmarking, the OPPO Reno8 Pro scored 711562 on the first benchmark test. About 2 weeks later, I did another benchmark test and this time around, it scored 732160. The score is pretty high for a mid-range smartphone. It’s probably because the MediaTek Dimensity SoC series has improved so much that I am beginning to love the Taiwanese chipset.
Camera
And to address the main feature of the OPPO Reno8 Pro, we now turn to the camera. As a recap, the OPPO Reno8 Pro camera system is powered by MariSilicon, the same NPU used in OPPO’s flagship Find X5 Pro. I find that they are both equally good when it comes to photography, especially night photography. But do take note that the OPPO Reno8 Pro uses a 50MP Sony IMX766 camera which is the current market favourite. On the other hand, no other phone makers are using MariSilicon NPU because it is solely made by OPPO for OPPO. And that is a big advantage.
Photography with the OPPO Reno8 Pro is very pleasant. Photos captured in broad daylight turn out vibrant and super clear. Closeup photos are good with the macro camera setup and the ultra-wide angle camera managed to capture well straightened photos without any warping around the edges. Portrait mode is OPPO’s signature move at this moment. Portrait shots turned up really well with a good background bokeh effect while the subject stays clear in focus. The blur is done seamlessly without looking weird around the subject’s edge. Like I said, it’s a pleasure to shoot with the OPPO Reno8 Pro.
Night photography was fun. It is better to have a tripod for better shots but I was shooting handheld all the time. I tried staying still while taking night photos on Night Mode and that worked well. I love how it handles everything smoothly. Just point and shoot. Set the mode that you want and go crazy. Turn on the AI feature for better photos. This works well too. What I’m trying to say is, it is so easy to take nice photos with the OPPO Reno8 Pro for beginners, and even better for those who love smartphone photography like me.
Final Words
And to conclude my review of the new OPPO Reno8 Pro 5G, I will tell you this. If you’re looking for a new mid-range smartphone as a replacement for your current mid-range device, do it if you want to experiment on using a different chipset or upgrade your photography skills with the new MariSilicon NPU, which I think is worth it. If you’re coming from a lower range device, it is a no brainer to upgrade to the new OPPO Reno8 Pro.
If you’re coming from an older flagship device, I would say yes too, also because of the photography capabilities and the MariSilicon NPU. Or you can simply get it just because you have read this review and you like what I said. Either way, there is much to love about the new OPPO Reno8 Pro.
You will get an ample 8GB of RAM for the base version that goes all the way up to 12GB of RAM with the ability to expand the RAM to an additional 7GB. You will also get 256GB of storage space which is more than enough to last you a few years before running out of space. The 4500mAh battery capacity can keep the device alive for more than 2 days by my count. A great entertainment device for movie and gaming with nice and loud stereo speakers for an immersive audio experience.
A phone that handles photography like a charm, shooting portrait photos just like a real DSLR camera, more or less. Selfie photos can have a great portrait mode as well, just like the main rear camera. Now your selfies will look more professional.
So what more can you ask for? I think the OPPO Reno8 Pro is currently the winner thus far for the mid-rangers. But that is only my own opinion. We are going through the Q3 of the year and during this period, I rank the OPPO Reno8 Pro as numero uno. Any other contenders?
You can make a purchase for the new OPPO Reno8 Pro 5G right now for RM3,489.00 from OPPO Malaysia’s official website.
