Last year, OPPO’s Reno6 Pro (Review) had left us with plenty of good impression even though the phone wasn’t exactly an expensive flagship model like the OPPO Find X3 Pro (Review).
There are many reasons as to why we love the Reno6 Pro so much, but the most important of all is perhaps the fact that the phone is able to provide a top-notch user experience not just in terms of day-to-day usage, but also it’s exceptional camera capabilities.
It is therefore natural for us to pin high hope on the new OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G which had just landed in the local market earlier this week, and would be available for purchase island-wide starting today.
Bearing a launch price of S$999, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G certainly shapes up to be an attractive option for those who’re reluctant to spend over a thousand for a smartphone. However, can it really match up with what those expensive flagship models offer? Let’s find out in our OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G Review!
A Design-centric Smartphone
As with any other Reno series smartphones, the new OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G is a phone that stands out in terms of design, allowing it to be easily recognized in a sea of smartphones.
This is especially true for the Startrails Blue model which features the signature Reno Glow design that shimmers under different angles of light, producing visually pleasing colors which are sure to impress.
To ensure it’s gorgeous rear design will not be blemished by any unsightly smudges, the Reno7 Pro adopts a high quality AG glass back which dons a fingerprint-resistant, matte-like finish that felt smooth and premium on the surface.
Speaking of handling experience, it’s worth highlighting that the new flat edge design of the Reno7 Pro not only looks great on the outside, but also offers excellent grip when using the phone single-handedly as opposed to smartphones with curve edges.
Best of all, the OPPO Reno7 Pro is also among the slimmest smartphone within it’s segment, sporting a thickness of just 7.5mm. In fact, it’s really impressive how OPPO managed to trim down the thickness of the Reno series smartphones in each succession, making each of the new models sleeker than before.
Rich & Vibrant Display
Coming to the front side of the phone, we’ll be greeted by a vibrant 6.55” AMOLED display which offers a FHD+ screen resolution that’s capable of bringing up rich and sharp details on the screen.
As usual, the front display also supports a fast refresh rate of up to 90Hz which makes animation and scrolling felt slick on the device – especially when the underlying software is very well-optimized too.
Similarly, it also scores high when it comes to color accuracy with it’s wide 99.94% DCI-P3 coverage (in vivid mode) which allows videos to appear more realistic and immersive on the screen.
With a peak brightness of up to 920 nits, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G has no issue getting sufficiently bright when using the phone directly under the sun. This is definitely an important, but often overlooked feature which will be crucial for those who love to do outdoor photography.
For improved durability, OPPO had also reinforced it’s front display is also reinforced with an additional layer of Gorilla Glass 5 to protect the screen against accidental drops and scratches.
Good Performance for Entertainment & Productivity
Under the hood, OPPO has swapped last year’s MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset for a custom Dimensity 1200-Max chipset which offers slight gain in performance over the former.
In day-to-day usage, I hardly experience any form of lagginess on the phone when I was working on multiple app windows with the built-in multi-tasking features (in ColorOS 12) such as split screen and flexible windows.
Apart from being a reliable companion for productivity, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G also serves well as your one-stop entertainment hub thanks to it’s unparalleled performance that delivers smooth gameplay even on more graphic demanding game titles like PUBG Mobile and Pokemon Unite.
Likewise, the Reno7 Pro is also backed by a capable cooling system which works well in ensuring the phone doesn’t gets overheated during prolonged gaming session, which would otherwise lead to throttling and a drop in performance.
On the memory side of things, it also features a generous 12GB RAM and 256GB onboard storage which is pretty much an overkill for most average users.
Amazing Photography Experience
Optic-wise, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G flaunts a remarkable triple-camera system at the back comprising of a flagship-grade 50 megapixels Sony IMX766 main camera, 8 megapixels ultra-wide camera, as well as a 2 megapixels macro unit for close-up photography.
Once again, mobile photography has proven to be the Reno7 Pro’s strong suit. Whether you’re shooting in a bright daylight or dimly-lit environment, it’s main camera is able to snap flattering photos with pleasing colors and ample details using it’s default shooting mode. It does exceptionally well in terms of exposure and dynamic range which result in photos that look natural and sharp.
This time round, low-light photography is also another aspect where the Reno7 Pro really shines. That’s because it’s main camera features the all-new RGBW pixel array which, when combined with OPPO’s self-developed Quadra Binning algorithm, is able to capture 60% more light than standard RGGB sensors while reducing noise by up to 35%.
To further enhance low-light performance, it’s rear camera system is also backed by a reliable night mode feature that does a great job in dialing up the brightness of a dimly-lit scene. This not only improves shadow details, but also makes photos appear more vibrant and appealing.
Moving on to it’s ultra-wide camera, we are still able to get some pretty good shots out of it even in low-light situations, which can often be tricky for smartphones. Most importantly, it doesn’t suffers from those unsightly fish-eye effect that makes photos look unnatural.
For zooming, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G lacks of a dedicated telephoto or periscope lens. Nonetheless, the phone is able to achieve up to 10x zoom via digital cropping through it’s main camera unit.
During my testing, photos taken between the 2x to 5x zoom factors are generally impressive and appears to outperform other phones (within the same price range) in terms of sharpness and details.
It’s definitely a useful feature which will come in handy whenever you need to take close-up photos of flowers or insects. Personally, this is one of the few camera features that I really enjoyed using especially when the quality is so good.
Battery & Charging
To power the phone through every day’s usage, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G retains the same good old 4,500mAh dual-cell battery which can easily fuels one and a half days’ worth of usage when using the phone moderately. That’s unsurprisingly the same mileages we gotten on last year’s model.
The key highlight however, lies in it’s 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 flash charging support which offers you peace of mind if you ever forget to charge your phone before heading to bed, which sadly occur to me quite frequently .
That’s because the phone only requires around 40 minutes to charge a completely flat battery to it’s brim, while a mere 15 minutes charge is good enough bring the battery level up to 50%. This might sounds exaggerating, but it’s exactly how fast the 65W charging speed is!
Verdict
OPPO’s Reno series smartphones have never failed to impress in the past, and the new OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G is here to build upon it’s legacy with a brand new design, better chipset, as well as an upgraded camera system that push the phone closer towards the flagship segment.
Simply put, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G is a phone to reckon with for anyone who doesn’t intend to splash out more than a thousand dollars on a smartphone. Be it a smooth gaming experience or professional mobile photography, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G has everything in store, at a much more affordable price.
Pricing & Available
For those who’re interested, the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G will be available from 15 January at a retail price of S$999 at OPPO Concept Stores, OPPO’s Shopee and Lazada Flagship Stores, M1, Singtel and StarHub as well as all authorised retailers.
However, those who purchase the phone between January 15th till March 4th will get to enjoy a promotional price of S$919 and walk away with a pair of OPPO Enco Air earphones and a pair of movie tickets for ‘Reunion Dinner’, while stocks last.
