The OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G is the company’s newest smartphone under its Reno lineup of premium mid-range series. The device comes with a set of Indian debut specs with the Mediatek Dimensity 1000+ chipset bringing in 5G connectivity to the Reno group. With its quad rear cameras and a plethora of video and image potential, is the OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G a device with only a good camera up to its sleeve and 5G connectivity as an icing? Or has OPPO managed to deliver a perfectly balanced package of a premium device in a thin form factor design? Let’s find out in our full review of the OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G!
Design and Display – Color Cluster!
The Reno 5 Pro 5G has a glass-sandwich design, adding a premium feel to itself. It has a slightly matte finish to itself and OPPO has used AG-glass, which they say is made from tiny glass particles fused. Technical terms aside, when we picked up the device in our hands, the matte finish gives you a good feeling to hold the phone in your palm, and the curved edges make the device sit comfortably.
The weight distribution is very uniform, but the camera has a slight bump of a few millimeters, which comes in direct contact with the surface if you place the phone flat on its back. This can be a concern for scratching the lens, so it’s a good idea to use a case that covers the bump. The good thing about this frosting back is that it does not attract fingerprints a lot, so you don’t have to wipe it to keep the shimmer dazzling.
The display on the Reno 5 Pro 5G is an AMOLED panel with a hole-punch design. The Full HD+ screen makes for sharp texts throughout, and the colors themselves also look eye-catching. The reason for such color tones is the HDR10 certification. Saturation levels of the display are tuned very well, and the panel shows no change in colors even at full brightness. We tried playing HDR content in Amazon Prime and Netflix, and both were supported out of the box. HDR brought the colors more lively, and at times it gives you a feel of the content being cast on your screen directly. Such is the screen of the Reno 5 Pro 5G.
It’s not just about the colors here, but also the panel gets a higher refresh rate of 90Hz. But what’s the deal here? Not the first time that we are seeing a 90Hz display, but the scrolling makes an instant difference on this panel. We had a butter-smooth feeling while using the Reno 5 Pro 5G, and the AMOLED panel here is one of the best displays that we have ever used. Outdoor visibility was excellent, and the maximum brightness rate of over 1000 nits is something we approve from our side. In conditions where direct sunlight was imposed on the screen, the text remained readable which was impressive!
Performance – A Different Dimension!
The Reno 5 Pro 5G is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 1000+ chipset, an octa-core chipset fabricated at 7nm architecture, debuting the processor in India. This chip not just brings in 5G connectivity but also has immense potential packed in. Regular tasks like browsing through social media, replying to messages, emails, was a breeze here. The chipset also manages to drive the 90Hz display without any hiccups, ensuring smooth scrolling through Instagram and Twitter feeds.
As this is a flagship chipset from Mediatek, we pushed the device with graphics-heavy games like PUBG Mobile Korean, and the results were very interesting. By default, the chipset supports Smooth+Extreme settings for 60fps gameplay, with HDR+Ultra available as maximum settings. In regular maps like Erangel, the gameplay remained really smooth, with constant 55+ frames, without any major dips during close-range fights. In the Sanhok-Bootcamp test, the frame rate takes a slight hit during landing but becomes stable as the game progresses. The touch response was very good too. Do note that the device does NOT support 90fps gameplay as of now, even though the screen has a 90Hz refresh rate. You can have a detailed look at the gaming review here.
The device tends to heat up quite a bit during heavy games that put a lot on the GPU. The warmth can be felt near the processor region on the back, and the phone becomes a little uneasy to hold at times but that’s not when you are using the phone regularly. We conducted gaming sessions multiple times, and the results were the same. But, OPPO can choose only between offering a better performance or having a throttled one to control the heat, and they chose the former, which should still be advantageous for the users who are into gaming.
One thing to note here is that the OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G misses out on a headphone jack. So you cannot plug in your favorite headset directly but will have to an adapter instead. The device does not support HDMI-out, so if you planning to stream games using it, you cannot use an Elgato. The lack of a headphone jack also means that you can stream using screen-mirroring only on speaker, as the USB Type-C slot will be occupied for mirroring the gameplay.
Camera – Center of Attraction?
The quad rear camera setup on the OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G consists of a primary 64MP camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a fourth 2MP monochrome sensor. It’s not just about the physical cameras here, but OPPO has done a lot of work in the software department for maximum utilization of this set of cameras.
The primary camera captures really vivid images during daylight, both indoors and outdoors. The colors look realistic and the saturation levels are moderate. It also retains dynamic range pretty well when there’s a bright source of light in the background. The camera is also very quick to focus and latches onto the subject once the user fixes it. During night time, OPPO has provided an option called AI Highlight video which captures multiple images in an instant, and combines them all to make a brighter image that looks really good!
The wide-angle lens also maintains a similar color tone as the primary sensor. The field of view is increased by a great margin and comes really handy in required cases. The macro sensor also does a good job at close-up shots and users can get as creative as they can with the macro shooter. For videos, the Reno 5 Pro 5G maxes out at 4K 30fps, along with Ultra Steady Video 3.0. This feature stabilizes the video in real-time using EIS, and the results are as good as a gimbal. Additionally, it also supports 960fps Slow Motion videos, which in our usage worked as it should.
Check all camera samples of OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G – Click here.
One of the actually useful features of the Reno 5 Pro 5G is the AI Highlight video, with the feature helping in adjusting the brightness and contrast, while also maintaining the dynamic range in the background when you manually select the subject, or even if you don’t do it. In a usual scenario, the face of the person gets darker in the video when there is some bright light source behind them. With the AI Highlight video feature, while the face gets brighter, the background is still well-lit and not over-exposed.
The SOLOOP feature allows users to add filters, background music, and more directly in their videos, for a professional effect. It also gets an AI mode where the device automatically selects the best edits for videos for an efficient final video. The Reno 5 Pro 5G is all about how a user can think to do with a set of cameras, and the device has all the firepower to deliver either directly with software or hardware.
The 32MP selfie camera is embedded in the hole-punch design. It does a great job in capturing selfies, which retain quality enriched enough to directly post on social media without any post edits. The AI-based portrait mode has excellent edge detection and adequately blurs out the background. Overall, the cameras on the OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G were very impressive, and we really liked tinkering around with it.
ColorOS – Colorful or Dull?
Out of the box, the Reno 5 Pro 5G runs on ColorOS 11.1 which is a heavily skinned version of Android by OPPO. It does come with a few pre-installed applications which can be uninstalled with a simple click. Performance-wise, ColorOS remained functional with no stutters in the UI and has good memory management as well. We did not complain about app reloading or UI lags on the 90Hz panel with ColorOS. However, the design of ColorOS comes down to personal preference, where certain users can either like or dislike it. But once you start using the device, the UI is good enough to navigate through with quick responsiveness.
ColorOS also packs in a lot of customization features like a 3-type System-Wide Dark Mode, Three-finger screenshot, Private System for a secondary space, app locker, and more. The more the merrier is the case with ColorOS features, but sometimes we feel that this is one try-too many. If you ask us about the experience of ColorOS, it sits in perfectly between ‘Yay and Nay’ as it’s functionality is good enough to keep it using, but the UI looks unorthodox for liking it completely.
Battery Life – Relay Race Specialist
The OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G is powered by a 4350mAh battery, and we call it a relay race specialist for a reason. We tested the device at its 90Hz refresh rate only to get a proper idea of it. The device easily lasts a day with over 15-20% juice left. Our daily usage included a couple of hours of gaming, an hour of video streaming, constant social-media usage, and a few casual calls. The device consistently provided a screen-on-time of 6-7 hours during the week we tested it. The battery drain during gaming was a bit higher, due to the heat produced while gaming, but there’s where the relay race title comes in.
The device supports 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charging which charges the phone from 0% to 100% in just 40 minutes. The Reno 5 Pro 5G runs every race you make it contest, gives it a full shot with the best usage of its resources, and gives the baton to the charger which tops up the device in a flash for another race. We completed almost 10 charge cycles on the device, and the 40-minute full charge fact stands tall every time.
Connectivity
The OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G gets 5G connectivity, but we could not test it as 5G networks aren’t present in India. We tested the device with Airtel 4G and VoLTE and the cellular reception was good indoors. The dual-band WiFi also worked well with our routers in the office, with speeds over 100Mbps during video streaming, and speed tests. Bluetooth connectivity was also good, aa we tested it with a few wireless headsets and TWS earbuds. The presence of 5G also makes the device futureproof, when 5G will be rolled out in India.
Verdict
The OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G brings in an amazing display, one of the best designs that could go on to be unbeaten during the entire year, a capable set of cameras, and the Dimensity 1000+ chipset which not just performs well, but also brings in the 5G connectivity for the coming months ahead. Add this with the 65W SuperVOOC charging, and the Reno 5 Pro 5G looks like a complete package. Priced at Rs. 35,990, it faces direct competition from the OnePlus 8 Series, where the base models are priced similar, along with the Mi 10T and iQOO 3 as well. We feel that the OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G makes up for a very good device for users looking for good cameras and display, along with fast charging with performance always being a plus point.
