Oppo Reno 8 review

Worth When Reviewed

€599

Oppo has three telephones in its Reno 8 line: the premium mid-range Reno 8 Professional, the extra reasonably priced Reno 8 Lite, after which the Goldilocks mannequin, the Reno 8.  

While this telephone doesn’t have the identical flagship digital camera tech that the Reno 8 Professional boasts, it nonetheless has a glossy construct, fast-charging know-how and an honest processor for the worth. However is the Reno 8 really the most effective of the bunch? 

Design & construct 

• Gorgeous gold end with Oppo Glow 
• IP54 ranking 
• No case included

The Oppo Reno 8 is available in two color choices: Shimmer Black and Shimmer Gold. I examined the latter choice, which can be fitted with Oppo’s Glow end. Because of this beneath totally different lighting situations and angles, the physique displays a number of colors, together with reds, blues and greens.   

General, it’s a gorgeous, high-end look – this creator even acquired compliments on it. Because the again is plastic, it feels extra strong than glass telephones, and it doesn’t have the Reno 8 Professional’s nasty behavior of throwing itself off surfaces. The digital camera module is sort of an announcement, protruding out on the left-hand facet with massive, round lenses.

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The telephone is 7.67mm thick, and weighs 179g, making it slim by trendy requirements. It comes with an IP54 ranking, which signifies that it’s protected in opposition to restricted mud and light-weight water spray – however I’d advise in opposition to utilizing it in true moist climate. No MicroSD card slot is included.  

The Reno 8 comes with a USB-C port for charging, which additionally doubles as a port for headphones – you’ll discover no headphone jack on this mannequin. Just like the Reno 8 Professional, this telephone doesn’t embody a case within the field. While Oppo claims that is to assist cut back waste, it’s an annoyance as circumstances will not be as available as these which might be designed for flagship fashions.  

Display screen & audio system 

• 6.43in FHD AMOLED show 
• As much as 90Hz refresh charge 
• Common stereo audio system 

The Reno 8 is fitted with a 6.43in FHD AMOLED show with Gorilla Glass 5. The display is energetic and brilliant, with vibrant colors that come out.  

The telephone comes with as much as a 90Hz refresh charge, which can be a disappointment when you’re an enormous cellular gamer hoping for a quicker 120Hz show. There’s additionally no dynamic refresh charge – you possibly can solely select between the decrease 60Hz choice, and the upper 90Hz model. Nonetheless, the display is completely sufficient for day-to-day duties comparable to scrolling by means of social media and typing up notes, so most individuals actually gained’t thoughts.  

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The under-display fingerprint sensor on the gadget additionally works constantly – an enchancment from what I discovered on older telephones from Oppo.  

The Oppo Reno 8 comes with twin stereo audio system, which produce loud audio with respectable bass. Nevertheless, the standard doesn’t fairly measure as much as the most effective telephones, with further audio processing software program.  

Specs & efficiency 

• 8GB RAM and 256GB storage 
• MediaTek Dimensity 1300 
• Stable efficiency general 

You may solely get the Oppo Reno 8 in a single configuration: 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Underneath the hood there’s a MediaTek Dimensity 1300 chipset, the identical processor that’s discovered within the mid-range heavyweight, the OnePlus Nord 2T.  

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This creates fast and responsive efficiency throughout use, even when multitasking between quite a few apps. I used to be in a position to browse social media, stream Twitch, take pictures and name my household with ease. The telephone is even able to some mild gaming. Nevertheless, when you play something strenuous, this can throttle the processor and warmth up the telephone somewhat.

It’s not fairly as highly effective because the Reno 8 Professional, which manages to face in opposition to some flagships – however it might probably definitely maintain its personal in opposition to equally priced mid-range fashions from OnePlus and Google: 

Battery life & charging 

• Huge previous battery
• Speedy 80W charging 

While the Oppo Reno 8 solely has a 4500mAh battery, it goes an actual great distance. I used to be in a position to stream movies, browse the web, doom scroll on Twitter and extra for nearly two days on common – even utilizing the upper refresh charge.  

Our PCMark battery check additionally displays this, with the telephone reaching a powerful rating of 14 hours and 18 minutes. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Within the field, Oppo contains an 80W SuperVooC quick charger, together with a appropriate USB-C cable. No wi-fi charging or reverse wi-fi charging is included on the Oppo Reno 8. 

The fast-charging tech is spectacular, with the telephone attending to 99% from empty on a 30-minute cost. At one level, the telephone was near 1%, and a five-minute juice earlier than I went out the door made it final a couple of extra hours. 

It’s uncommon to discover a telephone that has such a powerful battery and charging this quick – Oppo actually does excel on this space, particularly for the worth.  

Cameras & video 

• Triple rear digital camera
• Good essential lens, forgettable others
• First rate 32Mp selfie digital camera

The Oppo Reno has a triple digital camera set-up, made up of a essential 50Mp lens with a Sony IMX766 sensor, in addition to a 5Mp wide-angle lens and a 2Mp macro lens. The principle digital camera is identical {hardware} seen on the extra premium Reno 8 Professional. Nevertheless, this telephone misses out on Oppo’s devoted Marisilicon X NPU.  

General, this digital camera produces respectable pictures, performing greatest beneath brilliant daylight situations, with indoor pictures and dimmer environments dropping a little bit of readability. It captures issues in movement comparable to shifting water and fireworks fairly properly too – even with out the inclusion of OIS.  

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Like another mid-range snappers, the HDR mode overblows some colors – significantly the greens on grass, which get an unnatural tinge. It’s a disgrace, as different parts are enhanced properly with this on.  

The alternative will be mentioned for the 5Mp wide-angle snapper, which ought to solely actually be used for giant panorama pictures. The sky regarded washed out, while constructing particulars appear fuzzy and muddy. The 2Mp macro lens can be a problem to get a half-decent shot with.  

When zooming, something as much as 5x is beneficial for closeups, however keep away from something greater than that. At 20x, the digital camera shakes a lot that it’s virtually unusable – that is the place OIS actually would have helped. As well as, colors don’t have the identical punch as they do when utilizing the primary digital camera with out the zoom, and lighting glare is typically a problem as properly.

Night time mode isn’t as crisp as it’s on Oppo telephones with the Marisilicon X chip, with particulars generally blurring into each other, particularly for topics which might be far-off. Nevertheless, it’s enough sufficient to carry lighter colors, and the evening sky doesn’t have that jarring blue tinge that I’ve seen from the likes of Realme.  

On the entrance, you get a 32Mp, f/2.4 selfie digital camera with Sony’s IMX709 sensor. While the photographs seem comparatively good high quality, the bokeh impact struggles to establish textures comparable to high-quality items of hair, even on the bottom power (which might solely be adjusted earlier than you are taking the photograph). Shades are way more vivid and energetic on pictures taken in brighter situations.  

Video recording is offered from 4K as much as 30fps, and 1080p as much as 60fps. The ultra-steady mode (out there at 1080p) minimises handshake, however I discovered the general impact too sturdy and unnatural.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Software program & updates  

• Ships with Android 12
• Solely two years of OS updates assured

The Reno 8 comes with ColorOS 12.1, which is Oppo’s model of Android 12. Oppo’s skins of Android are at all times user-friendly and properly laid out. You may multitask between apps utilizing both cut up display or floating home windows – although the gestures for these will be finnicky.  

There may be some annoying bloatware, with video games comparable to Piggy Go and Tile Grasp 3D. Nevertheless, Oppo isn’t fairly as responsible because the likes of Huawei and Xiaomi for this kind of factor.  

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The telephone has additionally been confirmed to get an replace to ColorOS 13, however this gained’t come till both the top of 2022, or within the first few months of 2023. 

Oppo presents two years of assured OS updates and three years of safety updates. This isn’t as spectacular as rivals comparable to Samsung, whose gadgets have 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of safety updates. It could be good to see Oppo enhance the length of those updates in future fashions, particularly with the price of dwelling ever creeping up. 

Worth & availability 

Costs for the Oppo Reno 8 begins from £419/€599. Within the UK you should buy it from the likes of Oppo, Amazon, Currys, and Carphone Warehouse SIM-free, and on contract from Vodafone and EE. 

Oppo telephones aren’t out there formally within the US. Nevertheless, you possibly can nonetheless get it imported from websites comparable to AliExpress.  

While the Reno 8 Professional outshines this telephone with its Marisilicon X NPU, flagship killer chip, and higher waterproofing, the Reno 8 is a extra aggressive choice within the mid-range house, chopping again in all the appropriate areas to maintain the worth down.   

For the same worth you may contemplate both the OnePlus Nord 2T, or the Google Pixel 6a. Alternatively, you possibly can learn up on our picks of the most effective mid-range telephones for extra choices.  

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Verdict 

Just like the Reno 8 Professional, the Reno 8 holds its personal as strong mid-range telephone. It has a shocking design, succesful efficiency, a user-friendly OS, speedy charging and a particularly sturdy battery life. The principle digital camera can be largely spectacular – although the opposite lenses aren’t something to shout about. 

While there are some notable downgrades from the Professional variant of this telephone – notably the processor, the refresh charge, the digital camera software program and the IP ranking, the £419 price ticket is significantly better located within the mid-range market. It’s a true gem, and a worthy rival to different telephones from OnePlus and Google.

Specs

• Android 12 with ColorOS 12.1
• 6.4in 90Hz Full HD (2412×1080) AMOLED show
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• MediaTek Dimensity 1300
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage
• 50Mp essential digital camera, f/1.8
• 5Mp ultrawide digital camera, f/2.2
• 3Mp macro digital camera
• 32Mp hole-punch entrance digital camera, f/2.4
• USB-C
• WiFi 6
• Bluetooth 5.3
• NFC
• 4500mAh battery
• Wired charging as much as 80W
• 179g
• 160 x 73.4 x 7.67mm