OPPO has revived it’s iconic portrait master Reno series in India. The all new Reno 12 Pro is the brand’s latest bet in the premium mid-tier segment that targets audience with a hook for mobile photography. OPPO is trying to take a bite of the AI era with the Reno 12 series and the new models are all advanced when we speak of camera potential. OPPO is aspiring to make AI accessible to the masses and has incorporated both Reno 12 5G and the Reno 12 Pro 5G with advanced AI tech. But has OPPO maintained the consistency with providing the best-in-class user experience with the Reno 12 5G series? We have got our hands-in the newly launched Reno 12 5G and here we are doing a quick review of the unit.
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The Pros
Premium And Practical Aesthetics
Reno 12 series continues to wear a premium and luxurious skin while meeting all the ergonomic requirements. The vanilla Reno 12 5G gets a fluid design where the back panel has water rippling effect. We received the Sunset Peach shade which does get a the unique appeal. You can also select Astro Silver and Matte Brown shades if your preference is a subtle and classy look.
The camera island plays a vital role in improving the aesthetics. It’s rectangular module with metallic framing housing three large camera lenses. Also, the Reno 12 5G is a slim handset which is convenient with single hand usage. Volume and the power key has the standard positioning on the right spine.
The same goes for the USB Type-C port and the SIM slot both of which are housed at the bottom. Up front too, the Reno 12 5G looks all premium with the thin bezel profile and a tiny punch-hole cutout at the center top. Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection is added for the glass safety.
Keeping the looks aside, OPPO has suggested using antenna layout throughout the phone’s frame which will aid with better network reception even in remotest of location. For durability, the Reno 12 5G series gets Sponge Bionic construction combined with strong allow framework. Now, this is something which adds bonus points for the Reno 12 series design.
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Camera Takes The Limelight
Reno series has been a trendsetter in the portrait camera race. And OPPO has once again tucked the class-leading imaging hardware inside both the new Reno 12 5G phone. Also, camera is the primary differentiating factor between the vanilla and the Pro model. Speaking of which, the Reno 12 5G variant which we have received for review gets a 50MP primary sensor which has an f/1.8 aperture and OIS. There is an 8MP secondary sensor which is an ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture and 112° FoV along with a 2MP lens with an f/2.4 aperture and 89° FoV.
This time OPPO has enhanced the camera prowess of the Reno 12 series by integrating AI. The primary sensor captures true detailing when the photographs are captured in broad daylight. No overexposure is witnessed. In fact, the dynamic range maintains a decent balance overall. As expected, portrait is one of the key specialities of the Reno 12 series and the vanilla model fair well here.
It manages to click natural bokeh shots. Wide-angle frames with the dedicated 8MP lens are well-captured too with ample clarity levels overall. We found the camera performance impressive during low-light conditions. AI can be credited here once again for the improved night camera performance. The camera app hosts a dedicated Night Mode which once enabled can click almost distortion-free images.
With the Reno 12 5G, you’ll get a whole range of shooting modes including Pro, Portrait, Extra HD, Panorama, etc. Video recorded by the Reno 12 5G is 4k @ 30fps (max) and 720p @ 30fps (min). The quality of the recorded videos is high-res thanks to the EIS and OIS stabilizations which helps upgrading the final output.
The Reno 12 5G variant gets a 32MP selfie lens which has an F/2.0 aperture. It offers a pleasant experience while clicking self-portraits. All the details are snapped to the point making the selfies look all natural.
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Everyday AI Companion
As we highlighted, OPPO is aspiring to expand AI access to the masses. The Reno 12 5G has multiple AI-centric features that will bring all the peace with smartphone usage. The AI camera features including AI Eraser, AI Best Face, AI Clear Face, AI Studio, and AI Smart Image Matting 2.0 helps this device redefine the entire photography experience.
Whereas, the AI Linkboost and AI Beaconlink comes as a game changer with network connectivity and calling. The latter allows making calls even when the device is in airplane mode. On the other hand, AI Recording summary and AI Toolbox features helps with managing professional tasks and more.
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Ample Power For Daily Tasks And Gaming
The Reno 12 5G has the Dimensity 7300 Energy processor. This MediaTek octa-core SoC uses 4nm fabrication combining four Cortex-A78 high-performance and four Cortex-A55 efficiency cores. Graphic delivery is taken care off by the Mali-G615 GPU, while the multitasking is handled by the sole 8GB RAM.
This phone also offers additional RAM via the enhanced RAM feature which further boosts the speeds. Storage option is also single, i.e., 256GB which will be sufficient for all the captured and downloaded media files. The chipset overall is efficient with gaming as well. We have currently tested with a handful of fps and racing games and can say it has enough punch to keep the adrenaline gushing.
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Sorted With Backup And Fast Charging
The Reno 12 5G employs a 5,000 mAh typical battery under its hood. The large size battery allows it to last an entire day. We were able to get this backup with moderate usage which included occasional social media app scrolling, video playback and gaming tuning on the highest settings, and a few hours of constant music playback. The phone supports 80W fast charging which helped with a full refuel under an hour.
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Stunning Display Clarity
OPPO is getting stronger with its display game. The Reno 12 5G is loaded with a massive 6.7-inch screen where the panel used is AMOLED. The screen resolution supported is FHD+, while the refresh rate and brightness levels are 120Hz and 1200 nits respectively. A Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protects the panel from scratches and drops. The screen is vivid and clear with it producing balanced colors. Brightness levels are adequate too without you struggling outdoors to watch content on-the-go.
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The Cons
Single Configuration Option
Amongst the only few cons which we could be subjective is the single RAM and storage option. The 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is the only configuration option that you get with the Reno 12 5G model. OPPO has made up for this by offering virtual RAM feature but an additional variant would have opened p choices for the consumers.
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Hybrid SIM Slot
This is one of the few shortcomings that the Reno 12 5G has. Its hybrid SIM slot allows using only one SIM card and one microSD card simultaneously. But this can be overlooked if you own a single SIM card and don’t plan to buy an additional.
