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Review: Oppo Reno 8 Pro – less better than the predecessor

Oppo launched the Reno 8 Series today. We were able to extensively test the Reno 8 Pro, the top model in the series, last week. What do we think of this new smartphone? You can read it in our review of the Oppo Reno 8 Pro.

Just to get straight to the point. Oppo takes a step back with the Reno 8 Series. Value Reno 6 Pro last year was actually much too expensive with a suggested retail price of 799 euros, the Chinese manufacturer is now taking a step back. Not only in terms of specifications, but also in terms of price. The series started to resemble the high-end Find X series too much, making it difficult to distinguish between the two smartphone series. We are going to work with the Oppo Reno 8 Pro, the top device in the new Reno 8 Series, which is for sale for 749 euros.

display 6.7-inch, amoled, 120Hz, 2,412 x 1,080 pixels
chipset MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max
Random access memory 8GB
Storage memory 256 GB (not expandable)
Cameras 50 megapixel, 8 megapixel, 2 megapixel rear, 32 megapixel front
Battery 4,500mAh, 80W SUPERVOOC
Additional 5G, NFC, dual stereo speakers

Design and build quality

Where Oppo has often opted for the ‘Glow’ variants lately, this time we have a shiny glass back. Are you outside in full sun? Then it’s like a mirror. It’s a beautiful design, but your fingerprints are immediately visible. The back consists of one piece and flows around the camera module, which of course protrudes slightly. This time it is a fairly angular device with a flat screen, comparable to the regular Oppo Reno 6. The Oppo Reno 8, the regular model in the Oppo Reno 8 Series, does have a Glow back.

There is little to criticize about the design, because it looks beautiful. The one-piece glass back, the shiny body and the sturdy build quality show that we are really dealing with a premium device here. The camera module does appear better than it is. We seem to be dealing with large camera lenses, which hopefully can capture a lot of light. Now the sensor in the main camera can pick up quite a bit of light, but it’s mostly clean appearance and just a black background around the actual lens. Make yourself bigger than you actually are. Oppo doesn’t really need that.

You can lose the SIM card at the bottom. Here you will also find the USB-C connection and the bottom speaker. The power button is on the right and the volume buttons are on the left. On top you will find a second speaker. The 3.5mm headphone jack is missing. In the screen we find the fingerprint sensor. It works smoothly and quickly.

Display and sound

Nice bright colors and good sharpness. Oppo has always done that well and that is perfectly fine this time as well. Navigating and scrolling is very smooth thanks to the high refresh rate of 120Hz. You have a large 6.7-inch AMOLED screen at your disposal in a resolution of 2,412 by 1,080 pixels. The device has a screen-to-body ratio of 93.4 percent and is HDR10+ certified. Do you like to watch Netflix or Prime Video? You can simply watch your favorite streaming services in good quality. The colors may be a bit too saturated by default, but you can adjust many things to your liking in the settings.

The device has a speaker on the top and a speaker on the bottom for stereo sound. Don’t expect miracles from this, but the volume can be turned up considerably and the sound is clear. A 3.5mm headphone jack is missing, but you can of course use your bluetooth earphones.

Cameras

Like previous smartphones from Oppo, the MariSilicon X Imaging NPU is also present here. It is an additional image processing chip for processing the images at lightning speed. Unfortunately, the cameras on this device are two extremes. You have the incredibly capable 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 camera sensor as the main camera (f/1.8, PDAF, AF), a relatively bright lens with which you can take great photos, and an equally capable selfie camera with the 32-megapixel Sony IMX709 ( f/2.4, AF). But on the other hand you have an old ultra-wide angle lens of eight megapixels (Sony IMX355) and a macro camera of two megapixels. The Oppo Reno 6 Pro from last year was more versatile to use as a cameraphone with better secondary cameras while the main camera is identical. Not only did the Oppo Reno 6 Pro have an ultra-wide angle camera of sixteen megapixels, there was also a telephoto camera of thirteen megapixels. So the Oppo Reno 8 Pro takes a step back.

The performance is therefore exactly as you think. A very good main and selfie camera and the other two are actually on it for decoration. It causes the camera system to be unbalanced this time and that’s a shame. The main camera can compete with high-end devices. We often come across the camera sensor used and it is very capable in terms of hardware, but it is Oppo’s camera software that manages to make it a winner. Sharp photos and good colors, albeit slightly exaggerated by the artificial intelligence. The main camera excels, especially when photographing people. It gives at times a cinematic atmosphere that you have to love, but which makes for very good photos. Compared to this, the older ultra-wide-angle lens, which was also used in some devices in 2018, is a big step back. Well, in situations where a wide viewing angle is required, the camera can be useful, but this eight-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens is really outdated. The resolution is low and noise will immediately occur when there is less light available. The selfie camera is another big step forward and we already encountered the Reno 7 series, which was not officially launched here. Usually the selfie camera is secondary, but not with the Reno 8 Pro. The relatively small sensor has some trouble with dark environments, but generally manages to deliver good performance.

Oppo emphasizes 4K Ultra Night Video, 4K Ultra HDR Video and portrait photography (both during the day and at night). We immediately noticed that the device is very well equipped for portrait photography and delivers very good results there. The ring flash on the back of the device also contributes to this. Are you more of the videos? Then this is also a very suitable phone for you. Special attention is therefore paid to the night shots. First of all, the night photos. It’s amazing what Oppo manages to get out of the shots, but photos can sometimes be polished up so that it looks like the shot was taken during the day. That is not quite the intention. Fortunately, the right photo mode can help to capture a little more of that nighttime atmosphere. The videos are also impressive and the artificial intelligence and the special MariSilicon X image processing chip deliver good performance here.

Performance and software

We have little experience with the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max. Are you more at home with the Qualcomm chipsets? The performance is approximately comparable to the Snapdragon 888. This means a pretty fast device and you notice that in practice. We have nothing to complain about the speed. Games are no problem at all and thanks to the special vapor chamber and the advanced haptic feedback, gamers will love this device. For a game like PUBG there is support for 90Hz, so you can play extra smoothly. Multiple windows and apps open is no problem. The 4,500 mAh battery is more than enough to last all day. Wireless charging is missing, but 80W SUPERVOOC is offset by that. SUPERVOOC is Oppo’s fast charging technology. So you can charge with 80W. In practice, this means about half an hour of charging from 0 to 100 percent. The charger is included with this device. Nothing but praise for the overall performance, it’s all lightning fast.

The Oppo Reno 8 Pro runs on Android 12 with ColorOS 12.1. That’s a shame, because Oppo is already releasing Android 13 for the Find X5 series. Android 13 will undoubtedly be coming soon for this device, but the device will only receive two major Android updates. So after Android 13 you will only get Android 14 next year. The device is already a version behind, so actually only Android 14 will be new next year. That is very clever. Oppo promises three years of security updates. Other manufacturers do that better too.

However, we can be brief about the ColorOS software shell. That all works very well. Also this time you have a lot of options to adjust everything to your liking. From various swipes to the hugely expanded always-on screen, which you can fully customize to your liking, and from adjusting the menu for quick settings to multitasking with flexible windows. It is very extensive for those who want to dive right in, but basically it is just an incredibly clear and user-friendly software shell. Who would have thought that when we were introduced to Oppo and ColorOS years ago and it was really still a mess? It is now one of the best Android software shells on the market. Point of criticism this time: a lot of bloatware. I can also install apps myself and the pre-installed Netflix, Facebook, TikTok, Amazon Shopping and all those other apps are completely unnecessary.

You have already been able to read the price of this device at the top. The Oppo Reno 8 Pro costs 749 euros and is therefore 50 euros cheaper than the one launched last year Oppo Reno 6 Pro. As far as I’m concerned, the price could have been a lot cheaper, because the Oppo Reno 6 Pro is simply a better device, especially if you look at the camera system. Do you want to buy an Oppo Reno 6 Pro now? Then you are ready for less than 500 euros. That is far too big a difference with the Oppo Reno 8 Pro.

Conclusion

Basically, the Oppo Reno 8 Pro is a great device. It is really clear that this time they have saved on the device. And that has been done more than you would expect from the small step back in the price. This is one of the few Oppo devices that does not receive a case. The main camera and selfie camera are very good, but the ultra wide-angle camera and useless macro lens are a step back from the Reno 6 Pro. And if you know that you can buy the Oppo Reno 6 Pro for less than 500 euros, why buy a more expensive Oppo Reno 8 Pro except you can expect one newer Android version? The Oppo Reno 8 Pro is in two minds with me. A beautiful and distinctive design, fast hardware and a good main and selfie camera. Outside of that, however, it is very average and there are alternatives such as the Google Pixel 6(a), Nothing Phone (1) or the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G which are not only much cheaper, but also better in some areas. The Oppo Reno 8 Pro is a good device, but it does not rise above ground level.

Pros

  • Fantastic design
  • Good main and selfie camera
  • Quick specs
  • Lightning-fast charging
Negatives

  • Camera system not balanced
  • Update policy should be better
  • Case no longer included
  • Still too expensive for what you get