Considering the price range, it is quite difficult to put the Oppo Reno5 SmartPhone in one category. It is below the high-end models, but also above the mid-range ones. When it comes to features and performance, it is a whole other story. If you are curious to see what we mean, follow through with our review and see if this could be your next phone!
| Size | 7.9 x 159.1 x 73.4 mm |
| Weight | 172 grams |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G |
| Memory | 8192 MB or 12GB |
| Display | 6.43 inch 20:9, 2400 x 1080 pixel 409 PPI, Capacitive, AMOLED, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 90 Hz |
| Storage | 128 GB/512 GB |
| Battery | 4300 mAh Lithium-Polymer |
| Operating System | Android 11 |
| Front camera | 4 MPix Quad: 64MP (f/1.7, 26mm, 1/1.73″, 0.8µm) + 8MP (f/2.2, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm) + 2MP (f/2.4) + 2MP (f/2.4) |
| Back camera | 32 MPix f/2.4, 24mm, 1/2.8″, 0.8µm Features HDR |
Reno5: Design
This is one of Reno5’s strong suits. On a first impression, it has the standard sandwich build with Gorilla Glass 5 on the front. Things change on the back though, as it swaps the back glass and metal frame for plastic elements. This is how the lightness of the phone can be explained. It either comes in a light blue color, or the Starry Black version. The latter is not too flashy, and it even changes hues at different angles and turns into a mirror in direct sunlight. The only downside would be that fingerprints do stick, and they are also quite visible.
The way that the cameras are positioned is clearly inspired by Apple and the edges are rounded, which helps with the grip. The front of the Reno5 is almost seamless, the only disturbance being the punch-hole for the front camera. Even though it is not big, it is pretty deep and it eats a significant chunk of the display.
The frame is razor thin, which accentuates the power key, the two separate buttons for volume control on the left, and on the bottom the USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack and a loudspeaker grille. The only thing that might not be just as well positioned is the fingerprint scanner. It is slightly too close to the bottom edge, which can make it uncomfortable for people with big hands. Other than this, the Reno5 gives you an unbeatable sensation of a secure grip when handling it with just one hand.
Reno5: Battery
Another thing that the Reno5 surprises us with is its efficiency. Even though it could be considered small, the 4300 mAh battery proved to be strong enough to provide an overall endurance score of 109h. Above this, the charging time is also something to be proud of. It goes from 0% to 100% in just 40 minutes, and in 30 minutes it goes up to 87%.
Reno5: Performance
As the name of the processor suggests – Snapdragon 765G- the Reno5 supports 5G connectivity. The chipset is also a perfectly capable SoC. It can handle pretty much any day-to-day task that you throw at it, without any issues. The only slight downside here is the price comparison between it and Snapdragon 865 and 870.
Back camera
Like many other mid rangers on the market, the Reno5 offers a quad-camera setup on the back and a single shooter on the front. The cameras on the back work perfectly together to deliver decent brightness, good sharpness and natural, but bright colors. Depending on whether you prefer to keep the AI turned off or on, it will influence these factors. The aspect that disappoints are the details, which are far from impressive. Overall, the images are well-balanced, with plenty of detail in the highlights and shadows.
When talking about videos, there are a few options. The standard is 2160p@30fps, an AI Highlight video is a feature that supports only 1080p@30fps, slow motion videos are at 720p, but 1080p mode is also available at lower frame rates.
Front camera
Even though the front camera has a 32 MP sensor, the photos do not seem to prove it. The most challenging thing is to catch the right focusing distance. On the bright side, the details are rather good, the colors are bright enough, and so is the dynamic range. One thing that could happen is that your skin might appear rather light. A good thing to know is that the portraits are consistently sharper than the standard selfies. This happens because of the lack of HDR. All in all, it can be a little hard to get the perfect photo for social media, but not impossible!
In conclusion, the Reno5 is a good, light and compact phone that charges fast and shoots well in low light conditions. Even so, it can be rather hard for it to compete with other models in the mid range market, like the Poco F3 or the Mi 10T Pro. Maybe if the price was slightly lower, there would have been no doubt in recommending it. If you think that you could still give it a try, you can find it on AliExpress, in two options!
