Oppo Reno10 5G Review: Stylish mid-ranger

Reason to Buy

Earlier this month, OPPO Kenya unveiled the latest additions to its popular Reno smartphone lineup – the Reno10 5G, Reno10 Pro 5G, and Reno10 Pro Plus 5G. While only the vanilla Reno10 5G and Reno10 Pro models made it to the Kenyan market so far, I’ve been testing out the base Reno10 5G extensively over the past couple weeks.

As the most affordable option in the new Reno10 series, the Reno10 5G succeeds last year’s Reno8 5G model (the Reno9 was a China exclusive). The Reno10 5G brings a fresh new design and several noteworthy upgrades under the hood, establishing itself as a true next generation successor.

Oppo Reno10 5G: Design and Display

There’s no denying the Reno10 5G is one of OPPO’s best-looking phones yet. It shares a similar sleek pill-shaped camera module and layout as the pricier Reno10 Pro, with the main difference being the Pro’s glossy glass back versus the vanilla model’s matte finish. I’m a fan of the matte texture, as it resists fingerprints.

From the front, the Reno10 5G also resembles the Reno8T 5G that was launched back in February in the country.

The Reno10 5G comes in eye-catching Ice Blue or Silvery Grey shades, both with gradient hues that shift attractively under lighting. My Ice Blue review unit especially dazzles with its light blue gradient.

Subtly curved front and back glass lend the Reno10 a comfortable, ergonomic feel for a phone this large. At just 185g, it remains lightweight for easy one-handed use. The curved frame matches across all Reno10 models and looks upscale for the price range.

Dual stereo speakers deliver decent audio, a welcome surprise since the pricier Reno10 Pro lacks this feature. The 6.7″ FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display is gorgeously vibrant, with deep blacks and lively colors. HDR10+ content looks great, though brightness could be higher.

By stretching the screen and reducing bezels, especially the chin, OPPO fit a noticeably larger and more immersive display versus the Reno8 without increasing device size. This makes the Reno10 5G feel more premium than its cost suggests.

Moreover, the phone supports HDR10+ on platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. During my review, I watched HDR10+ shows like The Rings of Power and Jack Ryan and found the dynamic range to be satisfactory, although overall brightness levels seemed less than adequate.

Oppo Reno10 5G: Cameras

The OPPO Reno10 5G brings noteworthy upgrades to its camera system, offering improved features that enhance the overall photography experience. Let’s take a closer look at these upgrades and how they perform in various settings.

OPPO has made significant changes to the camera setup of the Reno10 5G. Gone is the 2MP macro lens, replaced by a much more useful 32MP Sony IMX709 telephoto camera. This telephoto lens supports 2x optical zoom and an impressive 20x digital zoom, allowing for versatile photography.

The primary camera has also received an upgrade, now featuring a 64MP Omnivision OV64B sensor compared to the 50MP Sony IMX766 camera in its predecessor. There’s also an 8MP ultra-wide lens (f/2.2).

While the higher megapixel count appears promising on paper, its real-world performance requires a deeper evaluation.

Daylight Photography

In favorable daylight conditions, the 64MP primary camera captures scenic shots with adequate detail. However, it tends to occasionally blow out certain areas like the sky and overprocess images. It struggles with color accuracy, leaning towards oversaturated hues. The images taken with both the primary and telephoto lenses exhibit a cooler color temperature.

Night Mode and Low-Light Photography

The dedicated night mode in the Reno10 5G attempts to improve low-light photography by slowing down the shutter speed to capture more light. However, in practice, the results are inconsistent. More often than not, images captured in night mode lack detail and appear hazy, failing to deliver the expected enhancement for night shots.

Telephoto Lens and Zoom Capabilities

The 32MP telephoto lens proves to be a valuable addition, enabling users to capture high-quality close-up shots. The 2x optical zoom retains a significant amount of detail, offering a new perspective while zooming in. However, any zoom beyond 2x switches to digital, resulting in a visible loss of detailing and a chalky effect.

The telephoto lens also enhances Portrait mode and aids in achieving good sharpness in outdoor conditions. However, the background blur effect in portrait shots may sometimes be hit or miss.

For selfies, the Reno10 5G is equipped with a 32MP selfie camera, similar to its predecessor. This allows users to capture attractive selfies with pleasing color reproduction and skin tones, enhancing the selfie-taking experience. However, I noticed that the selfie pictures still came out a bit too soft even with the face enhancing mode turned off.

Oppo Reno10 5G: Performance and Software

The OPPO Reno10 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM, offering solid performance capabilities. Available in 128GB and 256GB storage variants, this smartphone introduces the Dimensity 7050, a new processor that, unfortunately, represents a downgrade from the Dimensity 1300 that powered its predecessor, the Reno8 5G.

While it adeptly handles basic tasks like messaging and social media browsing, extended usage during demanding tasks reveals occasional sluggishness.

In terms of gaming, the Reno10 5G is more suitable for casual gamers than hardcore enthusiasts. During gameplay, particularly in games like Call of Duty Mobile at the highest graphics settings, the phone exhibited acceptable performance without noticeable stutter or lag.

However, prolonged gaming sessions led to a mild increase in device temperature, reaching approximately 4-5 degrees Celsius.

Software

The phone comes with Android 13 and ColorOS 13.1, known for its pre-installed apps, sometimes termed as ‘bloatware’. The home screen can be cluttered with third-party apps and folders for ‘Hot Games’ and ‘Hot Apps’.

To achieve a more organized and clearer interface, users may need to invest some time in cleaning up the UI. ColorOS 13.1 does bring valuable features like Smart Always-On Display, allowing convenient control of apps like Spotify and quick status checks on food delivery apps without unlocking the screen.

Oppo Reno10 5G: Battery and Charging

OPPO has significantly upgraded the battery capacity from 4,500mAh in the Reno8 to a robust 5,000mAh in the Reno10. This enhancement results in extended overall battery life, easily lasting a day to a day and a half with moderate usage.

However, enabling the Always On display feature may reduce the phone’s standby time, necessitating wise usage of this feature. In a PCMark battery test, the phone impressively recorded a solid 17 hours of battery life.

The OPPO Reno10 5G also supports fast charging at 67W, a slightly reduced speed from the 80W charging capability of its predecessor, the Reno8. Consequently, the charging time has increased slightly from around 30 minutes to approximately 45 minutes.

Final Verdict

OPPO has presented a mixed bag with the OPPO Reno10 5G. On the positive side, it offers an attractive AMOLED display and a stylish design, making it an appealing smartphone to showcase and a great entertainment companion, especially with the addition of stereo speakers.

However, it falls short of expectations in terms of the cameras and chipset, often appearing as downgrades compared to the Reno8 5G.

Priced at Ksh 57,000, it faces formidable competition from other smartphones like the Infinix Note 30 VIP, Samsung Galaxy A54 5G, Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G, and Vivo V27, among others. Users should carefully consider their priorities and usage patterns before making a purchasing decision in this competitive market segment.