TechRadar Verdict
Oppo Reno8 5G is a great choice for a phone under Rs. 30,000. It has everything you might need, good looks, great performance, a good camera and super-fast charging.
Pros
- +
Performance
- +
Camera
- +
Charging speeds
Cons
- -
No stereo speakers
- -
Lack of OIS
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Oppo Reno8 5G is the latest smartphone in Oppo's premium Reno series of smartphones. Reno series has been known for two things - design and camera. Oppo Reno8 5G excels on both counts.
The on-paper camera specifications might be disappointing, but the results are great for the price. And the phone is a stunner, with its looks that will make anyone fall in love with it.
But not only that, this time around, Oppo has focused on performance too. Usually Oppo skimps on it, using a chipset that isn't comparable to other phones in similar segment. This phone comes with Mediatek Dimensity 1300 SoC, which is one of the best you can get for the price.
There's more to know about the phone, here is our detailed review of Oppo Reno8 5G.
Price and availability
Oppo Reno 8 5G is available in two colours, Shimmer gold and Glazed black. It is available everywhere practically, on online retailers, it is available via Flipkart, Amazon and Oppo store. And you will find this phone retailing on every other mobile and electronics store in the country.
It is priced at Rs. 29,999 for the 8/128GB variant and it is not offered in any other RAM/internal storage combinations.
Display and Design
Just like OnePlus Nord 2T, Oppo Reno 8 has a 6.43-inch AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 90Hz. It is a really good panel with an aspect ratio of 20:9, and it comes with good viewing angles and sunlight legibility. You'll get a screen protector out of the box, which will at least protect the device from scratches.
The device would have looked much better if it did not come with thick bezels at the bottom of the phone. But you won't notice it after using the device for some time.
But the phone is a looker, especially from the back. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra-inspired camera array looks striking and unique.
Performance
Oppo Reno 8 5G was fluid and did not come with any stutters in our usage. The performance was excellent owing to the Mediatek Dimensity 1300 SoC. The phone is no slouch and can stand up to any other competitors.
We tested the phone in the popular Call of Duty: Mobile and Apex Legends Mobile. The performance was excellent on both these phones.
Apex Legends Mobile will run on the phone on 'Extreme' graphics quality and 'Very High' frame rate and will go on for 'Ultra' frame rates and 'Normal' graphics quality.
CoD: Mobile runs at the maximum graphics settings available, 'Very High' graphic quality and 'Max' frame rate.
Camera
The highlight of the phone, of course, is the cameras, and the triple camera setup on the back comes with a 50MP primary shooter powered by a Sony IMX766 sensor. But it does not come with OIS support like Realme 9 Pro Plus. Then there is the usual 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro snapper as secondaries.
Photos from the primary camera were excellent in colour reproduction and details. But the images sometimes get a blueish tint on daytime photos, but not always.
Talking about the ultra-wide cameras, it almost keeps the same colour profile but can get warm when compared to the primary camera.
The low light images are good; the phone captures good nighttime shots, which only get enhanced with night mode. I would always use night mode for low-light photos.
In terms of selfies, the phone performed exceptionally well in daylight conditions. But the images from the front camera take a hit in low light conditions, with the skin getting softer and softer.
Video recording tops out at 4K at 30 fps for the back camera and 1080p at 30fps. There is support for 60fps shooting, but it is limited to 1080p for the rear camera. There is support for Ultra steady mode and dual video mode.
Battery, Speakers, and others
Battery life was great on the phone, and in my use, it could easily last a day or more. And the 80W fast charging is super fast, and it takes just over 35 minutes for the phone to get from 0% to 100%.
Oppo Reno 8 comes with a single speaker at the bottom, which is quite loud and clear. It almost makes you forget the absence of a stereo speaker setup in the phone.
Oppo should have provided a better haptic motor with this phone. This phone only comes with the usual haptics you would get in budget phones, which are not up to the mark. It is something that I felt ruined the otherwise premium experience of using the phone.
Software
Oppo Reno 8 5G came pre-installed Android 12 out of the box, in the company's flavour ColorOS 12. It offers a smooth and fluid experience and continues to be one of the best custom skins in Android right now. I did not face any major issues or bugs with the skin on my usage, and the software felt stable and responsive.
The phone did come with a fair amount of bloatware, though, namely Finshell Pay, Heyfun, Netflix, Facebook, Linked In, Moj, Josh, Byjus, PhonePe, Snapchat and Daily hunt. But the third-party apps can be uninstalled, and the first-party apps such as Finshell Pay can be disabled.
Verdict
In my experience, Oppo Reno 8 5G felt like a solid offering from Oppo, with excellent pricing to match. It is one of the best-looking phones in the segment and also feels premium to use.
It offers good performance and great cameras, and the UI is now one of the best you can get on the Android side of things. There are some nibbles, such as a lack of haptics and stereo speakers, which most people might not be an issue. But given the price and the premium 'Reno' branding for the phone, it should have been present.
Talking about the phone's competitors, OnePlus Nord 2T more or less offers the same experience and comes at the same price. You can go with that instead if you prefer the OnePlus brand, but you're getting the same phone in a different body.
Then there is Nothing Phone (1), which is quite a unique phone on its own, with its unique design and features. But I would refrain from buying that phone because of the reliability issues and software issues that are cropping up with that phone. I would trust Oppo more by providing a more reliable phone.
Then there is Redmi K50i and Poco F4; if you're a performance fanatic, you will go with those phones. But for me, ColorOS offers a better software experience.
