Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G Review: Meets Expectations, and a Bit More
The Oppo Reno series has undergone some significant changes in recent years, particularly in terms of pricing and positioning. It started as a mid-range series but has gradually transitioned into the premium segment, with devices like the Reno 8 Pro 5G and the flagship Reno 10 Pro+ 5G commanding higher price tags.
One of the main criticisms of the Reno series has been its camera performance and processing power. While the design and battery life have generally been praised, Oppo has faced challenges in delivering a comparable camera experience and processing capabilities when compared to other devices in the same price range.
With the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G, Oppo seems to have taken steps to address these concerns. The device is equipped with a top-end processor and boasts three capable rear-facing cameras, which should enhance the overall user experience and potentially justify the higher price point. However, whether it can truly compete as a well-rounded flagship device and how it stacks up against the competition remains to be seen.
Ultimately, whether the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G is a suitable choice for you would depend on your specific needs, preferences, and budget. It's always recommended to thoroughly research and compare different devices, read reviews, and consider factors like camera performance, processing power, software experience, and overall value for money before making a purchase decision.
Indeed, Oppo has a history of introducing unique and innovative designs in its premium smartphone lineup. The original Find X, for example, gained attention for its motorized pop-up mechanism that housed both the front and rear cameras, allowing for a truly bezel-less display. This design approach provided a seamless and immersive viewing experience.
The Oppo Reno 2 also showcased a distinctive design with its shark fin-style pop-up camera. This design choice not only served the functional purpose of housing the front camera but also added a visual flair to the device.
These design elements demonstrate Oppo's commitment to pushing boundaries and offering something different in the premium smartphone segment. The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G, as the latest addition to the Reno series, is expected to continue this trend with its unique design elements that contribute to its overall aesthetics and user experience.
It's worth noting that design is subjective, and individual preferences may vary. Some users appreciate bold and unconventional designs, while others prefer more subtle and traditional aesthetics. Ultimately, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G's design should be evaluated based on personal taste and how well it aligns with one's style and preferences.
The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G doesn't introduce any groundbreaking design elements, but it still offers a sleek and sophisticated look. It is available in two different finishes: Glossy Purple and Silvery Grey. The variant you received, the Silvery Grey, features a smooth matte finish on the rear panel, while the Glossy Purple variant has a high-gloss finish.
The choice between a matte finish and a high-gloss finish is a matter of personal preference. A matte finish tends to give a more understated and refined appearance, while a high-gloss finish adds a touch of elegance and shine to the device. Both finishes have their appeal and can enhance the overall aesthetics of the phone.
Additionally, the choice of finish can also impact the device's resistance to fingerprints, smudges, and scratches. Matte finishes generally have a better ability to hide fingerprints and smudges, making them more practical for daily use. On the other hand, high-gloss finishes may require more maintenance to keep them looking pristine.
Ultimately, the decision between the Silvery Grey with its matte finish and the Glossy Purple with its high-gloss finish comes down to personal taste and style. It's important to consider your preferences in terms of look, feel, and maintenance when choosing between the two options.
The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G follows a sleek and refined design approach, offering a premium look and feel. It features a clean and minimalist design language that is both elegant and comfortable to hold. The phone has rounded corners, curved sides, and a curved-edge display, which not only adds to its aesthetic appeal but also enhances the ergonomics of the device.
The Reno 10 Pro+ 5G boasts a combination of high-quality materials. The display is protected by AGC's Dragontrail Star 2 cover glass, ensuring durability and resistance to scratches. The rear panel is made from Corning Gorilla Glass 5, providing a smooth and glossy finish. The sandwiched frame, crafted from polycarbonate, adds to the device's premium build quality and contributes to its lightweight nature, weighing just 194g.
One notable aspect of the phone's design is the rear camera module, which protrudes prominently from the back. It features a capsule-shaped layout and is constructed using a combination of aluminum and glass materials. The three rear-facing cameras are arranged vertically, creating a visually appealing arrangement.
Overall, Oppo has paid attention to detail in the design of the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G, ensuring a refined and polished look. The choice of materials, the curved edges, and the attention to ergonomics all contribute to a premium and comfortable user experience.
The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, which was introduced last year. It's worth noting that newer processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 are now available in other devices at the same price point. The phone boasts a 6.74-inch curved-edge OLED display with a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, although it does not use the LTPO technology and instead switches between 30Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. The display offers a resolution of 2,772 x 1,240 pixels and a pixel density of 450ppi.
In terms of connectivity, the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and various 5G bands. It also includes dual-SIM slots for nano-SIM cards, but there is no SD card slot for expanding storage. The phone features stereo speakers but does not include a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Although the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G offers a range of high-end specifications, it is worth mentioning that it does not come with an official IP rating for water and dust resistance, which may be a drawback for some users.
One notable omission in the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G is wireless charging. Although it features a respectable 4,700mAh battery, the phone only supports 100W wired charging. However, unlike many other manufacturers, Oppo does provide a charger in the box, ensuring fast charging convenience.
On the software side, the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G runs on ColorOS 13.1, which is based on Android 13. During the majority of the review period, the device was running build number CPH2521_13.1.1.130 (EX01), and it was later upgraded to build number CPH2521_13.1.1.160 (EX01) with the addition of the June 2023 Android security patch.
The software experience is typical of ColorOS, which is also found on Realme and OnePlus devices. However, Oppo has made efforts to refine the haptic feedback, resulting in accurate vibrations for various interactions, whether it's receiving a call or navigating through the software interface. As expected, the software is highly customizable, offering a wide selection of live wallpapers, adaptive weight font options, customizable icons, and more.
Overall, while the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G may lack wireless charging, it compensates with its fast wired charging capabilities and a software experience that offers extensive customization options and improved haptic feedback.
The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G offers some useful software features such as the Multi-Screen Connect feature, which allows seamless connectivity between the phone, tablet, and Windows PC. This feature enables easy file transfers, shared clipboard, screen mirroring, and even opening mobile apps on the PC.
However, one downside is the presence of preinstalled third-party apps, which can be a bit annoying. Although most of these apps can be uninstalled, the Oppo App Market and Game Center apps tend to send frequent notifications. It would have been better if Oppo reduced the spammy notifications considering the premium price of the device. In my case, I had to disable notifications from these apps altogether to avoid the constant interruptions.
Moving on to performance, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G delivers as expected in benchmark tests, achieving a high score in AnTuTu and Geekbench tests. Oppo has implemented advanced cooling mechanisms such as an ultra conductive graphite sheet and a vapor chamber cooling system to ensure the phone remains cool even during intensive tasks like recording 4K videos or playing graphics-intensive games. With its claimed 240Hz touch sampling rate and optimized gaming console toolkit, the phone provides a smooth gaming experience with minimal heat generation, whether you're playing games like Asphalt 9 Legends or Call of Duty Mobile.
Overall, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G impresses in terms of performance and gaming capabilities while maintaining cool temperatures. However, the presence of preinstalled third-party apps and the excessive notifications from some of them can be a drawback.
The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G's display performs well, particularly in bright sunlight, and offers accurate color reproduction when using the Natural display color scheme. The display is HDR10-certified and features Oppo's ProXDR Smart Display Control, which enhances the brightness when viewing HDR photos. Users have the option to disable this feature temporarily by tapping the Pro XDR button. However, HDR10 video streaming is limited to Amazon Prime Video and the YouTube app, as Netflix does not currently support it on this device.
In terms of battery life, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G provides a good endurance. In our HD video loop test, the
phone lasted an impressive 19 hours and 15 minutes. With heavy usage, the battery easily lasted over a day, and with casual use, it could extend to a day and a half. This is commendable for a premium device and ensures that users can rely on the phone throughout the day without worrying about frequent recharging.
Overall, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G delivers a satisfying display performance with good color accuracy and HDR capabilities. The battery life is also impressive, providing sufficient power to keep the phone running for extended periods.
The charging speed of the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G is remarkable, especially when using the SuperVOOC charger. It charges from zero to 75 percent in just 15 minutes, and while it slows down after that point, it still achieves a full charge in only 30 minutes. It's impressive that the phone remains cool during the initial fast-charging phase, demonstrating effective heat management for a wired fast-charging system.
Moving on to the camera capabilities, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G boasts a triple rear camera setup. The primary camera is a 50-megapixel sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), delivering impressive levels of detail in daylight shots. The photos exhibit accurate skin tones, natural colors, and well-controlled dynamic range, although there may be occasional instances of overexposed areas in brighter scenes. It's worth noting that the phone does not have a dedicated macro camera, but the primary camera allows for close-up shots with good sharpness and clarity when shooting subjects from a distance of around 10-15cm.
The camera interface follows Oppo's typical style, offering a Pro mode for manual controls and adjustments if desired. However, it's important to mention that while the phone supports HDR10+ for its display, it does not have the capability to record HDR video.
Overall, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G's camera system performs well in capturing detailed photos with accurate colors and good dynamic range.
In low-light conditions, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G automatically captures longer exposures, eliminating the need to switch to the dedicated Night mode. Under street lighting, the camera performs well with slightly limited dynamic range, particularly in the shadows, resulting in slightly contrasty photos. However, when taking photos of dimly-lit scenes, even with Night mode activated, there is a noticeable decrease in resolved detail, which is to be expected from a smartphone in this price range.
The performance of the ultra-wide camera in daylight is decent, but the level of detail is not as high as that of the primary camera, and some photos may appear slightly overexposed. Additionally, there may be minor barrel distortion and purple fringing when capturing bright scenes. In low-light conditions, the photos taken with the ultra-wide camera tend to have softer details and less defined textures, resulting in average image quality.
It's important to note that smartphone cameras often struggle to produce the same level of quality as dedicated cameras in challenging lighting situations, especially in the mid-range price segment. Despite these limitations, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G still offers a versatile camera system that performs well in most lighting conditions, particularly in daylight with the primary camera.
The telephoto camera on the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G stands out as one of its impressive features. With its high-resolution sensor, it captures exceptionally detailed photos that are not commonly found in smartphones at this price range. Oppo's periscopic telephoto setup is also noteworthy, as it maintains a minimum focusing distance of around 25cm.
The camera software employs a hybrid approach where it uses the primary camera within the 25cm range, even when the 3X zoom setting is selected. Once an object is more than 25cm away from the phone, the system automatically switches to the 3X periscope telephoto camera. This seamless transition ensures that you can capture sharp and detailed photos even when zooming in on subjects at a distance.
This implementation allows the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G to offer versatile zoom capabilities, providing clear and detailed shots whether you're taking close-up shots or zooming in on subjects that are further away. It's a feature that adds value to the overall camera experience of the device.
You're correct that there is a noticeable difference in the quality of the 3X magnified photos taken with the primary camera versus the telephoto camera on the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G. The 3X photos from the primary camera may appear less sharp because they are essentially cropped and scaled-up versions of the primary camera's output. On the other hand, the photos captured by the dedicated 3X telephoto camera exhibit impressive depth, detail, and subject separation, especially in well-lit conditions.
In daylight or under artificial lighting, the telephoto camera produces stunning results, showcasing fine details and providing a sense of depth to the images. However, in low-light or dimly-lit environments, the photos taken with the telephoto camera may appear softer and lacking in detail, exhibiting a watercolor-like effect.
It's worth noting that the camera system on the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G can achieve zoom levels beyond 3X, but the image quality tends to decline after reaching around 6X magnification. This is a common limitation in smartphone cameras, where the quality of images tends to degrade as you go beyond the optical zoom range.
Overall, the telephoto camera on the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G offers impressive performance in capturing detailed and well-separated subjects in daylight, but it may struggle to deliver the same level of detail and sharpness in low-light conditions or at higher zoom levels.
The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G delivers sharp and accurate selfies with natural-looking skin tones, especially when the beautifying features are turned off. It also performs well in capturing clear and sharp selfies even in low-light conditions, which is a standout feature not commonly found in smartphones in this price segment. However, edge detection for portrait selfies may be slightly less accurate in low-light situations.
When it comes to video recording, the phone excels in daylight conditions. Videos captured at 4K 30fps are well-stabilized, showcasing good details and dynamic range. The performance remains equally impressive when shooting at 4K 60fps, with a steady framerate and effective stabilization. In low-light scenarios, recording at 4K 30fps produces footage with minimal noise, steady framerate, and slightly limited dynamic range. The stabilization is also good, albeit with a slight shimmer effect, and the frame may be slightly cropped. Switching to 4K 60fps in low-light conditions results in a steady framerate, but with very limited dynamic range and a more contrasted look. The ultra-wide angle camera, however, is limited to recording videos at 1080p 60fps.
Overall, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G delivers impressive video recording capabilities with good stabilization, detail, and dynamic range in daylight, and decent performance in low-light conditions, although there may be some limitations in terms of dynamic range and overall quality at higher frame rates or with the ultra-wide camera.