Oppo Reno8 review
Oppo is a brand that has worked itself into a very notable space in the smartphone market. With an impressive line-up of phones that are fast and affordable, Oppo devices fit nicely in the ‘budget premium’ category. In our Oppo Reno8 review, we take a look at why this flagship phone, the Oppo Reno8 Pro and Lite models excel in leading the charge as the brand’s top ‘budget premium’ devices.
The Oppo Reno8 is available in two stunning colours and comes with 256GB storage. The Reno8 Pro model also comes in two colours and features 256GB storage, whilst the Reno8 Lite is equipped with 128GB.
Design
Visual style
The Oppo Reno8’s design language focuses on sleekness, with an emphasis on rounded edges to create a seamless, uniform phone that feels fantastic in the hand. From top to bottom, the Reno8 looks and feels premium, which is laudable given it has a plastic frame, instead of the more traditional aluminium design.
The Oppo Reno8 Lite carries this same plastic shell throughout its design. However, the Oppo Reno8 Pro does feature an aluminium frame and glass back cover, making the latter an ideal choice in this range, if you want that extra premium feel.
All three phones sport a distinctive camera array on the rear, creating a visual talking point rather than blending them into the phone’s design. It is a bold choice that will suit anyone who likes their device to immediately stand out.
Dimensions
When it comes to size, the Oppo Reno8 and Reno8 Pro are similar in height, width, and thickness. Both phones have a typical height of around 160mm, and the Reno8 Pro, despite being slightly taller and heavier, is thinner at 7.34mm. Whichever device you choose, you are getting a light and sleek phone that feels comfortable to hold.
If you want a phone that is even lighter, the appropriately named Oppo Reno8 Lite is the way to go. At 173g, this device is extremely light, making it a great companion for anyone not wanting their phone to weigh them down. Photographers on the move will also enjoy the Reno8 Lite, due to its high-quality camera and light carry weight.
Display
When viewing images and videos on the Oppo Reno8, the brilliant quality of its display really shines through. The screen size is 6.4-inches and can output at 2400x1080 HD, capturing every pixel in crystal-clear clarity. For a smoother viewing experience, the Reno8’s display also has a 90Hz refresh rate.
Due to being an AMOLED panel, the display of the Reno8 can showcase contrasts way beyond the capabilities of an LCD panel. When looking at dark images, inky blacks look as realistic as they would if observing the night sky. Likewise, bright colours are vibrant, sharp, and stunning.
At 6.7-inches, the Oppo Reno8 Pro has a slightly larger display, but the significant improvement here is a higher refresh rate of 120Hz. If you play games on your mobile regularly, larger refresh rates are essential to producing less stutter; the Reno8 Pro is therefore an exceptional phone to use.
The Reno8 Lite refreshes at 60Hz and as such is less suited to demanding gaming. Where this model excels is in its ability to offer a Full HD 1080p display on a lighter and smaller device. Oppo are therefore able to offer a phone that doesn’t compromise in any key areas and still looks phenomenal.
Performance
The Oppo Reno8 backs up its visual capabilities with great performance in the best Android games and when performing general tasks, such as swapping between apps. It achieves this thanks to the Mediatek Dimensity 1300 chip, which comes packed with 8 cores to keep the Reno8 running lightning-fast. 8GB RAM work alongside the 1300 chip to make streaming and browsing a breeze.
This impressive level of performance is pushed further with the Reno8 Pro, which not only has a faster Dimensity 8100-MAX chip, but also possess a supporting NPU (neural processing unit) to take the computing load off of the main chip.
This method of combining CPUs with additional support chips is becoming increasingly common in smartphones as tasks grow in complexity. As a result, the Reno8 Pro blows away the competition, particularly in the ‘budget premium’ category.
Users of the Reno8 Lite will also find fast performance speeds when they browse or take photos, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 and 8GB RAM.
Battery
Battery life on the Reno8 is mightily impressive, particularly for a phone in the ‘budget premium’ bracket. Even when under heavy usage, the Reno8 can last most of the day and then recharge to 100% in approximately 35 minutes, due to the fantastic 80W charger the phone comes with.
Recharging the Reno8 Pro is also supremely fast, coming packed with the same 80W charger. There is no wireless charging support on the Reno8 Pro, so this fantastic charging capability is a welcome inclusion.
The Reno8 Lite can be powered back up with its 33W charger in the box. Whilst this recharging speed is not as fast as what’s capable from its siblings, the Reno8 Lite’s battery life is still formidable.
Cameras
We previously talked about the stellar visual quality on offer with the Reno8’s AMOLED display, and this superb screen truly comes into its own when heading out to take photos.
Within the phone’s camera array is a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro lens. The image quality from these cameras is phenomenal, being able to capture detail with clarity sometimes only seen in the best premium phones. On the front there is also a 32MP camera for high-quality selfies.
Video capture is also impressive on the Reno8, with the ability to record at 4K 30FPS or HD 60FPS.
The Reno8 Pro has the same camera array as the base Reno8 phone, but performance and image quality is boosted by the NPU that sits alongside the main chip. The NPU does some of the heavy lifting by improving brightness in images that appear too dark or bright, without harming overall phone performance.
Near the front of the pack however is the excellent Reno8 Lite, which excels as a camera with its detailed 60MP main lens. It also includes additional shooting modes, such as Google Lens, which can be used to scan the area around you and display information on what you’re seeing.
Connectivity
Each phone in the Oppo Reno8 range comes with 5G connectivity, allowing you to connect online with super-fast speeds. Games can load faster with less lag and downloads are much shorter. For a phone with great gaming performance, having 5G on the Reno8 is a huge positive.
Summary
Within the Oppo Reno8 collection, there’s a phone to suit every person. The crowning achievement of this range isn’t in just its raw performance, but in how it achieves this without breaking the bank. If you want a phone that offers premium quality on a budget, the Oppo Reno8 is a must-have.
2022 saw the rise of many exceptional phones. Check out our guide for a detailed rundown of the best phones of the year.