OPPO has long been famous for good, reliable smartphones that have earned the trust of users. Has not lost the reputation of a decent smartphone OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G?
The Chinese company has always been able to surprise with its high-quality smartphones of medium-budget level. The same can be said about the already quite famous OPPO Reno series. And now the Chinese have returned to the Ukrainian market with two of their novelties of this series – OPPO Reno10 and Reno10 Pro 5G.
Of course, I really wanted to see what’s new from the Chinese smartphone manufacturer. And when the company representatives kindly offered to test the older model – OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G, I gladly agreed.
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It should be noted right away that the global version of the OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G is slightly different from the Chinese version, but the main components of the design, screen, etc., have not changed.
OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G continues the traditions of the Reno line, which has always been famous for style, design, back panel colour, as well as one of the most important aspects of a modern smartphone – the photographic capabilities of the cameras.
The new product from OPPO has a really slim and lightweight design with a 3D curved screen, available in glossy purple and silver grey colours. The OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G gets a 6.7-inch OLED display with Full HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and support for 1 billion colours, Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 2. 2. 2 permanent storage, and a camera suite that includes a 50+8+32-megapixel triple lens consisting of a wide-angle, ultra-wide and telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. The smartphone runs Android 13 with the traditional Color OS 13.1 shell.
OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G is presented in Ukraine in 12/256 GB version only in silver grey colour. Its recommended price for Ukrainian consumers is $625.
Quite a modern smartphone of the mid-budget segment with a powerful processor from Qualcomm and an interesting set of cameras. In short, I would like to share with you the impressions from testing OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G as soon as possible.
The smartphone is packed in a white and silver box with black inserts, which looks really spectacular, and even more spectacular silver shimmers in the sun.
Inside is the OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G smartphone itself, a bunch of papers with a paper clip to open the SIM tray and a powerful 80W charger with a rather long USB-A / USB-C cable. What’s more – there’s already a protective film for the phone’s screen.
Unfortunately, you won’t find a protective case, which is not a must-have, but would add some tenacity and more protection to the device’s case. Although you don’t want to hide such a case, you want to admire it.
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The Reno series has always been aimed at the youth segment of users, focusing mainly on aesthetics. This is especially true of the iconic OPPO Glow coating, which gave us rainbow smartphones and a very interesting play of light on the back panel in the past. This year we find a number of differences in the design of the Reno series, with the new models having a more traditional design.
When describing the look of the OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G, I would use the phrase “matte beauty in a new satin finish”. The smartphone really mesmerises from the first moment.
Let me start with the fact that OPPO smartphones have always caught the user’s attention. The Glow coating has done its job perfectly and the OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G is no exception.
The back cover has a satin matte finish that looks very elegant. This is especially felt in the grey variant, which I received for testing. And of course, the back surface collects almost no fingerprints. The case looks different depending on the angle of light – the colour can change from grey, through green, to black. And it all looks best in the sun, where sparkling particles come into play.
The edges of the smartphone have a metallic finish, which looks attractive. However, if you use your devices without a protective case, you may notice minor scratches around the edges over time, but it must be said that this is a common problem with this type of finish.
The OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G measures 163.0×74.0×7.7mm and weighs 186g, with a screen-to-body area ratio of 93%, the bottom bezel is 2.32mm wide and the left and right bezels are just 1.57mm wide. A good, pocket-sized, not very heavy smartphone.
The “island” for camera lenses has also been changed. It is impossible not to notice it in the upper left corner. A large capsule-shaped camera module is located here. The module has a large sensor in the upper half and two smaller ones in the lower half. The camera module protrudes slightly above the surface of the backrest. Yes, it looks a bit unusual, but it fits perfectly with the overall look of the device and the silver cutouts on its edges give the impression of a premium product, which OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G is not. Because it costs more than 2 times cheaper than top flagships.
Unfortunately, some simplifications have been made in terms of aesthetics and design to keep the price lower: in particular, we don’t find IP68 certification here, so there is no protection against moisture and dust, and the main frame is made of chrome-plated plastic. Although this will not be easy to notice immediately, because the combination of materials is skilfully done, so it does not affect ergonomics and gives the device a sense of premiumity.
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If we go to the sides, we will see that the left side has been left without attention. Here you will find nothing but plastic inserts for antennas.
All the main controls are located on the right side – the volume rocker and below it the power button. They are located quite conveniently for your fingers and are of satisfactory quality with a durable coating.
We get an IR port on the top end of the device, which seems to be the highlight of this season considering we’ve been seeing it on a lot of devices lately. However, it’s a utilitarian feature and it works well in the OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G. It also finds a place for an additional microphone.
There is a USB Type-C charging port on the bottom near the SIM tray. The Reno 10 Pro is a 5G enabled device and can accommodate two nano SIM cards. It also houses the hole for the main talk microphone and the main speaker grille. As you’ll notice, I didn’t mention the second speaker, as there isn’t one: unfortunately, this is a big drawback, one of the few I found in this smartphone.
You might think that admiring the appearance of a smartphone is an exaggeration, but I’ve long believed that a phone should not only perform well, but also look beautiful – and the OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G fulfils this condition. And now that we’ve established that, let’s move on.
Because the design itself, no matter how beautiful it is, is not everything. Here, thankfully, beauty goes side by side with ergonomics, which I can’t say a bad word about either. The case with rounded edges feels very comfortable in the hand, and the material it’s made of keeps it from slipping in the palm of your hand. Even without a protective case.
OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G is not only stylish but also comfortable. There were no problems when working with the phone with one hand.
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OPPO Reno10 Pro gets a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution of 1240×2772 pixels, which translates to a density of 451 ppi. With support for 120Hz refresh rate, the screen is smooth but not adaptive.
The display can be used in 60Hz, 120Hz or auto mode. The panel is not so bright, reaching a peak brightness of 950 nits with HDR. It must be said that these parameters are not among the highest on the market, but in general the end result is superior to many other products that boast higher parameter values.
I’m emphasising brightness because it’s important in different scenarios. Whether you’re browsing content or just checking the time on an always-on screen. But a panel with this brightness isn’t very easy on the eyes in direct sunlight, although details are crisp, colours are natural and the curved display improves the overall viewing experience.
Here, the end result is excellent thanks to exceptional colour calibration, beautiful bright tones without distortion and good viewing angles. In short, as far as I’m concerned, the novelty from OPPO is among the top five best smartphones in this price range, considering also the 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, touch sampling rate up to 240Hz and PWM dimming frequency at 2160Hz.
The OLED panel is protected by AGC Dragontrail Star 2 glass, which is claimed to have a 20 per cent improvement in drop resistance over Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The display has very thin bezels on the top and bottom, as well as even thinner side bezels. This allows the device to achieve a 93 per cent screen-to-body ratio for an immersive movie or gaming experience. OPPO has also done a good job of eliminating accidental touch, which is a common drawback of smartphones with curved screens.
To unlock the Oppo Reno 10 Pro, we can use the remarkable fingerprint scanner located below the display, in a position that is comfortable for normal thumb movements without creating any imbalance.
Yes, it’s not the safest way in the world, though it’s still fast and sensitive in almost any situation.
It should be noted that conversations on the phone were characterised by good sound and the absence of any noise or metallic distortion of the voice. However, I am somewhat disappointed with the very sound of the smartphone’s mono speaker. Yes, as you have already realised, there is no stereo sound here. Although the mono sound is of pretty decent quality and has a high volume thanks to OPPO’s volume boosting technology, which allows you to increase its power up to 200%.
The whole multimedia experience is lost. You may have a great display with a high-quality picture, but the sound is not up to par.
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OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G is powered by an eight-core Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G SoC, which contains one Cortex-A78 core clocked at 2.4GHz, three Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and four efficient Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.9GHz.
The processor is manufactured using 6nm process technology. Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G has support for the latest generation 5G networks, which, combined with an improved ultra-conductive cooling system compared to previous generations, should guarantee optimal utilisation, even during heavy use of the smartphone. Also not forgotten is support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC.
The GPU Adreno 642L GPU plays the role of the graphics processor here. All this is complemented by 12GB of 2133MHz LPDDR4X type RAM, which is expandable with OPPO’s MemoryBoost by adding virtual RAM. The storage capacity of the OPPO Reno10 Pro 5G is 256GB with UFS 2.2 technology with no expandability. Something more could have been done here with standards such as UFS 3 and above, which would certainly improve read/write speeds and as a result, the system as a whole. Connecting external devices to the USB Type-C 2.0 port in USB OTG mode is supported.
Why use an SoC from two years ago? What is the reason for this step backwards even compared to its predecessors? Why use UFS 2.2 memory? I don’t have the answer, but I’m not hiding my slight disappointment from you. However, I must say that the results are pretty good, even during stress. The smartphone doesn’t get hot and the smoothness of the performance remains constant throughout the day. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G is a super-proven processor, economical in consumption, which allows the smartphone to integrate a 4600 mAh battery (vs 5000 mAh Reno10 model) and remain thin, light, yet reliable, with good battery life.
Unlike the Reno8 Pro 5G, there is no MariSilicon X NPU (Neural Processing Unit) responsible for controlling image processing, which debuted in last year’s Reno lineup. A choice that we can see affecting the price drop.
The smartphone realises some performance benefits such as Dynamic Computing Engine, which improves memory access speed, and which, together with Dynamic Memory Allocation, can support more than 40 programmes running simultaneously in the background.
You can play mobile games with high 3D graphics on the OPPO Reno10 Pro. But it should be emphasised that if you are focused specifically on mobile gaming, there are other smartphones with a similar price that are better adapted for this. Sensitivity and smoothness during normal tasks, however, always remain stable, almost indistinguishable in this respect from more expensive smartphones.
In daily use, the OPPO Reno 10 Pro performs very well, without any lags or slowdowns even with moderate multitasking. Qualcomm’s solution is actually well optimised in terms of efficiency, and while it can’t be compared to the latest chipsets like the Snapdragon 8 gen1, it’s still reliable. Although the Color OS 13.1 user interface plays an important role here as well.
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Like every OPPO smartphone, the Reno10 Pro 5G runs Color OS version 13.1 out of the box, based on Android 13, which was released a few months ago. It’s a user interface that we’ve already come to know and appreciate, primarily for its high stability and for the number of customisations available.
The software is classic in terms of functionality. Among the privacy settings, there is the possibility of cloning the system by setting two different passwords or accessing a personal safe to hide important files. And among the practical tools, a set of useful features such as a voice recorder, management of multiple windows, the ability to activate a smart sidebar to have quick links with a single touch, or a one-handed control mode where you only need a slight swipe up to group home screen programmes and access them faster.
ColorOS 13.1 also supports a feature such as Multi-Screen Connect, with which you can quickly connect Reno10 Pro 5G to other devices such as a PC or tablet. Once connected, users can easily share data, make calls, receive text messages, connect to Wi-Fi without a password and receive real-time notifications, even on a PC or tablet. By connecting two devices, you can also directly transfer files such as images, music, videos, etc. without using mobile data. Finally, the Smart AOD feature allows you to control Spotify and food delivery apps without having to unlock your smartphone.
OPPO Software Support guarantees 2 Android updates and 4 years of security patches for this new series. This feature is backed by an A rating in the TÜV SÜD 48-Month Fluency certification.
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Let’s get to the most interesting part of this smartphone. In fact, the OPPO Reno series has always been known for its good photographic capabilities, and this year in particular, we find a nice addition here in the form of a 2X telephoto lens.
OPPO’s focus is on portraits, so the photographic sector consists of a Sony IMX890 main sensor with f/1.8 aperture and 50-megapixel OIS combined with a wide-angle 8-megapixel Sony IMX355 f/2.2. Then we find a 32-megapixel f/2.0 telephoto sensor for 2x zoom with a 47mm focal length specifically designed for portraits. The OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G also has a 32-megapixel Sony IMX709 camera on the front for selfies and video calling.
OPPO has already said goodbye to its proprietary NPU Marisilicon X neural processor that was present in the latest flagship models. In a world where software and artificial intelligence are improving at a dizzying pace, OPPO is no longer comfortable committing resources in this sector, which is why we don’t see the Marisilicon X chip on this smartphone.
In fact, the first thing you notice when you open the camera is that the Artificial Intelligence icon, typical of OPPO’s photography software, has also disappeared. And the reason is that it has been integrated directly into the system and there is no way to activate / deactivate it. We do not know if this is specific to the photography of this particular Reno 10 Pro. Maybe we will see it in the next products and software updates.
The OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G is marketed under the slogan “The Portrait Expert”, and so it’s easy to guess that this is its main purpose. The 2X telephoto camera is also making a comeback.
As for portraits, there are several optimisations and a dedicated ‘portrait’ mode for a well-balanced bokeh effect that delivers excellent results, even in low-light conditions, thanks to OPPO’s optimisation.
Whether it’s selfies with the front camera or portraits with the rear sensor, the visuals and clarity are great. You definitely won’t be disappointed if this is your type of snapshot you use most often, or if you prefer a good front camera for selfies, video calls and the like.
Portraiture is entrusted to the 32MP telephoto lens, which also manages 2x and 5x optical zoom in photo mode. It is activated when you select the Portrait function, as portraits are shot with the sensor-based telephoto lens for bokeh. Unsurprisingly, portraits can be taken with 1x and 2x optical zoom.
But the wide-angle camera is somewhat muted in terms of detail due to the low resolution compared to the 50MP sensor. The transition between the different sensors is smooth and different shades of colour are not noticeable.
The 50MP main sensor is also excellent, which is also a plus for the Reno 10 series. Photos are always sharp and well-detailed, with no overexposure and excellent colour accuracy.
ORIGINAL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS HERE
Videos are recorded in 4K at 30fps and have excellent detail, but stabilisation isn’t great in this case.
It’s better to record in Full HD at 60fps, where you can also switch between the main camera and the wide-angle camera.
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OPPO has been working hard on the battery life of its smartphones in recent years, and this is evidenced by its excellent proprietary SUPER VOOC fast charging system and Battery Engine Health, which increases battery life.
In particular, in the OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G we find a 4,600 mAh battery. The capacity is small, but the Snapdragon 778G chipset is not particularly power-hungry, so finishing the day on a single charge is not a problem. However, to compensate for the not very capacious battery, SuperVOOC S 80W charging will help. Support for this fast charging standard allows you to fully charge your smartphone in just 30 minutes.
| Battery charge capacity | Charging time, min |
|---|---|
| 10% █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ | 3 |
| 20% █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ | 6 |
| 30% █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ | 9 |
| 40% █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ | 12 |
| 50% █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ | 15 |
| 60% █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ | 18 |
| 70% █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ | 21 |
| 80% █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ | 25 |
| 90% █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ | 28 |
| 100% █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ | 30 |
With everyday frugal use, you’ll easily achieve two days of battery life, but in any case, 80W charging means that half an hour of plugging into an outlet will be enough to continue using your smartphone for another whole day.
OPPO’s Battery Health Engine technology, on the other hand, allows you to optimise battery consumption and keep the battery running, even doubling its battery life compared to smartphones that don’t use this technology.
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The Reno series has always been about aesthetics and photographic capabilities, and the OPPO Reno 10 Pro continues that trend.
In fact, the design is as refined as ever, but much more subdued than in the past, making the new OPPO look like other phones, and in a way stripping the series of its distinctive identity. Another change of course is represented by the curved display, which is not very favoured by a portion of users, and a more noticeable use of cheaper materials such as plastic. Personally, I prefer flat displays as I use my smartphone also for gaming, but it’s a matter of taste and usage patterns.
Overall ergonomics have improved over the past with a slimmer profile and lighter weight. At the level of photo capabilities, OPPO has made a big step forward from the past. The absence of the Marisilicon X chip isn’t felt as much thanks to the optimisation of the imaging software. Portraits with the Reno 10 Pro are great, and the 2x zoom is also a pleasant surprise, although I doubt that the 2x zoom portrait mode will be used particularly often by users.
The software is excellent, based on Color OS 13.1 (an update to Android 14 is expected), which has already proved itself positively and works well with Qualcomm solutions. Perhaps, given the specification, it is difficult to give credit to this smartphone, especially given its price. After all, in this price segment there are really interesting alternatives on the market.
Yes, the novelty from OPPO may lose to them in terms of chipset and graphics processor, but with its everyday tasks the smartphone copes perfectly well, even play mobile games on it without problems.
The only drawback is that the display is not very bright in the sun. Despite the claimed 950 nits, on a sunny day I sometimes found it difficult to read from the display. In the same price segment, the brightness of some competitors’ displays even exceeds 1500 nits.
The battery life and 80W SUPER VOOC S fast charging add some confidence to the OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G over its competitors.
Would I recommend buying the OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G? I don’t have an unambiguous answer to this question. After all, it all depends on what you need a smartphone for, and there are many competitors in this price category. Although the renown of a decent smartphone novelty from OPPO definitely supported successfully.
If you need a mobile device that has an interesting and attractive design, with a set of excellent cameras, good battery life and fast charging, and you are willing to compromise a little on performance, then OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G will be an excellent choice.
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