Thursday, February 18, 2021

OPPO Reno5 4G Review

OPPO’s most recent smartphone under the Reno family came in twos. We recently reviewed the Snapdragon 765G-powered Reno5 5G. This time, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the Reno5 4G variant with Snapdragon 720G. With its more affordable price tag, is this the one to get? Find out in our review.

Design and Construction

Starting with the front, the Reno5 features a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with Full HD+ resolution or equal to 409ppi. It has a hole-punch on the upper left for the 44MP selfie shooter.

On the left, we have the volume buttons. They’re made of plastic but firm and clicky. They’re easy to reach too as it’s positioned near the middle of the frame. Also found on this side is the triple card tray for two nano-sized SIM cards and a microSD card.

On the right, we have the power/lock button.

Up top, there’s the secondary microphone. Down at the bottom are the 3.5mm audio jack, main microphone, USB-C port, and loudspeaker.

Flip it on its back, and you’ll find the protruding quad-camera module, consisting of the 64MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth.

What will catch your attention, though, is the attractive back panel that showcases the Fantasy Silver color. It’s like a textured finish that looks like frosted glass. It also produces a gradient color that shifts depending on the angle, from silver, to orange, to gold, to blue, to purple. OPPO also included a clear case in the package so that you can protect it right out of the box.

The Reno5 feels really nice in the hands. The texture of the back panel repels fingerprints and smudges really well. The sides curve at the edges to meet the metallic frame. It’s thin at 7.7mm and light at 171g. It’s also relatively narrow, so you won’t have issues gripping it, although the tall frame will require you to navigate the UI with two hands.

Display and Multimedia

The 6.43-inch display is crisp and vibrant with thin bezels. The Full HD+ (2400 x 1080) resolution provides a good 409ppi. Since it uses an AMOLED panel, it produces punchy colors and deep blacks.

The OPPO Reno5 4G’s screen also boasts a 90Hz refresh rate so animations and transitions are smooth. You can opt to change it to 60Hz inside Settings to save battery life. For protection, it uses Corning Gorilla Glass 3+ and a pre-installed screen protector.

When it comes to audio, it has a single down-firing speaker that is loud and crisp. Like most smartphones with this setup, the bass is weak, but it’s good enough for watching videos, listening to music, or gaming. Should you require better audio, you can go wireless with Bluetooth or wired via the 3.5mm audio jack.

Camera

We got a good set of quad-rear cameras on the Reno5 4G, consisting of a 64MP F1.7 main, 8MP F2.2 ultra-wide, 2MP F2.4 macro, and 2MP F2.4 portrait. The performance is excellent in bright conditions as we can see plenty of details, great contrast, and accurate colors.

Performance is also good in dim environments. However, we noticed that images appear softer but it’s effective in brightening the subject. Night mode works but slow as it takes 6 seconds to finish, making it prone to blur. Ultrawide images, on the other hand, appear warmer than usual but still sharp even for an 8MP sensor.

For selfies, we get a large 44MP F2.4 shooter. As expected from an OPPO smartphone, the quality is excellent as images are sharp with rich colors. Shots taken with AI beautification come out natural. Even if it has removed blemishes without erasing important facial features. Portrait mode also works great and is effective in separating the subject from the background.

For videos, you can shoot at a maximum of 4K resolution at 30 fps or go for 1080p at 60fps. It’s got features like Bokeh, AI Highlight video, AI color portraits and filters, Dual-View video, and AI Mixed Portrait. Quality is the same as photos and has two types of video stabilization (Ultra Steady and Ultra Steady Pro) for smooth recordings.

OS and Apps

The OPPO Reno5 4G runs on ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11, so you get the benefits of the latest Android iteration available. It’s got features like Phone Manager to keep your system optimal; System cloner that lets you have two separate, password-protected home screens for work and play; privacy features like App lock, Hide apps, Private Safe, and Kid Space; Convenience tools for navigation, gestures and motions, screen recording, Assistive Ball, Smart Sidebar, and Split screen; and Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls.

When it comes to apps, you have the usual Google apps, Soloop, Game Space, Music Party, Facebook, Netflix, WPS Office, and My OPPO. Our favorite here is OPPO Relax which gives you tons of carefully curated relaxing music and mini-games to help you manage your stress.

Storage-wise, we’re getting 128GB, which is a good starting storage for smartphones nowadays. If you want to expand it, you can install a microSD card via the dedicated slot.

Performance and Benchmarks

Powering the Reno5 4G is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core CPU, Adreno 618 GPU, and 8GB of RAM. That’s a good configuration for a mid-range device. Performance is good with quick app launches, smooth multitasking capabilities, and fast biometric security response. Gaming-wise, it can handle the graphics-intensive titles on the Google Play Store in mid graphics settings with good thermals. Check out the benchmarks below:

• AnTuTu v8 – 289,235
• 3DMark – 1,048 (Wild Life), 2,595 (SSE – OpenGL ES 3.1)
• PCMark – 9,771 (Work 2.0)
• Geekbench 5 – 568 (Single-Core), 1,707 (Multi-Core), 1,232 (OpenCL)
• AndroBench – 499.53 MB/s (Seq. Read), 256.3 MB/s (Seq. Write)

Connectivity and Battery Life

The Reno5 4G features dual-SIM, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, OPPO Share, and SatNavs. What’s missing, though, is 5G, so you’re limited to 4G LTE.

Battery-wise, we’re getting a 4,310mAh capacity with support for 50W fast charging. We’re glad that OPPO included a 50W SuperVOOC charger in the package. The capacity is enough for more than a whole day of mixed usage. PCMark rated the battery at 10 hours and 45 minutes, while our video loop test yielded 12 hours of playback.

Conclusion

Looking at the Reno5 series, the 5G variant is the best you can get. However, it’s not for everyone, given the higher price tag. Some users might be contented with having 4G LTE, 90Hz refresh rate, good quad-rear camera setup, and a 4,310mAh battery with 50W fast charging at a lower price. And that’s where the Reno5 4G comes in.

At PHP 18,999, that’s PHP 5K cheaper, which is a good option for those on a budget. There are other worthy options from other brands though, but if you’re looking into OPPO’s most recent offerings with a budget of PHP 19K, check out the Reno5 4G.

OPPO Reno5 4G specs:
6.43-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display, 409ppi
90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core CPU
Adreno 618 GPU
8GB RAM
128GB storage
Quad rear cameras:
• 64MP F1.7 (primary)
• 8MP F2.2 (ultra-wide)
• 2MP F2.4 (macro)
• 2MP F2.4 (portrait)
44MP F2.4 front camera
Dual SIM (nano)
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.1
GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
Fingerprint scanner
Face Unlock
3.5mm audio jack
USB Type-C
Dolby Atmos
ColorOS 11.1 (Based on Android 11)
4,310 mAh battery w/ 50W fast-charging
159.1 x 73.4 x 7.7mm
171g
Silver, Mysterious Black