Oppo Reno 11 5G Review: Is it worth upgrading to?

Oppo recently launched the next Reno Series in India. Oppo Reno 11 Series has gone official and includes 2 devices Reno 11 5G and Oppo Reno 11 Pro 5G. Oppo launched the Reno 10 Series in June 2023 and shaking things up, the brand has announced the next Reno Series within 6 months of the previous one. Rarely do brands launch two flagship series within half a year and the reason why Oppo did this is still unknown. The brand did collaborate with the team of the movie Wake Up Sid including Ranbir Kapoor, and Konkana Sen Sharma which means lack of interest was not the reason for sure. The specs of Oppo Reno 11 5G include Dimensity 7050 chipset, 5000mAh battery, OLED display, and 50MP camera setup. We used the device for a few days and here’s what we feel about it.

Oppo Reno 11 5G Review: Design and Build

Oppo Reno 11 5G looks gorgeous at first glance. In terms of back panel design, Oppo has changed things from last year. The back panel design as well as color variants are different from what was seen on Oppo Reno 10 5G launched in June 2023. Oppo Reno 11 5G comes in Rock Gray and Wave Green shades, out of which I received the latter for review purposes. I loved the Wave Green color for the back panel, as it isn’t your regular green but on the pastel side which looks very premium and sophisticated.

The Oppo Reno 11 5G has a very slim (7.99mm) and light (182g) body which makes it comfortable to hold in hand for long durations and one-hand operation is also convenient on the device. The back panel has Oppo branding in silver embellished at the bottom while the top-right side sports an eclipse-shaped silver camera module that is slightly protruded. The top side of the module has the main camera lens while the other two smaller lenses can be seen at the bottom. Alongside the camera module is an LED flash.

The frame of the smartphone is metallic in appearance and blends well with the display as well as the back panel. Talking about functionality, there is a power button and volume rockers at the right edge while the left side is vacant. The top edge houses a microphone, IR blaster, and a speaker while the bottom has a SIM tray, speaker grille, and USB-C port for charging. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack.

The front has a curved OLED display with rounded edges and a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. The display is protected by tempered glass.

All in all, Oppo Reno 11 5G looks beautiful and is suitable for those who want their smartphone to reflect their style. Since the Reno Series is known for its style quotient, Oppo has kept the legacy alive by refreshing the design and still keeping it premium.

Oppo Reno 11 5G Review: Display

Display is the first department where you will find a slight downgrade from Reno 10 5G. While Oppo Reno 11 5G comes with a 6.7-inch OLED panel, the predecessor had an AMOLED panel of the same size. The refresh rate has remained the same at 120Hz but it is a very rare thing for a smartphone brand to downgrade the display panel on the next series. Even the peak brightness on Reno 10 5G (950 nits) was more than Reno 11 5G (800 nits).

This was about specs. Now, a downgrade doesn’t necessarily mean that the display is not good. In real-life usage, the visuals on the display are bright, rich, and detailed. The varied colors as well as blacks look natural and viewing angles are decent as well. 120Hz refresh rate ensures buttery smooth scrolling while the peak brightness does feel inadequate under harsh sunlight. However Oppo should have used the AMOLED panel that was used earlier, but all in all display is above average.

ALSO READ: itel P55 5G Review: Fulfilling 5G Expectations of Every Indian

ALSO READ: Poco M6 5G Review: Affordable 5G Companion that fits the Bill

ALSO READ: Poco X6 5G Review: Mid-Ranger that Lasts All Day Long

Oppo Reno 11 5G Review: Performance

One aspect which has neither been upgraded nor downgraded is the chipset. The performance is similar to Oppo Reno 10 as Reno 11 is also powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset. The performance is fast and efficient with no lags or hang-ups even when 10-12 apps are running in the background simultaneously. Also, apps and games load and open quickly. There is 8GB RAM along with 128GB/256GB storage options. I felt RAM as well as ROM options were inadequate, Oppo should have given 12GB RAM and 512GB storage options as well as it becoming common to flagship devices these days.

Gaming performance is similar to Reno 10 5G as well with light and moderate games running smoothly while heavy titles start dropping frame rates after a while.

In terms of software, Oppo Reno 11 5G runs ColorOS 14 based on Android 14 out of the box. Oppo has introduced several features that make it better than Android 13 on Reno 10 5G. It has an aqua morphic design and UI has become even more intuitive and user friendly. There is a side file dock for easy access files and services. Tirnity Engine’s ROM and RAM vitalization ensures phone is always in the best shape for user. Oppo Reno 11 does come with bloatware as apps like Snapchat, X, Netflix, Spotify, and Linked In are pre-installed. These can be removed if you don’t need them.

OPPO RENO 11 5G Review: Cameras

OPPO has changed things around in camera department. While the Oppo Reno 10 had a 64MP main camera, the Oppo Reno 11 sports a 50MP primary lens. The other two cameras- 32MP and 8MP are still the same. The front still has a 32MP snapper for selfies and video calls.

Talking about the 50MP main camera takes vibrant and colorful shots in natural light. The shots are detailed and even moving objects are captured well due to optical image stabilization. Look at the images below, they capture the light well and ensure that the subject in the frame looks good. On zooming in, you can see every detail clearly. Color accuracy is decent as well.

In low-light conditions as well, the Primary camera takes desirable shots. However, the quality is not as good as outdoor clicks.

The camera setup comes with some Pixel-like features as well, for example, object erase allows you to remove unwanted elements from your shots to make them perfect.

Since I still had Reno 10 5G with me, I compared the shots of Reno 10 and Reno 11 to understand which one performs better. While both the shots are clear, crisp, and detailed, Reno 10 5G with 64MP captured finer details than Reno 11 (50MP).

The 8MP ultrawide camera covers a good area and there was no issue with distortion. In daylight, the shots had character and details, while in low-light conditions the quality does come down a few notches.

The 32MP portrait lens clicks human portraits that are apt for your social media profiles. When I clicked a selfie using portrait mode, the entire background was blurred out, keeping the focus on the subject in the frame, while the same did not happen in normal selfie mode.

32MP selfie snapper clicks images that don’t have background blurred out. It is apt for group selfies too as it can cover a large number of faces in the frame. The skin tone looks natural when filters are turned off and all the elements of the face are close to real.

Oppo reno 11 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging

Oppo Reno 11 5G packs a 5000mAh battery under the hood. The battery easily lasts all day with moderate usage. Usage can include calling, messaging, social media browsing, light gaming, video streaming, listening to music, and more. With heavy usage, the battery will have to be charged before the day ends.

Oppo has bundled a 67W wired fast charging adapter inside the box that can charge from 0 to 100% in around 40 minutes, which means even if you have 20 minutes, the smartphone will be charged to 50%.

Review Verdict: Should you buy Oppo Reno 11 5G?

Oppo Reno 11 5G features a premium-looking design, a 5000mAh battery with 67W charging, Dimensity 7050 chipset, and Android 14 OS. The smartphone does have bloatware, a downgraded OLED display, and a 50MP triple camera setup instead of the 64MP that the predecessor had, but these are niggles that can be overlooked if you are looking for a smartphone that flaunts your style, has a long battery life and runs latest OS, Oppo Reno 11 5G can be one of the options to be considered. This time Oppo is offering a slightly cheaper 8GB/128GB version for the Reno smartphone that is priced at Rs. 29,999, which has made it more affordable.