Oppo Reno 8 5G Review: What’s Good, What’s Bad?

Oppo Reno 8 5G Review Summary:

Editor’s rating: 3.7/5

Oppo recently launched the next Reno Series of smartphones. Oppo Reno 8 Series features Oppo Reno 8 5G and Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G devices. The Oppo Reno 8 5G falls in a segment that has stiff competition with the likes of Motorola, OnePlus, and more. It is very important for the device to have some stand-out features to make it an option for consumers. The company has made the color-changing design a selling point along with super-fast charging and a triple camera setup. But are all these specs worth spending 30k bucks on? Let’s find out.

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Jump To..

• Unboxing
• Price and availability
• Design
• Display
• Performance
• Camera
• Battery
• Should you buy Oppo Reno 8 5G?

Oppo Reno 8 5G : Price & Availability In India

The Oppo Reno 8 5G comes in a single 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model. It is priced at Rs. 29,999 in shimmer gold and shimmer black colors. It is available to buy offline as well as via e-commerce portals.

Oppo Reno 8 5G Specs

Specs	Oppo Reno 8 5G
Software	Android 12 with Color OS 12.1
Display	6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED, 90Hz refresh rate
SoC	MediaTek Dimensity 1300
RAM	8GB
Storage	128GB
Rear cameras	50MP+8MP+2MP
Front Camera	32MP
Battery	4500mAh
Charging	80W Turbo Power
Size	160.00 x 73.40 x 7.67mm
Weight	179 grams
Connectivity	5G, 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, USB Type-C

Oppo Reno 8 5G: Unboxing

The Oppo Reno 8 5G comes in a cardboard box that contains-

• Oppo Reno 8 5G handset
• Transparent protective case
• 80W adapter
• USB-C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Important Documents

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Oppo Reno 8 5G Review: Design

For the last few years, Oppo Reno Series has been famous for having an eye-catching design. In fact, its attractive design has been one of the selling points that is advertised by the company. Oppo Reno 8 Series is no different from the smartphones Oppo Reno 5G phones as it presents striking design and colors. Oppo Reno 8 5G comes in shimmer gold and shimmer black colorways. The variant I received is the shimmer gold one and it does live up to its name-Gold. The smartphone caught a lot of attention and was sleek (7.67mm) and lightweight (179 grams) when held in hand. The back panel has color-shifting abilities under sunlight that makes it glow different when outdoors. The smartphone has a unibody design which is a first for the Reno Series.

The back panel is golden in color and has a matte finish that feels good to touch. The smartphone hardly attracts any dust or fingerprints, which is cool and the device has curved edges with flattened sides that might feel sharp in daily use. The triple camera module at the back has a slight bump and this protrusion can be annoying as it makes the device wobble when kept on a flat surface. The front side has a 6.4-inch screen that looks large enough for gaming, watching content, and more. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and has slight bezels on the chin that can be distracting. There is a slot for a hole punch camera at the top left side of the screen.

The right side of the device has a power button whereas the top side has a secondary microphone. The left edge features volume rockers while the bottom edge houses a USB Type-C port, primary microphone, SIM Slot, and speaker grille. The 3.5mm headphone jack is missing which is a downer. The physical volume and power buttons offer excellent tactile feedback. The phone is comfortable to use with a single hand.

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Oppo Reno 8 5G Review: Display & Audio

The Oppo Reno 8 5G has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with an FHD resolution. The display has good colors and contrast and allows you to choose between Natural and Vivid presets. The content viewing is good as the blacks were deep and the images were detailed. The 90Hz refresh rate makes the display smooth and allows better gaming. The device comes with a bottom-firing speaker that is just about average. Peak brightness too is just about ok and the Video Color Boost feature might work but consumes more battery.

Oppo Reno 8 5G Review: Camera

The Oppo Reno 8 5G has a triple camera setup at the back. The setup includes a 50MP main Sony IMX766 sensor along with an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro camera. Photos taken during the daytime have good details and a decent dynamic range. The images had neutral colors and the text was legible on zooming in. The device has been called Portrait Expert and it does live up to its name as it gives decent edge detection and detailing. Portrait shots at night are also ok and slightly softened due to the bokeh effect.

8MP ultrawide camera clicks shots that have warmer tones. There is distortion at the edges and the color consistency is not up to the mark as well. The 2MP macro camera takes just usable pictures but they don’t have any details.

Low light photos from the Oppo Reno 5G come out decent. The device turns on the night mode as soon as it senses dim lighting and it brightened the images. The photos however got a watercolor look due to a lack of detailing and this made the clicks look artificial.

The Oppo Reno 5G has a 32MP selfie camera. The selfie camera gives detailed pictures with natural colors. Selfies taken against the light saw overexposed background while the portrait selfie shots were accurate. Low light selfies were clear and usable as well.

Oppo Reno 8 5G Review: Performance

The Oppo Reno 8 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 chipset that is fast and efficient. There is 8GB RAM which allows multiple apps to load swiftly and run seamlessly in the background without crashing or lagging. 128GB storage provides ample space to store whatever you need to. The RAM can be extended up to 5GB if needed.

In terms of connectivity, there is 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and support for WiFi 6. All this makes Oppo Reno 8 future ready. There are 2 Nano SIM card slots with a red rubber seal wrapped around the device to avoid dust and water from entering.

Coming to gaming, games like Apex Legends Mobile could run with a high frame rate and high-quality graphics. The battery does not drop much even after a long gaming session and neither did the device heat up at any point in time. There are hardly any frame drops or stutters even at the highest frame rates. The thermal system is efficient as the device never heats up even during rigorous gaming sessions.

The smartphone runs Android 12 with ColorOS 12.1 and the software experience is strictly mediocre. There are loads of bloatware preinstalled like Byjus, DailyHunt, Josh, Snapchat, and more. These can be deleted but forcibly stopping them affects the performance of the device. Otherwise, switching between apps is easy and RAM management is good. Air Gestures by Oppo are also useful.

The Oppo Reno 8 5G comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner and a face unlock. Both these biometric options work fast and smoothly.

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Oppo Reno 8 5G Review: Battery

The Oppo Reno 8 5G packs a 4500mAh battery that can pull off for 2 days with light to moderate usage. This includes using Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, and more. It comes with an 80W SuperVOOC charger that charges it from 0 to 100% in just about half an hour. This is fast and convenient when you are traveling on the go. The device doesn’t heat up even during charging and the charger is available inside the box.

Oppo Reno 8 5G Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

The Oppo Reno 8 5G is a decent smartphone with good performance. It has a fast chipset, good gaming capability, and AMOLED display along with super-fast charging and large battery life. The cameras are a bit underwhelming but the stylish design is sure to catch your eye. It is 5G ready and has a good selfie camera as well. All in all, Oppo Reno 8 5G can be your choice if you want a premium device in your budget that can perform well.