Oppo Reno 7 5G Review : Simplicity Is Always Welcomed

If you ever have doubts about Oppo phones not being up to the task, we can assure you that they've made their Reno series better and better each time a new one comes out. The Oppo Reno 7 5G sticks to this sentiment by adopting the new Color OS 12, practical yet pleasing design, clever AI advancements for computational photography and among other fun features that makes it a considerable contender amongst other mid-range phones. So let's take a look beyond the colourful surface of Oppo and how they might have made Reno 7 to hit the sweet spot of aesthetics, practicality and a price to match.

Not to confuse itself with the Oppo Reno 7 Pro, which has a more blockier-like design, the Reno 7 still maintains a comfortable hold in the hands with its rounded corners and flat edged display, which earns its practicality over radical designs we've seen so far. Weighing 173 grams and 7.81mm thick, to most users with average-sized hands it would likely be a phone that shouldn't cause fatigue after long periods or issues when reaching the top of the 6.43 inch screen.

Even the frosty-like finish on the back and this Startrails Blue colourway (Which Oppo calls an Oppo Glow and Laser Detection Imaging) that makes the overall look and feel quite the welcoming factor and eliminates any fingerprints along the way, yet an exact colour that is also available on the Reno 7 Pro, which they could have been a bit more creative in separating the two.

Equipped with an AMOLED HDR10+ 6.43 inch flat-edged display with a light chin at the bottom, along with Oppo's new Color OS 12, to an extent it's as if the display is embedded deeper inside the frame but could just be some clever graphics to make it seem more 3D like when you're looking directly at the screen.

Reaching up to 90Hz and up to 800 nits peak brightness, viewing angles and rich tones are an easy thing to admire with this display, while general usability and functionality seems like a step above in the overall experience than in previous Oppo phones.

Which is also accompanied by a really loud mono-speaker that averages around 60dB and managed to reach a max reading of 91dB in our audio tests. There's also a Real Sound Technology option setting to suit your media consumption between Movies, Gaming, Music and even and a Smart option to optimise sound effects.

Not exactly a replacement for dual speakers or Dolby Atmos' version of immersive sound experience but a commendable solution by doing so. Underneath the AMOLED display houses the optical fingerprint reader which is reliably accurate and we didn't experience missed attempts throughout our tests, with some notable mentions of its placement that could've been placed slightly higher up for a more natural thumb placement.

The Oppo Reno 7 comes with 8GB RAM, MediaTek 900 and Mali G68. In our Geekbench testing reads 671 for Single-Core and 2055 for Multi-Core. Pretty decent scores considering it matches the likes of other mid-range phones and results show very snappy and quick responses flipping through different apps running in the background.

Housed in a glass-like or transparent module, sits the 64MP main camera, an 8MP Ultra-wide, and a 2MP Macro camera. Photo outputs are a decent pass in our books retaining most of the highlights and shadows, sharp clarity even when zoomed in, and keeps most colours intact. As well as AI functions to help resolve over or underexposure and HDR functions to capture most of your sceneries at ease.

Probably not the best performer to our standards but reliable for everyday snaps of your usual food photography or selfie that is equipped with a 30MP camera at the front. But something that was highly mentioned by Oppo was their Portrait mode for photo and video that allows users to customise bokeh effect all the way down to f/0.95. To which isn't exactly the best we've seen for portrait modes but the AI does decently enough to separate subjects from the background and manages the artificial blur effect quite well.

Video resolutions fortunately record up to 4K30fps but aren't supported with gyro-EIS or AI functions and will only be available in 1080p. Most of our test footage is again, decent to say the very least - managing exposure compensations in artificially lit surroundings and keeping most colours intact in reds, greens, and blue tones.

But for some fun alternatives, there is an option to separate certain colours via the filters provided within the camera app on the bottom right corner and lets you choose to pronounce the reds or greens or blues which can be quite unique of an experience as features like this have not yet been around in most smartphones we've seen.

With a 4500 mAh battery, we managed to get a full day of occasional use on socials, gaming and streams on Netflix. It also comes with the 65W SuperVOOC charger that is advertised to get you up to 100% in 30 minutes.

The Reno 7 5G comes with Android 11 and 256GB of storage that comes in at a price of RM1,999 or SGD799

There's something about simplicity that is the main theme here in the Reno 7 which resembles most of the approach made by Samsung with their Fan Editions that had really good optimisations for a budget-friendly phone.

While mid-range phones aren't exactly as hyped or celebrated like how flagships do, there's no denying as to when manufacturers such as Oppo release phones like these, it's surely a reminder of how good things can get when it's primary focus is functionality and usability.

Not overbearing more and more hardware but compounding on good software such as Color OS 12, reliable cameras, and decent battery life. While "decent" isn't always the goal to strive for, in most occasions "consistency" triumphs all. In our eyes, Oppo has delivered consistently and not a surprise as to how far they can go. Or in this case, how big of a "glow" they intend to shine.

---

Written by Fitri Aiyub