Good camera, good battery, good price: Oppo has built the near-perfect mid-range mobile phone

Oppo wants 449 and 599 francs for its new Reno 10 and Reno 10 Pro smartphones. That is 50 and 150 francs less than the previous model from last year. In times of foldable Android mobiles and iPhones, some of which are between 1,000 and 2,000 francs, a welcome setback at reasonable prices. Especially when you consider that you hardly have to make significant compromises compared to much more expensive models.

We were able to try the Reno 10 Pro for a week before the official presentation. Those are the first impressions.

Pro or not pro?

Visually, the two Reno phones are like one egg inside the other. They are identical in size and technically largely the same: both offer a good mid-range processor, large battery plus a quality display and with 256 GB sufficient memory.

The customer pays the CHF 150 surcharge from Reno 10 to Reno 10 Pro mainly for even more RAM (12 instead of 8 GB), even faster charging (80 instead of 67 watts) and an even slightly better camera. The other technical data are the same or comparable and the cheaper model scores with the larger battery (5000 instead of 4600 mAh) and the nowadays rare option to expand the internal memory with a memory card.

Design, processor and display

The rounded sides of the screen on both models are a matter of taste. There is no doubt that the devices, despite the large 6.7-inch screen with rounded edges, are comfortable to hold, especially since they are not overly wide at 74 millimeters and are relatively light at 185 grams. Due to the smooth back, there is always the uncomfortable feeling that the device could slip out of your hand.

The processor (Snapdragon 778G), which is no longer brand new, belongs to the upper mid-range and roughly reaches the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S20 from 2020. In everyday life, the Reno 10 Pro feels as fast as 1000 franc smartphones. Only at full load, for example when editing videos, does it take significantly longer than the current top devices.

The OLED screen, which is more than good, allows for super-smooth scrolling with a high refresh rate of up to 120 Hertz, but it can’t quite keep up with the very best screens when it comes to maximum brightness. This can become a temporary problem if you can hardly see anything in direct sunlight. Other than that, in a blind test, I couldn’t tell any difference from the screens of much more expensive devices.

Three camera lenses for almost any situation

The competition also offers good technology. Oppo therefore emphasizes the quality of the camera, which is actually above average in this price segment and is optimized for portrait shots. In addition to the convincing 50 MP main camera (optically stabilized), there is a separate lens for telephoto and ultra-wide angle shots. In particular, the zoom, which was my criticism of the previous model, has visibly improved. Incidentally, according to the data sheet, the cheaper Reno 10 also has the same telephoto lens for beautiful portraits and good zoom shots.

By the way: if you film more often, you should buy the Pro model, as the cheaper Reno 10 lacks the important optical image stabilization for shake-free videos.

Ultra fast charging and 1600 charge cycles

The 4,600 mAh battery lasts me almost two days. As is typical for Oppo, the charging speed surpasses Apple and Samsung by far. The Reno 10 Pro is fully charged after just under 30 minutes, the Reno 10 after more than 45 minutes. This is made possible by Oppo’s proprietary fast charging technology, which charges at up to 80 watts. Unlike many competitors, the fast charger is included. However, you have to do without wireless charging.

Oppo promises that thanks to its proprietary battery management system, the battery will still have at least 80 percent of its capacity after 1600 full charge cycles. In other words, if the mobile phone is charged from 0 to 100 percent daily, the battery should still have at least 80 percent of its original capacity after four years. In comparison, unlike electric cars, smartphones used to not have a battery management system, causing the batteries to age prematurely. This means that they often only had 80 percent residual capacity after about 500 charging cycles or almost 1.5 years.

The first conclusion

Optically and technically, Oppo’s new mid-range smartphones are a well-rounded affair at first glance – and at 449 or 599 francs for the Pro model, the price is right too. For comparison: compared to the direct predecessor model Reno 8 Pro, Oppo has reduced the suggested retail price by 150 francs. The Reno 6 Pro was even 200 francs more expensive when it went on sale.

Falling prices in times of galloping inflation should be interpreted as an admission that Oppo can only score points against the overwhelming competition in Switzerland – Apple and Samsung – with cheaper prices.

In conclusion, it remains to say: Oppo does many things well with its latest smartphones. It is disappointing that both new Reno models still only receive three years of software support. Oppo sticks to the questionable practice of giving its more expensive top models only four generations of Android updates and five years of security updates. As a result, after three years, Reno buyers will only receive feature and security updates from Android developer Google and other app developers via the Play Store – at least for many years to come.

So Apple and Samsung are still clearly ahead in terms of updates; the same goes for the niche manufacturer Fairphone.

The Reno 10 Pro will go on sale at the end of July in glossy purple and silver gray colors. The Reno 10 comes in Ice Blue and Silvery Gray.

Just like previous years, the cheaper model is more than sufficient for those who are simply looking for a good mid-range smartphone.