Looking for an affordable top smartphone? We have an insider tip

“Can you also report on a brand other than Apple or Samsung?”, a Watson user recently asked. Of course we can. Most recently on the successful Google Pixel 7 and the refreshingly different Nothing Phone.

But today the spotlight goes to Oppo’s Reno 8 Pro.

It is from the outside Reno 8 Pro one of the more interesting smartphones of recent times and technically it is in touch with the top of the range. In particular, the battery life and charging time are excellent, as I’ve experienced over the past six weeks. With about 700 francs (As of November 2022) the Reno 8 Pro is several hundred francs cheaper than the most expensive models from Apple, Samsung or Oppo itself, which offer little more but are simply unaffordable for many at over 1000 francs.

The target group of the Reno 8 Pro are users who appreciate modern technology and a reasonably reasonable price in equal measure. So if you’re looking for an elegant smartphone with a high-quality display, long battery life and a good camera that doesn’t cost 1000 francs, read on.

First of all: I have the Pro model from Oppo Switzerland for this test report and for comparison the one that is about 250 francs cheaper run 8 (without «Pro»). The latter is a technically slightly slimmed-down alternative to round 450 francs. If you find it even cheaper, you will find it at the Reno 8 Lite an entry-level model 300 francs. This is also more than sufficient for the average consumer, but there are probably better smartphones in this price range.

How does it look?

Let’s let the pictures do the talking first.

The Reno 8 Pro looks and feels premium. The front consists almost entirely of the 6.7-inch OLED screen, which has only minimal bezels all around. That doesn’t make the phone any better, but it certainly looks chic. Fans of large, high-quality displays will get their money’s worth. At 183 grams, it is relatively light for its size.

Speaking of the display, the highly responsive Full HD display delivers strong colours, good contrast and is usually easy to read, even in sunlight.

In combination with the glass back and the angular aluminum frame, a premium feeling is created. However, the extremely thin screen bezels have the disadvantage that (at least for me) can occasionally prevent unwanted input on the screen. Steve Jobs probably would have replied that I was “just holding the phone wrong”.😉

The striking, almost futuristic design is certainly not to everyone’s taste, but Oppo at least dares to do something. There are enough boring cell phones. The catch? If the back or camera breaks, repairs are likely to be complicated and expensive.

Unfortunately, the back is extremely slippery. Thanks to the slightly bevelled edges, you can still hold it well if you have large enough hands. For small hands, the Reno 8 Pro is definitely too wide to comfortably hold in one hand (the Reno 8 is only slightly narrower).

What is the battery good for?

With the 4500 mAh battery you can easily get through the day, with moderate use two days or more are possible. After about six weeks of daily use, I am more than satisfied with the battery life.

What really sets the Reno 8 Pro (and the Reno 8) apart from the competition is Oppo’s own fast charging feature: It goes from 0 to 50 percent in eleven minutes. The battery is charged after 31 minutes and unlike the more prominent rivals, the necessary 80-watt fast charger is included.

Oppo promises at least 80 percent battery capacity after 1600 charge cycles, or four years of daily use. This should be achieved, among other things, by a charge management system that charges the battery quickly during the day, but slowly and gently charges it at night, so that the battery is only fully charged in the morning (as is the case with new electric cars). cars).

What can the camera do?

The camera does what a cell phone camera should do in a high-end device: in daylight and in typical indoor situations in automatic mode, it usually takes very good pictures, whether portraits or landscapes. The pictures from the main and selfie camera impress with warm, vibrant colors and lots of detail – even in rather difficult lighting conditions. The automatic mode does not use excessive saturation or blur, so that the images almost always appear natural.

Also important: the camera app responds quickly and is intuitive to use. I’m only disappointed by the zoom and macro mode.

The following slide show gives an impression of the image quality.

In summary, the Reno 8 Pro offers a good 50MP main and a very good 32MP selfie camera, a decent 8MP ultra wide-angle lens and a very poor 2MP lens for macro shots. Oppo could have done without the latter in favor of a separate telephoto lens, which was still present in the previous model. However, as it stands, the zoom falls well short of current best smartphone cameras and previous Oppo phones too.

According to the datasheet, the cheaper Reno 8 uses the same camera technology, but I find the Pro model’s photos and videos to be slightly better for the most part. In daylight, the difference is hardly worth mentioning. The less light there is, the more clearly the more expensive model wins.

How good is the software?

The Reno 8 Pro comes with Android 12 and Oppo’s own slightly modified Android UI. It has a modern, uncluttered look and works much like my personal Samsung smartphone, making the transition correspondingly easy.

Oppo has visibly polished its software in recent years and I don’t miss anything in everyday life. Everything runs smoothly and stable, but an old problem has remained: when I asked how long the device would receive updates from Oppo, the manufacturer replied: “The Reno 8 Pro will receive at least 2 major Android updates and 3 years of quarterly security updates”. Longer is possible, but there is no guarantee.

The smartphone, which costs 700 francs, will probably only receive app and system updates via the Google Play Store after three years and no longer via Oppo. It will then get new features and security updates for browsers, email and all other apps for several years, but otherwise no Android version. In terms of software support, the company is still lagging behind the competition. Direct rival Samsung guarantees 4 generations of Android and 5 years of security updates.

Is it also fast?

The Reno 8 Pro runs faster than Mujinga Kambundj in the EM final and compared to smartphones, some of which are much more expensive, you have to look for the performance difference with a magnifying glass. It can effortlessly handle new, demanding 3D games with high graphics quality and will have enough power for almost everything in a few years. Unlocking via facial recognition or fingerprint also works quickly and reliably.

Apart from that, the Reno 8, which is about 250 francs cheaper, is also more than fast on the road, provided you can do without the more elegant design and slightly better camera of the Pro model.

The most important core data:

The conclusion

The Reno 8 Pro, at around 700 francs, is several hundred francs cheaper than the most expensive smartphones on the market – including Oppo’s flagship Find X5 Pro, which typically costs well over 1,000 francs. Apart from wireless charging, the missing eSIM support and Oppo’s much too short software support of only three years (as mentioned, there is only software update via the Google Play Store after that), you don’t have to miss much.

You should know that zoom and ultra-wide-angle shots can’t quite keep up with the best smartphones; the same goes for video recordings. These only look really good during the day. On the other hand, the main camera is convincing when taking pictures and the selfie camera is even excellent.

Furthermore, the device does not make major blunders. Performance, display and battery are appropriate for the price. Oppo’s fast charging function has once again come in handy in everyday life.

Anyone looking for a small, handy smartphone is of course wrong here. Fans of big screens who value individual design should check out the Reno 8 Pro in a store before making any purchase. My pictures may not do it full justice.