Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G Review: Three Great Cameras, But Not Enough to Justify the Price?
Oppo’s Reno series has undergone a transformation, shifting from a mid-range offering to a premium segment contender. While the Reno 8 Pro 5G struggled to justify its price tag due to underwhelming camera performance and processing power, the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G, priced at a hefty Rs. 54,999, boasts top-tier hardware and a trio of impressive rear cameras. But does it finally offer the well-rounded experience that Reno fans have been yearning for? And does it hold its own against the aggressive competition in this price bracket? Let’s delve into the details.
Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G Design: A Refined Yet Familiar Look
Oppo has a history of pushing the boundaries of smartphone design, with the original Find X and Oppo Reno 2 showcasing innovative pop-up camera mechanisms. However, with the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G, the design is more evolutionary than revolutionary.
Available in Glossy Purple and Silvery Grey, the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G features a smooth matte-finished rear panel in the Silver Grey variant (tested), offering a sophisticated aesthetic. It boasts rounded corners, curved sides, and a curved-edge display, contributing to its premium appeal. The display is protected by AGC’s Dragontrail Star 2 cover glass, while the rear panel employs Corning Gorilla Glass 5, ensuring durability.
The sandwiched frame, crafted from polycarbonate, delivers a premium feel with no sharp edges, and contributes to the phone’s relatively light weight at 194g. The rear camera module protrudes significantly, housing a capsule-shaped layout that blends aluminium and glass, showcasing the three rear-facing cameras arranged vertically.
While the design is undeniably elegant and comfortable to hold, the phone lacks an official IP rating, a surprising omission considering many mid-range phones around Rs. 40,000 now offer IP68 protection.
The slick rear panel, while visually appealing, proves a bit slippery, requiring users to rely on the camera bump for support when holding the phone. However, the finely ridged metal surface surrounding the periscopic telephoto camera provides a much-needed grip. Despite its good looks, the phone can feel top-heavy, occasionally tipping over. Fortunately, Oppo includes a grippy silicone case in the box to mitigate this issue.
Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G Specifications and Software: Packed with Power, Yet Short on Some Features
The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, which debuted last year and is already surpassed by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. While this might raise eyebrows given devices from OnePlus and iQoo offer the newer chipset at the same price point, the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G makes up for it in other areas, as we’ll soon see.
The phone sports a 6.74-inch curved-edge OLED display with a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, although this isn’t the LTPO variety (it’s LTPS), meaning the refresh rate switching is limited to 30Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. The display boasts a 2,772 × 1,240 pixel resolution and a pixel density of 450ppi, delivering a sharp and vibrant viewing experience.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, an infrared sensor (for remote control functionality), and support for numerous 5G bands. The device uses dual nano-SIM slots, but unfortunately, lacks an SD card slot for storage expansion. Audiophiles will appreciate the stereo speakers, though the phone forgoes a 3.5mm headphone jack.
In terms of battery, the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G houses a 4,700mAh battery that supports lightning-fast 100W wired charging. Oppo surprisingly still includes a charger in the box, a welcome surprise in today’s market.
Running ColorOS 13.1, which is based on Android 13, the software experience is familiar to those who have used Oppo, Realme, or OnePlus devices. Oppo has refined the haptics, resulting in precise and satisfying vibrations for notifications, ringtones, and even navigating the interface. The software is highly customizable, offering an array of live wallpapers, a font that supports adaptive weight, customizable icons, and numerous other options.
You’ll also find Multi-Screen Connect, a handy feature that links your phone to a tablet or Windows PC, enabling you to copy/paste across devices using a shared clipboard, transfer files, screencast, open mobile apps on the PC, and more.
Unfortunately, the phone comes pre-loaded with a dozen third-party apps, most of which (except FinShell Pay) can be uninstalled. However, apps like Oppo’s App Market and Game Center can be quite annoying, sending frequent and spammy notifications. Given the premium price tag, one would expect Oppo to be more discerning in the pre-installed apps.
Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G Performance: A Gaming Powerhouse with Cooling Prowess
The Reno 10 Pro+ 5G delivers the performance expected from its powerful processor, achieving impressive benchmarks: 10,87,266 in AnTuTu and 951/3,728 in Geekbench 6’s single and multi-core tests. Oppo has implemented an ultra-conductive graphite sheet alongside its larger-than-usual vapor chamber cooling system compared to the Reno 8 Pro 5G, ensuring efficient heat dissipation.
In real-world testing, the phone remained cool even when recording 4K videos outdoors or pushing the limits with demanding games at maxed-out graphics settings. The 240Hz touch sampling rate offers a competitive advantage in mobile gaming, making the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G a formidable gaming device.
The display also shines, offering exceptional visibility in direct sunlight and accurate color reproduction when using the Natural display color scheme. The HDR10-certified display features Oppo’s ProXDR Smart Display Control, which enhances brightness when viewing HDR photos. HDR10 video streaming support is limited to Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
Battery life is commendable, with the device lasting 19 hours and 15 minutes in our HD video loop test. Heavy use easily allows for over a day of power, while casual use extends the battery life to around a day and a half.
The 100W wired fast charging is absolutely phenomenal, rapidly charging the phone from 0% to 75% in a mere 15 minutes. While it slows down slightly after this mark, the phone achieves a full charge in just 30 minutes. The charging process maintains a comfortable temperature, proving efficient and reliable.
Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G Cameras: The Star of the Show
The Reno 10 Pro+ 5G boasts a camera setup that deserves serious attention, featuring a 50-megapixel primary camera (with OIS), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera with a 112-degree FOV, and a standout 64-megapixel telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom. Selfies are handled by a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. The camera interface is typical Oppo, including a Pro mode for photos for users seeking greater control. Interestingly, despite its HDR10+ display, the phone lacks HDR video recording capabilities.
In daylight, the primary camera is a powerhouse, capturing incredibly detailed photos with accurate skin tones and natural-looking colors. Dynamic range is well-managed, although minor overexposed areas can occur in exceptionally bright scenes. The phone doesn’t offer a dedicated macro camera, but the primary camera lets you get close to subjects (10-15cm) with sharp and clear results.
Low-light performance is impressive, thanks to automatic long exposures that eliminate the need for the Night mode. Under street lighting, photos showcase good performance, albeit with slightly limited dynamic range in shadows, resulting in a slightly contrasty appearance. However, detail suffers in dimly-lit scenes even in Night mode, which is expected at this price point.
The ultra-wide camera performs acceptably in daylight, but images lack the sharpness of the primary camera and sometimes appear overexposed. Mild barrel distortion and purple fringing can be observed in bright scenes. Low-light performance falls short, with soft details and blotchy textures.
However, the telephoto camera is the real star. Oppo has equipped it with a high-resolution sensor that delivers exceptional results that are unparalleled in this price segment. The periscopic telephoto setup also maintains a surprisingly short minimum focusing distance of around 25cm.
An innovative hybrid implementation leverages the primary camera for subjects closer than 25cm, even when using the 3X zoom setting. Once the subject is beyond 25cm, the system seamlessly switches to the 3X periscope telephoto camera. This creates a noticeable difference in quality between 3X photos taken with the primary and telephoto cameras, as the primary camera photos are essentially scaled-up crops. However, the 3X telephoto images are incredibly impressive, offering exceptional depth, detail, and subject separation in both daylight and artificial lighting.
While dimly-lit performance is respectable, images exhibit a soft look and a water-colour effect with limited detail. The camera system can zoom beyond 3X, but image quality noticeably degrades after 6X.
Selfies capture crisp images with accurate skin tones when disabling beautifying features. Low-light selfies are also exceptionally clear and sharp, another rare achievement in this price range. Edge detection is accurate in daylight but can struggle in low-light conditions.
Videos recorded at 4K 30fps in daylight are well-stabilized and exhibit excellent detail and dynamic range. 4K 60fps footage is equally impressive, showcasing a smooth framerate and good stabilization. Low-light 4K 30fps video shows minimal noise, stable framerate, and slightly reduced dynamic range. Stabilization is solid, although a slight shimmer is present, with some frame cropping. 4K 60fps in low light delivers a stable framerate, but dynamic range is limited, resulting in a more contrasty appearance. The ultra-wide angle camera is capped at 1080p 60fps video recording.
Verdict: A Solid Smartphone with a Pricey Price Tag
The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G undoubtedly surpasses its predecessor, the Reno 8 Pro 5G, which felt more like a mid-range phone in terms of camera and performance. Despite the slightly dated processor, the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G delivers solid performance and boasts impressive camera hardware.
However, the OnePlus 11 5G provides a compelling alternative, boasting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, a larger 5,000mAh battery, and a superior ultra-wide camera with a higher resolution sensor. The iQoo 11 5G offers similar core specifications as the OnePlus 11, but its lack of the flexible camera system found in the 11 5G and Reno 10 Pro+ 5G is offset by 120W wired fast charging, unmatched in this segment. Camera enthusiasts might also consider the Google Pixel 7 for its excellent camera capabilities.
For those prioritizing the performance of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, more affordable alternatives exist. The newly launched iQoo Neo 7 Pro 5G boasts comparable core specifications, faster 120W charging, and a starting price of Rs. 34,999. The Nothing Phone 2, also utilizing the same processor, adds an IP54 rating, wireless charging, and a striking design.
Ultimately, the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G finds its sweet spot in its exceptional telephoto and selfie cameras, features that are hard to find in this price range. This compelling combination might sway prospective buyers towards the Reno 10 Pro+ 5G over the OnePlus 11 5G, despite the higher price tag.
