The Oppo Reno series has always been known for its stylish design and impressive cameras, and the latest additions, the Reno 8 5G and Reno 8 Pro 5G, continue this tradition. Oppo is marketing these phones as “The Portrait Expert,” a claim that makes us curious about their photographic capabilities. We’ve already reviewed the Reno 8 Pro 5G, which impressed us with its design and build, but fell a bit short in terms of performance compared to competitors. Does the Oppo Reno 8 5G offer better value and performance, or does it follow the same trend? Let’s explore in detail.
Oppo Reno 8 5G: Price and Availability in India
The Oppo Reno 8 5G comes in a single configuration in India: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, priced at Rs. 29,999. It is available in two elegant finishes: Shimmer Gold and Shimmer Black. This price range puts it in direct competition with popular contenders like the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G and the Xiaomi Mi 11X 5G.
Oppo Reno 8 5G: Design & Build
From the moment you hold the Oppo Reno 8 5G, especially the Shimmer Gold variant, its stylish design makes a statement. Following current design trends, the phone features flattened sides, making it easy to grasp and comfortably use with one hand. The curved corners prevent sharp edges from digging into your palms, enhancing the grip. Although the frame is made of plastic, it doesn’t feel exceptionally premium.
The 6.4-inch display, dominating the front, boasts thin bezels for a more immersive viewing experience, with only a noticeable chin at the bottom. Oppo has incorporated Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection against scratches and minor impacts.
Despite the large display, the Reno 8 5G weighs only 179 grams, making it comfortable to use for extended periods without fatigue. The power and volume buttons are strategically placed towards the middle of the frame on either side, conveniently within reach. These buttons offer a satisfying "click" feel, ensuring your input is registered accurately. The top houses only the secondary microphone, while the bottom features the SIM tray, USB Type-C port, speaker, and the primary microphone.
The triple camera setup at the back blends seamlessly with the rear panel, creating a sleek appearance. The camera lens cutouts are large and prominent, immediately drawing attention to the camera module, reminiscent of the OnePlus Nord 2T design.
Oppo Reno 8 5G: Specifications
The Oppo Reno 8 5G sports an AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels), a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 180Hz touch-sampling rate, providing smooth scrolling and a responsive experience. While the OnePlus Nord 2T also boasts a 90Hz refresh rate, other competitors like the Motorola Edge 30 offer a higher 144Hz refresh rate, which might be a deciding factor for some users.
Powering the Reno 8 5G is the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC, an octa-core processor clocked at 3GHz, ensuring smooth performance for everyday tasks and demanding apps. The phone also features a RAM expansion feature, allowing you to extend the RAM by up to 5GB, enhancing multitasking capabilities. However, the lack of expandable storage might be a concern for users who require ample storage space.
The device offers two nano-SIM slots, protected by a rubber ring in the tray, offering basic ingress protection from dust and water. While it’s not officially IP certified, this feature provides some reassurance. The connectivity features include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, dual-5G standby, dual-4G VoLTE, and support for six satellite navigation systems, ensuring seamless connectivity and location tracking. The Reno 8 5G packs a substantial 4,500mAh battery, with support for 80W fast charging. Oppo includes a compatible charger in the box, which is a significant advantage compared to some competitors.
Oppo Reno 8 5G: Software and Interface
The Oppo Reno 8 5G runs ColorOS 12.1 based on Android 12, and it was running the July 2022 Android security patch at the time of this review. While it offers a feature-rich user interface, it does come with pre-installed bloatware, such as Byju’s, Dailyhunt, FinShell Pay, HeyFun, Josh, Moj, Netflix, Paytm, Snapchat, and several others. Thankfully, most of these apps can be uninstalled.
Oppo offers extensive customization options through the Theme Store app, providing a variety of themes, wallpapers, and color accents to personalize your device. You can even change the accent colors to match your wallpaper, creating a cohesive visual experience.
Oppo has incorporated Air Gestures, enabling you to interact with the phone using hand gestures without touching the screen. However, this feature felt somewhat gimmicky and didn’t work as expected. You can also utilize traditional gestures such as three-finger swipe for screenshots, double-tap to wake the screen, flip to mute calls, and others.
Oppo Reno 8 5G: Performance
The Oppo Reno 8 5G delivers a smooth and lag-free experience during everyday use. The combination of 8GB RAM and 5GB of virtual RAM allows seamless multitasking without noticeable lag. Applications load quickly, and the in-display fingerprint scanner and face unlock feature consistently provide swift authentication.
The AMOLED display offers vibrant colors and excellent viewing angles. While the Reno 8 5G has a single bottom-firing speaker, the loudness is sufficient for most scenarios. Having dual speakers would have been ideal for an even more immersive video watching experience.
Scrolling through menus feels buttery smooth on the 90Hz refresh rate display, which is set to 90Hz by default. While you can manually switch to 60Hz, there is no option for dynamic refresh rate, which would have been beneficial for optimizing battery life.
In benchmark tests, the Reno 8 5G scored 603 in the single-core and 2,522 in the multi-core tests of Geekbench 5. In AnTuTu, the device achieved 592,361 points. In the GFX Bench graphics benchmark, it scored 60fps in the T-Rex and 41fps in the Car Chase test suites. These scores are very similar to the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G, and the Motorola Edge 30 also sits close in performance with its Snapdragon 778G+ SoC.
Gaming performance was commendable. The Reno 8 5G ran Call of Duty: Mobile at High graphics and High frame rate settings without noticeable lag or stuttering. After a 20-minute gaming session, the phone showed a mere four percent battery drop and was only slightly warm to the touch, indicating efficient heat management.
Battery life was excellent. With my usual usage pattern, which includes browsing social media, reading news, texting, and watching videos, I could easily stretch the battery for two days. In the HD video loop test, the phone managed to run for an impressive 22 hours and 48 minutes. The bundled 80W charger significantly reduced charging times, taking only 30 minutes to charge the battery to 84 percent and less than 40 minutes for a full charge.
Oppo Reno 8 5G: Cameras
The Oppo Reno 8 5G boasts a triple camera system:
- 50-megapixel primary camera with a Sony IMX766 sensor, a widely used sensor found in phones like the Nothing Phone (1), Realme GT Neo 3, OnePlus 10T, and even the Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G, ensuring high-quality image capture. This primary camera does not feature OIS and relies on EIS for stabilization.
- 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view, ideal for capturing expansive landscapes and wide-angle perspectives.
- 2-megapixel macro camera for close-up shots.
For selfies, the Oppo Reno 8 5G is equipped with a 32-megapixel selfie camera. The user interface for the camera app is intuitive and easy to use.
Photos captured with the primary camera were remarkably detailed, with accurate color reproduction. Even in bright conditions, the phone captured colors accurately, producing a natural and realistic look. While the ultra-wide-angle camera had a slight drop in image quality compared to the main camera, the color tones remained consistent, and there was no noticeable barrel distortion. The camera app has an AI scene optimization feature, which increases color saturation, making photos more vibrant.
Close-up shots were well-defined, with the phone quickly achieving focus. Portraits also impressed with good edge detection and a natural blur effect for the background, contributing to a professional looking result. Macro photos were decent, though I found myself constantly adjusting the phone position to achieve proper focus.
Low-light performance was reasonable. The phone captured good photos in well-lit environments, but darker areas of the frame displayed a slightly watercolor-like effect. Activating Night mode, which captures long exposures, resulted in blur if the subject moved slightly during the capture.
Selfies from the 32-megapixel camera were outstanding, both in daylight and low light. Even selfie portraits were remarkably detailed. In low-light conditions, the phone automatically enabled the screen flash, illuminating the subject and creating brighter images with good detail.
Video recording capabilities top out at 4K 30fps for the primary camera and 1080p for the selfie camera. The phone relies on EIS for stabilization, and it does a decent job when shooting at 1080p. However, slight jitter was noticeable in the 4K footage, especially in daylight and more pronounced in low-light conditions.
Oppo Reno 8 5G: Verdict
The Oppo Reno 8 5G is a stylish smartphone with capable hardware, priced under Rs. 30,000. It offers good performance that is on par with competitors in its segment and features decent cameras for the price. While ColorOS is packed with features, the amount of pre-installed bloatware might be a turn-off for users who prefer a clean Android experience. The absence of OIS in the primary camera does affect camera performance, particularly when shooting in low-light situations.
Considering the abundance of smartphones launched in this price range over the past year, the Reno 8 5G has stiff competition. The OnePlus Nord 2T 5G is a very close alternative, essentially offering similar hardware. The Motorola Edge 30, priced similarly, emphasizes a slim design, a 144Hz display, and a cleaner near-stock Android experience. The Xiaomi Mi 11X 5G is also a strong contender for value-conscious users seeking powerful performance in this price range.
Ultimately, the Oppo Reno 8 5G is a solid choice for users seeking a well-designed phone with a capable camera, good performance, and fast charging. However, the presence of bloatware, the lack of OIS, and the close competition in this price range make it necessary to carefully consider your priorities before making a purchase.
