Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G Review: A Premium Look, But Premium Performance?
Oppo’s Reno 8 Pro 5G is the company’s most expensive Reno smartphone in India to date, priced at Rs 45,999. The phone boasts a striking design that makes a great first impression, but a quick glance at its specifications reveals a more mid-range offering. Does the Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G’s premium looks translate into top-tier performance, or is it all style over substance? This in-depth review dives into the phone’s design, performance, cameras, and battery life, providing you with a comprehensive analysis to guide your purchasing decision.
Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G Price and Availability in India
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G is available in a single variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, priced at Rs. 45,999. It comes in two attractive finishes: Glazed Green and Glazed Black.
Compared to its siblings, the Realme GT Neo 3 and OnePlus 10R 5G, which offer similar specifications at lower prices, the Reno 8 Pro 5G’s lack of variants means it will solely compete against premium smartphones in the market.
Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G Design: A Sleek and Premium Look
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro’s design is a standout feature, especially when compared to other smartphones in its price segment. It’s not overly thin, but slender enough with the thinnest point measuring 7.34mm. It’s surprisingly light for such a large phone at 183g, thanks to the premium aluminium alloy frame that not only looks good but also feels luxurious.
A glossy Gorilla Glass 5 back panel adds to its premium appeal and is incredibly resistant to fingerprints.
What truly differentiates the Reno 8 Pro’s design is the camera arrangement. The cutouts sit flush with the raised camera module, which is seamlessly integrated into the rear glass panel. The gentle curve around the camera module provides an additional grip point, making it easier to handle the phone one-handed.
The flat display features a subtle curve around the edges that complement the frame’s sharp corners. The display boasts incredibly thin bezels, especially on the sides (barely 1.48mm), giving the phone a sophisticated and modern look compared to its competitors.
While Oppo might not bring back the iconic, flamboyant designs of previous Reno series phones like the shark fin selfie pop-up camera on the Reno 10X Zoom, the Reno 8 Pro 5G signifies a mature progression with an official IP54 rating for dust and water resistance. Although not as robust as the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G’s IP67 rating, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is the only other phone in this price bracket that features a similar rating (IP52).
Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G Specifications and Software
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SoC, alongside the MariSilicon X NPU, which according to Oppo, plays a significant role in video recording. While the MariSilicon X NPU is not a new feature, it was first introduced in the Oppo Find X5 Pro, a premium smartphone that was not launched in India.
The Reno 8 Pro 5G doesn’t support expandable storage, but does include dual-5G SIM slots for two nano-SIM cards and supports dual-5G standby. It also supports various SA and NSA 5G bands. Other connectivity features include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC. Oppo includes a USB Type-C to Type-A cable, an 80W charger, and a transparent TPU case in the box.
On the software front, Oppo has reserved some of ColorOS’s unique features for its own smartphones.
The ability to customize the accent color and theme based on selected wallpapers, a unique font, and Oppo’s O-Haptics (vibration system), are missing from the OnePlus 10R 5G Endurance Edition and Realme GT Neo 3 (150W), despite all three operating on different variations of ColorOS.
The O-Haptics system in the Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G utilizes an X-axis linear motor, offering precise and effective feedback that complements the phone’s 3D ringtones feature, another Oppo exclusive. Oppo’s floating windows feature, allowing multiple app windows for sharing, proved to be user-friendly and efficient.
The Reno 8 Pro 5G runs ColorOS 12.1, based on Android 12, with Oppo promising two years of Android OS updates and four years of security updates.
However, the daily notifications from the Themes app, constantly prompting users to download wallpapers, themes, or even buy an Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G, can be quite irritating, especially on a phone priced above Rs. 40,000.
A significant amount of preinstalled third-party apps, such as Dailyhunt, Josh, Moj, and PhonePe, are included, although thankfully, all of them can be uninstalled. A handful of Oppo-branded apps like Soloop Cut, O Relax, DocVault, etc., are also included and useful, but can be removed if necessary.
Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G Performance: Meeting Expectations
In benchmark tests, the phone performed as expected. The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G scored 7,28,119 in AnTuTu, along with 901 and 3,532 points in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests, respectively. Graphics benchmarks also held their own against the competition.
Software performance on the Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G was consistently excellent. The Dimensity 8100-Max SoC, coupled with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, effortlessly handled multitasking, ensuring swift app launches. The 120Hz refresh rate display further enhanced the overall software experience, creating a fluid and responsive feel.
Oppo’s choice of a flexible AMOLED panel proved an excellent decision, contributing to the incredibly thin bezels.
The 6.7-inch full-HD+ display achieved impressive brightness levels, vibrant colors, and excellent viewing angles. It’s a clear upgrade over displays found on similarly-priced phones like the Realme GT Neo 3 (150W) and OnePlus 10R Endurance Edition.
The Reno 8 Pro 5G’s display also boasts an HDR10+ certification, and supported content in apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video appeared as intended.
The stereo speakers provided a powerful output, delivering clear sound even at maximum volume and maintaining a balanced audio profile.
However, the integrated fingerprint reader on the display proved inconsistent. In random instances, the sensor struggled to recognize my fingerprints, requiring additional pressure to register my input. After some investigation, I found that simply applying more pressure solved the issue.
Gaming performance on the Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G was commendable. The phone’s graphite-based cooling system effectively kept temperatures in check during intense gaming sessions and even while using the camera app. Call of Duty: Mobile ran smoothly at the highest possible graphics settings. Asphalt: 9 Legends also performed flawlessly without any hiccups, but surprisingly lacked the 60fps mode enabled on the Realme GT Neo 3 (150W), even though both phones share the same core hardware.
The Reno 8 Pro 5G’s touch sampling rate of 360Hz while playing fast-paced FPS games felt responsive, but could have been better.
Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G Battery Life: A Day and a Half of Usage
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G’s 4,500mAh battery capacity hasn’t been upgraded from the Oppo Reno 7 Pro 5G, but the 80W charger significantly speeds up charging times. The phone charged from zero to 52 percent in just 15 minutes and reached a full charge in 34 minutes.
The Reno 8 Pro 5G lasted for 18 hours and 25 minutes in our HD video loop battery test.
It comfortably provides a day and a half of actual usage, impressive for a slim device. However, the absence of wireless charging is a noticeable omission, especially considering other phones in and below this price segment offer the feature.
Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G Cameras: Style Over Substance?
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G features a triple rear camera setup. The main camera boasts a 50-megapixel sensor (Sony IMX766, but without OIS), accompanied by an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Selfies are captured with a 32-megapixel camera that now includes autofocus. Oppo’s camera interface will feel familiar to OnePlus and Realme users as it borrows heavily from these brands.
The interface is minimal but provides access to advanced options for specific modes through the ellipsis button.
Daylight images captured with the primary camera appeared sharp, clear, and accurately reproduced colors.
The ultra-wide-angle camera delivered average results, with limited dynamic range, resulting in less detail in shadow areas.
The macro camera seems to be an inclusion purely for spec sheet bragging rights, as it proved quite difficult to capture usable photos due to its fixed-focus system.
Unlike most OnePlus and Realme phones, enabling the AI scene enhancement feature on the Reno 8 Pro 5G actually proved useful when shooting stills.
It consistently delivered better dynamic range, especially in daylight conditions.
Selfies appeared sharp with excellent detail and dynamic range in daylight.
Selfie portraits also looked sharp, but the phone struggled to properly expose backgrounds.
In low light, image quality appeared decent provided there was a nearby light source.
However, for a 32-megapixel selfie camera with autofocus, I expected significantly better results.
In low-light conditions using the primary camera in auto mode, images generally looked good.
However, the lack of OIS was noticeable, impacting the camera’s ability to capture granular details on textured surfaces. I also observed uneven textures in darker areas.
The phone automatically adjusted exposure times when necessary (1-2 seconds) and even up to 3 seconds when using Night mode.
The camera’s Night mode effectively captured details that were barely visible to the naked eye, particularly in dimly lit cityscapes.
However, the aggressively applied noise reduction algorithms made it less effective in many scenarios, resulting in degraded image quality due to longer exposure times and the absence of OIS.
Low-light photos taken with abundant street lighting came out sharp but with slightly muted textures.
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G’s primary camera utilizes a hardware-level DOL HDR video recording system assisted by Oppo’s MariSilicon X NPU.
This system promises improved dynamic range across various shooting scenarios.
However, in reality, 1080p 30fps video recordings were only average at best, lacking sharpness.
1080p 60fps video appeared very unsteady due to inadequate stabilization.
Shooting at 4K 30fps proved to be the optimal setting, resulting in good detail, sharpness, and dynamic range.
Activating the AI Highlight feature while shooting video led to a fluctuating frame rate, reduced detail, and softened textures, along with noticeable noise in darker areas, even in daylight conditions.
In low light, 4K 30fps videos taken in regular mode exhibited the best quality.
It was advisable to keep AI Highlight turned off, even at 4K resolution, as it often compromised video quality.
Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G: Is It Worth The Price?
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G undoubtedly possesses the aesthetics of a premium Android smartphone.
Its light, stylish design and luxurious feel justify the Rs. 45,999 price tag.
It’s difficult to find another phone that matches its design and build quality at this price point.
However, you need to manage your expectations when it comes to the cameras, as they fall short of the high bar set by the phone’s price.
For a compelling alternative, consider Xiaomi’s 11T Pro 5G.
It offers superior hardware and camera performance (including consistency) and a capable macro camera at a more affordable price.
While it loses some points due to its slightly bulkier design, it delivers exceptional value starting at Rs. 37,999.
With its premium price, the Reno 8 Pro 5G goes head-to-head with smartphones from OnePlus and Motorola.
The OnePlus 9RT 5G delivers excellent camera performance, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, a 120Hz OLED panel, all wrapped in a stylish package, starting at Rs. 42,999.
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro, priced at Rs. 44,999, offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, high-quality rear cameras, a 60-megapixel selfie camera, an IP52 rating, and a near-stock Android software experience.
The OnePlus 10R Endurance Edition and Realme GT Neo 3 (150W), both priced similarly to the Reno 8 Pro 5G, offer comparable hardware and a remarkable 150W charging capability.
The Redmi K50i 5G, priced at Rs. 25,999, packs the same processor as the Reno 8 Pro 5G but also features a 144Hz display and a 5,080mAh battery, making it an excellent option for gamers.
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G will likely resonate with a specific user demographic: brand loyalists or those drawn to its aesthetics, IP rating, and fast charging.
However, compared to the competition, it feels a bit overpriced and offers less value for money.
