OPPO Reno12 5G Review; Beauty and Brain in One Device

Jonnah Pante
0

 INTRODUCTION:


Among the concrete identifiers of a brand's success is whether it has made itself a household name. For OPPO, this is a feat it continues to maintain through a series of remarkable smartphones including its Reno series.


Introduced globally in 2019, the OPPO Reno Series has sold almost 100 million devices as of last year. According to OPPO, this means that 67 million people all over the world are owners of an OPPO Reno device. OPPO is set to add more to the number with the recent addition to the lineup, the OPPO Reno12 5G.


Read on and find out if the OPPO Reno12 5G is your next smartphone upgrade, hot on the heels of its Philippine launch.


OPPO Reno12 5G
OPPO Reno12 5G

UNBOXING:


The OPPO Reno12 5G comes in an unassuming, familiar-looking box. Its white packaging with bold, black letters gives off a minimalist vibe. Opening the box, though, will give you a marvel to look at, especially if you got the Sunset Pink variant.


Read more: Our favorite AI features on the new OPPO Reno12 5G Series


Included in the OPPO Reno12 5G packaging are the usual items. There's a free ribbed smartphone case, a SIM ejector tool, two booklets for quick guide and safety guide, a USB-A to USB-C connector, and a wall charger with SUPERVOOC support. 

OPPO Reno12 5G box inclusions
OPPO Reno12 5G box inclusions

No free pair of earphones is included in the package. Take note also that the free wall charger comes in a bulky form that's almost in a similar size as an Apple MacBook Air 30W USB-C Power Adapter. But given how fast it charges the OPPO Reno12 5G, it's a small caveat to consider. 


DISPLAY and DESIGN:  


Among the major changes visible on the OPPO Reno12 5G compared to its predecessor, the OPPO Reno11 5G, is the rear design. While OPPO seemed to take the unconventional route with the camera module of the Reno11 5G, the OPPO Reno12 5G flaunts a cleaner-looking camera positioning with three lenses vertically placed on a rectangular slate. 

OPPO Reno12 5G in Sunset Pink
OPPO Reno12 5G in Sunset Pink

It complements the overall rear aesthetic of the OPPO Reno12 5G, which OPPO went all out with. Apart from the Sunset Pink variant which comes in a pretty and shiny orange gradient with illustrations of clouds, the OPPO Reno12 5G is also available in Astro Silver with a retro futuristic look and in Matte Brown in a solid, sophisticated cocoa color.

OPPO Reno12 5G in Sunset Pink
OPPO Reno12 5G in Sunset Pink


Dressed in a plastic frame with aluminum sides, the OPPO Reno12 5G is easy on the hands. It's light enough for one-handed use with its free case providing an extra grip.

On its right cheek are the volume rockers alongside the power key or the lock screen key, while the opposite side is clean. 

OPPO Reno12 5G's volume rockers and power key
OPPO Reno12 5G's volume rockers and power key

At the bottom is where you'll locate the SIM card tray with slots for a main SIM card and a microSD card in case you won't be needing a secondary SIM, the main microphone, a USB-C port that doubles as the earphone jack, and dual-grill speakers. 

SIM card tray, main microphone, USB-C port that doubles as the earphone jack, dual-grill speakers
SIM card tray, main microphone, USB-C port that doubles as the earphone jack, dual-grill speakers


Additionally, there's a receiver and an infrared remote control at the top.

Receiver and infrared remote control
Receiver and infrared remote control

One of the strong suits of the OPPO Reno12 5G is its curved screen. Flaunting a 6.7-inch FHD+ display with HDR10+, you can count on the OPPO Reno12 5G to deliver vibrant visuals and sharp details useful in binge-watching high definition content and playing graphics-heavy games.


OPPO also included nice-to-have screen add-ons including a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and seamless gaming and eye protection for lesser eye fatigue even with longer periods of usage.


Related: New AI coming your way: The OPPO Reno12 Series 5G arrives in PH on July 12


The OPPO Reno12 5G's screen also houses an in-display fingerprint scanner which does its job of unlocking the device quickly and fuss-free. Users can unlock the OPPO Reno12 5G using the in-display fingerprint sensor from a pitch-black screen even without pressing the lock screen key first.

OPPO Reno12 5G in-display fingerprint scanner
OPPO Reno12 5G in-display fingerprint scanner

Outside the box, the OPPO Reno12 5G comes with an acetate film screen protector which is advisable to be replaced with a tougher one as additional coverage from dents and scratches apart from the device's Corning Gorilla Glass 7i armor.


The OPPO Reno12 5G is also designed with endurance in mind. According to OPPO, the device comes with impact resistance, anti-aging, dust, and waterproof features. Its splash-proof feature extends to the screen's capability to recognize touches even with water droplets.


All angles and corners considered, the OPPO Reno12 5G can be easily classified as one of the eye-catching smartphones available in the local market.


AUDIO: 


If you prefer watching videos on loudspeaker rather than using a pair of earphones, then the OPPO Reno12 5G appeals to you. The device has a maximum loudspeaker media volume of 300%, which can be activated with one more press on the volume up button after 100%.

The OPPO Reno12 5G reaches a maximum volume of 300%.
The OPPO Reno12 5G reaches a maximum volume of 300%.

Audio quality on the OPPO Reno12 5G is modest, even when set at the Ultra Volume 300%. While there are no major audible distortions on Ultra Volume, it's noticeable that the bass levels are lessened compared to the device's 100% audio level.


To keep the right balance, we highly recommend using the OPPO Reno12 5G on loudspeaker at 100% volume or below.


PERFORMANCE:


The OPPO Reno12 5G operates on a recently released Mediatek Dimensity 7300-Energy with 8 cores and an Arm Mali-G615 GPU. For memory and storage, the device carries a hefty combination of 12GB RAM and 256GB ROM. Both can be increased to an additional 12GB RAM through dynamic RAM expansion and up to 1TB through microSD support.


Gaming-wise, the OPPO Reno12 5G delivers a decent experience. Just keep in mind that it handles popular gaming titles like Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang better with the graphics settings tweaked at the mid level. Sadly, we noticed a bit of heat while playing on the OPPO Reno12 5G for around an hour and a half. 


Multitasking is a walk in the park on the OPPO Reno12 5G. Switching from one app to another even with multiple ones running in the background doesn't faze the OPPO Reno12 5G at all. Everything productivity-related is a breeze with the OPPO Reno12 5G.


Below are the benchmark results obtained by the OPPO Reno12 5G.

OPPO Reno12 5G Benchmark Results
OPPO Reno12 5G Benchmark Results



UI:


OPPO's ColorOS based on Android 14 comes as an ordinary user interface with the usual convenience features like floating windows, split screen, Smart Sidebar, File Dock, Smart Image Matting, and more. And since the OPPO Reno12 5G is an Android phone, it comes with bloatware. Take note: lots of it. Some are even grouped in folders. We uninstalled 19 applications – mostly games – that were pre-installed.


Transfering from an Android phone or an iPhone to the OPPO Reno12 5G is a seamless task as this is one of the first things that pop out when you power up the device for the first time. The process might take a while, but at least you don't need to manually select the files, apps, and other items from your old smartphone to the OPPO Reno12 5G.


There are a bunch of AI functions on the OPPO Reno12 5G that are a delight to use. These include Auto Pixelate which automatically blurs out important details on documents to avoid sharing personal information, AI Writer which suggests words to complete sentences and corrects grammar, AI Summary for content synopsis, AI Recording Summary for transcript of recorded meetings, and AI Speak which reads content like articles.

OPPO Reno12 5G display settings
OPPO Reno12 5G display settings


Another thing we noticed about the UI of the OPPO Reno12 5G is its extensive display settings. These allow you to toggle auto brightness, adjust screen color, tweak eye comfort levels, automatically enable HDR video mode which increases screen brightness when viewing HDR videos, and keep the screen on as long as the smartphone detects that you're looking at it.


CAMERA:


The main lens on the OPPO Reno12 5G is similar to that of the OPPO Reno11 5G – a 50-megapixel f/1.8 primary camera with optical image stabilization. This comes alongside an 8-megapixel ultra-wide shooter in f/2.2 with a 112-degree field of view and a 2-megapixel macro camera in f/2.4. For selfies, the OPPO Reno12 5G has a 32-megapixel camera.


OPPO Reno12 5G cameras
OPPO Reno12 5G cameras

Shooting modes include Pro, Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, Extra HD, Pano, Slo-Mo, Time-Lapse, Dual-view video, Sticker, Doc Scanner, and Google Lens for the rear cameras while there's Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, Pano, Time-lapse, Dual-view video, and Sticker for the front camera.


Supported video quality is up to 4k at 30fps for the regular shooting mode, with EIS and OIS activated, and zoom. Slow motion videos are up to 1080p at 480 fps in quality.

OPPO Reno12 5G in shooting mode
OPPO Reno12 5G in shooting mode

Photos taken using the OPPO Reno12 5G have that ready-for-posting quality. Color saturation and detail sharpness are good, especially on images shot in well-lit environments. Indoor and night shots tend to soften out a bit on the details. Check out our sample shots here.


What's special about the camera functions of the OPPO Reno12 5G is that it maximizes artificial intelligence in a way you never knew you needed. The device comes with the AI Eraser 2.0 which almost smoothly deletes photobombers and unwanted elements in an image. While this needs a bit of improvement as the signs of edits depend on the image, it's an impressive addition to the OPPO Reno 12 5G especially since this kind of image tweaking is often available only via premium subscriptions of photo editing apps.

OPPO Reno12 5G AI Eraser
OPPO Reno12 5G AI Eraser

Before vs. after using AI Eraser
Before vs. after using AI Eraser

There's also OPPO Clear Face and OPPO Best Face features on the OPPO Reno12 5G. The former is designed to automatically fix image distortion in group photos while the latter handles shots with people who have their eyes closed. Yes, the OPPO Reno12 5G can edit photos so that people are smiling with their eyes – all with the wonders of artificial intelligence.

The OPPO Reno12 5G also highlights the AI Studio, a pre-installed app which allows users to edit their photos and and turn them into different characters.

OPPO AI Studio
OPPO AI Studio

BATTERY:


As expected from an OPPO smartphone, the OPPO Reno12 5G excels in the battery department. Its 5,000mAh battery can withstand a whole day of heavy usage, with a bit more of juice left for next day's use. It scored 15 hours and 26 minutes on the PCMark Battery 3.0 test.


With SUPERVOOC, the OPPO Reno12 5G's recharging time is impressive. It can go from 33% to 61% in 15 minutes, and back to 100% in just 40 minutes. 


CONCLUSION:


With its beautiful physique, stunning curved screen, well-performing cameras, AI functions, and generous battery life, the OPPO Reno12 5G is a worthy upgrade for P24,999.


OPPO Reno12 5G
OPPO Reno12 5G

For more details on its pricing and availability as well as pre-order deals, read here.





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