OPPO Reno12 F 5G Review; AI Made Affordable and More Accessible

INTRODUCTION:

There's a new OPPO smartphone in town and this time, it packs more AI features than any other OPPO mobile phone under P20,000. The OPPO Reno12 F 5G is the brand's offering to the frugal Filipino tech consumer who's looking to try what AI can do in terms of day-to-day smartphone tasks. But are the AI features on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G enough to make it worthy of hard-earned money? Read on and find out.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G

UNBOXING:

Similar to its more expensive siblings, the OPPO Reno12 5G and the OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G, the OPPO Reno12 F 5G comes in a minimalist white box with big, bold, black letters as identifiers of the smartphone model with a square silver iridescent design detail.

Read more: First Look at the OPPO Reno12 F 5G with AI Features Coming to PH on August 20

OPPO Reno12 F 5G's white box

Inside the box are the usual stuff alongside the OPPO Reno12 F 5G itself including a SIM ejector tool with a smiling face, USB-A to USB-C wire, 45W SUPERVOOC wall charger, and a safety guide booklet. There's also a free green ribbed silicone smartphone case which is nicer to have compared to the standard transparent plastic one.

What's inside the OPPO Reno12 F 5G package

DESIGN and BUILD:

OPPO Philippines sent our team the Olive Green variant of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G. It's dressed in a beautiful jade green shade that comes with a glitter effect when viewed from different angles. This colorway on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G is an impressive move from OPPO to integrate a minimalist look while still adding an eye-catching aesthetic detail.

A design highlight on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G is undeniably its circular camera module which conceals an interesting treat underneath. Apart from housing three cameras and an LED flash, it carries a Halo Light that glows when the OPPO Reno12 F 5G is playing music, receiving notifications, and charging. It also blinks when there's an incoming call.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G Halo Light

On the smartphone's Settings app, the Halo Light is called the Breathing Light. Users can choose from different lighting colors and even set an active time. OPPO also mindfully designed the Halo Light as a feature that won't drain the battery as it's automatically off when the OPPO Reno12 F 5G is inside a pocket and in Power Saving or Super Power Saving modes.

Breathing Light settings on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G

See also: Our favorite AI features on the new OPPO Reno12 5G Series

The metallic accent on the camera module of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G is mirrored on the sides and corners of the smartphone. It's also a nice design detail that adds a premium look to the OPPO Reno12 F 5G, however, we can't help but notice how it's a fingerprint magnet. It also makes the OPPO Reno12 F 5G a bit challenging to grip especially for those with sweaty hands as its smooth texture promotes an easy slip.

The metallic accent on the sides of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G

Located on the right side of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G are the buttons for volume and power on and off while the left side is a clean slate. On the top part of the device is a secondary microphone and speaker. The smartphone's USB-C port for the charger and earphones, main microphone, speaker grill, and SIM card tray are all situated at the bottom.

Right side of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G

SIM card tray

Bottom part of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G

Overall, the OPPO Reno12 F 5G is easy on the eyes. At 187 grams, it does feel heavy in the hand with prolonged use and it seems bulky with its free silicone case on.

DISPLAY and AUDIO:

While its siblings in the OPPO Reno12 5G series carry curved displays, the OPPO Reno12 F 5G comes with a flat AMOLED screen. This is warranted since it's meant to be the budget device among the three. Prominent bezels surround the 6.67-inch screen of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G but these don't take away an immersive viewing experience brought about by the device's FHD+ (1080 x 2400) resolution. The OPPO Reno12 F 5G's screen brings out sharp images, although it could be better when it comes to color vividness.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G Screen

One good thing to appreciate about the OPPO Reno12 5G's display is its 120Hz refresh rate that allows smooth scrolling. Plus, it brightens at up to 1200 nits under direct sunlight, making the screen visible enough to be used outdoors during sunny days. This is one of the AI functions on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G, as the device has AI Brightness that automatically increases screen brightness.

Read: OPPO Unleashes the Reno12 F 5G: An Affordable, Ground-Breaking AI Smartphone, Debuting on August 20

OPPO Reno12 F 5G

The AMOLED panel of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G also has Widevine L1, a security criteria mandated for devices capable of streaming high definition content for platforms like Netflix. This is coupled by a good speaker system on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G with volume levels that can reach 300% at the maximum. Surprisingly, even at the highest volume, the OPPO Reno12 F 5G delivers good audio without signs of brittle tunes.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G Ultra Volume Mode

Durability is also a key highlight for the OPPO Reno12 F 5G with its IP64 water and dust resistance plus an All-Armour protection that keep the device safe and intact even after accidental splashes and drops.

PERFORMANCE and AI FEATURES:

The OPPO Reno12 F 5G operates on a Dimensity 6300 processor with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. Casual users who mainly utilize their smartphones for daily productivity tasks and social media apps will find the OPPO Reno12 F 5G as a well-performing device. It can seamlessly handle running multiple applications in the background and switching from one app to another without hiccups.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G

But if you're considering the OPPO Reno12 F 5G for gaming, it's recommended for you to look for another option. The OPPO Reno12 F 5G struggles to run a smooth gameplay with titles like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile on mid to high settings. 

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

Most of the AI features on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G are also those that are present on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G and OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G. These include AL LinkBoost which basically enhances smartphone signal even in usually limiting conditions like inside the elevator and underground car parks allowing users to still send text messages and complete calls.

Another AI function on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G is the BeaconLink which leverages Bluetooth to make voice calls even in areas without mobile signal.

AI-enabled features for daily productivity include AI Recording Summary which generates minutes from a recorded meeting, AI Summary that simplifies long texts into synopsis, AI Writer which suggests replies, and AI Speaker that reads aloud text content.

The AI Recording Summary requires downloading an additional plug-in for it to work which only takes less than a minute.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G AI Recording Summary

AI Recording Summary on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G

To test the AI Recording Summary on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G, we recorded the first few minutes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6, Episode 13, 'The Bimbo.' The summary generated by the OPPO Reno12 F 5G isn't exactly accurate but it did pick up related details. As with any other content produced by AI, it's always important to double check.

Here are the benchmark scores of OPPO Reno12 F 5G:

CAMERA:

Photography is both a hit and a miss with the OPPO Reno12 F 5G and its 50-megapixel F1.8, 8-megapixel Ultra-wide, and 2-megapixel Macro cameras. Its punch hole selfie camera comes as a 32-megapixel snapper.

There's nothing especially remarkable about the cameras of the OPPO Reno12 F 5G. It performs well in taking photos in well-lit environments and obviously struggles at night shooting. These camera samples prove this statement.

AI highlights on the OPPO Reno12 5G and OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G – the AI Eraser 2.0 and AI Studio – are also found on the OPPO Reno12 F 5G. 

AI Eraser 2.0 easily removes photobombers and other unwanted elements in a photo.

BATTERY:

The OPPO Reno12 F 5G can last a day and a half of moderate usage on a single charge. Using its 45W SUPERVOOC brick charger, here's a breakdown of the device's charging time:

2% to 20% – 15 minutes

41% – 30 minutes

58% – 45 minutes

73% – 1 hour

86% – 1 hour 15 minutes

98% – 1 hour 30 minutes

100% – 1 hour 33 minutes

It scored 17h 29 minutes on the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life benchmark test.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G battery benchmark result

CONCLUSION:

Offering the OPPO Reno12 F  5G at the P18,999 price segment could be a tricky move for the brand as there are better options in the market especially for users looking for camera- and gaming-centric devices with the same cost. But then again, the device is marketed for those who are interested in checking out OPPO's AI features at a lower price.