Oppo’s brand new Reno 8 5G certainly looks attractive with its sleek and stylish design. It has a capable processor and faster charging system. While this is all good, the big question is whether it addresses the shortcomings of its predecessor and how it compares to competing smartphones in this segment? I’ve been using the Oppo Reno 8 5G for a while and here are my first impressions.
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G, like its predecessor, is available in a single variant with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage for Rs. 29,999. However, unlike the Oppo Reno 7 5G (Review), it does not have expandable storage, so users will have to make do with the onboard storage, which is limited to 101 GB after boot.
The phone is available in two versions. There is a Shimmer Black with a matte black finish and a Shimmer Gold that I received. The phone feels quite slim at 7.67mm and the only protrusion on the back is the cameras. Oppo has merged the camera module with the back panel of the phone, which is made of polycarbonate. The arrangement looks seamless and unique and is very similar to what has been done on the more expensive Reno 8 Pro.
While I’m not a fan of the shimmery rainbow colors of the Shimmer Gold finish, the matte texture seems to be good at rejecting fingerprints. The phone’s frame is also made of polycarbonate, which makes it fairly light at 179g. There’s no official IP rating with the Reno 8 5G, but I did notice a good rubber seal around the SIM card tray, suggesting it has some ingress protection.
The 6.43-inch display on the front is of the AMOLED variant and has a Full-HD + resolution with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. It’s flat and has a built-in fingerprint reader, but it doesn’t have HDR certification. Like the Reno 7 5G, the phone only has a single speaker on the bottom, which is frankly a big miss considering most smartphones for and below this price have stereo speakers.
The MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC of the Reno 7 5G has been upgraded to a Dimensity 1300 SoC on the Reno 8 5G. It’s a worthy upgrade and should deliver good mid-range performance, as I’ve experienced on the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G. The phone runs on Oppo’s ColorOS 12.1, which is based on Android 12. During my first use, everything seemed to run smoothly, and the 90Hz screen refresh rate made every interaction with the software feel fluid.
Oppo has upgraded the cameras of the Reno 8 5G by using the popular 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor in its primary camera and an 8-megapixel Sony IMX355 sensor in the ultra-wide camera. Both cameras offer hardware-level DOL HDR technology, which Oppo claims can deliver better color and dynamic range. There is a 2 megapixel camera for macro photos which is the same as before and the same can be said about the 32 megapixel selfie camera. As on the Reno 8 Pro 5G (First Impressions), the Sony IMX766 does not have optical image stabilization (OIS).
The 4,500mAh battery capacity of the Oppo Reno 8 5G remains the same as before, but now supports 80W charging and the charger comes in the box. Oppo claims the Reno 8 can charge 5G from zero to 50 percent in just 11 minutes, but I’ll have to test those claims in the full review.
The Oppo Reno 5G seems to have everything you can expect from a mid-range smartphone. There’s the capable processor, fast charging system and capable cameras, but Oppo hasn’t really addressed the shortcomings of the previous model. There is still no official IP rating, no stereo speakers, and the phone’s body is still made of polycarbonate, unlike the Reno 6 5G (Review). How does it compare to the comparably priced and specified OnePlus Nord 2T 5G (Review), and is it unique enough to take on similarly priced devices like the Realme 9 Pro+ 5G (Review) or the iQoo Neo 6 (Review)? Find out in our detailed review, coming soon on DailyExpertNews.