OPPO Reno5 4G Review: Best Mid-Range Smartphone For Non-Game Users

Before the end of the year full of unexpected events, Oppo still has time to release a new smartphone in the mid-range segment, the OPPO Reno5 4G. This is the 5th generation of the Reno smartphone line in less than two years. The series currently includes the Reno5 5G, Reno5 Pro 5G, and Reno5 4G. 

Officially launched last month, the Oppo Reno5 4G price is around Rs. 27,500 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB version.

OPPO Reno5 4G review: Design

While manufacturers are still struggling to find the best solution for full-screen displays, the back is a place for them to attract users with stunning design. On the Reno5 4G, Oppo brings a new design with Reno Glow coating like thousands of tiny glowing crystals creating an eye-catching gradation effect when changing the viewing angle. Unfortunately, unlike the 5G version, the Reno5 4G only has a plastic back instead of glass.

OPPO Reno5 4G review: Display

After Oppo Reno4, Reno5 4G is the next smartphone in the Reno series equipped with a 90Hz display. A high refresh rate display (and touch sampling rate) will offer a smoother scrolling experience compared to the regular 60Hz refresh rate. 

In terms of hardware, the Reno5 4G is equipped with a 6.43-inch flat screen with a 90Hz AMOLED panel, 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution, protected by Gorilla Glass 3. With a maximum brightness of 600 nits, you will be able to use the phone in direct sunlight with no problem. Reno5's default Vivid color mode reproduces accurate colors and notable characteristics of an AMOLED panel: vibrant colors, high saturation, wide dynamic range. The viewing experience is very similar to the Reno4 Pro, except that the Reno5 4G is equipped with a flat screen.

OPPO Reno5 4G review: Performance

It seems like OPPO mostly focuses on the design aspect of this phone as its hardware configuration isn’t significantly improved over its predecessor. We still see a Snapdragon 720G chipset, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal memory. Yes, the Snapdragon 720G isn’t a bad chip for daily tasks like surfing the web, Facebook or Youtube, but in the same price range, it is not difficult to find other smartphones with better hardware configuration with a Snapdragon 730G, 750G or even 765G chipset.

With a similar hardware configuration, it is not surprising that Reno5 scores similar to Reno4 in benchmarks and gaming tests. The Reno5's 8GB of RAM is still enough for the multitasking needs of nearly every user.

OPPO Reno5 4G review: Cameras

The ability to take pictures has always been one of the strengths of Oppo smartphones, and the Reno5 is no exception. Besides the upgrades in hardware and sensors, the highlight of Reno5 4G is that Oppo also equips a series of interesting software features for users, especially young people, to be creative.

The Reno5 4G features a 64MP main sensor, which is an upgrade over the 48MP sensor of the Reno4. However, that is the only upgrade as the other sensors are the same. They both have an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP monochrome lens. There is a 32MP camera on the front for selfies.

The Reno5 4G camera capture high details and accurate colors in landscape scenes. You will notice worse details in ultra-wide-angle photos, but it is still usable. As for macro shots, they look well-defined and sharp. You can use the AI Scene Enhancement feature, but the outcomes appear to have a slightly warmer color tone. The portrait mode is good and you can add filters to the photos along with adjusting the level of blur. 

The autofocus system works great, helping the macro camera capture close-up photos even in darker situations. The Night mode is certainly useful, especially for the ultra-wide-angle lens.

In daylight, selfie shots have very good details. You might notice that the skin tones seem to be slightly smoother than they should be. In low-light conditions, the selfie shooter still performs well and capture enough details and colors.

Here are some Reno5 4G camera samples:

OPPO Reno5 4G review: Battery

The OPPO Reno5 4G battery is slightly larger than that of the Reno4 (4,310mAh vs 4,015mAh). However, that is not the only upgrade on the Reno5 in this regard. Its charging speed is 50W, which is much faster than the 30W fast charging on the Reno4. 

Not just that, the device is also bundled with a 65W fast charger. According to our measurement, the device needs 59 minutes to charge from 0 to 100 percent. It is not as fast as OPPO claimed (48 minutes), but it is still very fast. In our battery test, the handset lasted 7 hours and 9 minutes for gaming, 11 hours and 36 minutes for surfing the web, and 20 hours 4 minutes for watching videos. 

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