Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review: Heading To The Right Direction

Oppo Reno 8 Pro is the successor to last year's Reno 7 Pro. I have been using the phone for a little over a week now. And in this review, I will talk about all the things that Oppo has done right with this Reno 8 Pro and things that could have been done better, so let’s get started!

Before we begin

Honestly, I haven’t reviewed a lot of Oppo devices lately, and it’s not because the company hasn’t launched new phones. Far from it, actually. They have a wide lineup of phones in the budget A-series, there’s the F-series in the mid-range segment, and then we have the premium-midrange Reno lineup and of course, the flagship Find X phones. But I think most of the Oppo A and F-series devices are pretty much a rip-off! I mean, just look at the recently launched OPPO A77 and even the OPPO F21 Pro. Those are ridiculous prices for what the phones offer. However, the Reno series is quite the opposite. I feel with this series, OPPO is going in the right direction. I really liked the Reno 7 Pro and the Reno 8 Pro builds up on that. This phone in my opinion is a very balanced offering that OPPO has put out. Before we begin this review, let's take a quick look at what Oppo Reno 8 Pro offers in terms of specifications.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Specifications:

• Body: 74.2 x 161.2 x 7.34mm, 183 gm, Glass back, Aluminum frame
• Display: 6.7-inches AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, 125/360/720Hz touch sampling rate, Up to 950 nits brightness, Gorilla Glass 5
• Resolution: FHD+ (2412 x 1080 pixels), 394 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio
• Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX 5G (5nm mobile platform)
• CPU: Octa-core: – 4x Cortex-A78 (2.85 GHz) – 4x Cortex-A55 (2.0 GHz)
• GPU: Arm Mali-G610 MC6
• Memory: 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
• Software & UI: Android 12 with OPPO’s ColorOS 12.1 on top
• Rear Camera: Triple (with LED flash); – 50MP Sony IMX766 f/1.8 primary sensor – 8MP, f/2.2 ultrawide lens, 118.9º FOV – 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens – MariSilicon X Imaging NPU
• Front Camera: 32MP Sony IMX709 f/2.4 sensor (hole-punch cutout)
• Audio: Dual stereo speaker, No 3.5mm headphone jack
• Security: In-display fingerprint sensor (optical)
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Gravity, Gyroscope, Light, Optical, Pedometer, Proximity
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth 5.3, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Galileo / QZSS / Beidou, USB Type-C, 4G LTE (VoLTE), 5G
• Battery: 4500mAh with 80W wired SuperVOOC (power adapter provided)
• Color Options: Glazed Black, Glazed Green
• Price in Nepal: N/A (INR 45,999 for 12/256GB)

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review

Design & Build

• 74.2 x 161.2 x 7.34mm, 183 gm
• Glass back, Aluminum frame

The first thing that OPPO has nailed here is the design. I mean, it’s one hell of a gorgeous-looking device! I am really digging this “iPhone- like” boxy form factor too. And what I appreciate here is that OPPO has struck a balance between good heft and a fairly lightweight body which in turn makes the phone feel premium and comfortable to hold at the same time. Also, there are these nifty little things, like this green-accented power button, which adds to the pleasing aesthetics even more. But the one design thing that I am not particularly awed with is this huge camera module. I think they are just out there and don’t fully compliment the design. And I wish the buttons here were a bit more tactile. Their feedback is not bad per se, but I didn’t exactly enjoy using them that much.

Display

• 6.7-inches FHD+ Flexible AMOLED display
• 120Hz refresh rate, 125/360/720Hz touch sampling
• Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Other than that, I am quite impressed with how significantly even and thin the bezels on this screen are. I feel like it makes quite a lot of difference when watching videos as the contents look more immersive here. The overall quality of this display is excellent too. As expected from an AMOLED panel, it has good contrast levels and the colors appear very pleasing, thanks to the 10-bit depth and 100% DCI-P3 coverage. I also found HDR playback to work flawlessly on all the streaming platforms. Visibility-wise, this is not the brightest screen, but it’s fair enough for indoor as well as casual outdoor usage, so I wouldn’t complain so much about it.

Performance

• Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX 5G SoC (5nm)
• 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
• Android 12 with OPPO’s ColorOS 12.1 on top

Performance-wise, you will not find any complaints on the Reno 8 pro actually. It is powered by the Dimensity 8100-Max chipset which is pretty much the same as the regular 8100, but with improved AI capabilities, gaming stability, and low-light video performance. Just a few weeks back, I reviewed the Realme GT Neo 3 that comes with the Dimensity 8100 chip, and I found it to be one of the finest MediaTek chipsets out there in the premium segment. And with the Reno 8 Pro too, I got very similar results. It is as fast as a flagship phone would perform. But more importantly, it does not heat up as much, which is something to appreciate because high-end processors like the Snapdragon 888+ or the 8 Gen 1, all suffer from heating/throttling issues. The Dimensity 8100, however, does not have such profound issues when it comes to heating. As a result, the sustained performance levels that the Reno 8 Pro provides are quite commendable. And thanks to 12GB RAM, even when doing heavy tasks or keeping apps in memory for a long time, the phone does not show signs of distress, while running graphics-intensive games is no trouble for this phone either.

Gaming Experience

I played Genshin Impact here and it was able to provide stable 30 fps at the highest graphics settings with little to no stutters. I will admit that playing it in the highest possible settings with 60 fps mode turned on wasn’t a smooth ride and the phone got quite hot near the camera module. But considering Genshin Impact is a very demanding game, I can cut some slack to the Reno 8 Pro. Comparatively less taxing titles like PUBG Mobile run smoothly with a 40 fps yield in HDR graphics and Ultra Frame rates. OPPO has even optimized this game to run at 90 fps where I was able to get stable 89 fps throughout my gaming sessions. But you have to know that OPPO is yet to optimize many games to run at 120 fps. I played Mortal Kombat and Rayman Adventures, both of which were stuck at 60 fps. However, with future updates, we can expect more games to be optimized for higher fps gameplay on this phone.

Android 12 out of the box

Anyway, OPPO has worked a lot on its software too. The phone comes with Android 12 out of the box with ColorOS 12.1 on top and the experience is actually very smooth here. I feel like when it comes to software, people are kind of harsh towards ColorOS because once upon a time it was really heavy and unpolished. But now, it has evolved quite a lot when it comes to user experience. You can practically change the entire look and feel of the UI since you have so many customization options here. And the UI just feels so fast and fluid, so OPPO has done some good optimization as far as UI/UX is concerned. By this, I don’t mean that OPPO’s software has become the gold standard or anything though. There still are things that it needs to improve on, such as the commitment to software updates. For the Reno series, OPPO promises just 2 years of major OS and 4 years of security updates, which is less than what other brands pledge.

Stutters

I also found this bug on the Reno 8 Pro where the phone is not able to handle switching between refresh rates that well in many apps. For instance, when turning the 120Hz refresh rate option on, the UI runs smoothly at 120Hz, but when you open apps like Facebook and Twitter, they run at 90Hz for some reason while Instagram constantly switches between 60 and 120Hz. Google Play Store, on the other hand, runs at 90Hz but feels very stuttery somehow. So it looks like OPPO has some work set out to optimize the refresh rate in different apps. I guess the logic behind this refresh rate switching is to save battery, but OPPO has implemented that in a very random way, which I feel is a little illogical.

Battery

• 55W batter with 80W SUPERVOOC

Now, talking about battery life, I would rate it a solid "B+". On medium kind of usage, I was able to squeeze out about 6 hours of screen on time during this review which in real life translates to a day’s worth of endurance for me. And I am guessing OPPO’s aggressive battery optimization and the random refresh rate switching have a lot to do with it. So yeah, the battery life is pretty decent here. And with the 80 Watt charger you get inside the box, the phone goes from 0-100% in half an hour, which is well on par with what other brands offer these days, so there’s nothing much to talk about there.

Cameras

• Triple rear camera (50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro)
• 32MP selfie camera (punch-hole cutout)
• MariSilicon X Imaging NPU

Finally, on my list of good things about the Reno 8 Pro is also its camera performance. Granted it uses the same sensors as Reno 7 Pro, the optimization has certainly improved this year. With this, the Reno 8 Pro is able to click some really impressive shots.

Normal Images

The colors are a little punchy here, but the pictures look very pleasing with good detail levels and decent dynamic range. And I found it to be reliable during all kinds of lighting conditions as well. Even without OIS, the phone can click some sharp nighttime shots. Again, the colors are a little out there with a hint of warm hues, but the contrast and details are on point. So, you can really rely on this camera to give you good pictures whether you want to capture scenery, a picture with your friends, or if you feel like getting creative.

Portrait

I like the portraits from this phone too, but they tend to beautify the subjects a lot, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I think the portraits come out “good enough” for the general audience to like and share on social media though!

Selfies

Selfies also look quite nice. But again, the subtle smoothening is there even when you turn the beauty mode off. So the pictures come off a bit soft. I also compared its cameras against the Pixel 6a and my findings comparing these cameras was that the 6a is better in terms of computational photography, like in this image where the natural bokeh behind the subject looks better and the overall color calibration looks more real to life. Another example is this image of a controller where the Pixel 6a manages better exposure and dynamic range. But what I can tell you for sure is that even though the overall camera performance on the Reno 8 Pro might not be better than the Pixel 6a, it is certainly better than the likes of other phones in this price segment like the Moto Edge 30 Pro, the Realme GT Neo 3, or even the iQOO 9 for that matter!

Videography

Okay, I have praised so many things about the Oppo Reno 8 Pro in this review so far, but there are certain aspects where it kind of under-delivers, like in terms of videography. The max you can shoot from the back cameras is up to 4K/30fps. The videos in this resolution are not bad—they’re good enough—but I think at this price point, 4K/60fps, as well as optical image stabilization, should be available. Even for selfie videos, there’s only the 1080/30fps option, which I think is quite a bummer since video calling and TikTok are so immensely popular these days.

Ultrawide

And although the primary camera on the Reno 8 Pro is quite impressive, the ultra-wide images are just below average in terms of color reproduction, details, and overall quality. And it’s especially bad during low light conditions.

Audio & Haptics

• Dual stereo speaker setup
• No 3.5mm headphone jack

Likewise, I also didn’t find the speakers on this thing to be the most impressive either. They’re loud, yes, but the highs are very sharp here and the stereo separation is not very balanced either. So if you listen to a lot of music, its sound quality is not the most ideal. I would have also appreciated it more if the haptics were a bit refined. I feel like it’s very bland, so typing on it is not the most pleasant experience.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review: Conclusion

Alright, we have now come to the end of this review and with everything I have discussed so far, the Reno 8 Pro certainly comes off as a balanced premium midrange phone. From its performance to design, display, camera, and battery, there is very little to complain about this phone. Yes, there are certainly a few things that OPPO could have done better, but those are not something that will massively ruin your smartphone experience. Still and all, I think it would have been better if OPPO had launched a lower 8+128GB variant of this phone too. It is currently only available in the 12+256GB option, which is, more than many people might need. Had the company done that, the price of the Reno 8 Pro might have dropped to someting cheaper have been a sweet deal. At 46,000 Indian Rupees, the Reno 8 Pro feels like a slightly pricey offering though. So I would suggest you wait and look for bank discounts or offline offers before buying this phone.

• Watch our review of the Oppo Reno 8 Pro.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Pleasing Aesthetics
• Excelled AMOLED display
• Flagship Performance
• Reliable 64MP shooter
• Decent battery life

Cons: 

• Lack of a cheaper 8/128GB variant
• UI is not optimized for 120Hz refresh rate
• No Optical Image Stabilization
• Below average ultrawide camera
• Setereo effect is not balanced
• Haptics could have been better