Review Verdict: While it loses the telephoto camera, the OPPO Reno12 5G is a decent mid-range phone in the Philippines. The Reno12 5G gets a boost with its processor of choice, and OPPO’s promise of better AI features is beneficial beyond photography.
Pros
- Dimensity 7300 is a good upgrade
- AI Eraser feels more refined
- Better overall battery life
Cons
- Telephoto camera has been dropped
Just months after the Reno11 5G arrived in the Philippines, it is the Reno12 5G‘s turn to go official. OPPO has gone for a more conservative route when it comes to design and focused more on the software side of things. We have used the Reno12 5G for a few weeks–is OPPO’s push for an AI phone all worth it?
OPPO Reno12 5G Review Philippines: Design
As we said in our first impressions, we’re fine with the more conservative design on the Reno12 5G as compared to previous Reno phones. The subtle looks still give a premium appeal to the Reno12 5G, especially with the Astro Silver colorway. We like the back panel’s effect when light hits the surface, as it gives a flowy appeal that reminds us of water ripples.
Beyond the subtle looks, the Reno12 5G now has an IP65 rating, giving you added peace of mind against dust and water splashes. The button and port layout is still the same as with its predecessor, though the high gloss finish of the frame attracts fingerprints like crazy–good thing that the included case looks posh with its suitcase-inspired design.
OPPO Reno12 5G Review Philippines: Display and Speakers
The Reno12 5G uses the same 6.7-inch 120hz Curved AMOLED panel found on the Reno10 5G and Reno11 5G, and there’s nothing to complain about it. It’s a great AMOLED panel that has vibrant colors and an excellent brightness range for outdoor use. Being a 10-bit panel, you have support for HDR10 content, along with Widevine L1 for your Netflix binge-watching needs.
The same can be said with its stereo speakers that sound good for a mid-range phone–though we still advise keeping the volume at around 70% max to maintain audio fidelity.
OPPO Reno12 5G Review Philippines: Cameras
You’re getting the same LYT600 sensor on the main camera, which has OIS, along with the same 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera. OPPO unfortunately removed the telephoto camera found on its predecessor for a filler camera–and we just wished that the telephoto shooter wasn’t an exclusive feature to the Pro model.
Looking through the photos we took using the Reno12 5G, we noticed that they are more detailed and have better dynamic range for low-light scenarios–despite using the same camera hardware found on its predecessor.
Photos shot at low light are less noisy compared to what we experienced on the Reno11 5G–and that can be credited to the better GPU on the Dimensity 7300.
The selfie shooter is still the same 32-megapixel sensor used by its predecessor, and that also includes autofocus and support for 4K selfies. This makes the Reno12 5G also versatile for content creation despite the absence of a telephoto camera.
One of OPPO’s main push for the Reno12 5G is its AI capabilities. Among those is an updated version of AI Eraser, which performed well as we used it on the Reno12 5G. We appreciate how OPPO is making these AI editing tools accessible to its mid-range line.
OPPO Reno12 5G Review Philippines: Internals and Battery Life
Powering the Reno12 5G is the Dimensity 7300, and the configuration that’s arriving in the Philippines comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage–the latter being expandable via MicroSD.
This new mid-range processor from MediaTek is a good upgrade over the Dimensity 7050 that was used in previous Reno phones. Aside from better CPU performance, you’re also getting better GPU performance–this helps with the Reno12 5G with its camera performance and gaming as well.
When it comes to gaming, the Reno12 5G was better than expected: we were playing Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact on the Reno12 5G, and we were impressed at how it can handle both games at high graphics. For Genshin Impact, we were averaging around 40FPS in high graphics while doing endgame content, which is a big improvement over previous Reno phones.
The Reno12 5G uses the same 5000mAh battery, but battery life is better at close to 16 hours–or around 2 hours 30 minutes longer compared to the score we got on the Reno11 5G. This can be credited to the Dimensity 7300 being more power-efficient. You also get better charging speeds with the Reno12 5G with its support for 80w SuperVOOC charging and up to 55w USB-PD charging in case you don’t have the required charger with you.
OPPO Reno12 5G Review Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusions
The Reno12 5G is generally a decent upgrade over its predecessor. We don’t mind the omission of the telephoto camera–the Dimensity 7300 and the AI features OPPO implemented to the Reno12 5G delivered a better overall performance in the brand’s push for an AI phone.
OPPO Reno12 5G Review Philippines: Price
The Reno12 5G is priced at Php 24,999.
