Review Verdict: Despite a better display and a new main camera, OPPO had to sacrifice a few features on the Reno12 F 5G to keep its price the same as the Reno11 F. 

Pros

• Better display
• Slightly better main camera performance
• Breathing light a fun feature to have

Cons

• Processor, storage a downgrade
• Slower charging speeds

Just like with the Reno11 series, OPPO also has an F variant with the Reno12 series. Like its more expensive siblings, the Reno12 F 5G also pushes for AI features at a lower price point–specifically with the same price as its predecessor. Are the changes on the Reno12 F 5G worth its asking price?

OPPO Reno12 F Review Philippines: Design

Unlike its more expensive siblings, the Reno12 F 5G goes for a different design language–with a large, circular camera module placed in the center. The Reno12 F 5G comes in either Olive Green and Amber Orange, and the latter is more eye-catching with its white to orange gradient.

Both colorways come with a glossy plastic frame that has flat sides, along with a matte finish for the back panel. The Reno12 F 5G comes with an IP64 rating–which is slightly lower than the IP65 rating of the Reno11 F. As a trade off, the Reno12 F 5G comes with stereo speakers.

Save for a stereo speaker setup, the button and port layout of the Reno12 F 5G is just the same as its predcessor, so you don’t get a headphone jack or MicroSD card expansion. The camera module has a breathing light that’s customizable when you’re receiving notification, calls, charging the phone, and playing music. It has full RGB lighting, and it is a nice touch to the Reno12 F 5G.

 

OPPO Reno12 F Review Philippines: Display

The Reno12 F 5G features a 6.67-inch 120hz flat AMOLED display, which is slightly smaller than the one used on the Reno11 F. The bezels on the Reno12 F 5G appear to be slightly thicker, but the display is brighter than the one used on the Reno11 F. Boasting a peak brightness of 2100nits, the Reno12 F 5G’s display is legible for outdoor use.

Aside from the vibrant colors and deep blacks you’d enjoy on an AMOLED panel, the Reno12 F 5G also has Widevine L1 so that you can enjoy your favorite Netflix shows in Full HD. The stereo speakers give a better soundstage compared to the mono speaker setup used on the Reno11 F.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G Review Philippines: Cameras

The Reno12 F 5G gets an updated 50-megapixel OV50D main camera, and retains the same ultra-wide and selfie camera used by its predecessor.

However, the Omnivision OV50D sensor used trails behind sensors offered by Sony–particularly the LYT600 that’s used on a number of mid-range phones like the more expensive Reno12 5G. Regardless of that, the Reno12 F 5G’s camera performance is slightly better than its predecessor since photos taken with it have more details and better colors.

Like the Reno12 5G, you also get AI features like AI Eraser 2.0–though you’ll need to download it first before using it. You’ll need to manage expectations–the AI Eraser 2.0 is not as polished on the Reno12 F 5G compared to the Reno12 5G, and the rendering time is longer as well.

Despite the slightly better main camera, the Reno12 F 5G falls short with video recording, as it loses its capability to shoot 4K video in both the main and selfie camera due to chipset limitations–more on that on the next part.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G Review Philippines: Internals and Battery Life

Powering the Reno12 F 5G is a Dimensity 6300 processor that’s paired with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. Among the key features of the Reno12 F 5G, it puzzled us why OPPO decided to go for a lower-end chip and and older storage–the Reno11 F used UFS 3.1 storage.

The downgraded internals become more evident with app loading times, as the Reno12 F 5G loads apps slower compared to its predecessor. Despite the downgraded internals, the Reno12 F 5G is just fine for general use–as long as you are not a power user. When it comes to gaming, you’ll have to manage your expectations: at best, demanding titles like Genshin Impact are best played at low graphics.

It’s 5000mAh battery lasted us 15 hours and 4 minutes in PCMark’s battery benchmark, which should let you use th Reno12 F 5G for a whole day without any worries. Charging speeds are slower on the Reno12 F 5G at 45w, so it will take you around an hour to fully charge it.

 

OPPO Reno12 F 5G Review Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusions

Despite upgrades to the main camera and display, the Reno12 F 5G takes a few steps back with OPPO’s decision to use a lower-end processor and previous-gen storage. Add to the fact that it has the same price as the Reno11 F at launch, the Reno12 F 5G faces tough competition for its asking price.

OPPO Reno12 F 5G Review Philippines: Price

The Reno12 F 5G is priced at Php 18,999.