Initial verdict: Save for a few cosmetic changes, the OPPO Reno7 feels very similar to the Reno6 that came out last year in the Philippines. The re-hashed design might fly if the price is right, but if not, OPPO is in for a tough fight with the Reno7. 

Pros

• The headphone jack, MicroSD card slot is back

Cons

• Feels more like an incremental upgrade
• Less premium build

 

OPPO Reno7 Philippines Specs

• Dimensity 900 processor
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage
• 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, 20:9 aspect ratio, 90hz refresh rate
• 64-megapixel f/1.7 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera
• 32-megapixel selfie camera
• 4G, LTE, 5G
• WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, in-display fingerprint scanner
• 4500mAh battery
• 65w fast charging
• Android 12, ColorOS 12

Months after it was announced in China, OPPO is bringing over the Reno7 to the Philippines. While it feels more like an incremental upgrade to last year’s Reno6, the Reno7 does have its fair share of design improvements that makes it unique. Let’s check out what the Reno7 has to offer:

Unboxing and packaging contents

The Reno7 uses a mint green outer box with the number 7 in bold on top, and OPPO Reno7 branding at the bottom. The inner box is in black, and inside it, you have the phone itself, TPU case, USB-C cable, documentation, SIM ejector tool, and the 65w charger.

Design

Comparing it to its predecessor, the most noticeable difference with the Reno7 is the camera module. While it’s still a triple rear camera setup, the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras are prominently seen in the module–leaving the macro camera sitting right above the LED flash.

Unlike the Reno6, the Reno7 has slightly curvier edges and uses polycarbonate for the frame and back panel–the Reno6 used aluminum for the frame. That makes the Reno7 less premium-looking than its predecessor, though it does bring back the headphone jack–which should make people who prefer using their wired cans for listening happy.

Display

There’s no need to beat around the bush here – the Reno7 uses practically the same 6.4-inch, Full HD+ 90hz AMOLED panel as its predecessor. The differences are very incremental–the Reno7’s panel has better DCI-P3 coverage and higher maximum brightness–but we’re more partial to AMOLED panels since they deliver better image quality for content consumption.

Since we’re talking about practically the same AMOLED panel, the Reno7 also has an in-display fingerprint scanner, along with an up to 180hz touch response rate.

Cameras

While the display does have a few upgrades, the Reno7 uses the same set of cameras found on the Reno6. Yes, you still have a 64-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and 2-megapixel macro camera, along with a 32-megapixel selfie snapper.

Since both phones do use the same processor–more on that later–we expect the camera performance of the Reno7 to be at least at par or better than its predecessor.

Internals

Like the Reno6, the global version of the Reno7 uses a Dimensity 900 processor that’s paired with 8GB RAM. It does get double the internal storage at 256GB, giving you more room for your apps and media files–on top of having a MicroSD card slot.

We feel underwhelmed that OPPO opted to limit the Snapdragon 778G to the China version of the Reno7, as the Qualcomm chip performs better than the Dimensity 900 as reported by several media outlets. The Dimensity 900 was not fully optimized on the Reno6 based on our gaming tests, though we’re optimistic that OPPO was able to make the necessary tweaks to the Reno7 despite using the same processor.

One slight redeeming factor for the Reno7 is that it gets a bump in battery capacity at 4500mAh and still retains the same 65w wired charging solution found on its predecessor.

Wrap up and Initial Conclusions

While it does feel like a slight downgrade to the Reno6 that arrived in the Philippines several months ago, the OPPO Reno7 does have its advantages: it has a headphone jack and a MicroSD card slot, and that LED notification light on the camera module is a unique touch. While it has a lot of similarities with its predecessor, the most crucial part about the Reno7 is how much OPPO plans to price it in the Philippines. OPPO will reveal the price of the phone on March 18, 2022.