Though introduced as closer to a flagship on its inception, the OPPO Reno series is now trying to marry a premium experience in a mid-range package. The OPPO Reno3 is the latest effort from OPPO to bring down a flagship experience to a more manageable price point.
OPPO Reno3
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio P90 |
| Screen | 6.4-inch AMOLED, 20:9, 2400 x 1080, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| OS | Android 10 with ColorOS 7 |
| Rear Camera | 48MP f/1.8 Main, 13MP f/2.48 Telephoto, 8MP f/2.2 Ultrawide, 2MP f/2.4 Mono |
| Front Camera | 44MP f/2.45 |
| Storage | 128GB expandable via MicroSD slot |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 4G LTE |
| Connectivity | Dual-band WiFi 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, NFC, GPS |
| Battery | 4,025mAh, VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 |
| Others | In-display Fingerprint Scanner, Face Unlock |
| Colors | Auroral Blue, Midnight Black, Sky White |
A conventional design
Instead of a flamboyant design on the rear, the OPPO Reno3 is accompanied by a more conventional design. The OPPO Reno3 comes in three color variants: Aurora Blue, Midnight Black, and Sky White. The one we received was the Auroral Blue with a two-tone Blue design where the top portion has a lighter shade of blue that slowly cascades into a deep blue in the bottom.
The position of the cameras has also been toned down a bit. Instead of standing attention at the center, its quad cameras now rest at the top right of the smartphone where they are usually found in other smartphones.
At the front is a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, which totals for a resolution of 2400 x 1080. The screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The uniform design of the front is only broken by the notch at the top where the 44MP f/2.45 front-facing camera resides.
A focus on camera features
As with most of their smartphones, the OPPO Reno3 focuses more on camera features. The smartphone comes with a quad camera setup at the back in a vertically staggered alignment. Leading the charge is a 48MP f.18 main, a 13MP f/2.48 telephoto, an 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and a 2MP f/2.4 mono lens.
Thanks to a bit of software wizardry, the OPPO Reno3 is able to take what the brand calls 108MP Ultra Clear images. In addition, the smartphone is also able to have 5x Hybrid Zoom and up to 20x Digital Zoom on top of the telephoto lens it already has.
The long standard Night Mode has also been improved into Ultra Dark Mode. Its AI reduces noise thanks to an accelerated algorithm, which works in tandem with the different photos taken in multiple exposures leading to a better overall low-light photo.
We’ve only had a short time with the OPPO Reno3 but the camera performance is looking decent. Taking a few snaps with the main camera preserves a ton of details while providing well-saturated colors. The 5x Hybrid Zoom also delivers saturated colors but some of details are a bit smudged on closer inspection.
What about performance?
The OPPO Reno3 ships out with a MediaTek Helio P90 chip with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Although the chip is a bit dated, the Helio P90 is still able to deliver lag-free performance during use. We’ll have a performance breakdown of the Reno3 once our review embargo has been lifted.
Powering the smartphone is a 4,025mAh battery charged via a USB Type-C port at the bottom. The device is compatible with VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 to make the charging quite a bit faster than normal.
Prices for the OPPO Reno3 and its bigger brother, the OPPO Reno3 Pro are yet to be announced in the Philippines. Both devices were supposed to launch back in March 19 but due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the enhanced community quarantine, their release has been pushed back to an unspecified date.
Hopefully, we’ll receive word from OPPO when the Reno3 and Reno3 Pro will arrive in the Philippines as well as more details about the pricing and pre-order bonuses. Until then, we’ll be working on our full review of OPPO’s latest mid-range devices.
