Oppo Reno 12 5G Review: Excelling In The Mid-Range Segment
High notes: Useful and practical AI features, beautiful and bright display, insanely fast charging. Low notes: Pre-installed apps aren't needed, polycarbonate back.
We have entered a transformative era, where artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping our interactions with smartphones. While AI has become a ubiquitous marketing term, it is often overused to generate excitement. Now, AI is becoming an important part of the smartphone industry and it is also transforming how we use and interact with them. The current marketplace is flooded with high-performing devices at competent price points and AI is enhancing and evolving the smartphone experience, beyond the hype and marketing rhetoric. The likes of Samsung Galaxy S24 series and Google Pixel 8 series boast of AI capabilities and now, Oppo has also joined the bandwagon with its latest Reno 12 lineup. The Oppo Reno 12 5G is sleek, camera-centric and comes with a host of AI features.
The Oppo Reno 12 has just been made available in India on e-coomerce site Flipkart at a starting price of Rs 32,999 for 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage model. I got the Oppo Reno 12 5G Sunset Peach colour variant for review and this is how it fared in my review.
Oppo Reno 12 5G Review: Quick Pointers
High notes
- Useful and practical AI features
- Beautiful and bright display
- Insanely fast charging
Low notes
- Pre-installed apps aren't needed
- Polycarbonate back
Oppo Reno 12 5G Review: Design, Display, Looks And Build
The latest addition to Oppo's Reno series, the Reno 12 5G, is a visual delight. The Oppo Reno 12 5G comes with curved edges, in typical Reno fashion, and renders a very comfortable grip to the device, making it suitable for extended use. I got the Sunset Peach coloured variant for testing, and its looks are captivating. I feel this is the best among the three variants that also include Astro Silver and Matte Brown. The back panel is made of polycarbonate and comes with an intricate cloud pattern that subtly shimmers when light falls on it at certain angles, creating an eye-catching effect. Additionally, the device comes with IP65 certification for water and dust resistance, offering protection against light rain and environmental dust.
The rear houses a triple camera system arranged in a vertical fashion within a rectangular housing, surrounded by a silver border that adds a posh touch. This is unlike what we saw on the Oppo Reno 11 5G, which featured a differently-placed rear cameras. (Read our full review of the Reno 11 5G here)
The Oppo Reno 12 5G boasts a slim profile, measuring just 7.57mm in thickness, and weighs about 177 grams, which makes it easy to carry and for single-handed use for prolonged hours.
Talking about the placement of keys and speakers, the bottom edge of the phone houses a SIM card slot, a speaker grille and a USB Type-C port for fast charging. On the right side are the volume rockers and power button, while the top edge features the earpiece, which also doubles up as a stereo speaker. A great addition is an IR blaster.
The device strikes an impressive balance between weight and durability. In my opinion, it is a lightweight phone which has a robust feel. The build quality exudes a sense of premiumness and it is quite light too. The slight bummer here is the use of a plastic body.
Oppo Reno 12 5G Review: Camera
The Reno 12 brings significant changes to its camera compared to predecessor Reno 12. The Oppo Reno 12 featured a dedicated portrait lens, but the Reno 12 5G comes with a 50MP shooter, complemented by an 8MP ultra-wide sensor and a 50MP telephoto camera. The primary sensor comes equipped with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and helps in clicking steadier shots and superior performance in most lighting conditions.
The main sensor clicks excellent pictures in well-lit environments and the images accurately bring out the scene's true colours. In low-light situations, the camera manages to preserve details while keeping noise to a minimum. However, upon closer inspection, this phone's camera shots revealed some limitations -- the overall sharpness was reduced and there was some digital noise too.
AI Eraser 2.0: The AI Eraser 2.0 aims to help users remove unwanted elements from the pictures and excels at that. Even though the feature is promising, it may require some patience and multiple attempts to achieve optimal results. Also, this is better than Google's AI-enabled Magic Eraser tool.
Oppo Reno 12 5G Review: Performance, Software And Battery
This device runs on the latest Android 14 OS, coupled with Oppo's custom UI. This brings a range of intelligent functionalities that enhance user experience. The Smart Sidebar, for example, can be summoned with a simple swipe and quickly launch the most-used apps and AI-powered features. There are a lot of pre-installed apps, in typical Oppo fashion.
The device also introduces a hands-free scrolling capability for video content. Currently, this feature is limited to two major social media platforms only. The intelligent notification system also needs a special mention and can be particularly useful for those who frequently use food delivery services. This is similar to how the iPhone displays real-time updates on food order delivery status directly on the lock screen.
Powering this device is a mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset. Given the chipset's capacity and configuration offered, raw processing power or heavy gaming isn't the primary focus of this smartphone. The configuration makes it a package that creates a good balance between performance and other features in its price category.
This device comes equipped with a hefty 5,000mAh battery, which has become quite common in this price segment. The charging capability has been upgraded from the previous-gen Oppo Reno 12's 67W SuperVOOC charging to 80W fast charging, which translates into very fast charging capabilities. However, the battery falls short when compared to other devices in its category. It can last a day on a single charge, though.
Oppo Reno 12 5G Review: Verdict
The Oppo Reno 12 5G brings a range of useful AI features, with the AI Eraser 2.0 standing out from other AI-enabled features. The design and Sunset Peach coloured phone is eye-catching and the phone is very comfortable. Those looking to upgrade from cheaper phones will notice the improved overall performance and camera results.
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