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OPPO launched its latest premium device at a glittering event in Kyalami last night and the company certainly came out swinging. They had to of course, as the competition is certainly fierce.

A critical feature of any smartphones now is having strong cameras onboard and on this front, the company asserted that the new Reno 7 5G offers professional imaging capabilities, to ‘’enable DSLR-like photo and video content.’’

The 64 megapixel sensor is accompanied by control over depth of field and background bokeh lights in portrait images. Catering to those who shoot a lot of portraits, the device has  skin tone detection and a palette of retouching effects. Also onboard is an 8 megapixel ultrawide shooter and a 2 megapixel macro lens.   

OPPO explained that in Portrait Mode, OPPO’s AI algorithms mimic the optical properties of high-end cameras to create bokeh light spots of different size, colors, and brightness according to distance and depth of field. Users can choose from 25 adjustment levels to change the virtual aperture size and the corresponding size of the bokeh light spots on the background to create stunning portrait photos.

The Reno7 Pro 5G’s suite of imaging tools also includes AI Highlight Video, Focus Tracking, Dual-View Video and Flash Snapshot.

Phones are also still about what is on the front end, and on this front OPPO has kept it more compact than the competition, opting for a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with 90 Hz refresh rate and 180 Hz touch sampling rate that is aimed at providing a more vivid, smoother viewing experience. The screen is also SGS Eye Care Display Certified as a low-blue light screen, which can help to reduce eye strain during extended use.

The company enthused that furthermore, the Reno7 5G is Netflix HD and Amazon Prime Video Certified, which it promised would provide a more vivid and high quality streaming experience.

As would be expected from its smaller screen size, the device has a smaller footprint, coming in at 7.81mm thick and weighing in at just about 173g.The company stressed that despite its slim design, the Reno7 5G is still packed with all the hardware needed to deliver exceptional performance.

Performance first

At the heart of Reno7 5G is an integrated MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G SoC chipset, which includes support for 5G and Wi-Fi 6 

The device comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage as standard, but with OPPO-developed RAM Expansion Technology an additional 2GB, 3GB or 5GB of temporary RAM allocated from unused ROM can supplement storage space. This means that if the phone runs out of usable RAM space, users can choose to convert part of available ROM to virtual RAM by enabling the function.

OPPO detailed that the device's 4,500mAh battery - not the biggest out there but big enough for a screen of this size - combines with 65W SUPERVOOC charging to allow a full charge in about 35 minutes, while it claims that five minutes of charging will give you enough battery for two hours of gaming or four hours of streaming.e company

One of the features that is particularly of interest here is OPPO’s Super Power Saving Mode and Super Night-time Standby, which th promises will ‘’help maximise that last bit of battery when you need it most, keeping you safe in the knowledge your battery should last until you find a place to charge.’’ And hopefully able to outlast that next, near inevitable bout of loadshedding.

Play and Work

While the company touts the Android 11 (and Android 12 ready) device as being geared towards gaming, it is also packed with productivity features as well.

For example, the device has Air Gestures, which users can use to answer or mute calls and scroll up and down through popular social and video apps when their hands are occupied with something else.

PC Connect offers more convenient ways to work between multiple devices by seamlessly connecting Reno7 5G to a PC. Once connected, files can be edited on a PC and saved to the phone, or shared between devices by simply dragging and dropping.

AI System Booster works to optimise resource allocation and reducing memory fragmentation, which should ensure smoother, faster experience for longer.

A particularly interesting feature given the spate of cyber incidents we have, is the inclusion of an AI-enhanced Smart Sensor, that enables Anti-peeping for Notifications. This, OPPO explained, will help protect user privacy when in public areas. With Anti-peeping Notifications enabled, detailed notification content will be hidden if the AI-enhanced Smart Sensor detects someone else looking at your phone when the message pops up.

Night sky or starlight?

The device comes in two colours – the first and the one we would choose if we had to is called Startrails Blue. The presser describes it as having “millions of meteors gliding across the phone’s back cover with a stunning visual effect as it reflects light from different angles.’’

Alternatively there is Starry Black which offers a classic black finish but with the littering finish of OPPO Glow. Starry Black takes on a black-blue gradient colour set off by the subtle glow of millions of pyramid-shaped crystal structures transferred onto the surface of the back cover.

The most surprising and pleasant aspect of the device though is the price.

The Reno 7 retails at R15 000 and is available on both a 24 and 36 month contract at R749 p/m or R549 p/m respectively. Enco Buds, a 65W SuperVOOC charger and OPPO care that includes one free screen repair in the first six months comes with every Reno7 5G, adding an additional value of R6 300 for free. 

The Reno 7 5G is available as of today across participating Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Telkom and select retailers nationwide.