OPPO Reno7 5G Review – Great Cameras and Nothing Else

When was the last time you decided to buy a phone merely for the sake of its looks? Oppo is offering you a cause to consider its OPPO Reno7 5G in early 2022. Just take a look at it; it appears unearthly. But it’s not just about the appearance; there’s plenty of meat packed inside. The device has a good camera, 5G connectivity, a good battery life, and fast charging, among other features. OPPO has squeezed all of these features onto a device that costs Rs. 28,999.

Unlike with the Reno 7 Pro, the Reno 7’s upgrades are primarily focused on the design. It gains a few handy features, like expandable memory and a slightly bigger battery, but the rest of the features and specifications remain mostly the same as the OPPO Reno6 5G. If you’re seeking to upgrade your current smartphone, is the Oppo Reno7 5G a viable option? Is it the best deal in the given price range? To find out the answers, read the full review of Oppo Reno7 5G.

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The price of the Oppo Reno7 5G with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage in India has been set at Rs. 28,999. The phone will go on sale on February 17th to the public. The Reno 7 5G comes in two colours: Starlight Black and Startrails Blue.

Customers who use their ICICI Bank, Standard Chartered, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IDFC First Bank, Bank of Baroda, or Federal Bank cards to purchase the Oppo Reno7 5G may receive up to 10% cashback.

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The all-new OPPO Reno7 5G comes with the following items inside the box:

• Shining OPPO Reno7 5G
• USB Cable
• 65W Charger
• Sim Ejector Tool
• Protective Case
• Quick Start Guide

Before we talk in detail about the OPPO Reno7 5G, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.43-inches AMOLED
• Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 900
• RAM & ROM: 8GB RAM 256GB Storage
• Software: Android 11
• Rear camera: 64MP + 8MP + 2MP
• Selfie camera: 32 MP
• Battery: 4500 mAh
• Weight: 173 grams
• Dimensions: 160.6 x 73.2 x 7.8 mm

The Reno series from Oppo has always set high design benchmarks, and the Reno 7 Series continues that tradition. Oppo Reno7 5G is a lovely smartphone with a shimmering design. The Reno 7 Startrails Blue colour variant that I hold is stunning from every angle. To generate this captivating glossy matte texture, OPPO has used Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) technology at the back end.

When sunlight hits on the back panel, it has two shades that blend into one another. The Reno 7’s glossy frame and back panel are made of plastic, rather than metal and glass like the Reno 7 Pro. Even the Oppo Reno 6 had an aluminium frame, so this is a step-down. The device is only 173 grams thick and 7.81mm thick, making it a good fit in my hand. The smartphone has neither a hefty nor a slippery feel about it. It is simple to use with just one hand. It’s easier to hold in your hand without slipping because of the matte finish. Because the phone’s back features a matte finish, you won’t have a hard time removing fingerprints and smudges.

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The power button is placed on the right and a SIM tray and volume buttons on the left. A charging port, speakers, and 3.5 mm audio jack are located on the bottom of the device. The display on the front of the smartphone has almost no bezels. Overall, the Oppo Reno7 5G is a stylish device that feels good in the hand.

OPPO Reno7 5G has a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The display is crisp and vibrant. The colours, contrasts, and brightness level offered were good enough to make the screen spring to life. Everything looked good on the screen, from watching YouTube videos, Netflix series, scrolling through social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, to playing games. The new Reno7 offers a touch sampling rate of up to 180Hz, making it highly touch responsive and I have tested it.

In India, we have smartphones with refresh rates of 120Hz and perhaps even 144Hz around Rs 30,000, yet OPPO chose 90Hz and I am not shocked. Keep in mind that this can be a drawback for some users. The 32MP selfie camera is housed in a punch-hole cutout on the front in the top-left corner. Except for the chin, the bezels surrounding the display are quite thin. Oppo Reno7 5G’s chin is a little wider than I expected.

Now, there is no problem with the display; it is of good quality, and it will not cause any problems while playing games or watching movies. It also includes Widevine L1 support, allowing you to stream FHD+ video on OTT platforms.

Oppo hasn’t bothered to upgrade the Reno7’s SoC, which is the same MediaTek Dimensity 900 as the Reno 6. Although this is still a recent and strong 5G SoC based on a power-efficient 6nm fabrication process, having something newer like the Dimensity 920 would have made this smartphone more competitive. The chipset comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, which is more than enough for storing all your images, videos, songs, and documents. You also get a RAM expansion feature if you believe you need more RAM.

Oppo Reno7 5G performed well on a day-to-day basis. The phone’s performance is enough for everyday tasks such as scrolling through Instagram, playing casual games, or watching youtube videos for hours. The phone performed flawlessly, without overheating or slowing down.

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In terms of gaming, it is only ideal for casual gaming. The Reno7 is put to the test with tasks like heavy video editing as well as graphic intensive mobile gaming. Both BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile performed well, with a few lags here and there, but overall, the game performance is good. If you’re someone who enjoys playing heavy games for long sessions, you should look at other smartphones on the market instead of the OPPO Reno7 5G.

The software of the OPPO Reno7 5G is perhaps the most impressive element of the smartphone to me, as it runs on ColorOS 12 and is based on Android 11. The most recent version of OPPO’s OS skin is both feature-rich and simple at the same time, and it feels really stable. During my week of use, I didn’t see any lags or glitches, which was a pleasant surprise.

The device comes with a number of pre-installed apps, the majority of which can be removed if they are not required. Aside from that, the Oppo Reno7 5G offers a nice user interface with hardly any ads. I really liked the new lock screen feature that allows you to use Omoji thanks to the personalization feature. By selecting Simple Mode, the app icons and text grows bigger, which I believe is a smart move to make it easier for elderly folks or persons with poor eyesight to use the device. The air gesture option was particularly fun to experiment with. I was able to pick up calls and scroll the display without even physically touching the phone by simply moving my hands. This was a unique concept that sparked my curiosity and, surprisingly, performed well!

The main drawback is the absence of Android 12 out of the box, but OPPO is expected to release the update soon.

Oppo is well known for delivering good camera performance, and it has not disappointed me in this regard. Oppo Reno7 5G sports a triple back camera setup that includes a 64MP main camera, an 8MP wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. A 32MP selfie camera is available on the front. The back cameras can record videos at 4K UHD at up to 30fps and 1080p at up to 60fps with EIS.

The images captured with the 64MP main camera have great clarity and dynamic range, catching even minute details. The colours appeared to be vibrant and close to what we experience in everyday life while taking photos in daylight. Low-light images were good, and the Night mode helped to boost the exposure while efficiently suppressing noise. Everything was on point, from overall brightness, colours, and detail clarity.

The portrait mode created a stunning bokeh effect, whether it was captured with the back or front camera. In terms of colours, dynamic range, and contrast, the 8MP ultrawide camera captures photos that are somewhat comparable to the primary shooter. Having a lower pixel density does mean that image details become even more scarce when zoomed in, but the output is good enough for posting on social media. The macro sensor allows for extremely close photography while providing decent clicks.

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Selfies taken with Oppo Reno7 5G during the daylight are richly packed with details. When I turned off the beautifying effects, the skin tones looked more natural. Selfies taken in low light also had a good amount of details. To compensate for the absence of ambient light, the screen flash feature can be used, which was really helpful.

Under ideal lighting, 4K videos were of reasonable quality, but the absence of stabilisation was a major disappointment. When recording in low light, you can use EIS at 1080p, but the quality suffers and the effects are magnified.

Oppo Reno7 5G comes packed with a 4500mAh battery and a blazing fast 65W charging. It offered me a battery backup of roughly 1.5 days based on my typical usage, which included playing games, browsing the web, watching movies or web series, answering calls, and using social media apps, among other things. The battery lasted nearly a day over the weekend and with continuous use.

But no worries, all that is compensated by the blazing fast charging speeds that blow the competitors out of the water. It’s really amazing to see the battery percentage rise by one every few seconds at 65W. It took about 35 minutes to completely charge the Oppo Reno7 5G from 0 to 100 per cent.

Overall, I’m impressed with the battery’s performance because it doesn’t drain quickly and the charging speed is way above average.

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OPPO chose to offer a single bottom-firing speaker in place of stereo speakers. Despite the fact that the single speaker is powerful enough for watching YouTube videos or streaming Netflix series without earphones, this is a 29k smartphone, and OPPO should have included dual speakers. All in all, the sound and overall call quality are great, and there are no issues.

Oppo Reno7 5G includes 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and support for the standard navigation systems. Coming to biometrics, you get an In-Display fingerprint scanner. It’s quick enough for an In-Display sensor with a high level of accuracy and does the job pretty well.

Pros

• 65W flash charge 
• Impressive Camera Quality
• Beautiful Design
• Dedicated microSD card slot
• 90Hz Refresh Rate
• Improved Color OS
• 3.5mm Audio Jack

Cons

• Lacks stereo speakers
• Bloatware
• Plastic frame