By I’ve had the OPPO Reno5 F for exactly one week now and since our initial unboxing and review, some things have kept their end of the bargain and some are really grinding my gears. Out of the box, the phone is worth the price, but one question lingers, does it hold up?
The OPPO Reno5 F Review: Up Against The Big Brother
As we all know by now, the OPPO Reno5 F is the second phone in the Reno5 lineup and has had a lot to look up to in terms of specs and quality. I’ve been using both phones for the past week and here are my honest thoughts.
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But First, Let’s Take A Small Step Back: OPPO Reno5 Specifications
Let’s revisit the spec sheet. It’s quite a compelling phone on paper. You wouldn’t expect some of the specs on this phone especially at this price point. However, it’s 2021 so anything is possible:
- 1080 x 2400 AMOLED 60hz Display
- 48MP main rear camera + 8MP Ultrawide + 2MP Macro + 2MP Depth sensor
- Capable of 4K, 30fps Video recording
- 1080P Slowmotion Video recording
- 32MP selfie camera
- 30W VOOC Flash Charger
- 4310mAh Battery
- 8GB+128GB
- ColorOS 11.1 and Android 11; OctaCore processor
- In-Display Fingerprint sensor
- Price: KES 31,000
As I said, on paper, all these look pretty fantastic. Even compared to the big brother, the OPPO Reno5, there’s not a lot of difference. However, as all phones do, it has its ups and downs.
To recap, these are the things we really liked; The design, the display, cameras, the battery performance and the storage. For things we didn’t like, that’s the cameras (again). So, let’s get down to the details to fully understand this.
Here’s What I Liked
Display
The 60Hz display is pretty cool. Coming from me, that’s a hard fought sentence to say. I’ve been using 90hz screens since 2020 on different smartphones and switching back, I could notice the dip in smoothness. However, OPPO are really making a difference in the smartphone world with their displays.
Yes most phones do have 90hz displays now’s but not too many people notice the difference. The only way you’d notice is if you had both phones with different displays. Fortunately or Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy that luxury.
So I can say without a doubt that this screen just does the job it’s meant to do.
It’s still a 1080p AMOLED screen, thus the colours are vibrant with punchy blacks and a relative amount of colour range.
Compared to the Reno5 that has a 90hz display, you notice the slight difference in how smooth the functionality is. However, compared to other 60hz displays on this price range, this display is one of the better ones.
Also, the top bezel is so tiny, I can barely notice it! Just thought you should know.
Design, Storage and Performance
The Fantastic purple is the colour you have to get. That’s just it. I would buy this phone just to show it off. This is the first time OPPO is using a liquid coating crystal process on a composite 3D panel. Holding it at different angles reveals different colours and that’s just fantastic. You have to see it to understand it.
You know how when you’re about to take a pic and your phone does the ‘insufficient storage, delete some items first’. Well you do not have to worry about that with this phone. I have downloaded over 100 apps (overkill I know) and I have taken a lot of pictures and videos with this phone already.
So far I have not had any issues. It might be a little early to call but I’ve had 3 different phones with 8GB and 128GB of storage, transferring all my data constantly and I’ve never crossed the 80GB mark. For now, half my storage is still free and it is not any slower. Add to that the 8GB RAM, the phone barely takes a hit usage wise.
This also means it’s that much faster when gaming and doing casual multitasking with the phone.
Another plus is that the phone comes with ColorOS V11 and Android 11 out the box. This means you have the latest from OPPO and the latest from Android. The features are fun and the customisability is off the chain. However, we’ll talk about more of that in our next article.
Battery Life
There’s really not much to say about this. What they advertise is what they give. The 4310mAh gets me through a day easily and I rarely have to remember to charge it. Even when I do, the 30W VOOC fast charger in the box juices it up really quick.
This has to be one of my favourite OPPO features. I don’t even charge my phone at night anymore. Yes they do have optimised charging that charges your phone slower through out the night and gets to 100% right before your alarm. However, it’s so fast that I just charge it in the morning before I have to start work.
Granted I’m in the house all day but If I have to leave, the procedure is still the same. I can’t wait to see what the future of charging has in store for us.
The Cameras
Here I have a love hate relationship with the cameras. Of course this is all down to comparison to the Reno5. But let’s talk about the good first.
OPPO Reno5 F Review
So at first glance, the camera set up itself is pretty cool. I like that it’s set apart from the aura of the colours of the phone and how stands out. Setting up 4 cameras is becoming harder every year but I love the creativity that comes with the challenge.
The camera set up is pretty straight-forward with 4 different cameras doing 4 different things.
- 48 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (main-wide), 1/1.73″, 0.8µm, PDAF
- 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
- 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
- 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
In terms of features there’s also a ‘more’ section with some extra modes.
- Dual-view video
- Slo-mo
- Time-lapse
- AI Mixed portrait
- Pro/Expert Mode
- Panoramic
- Text Scanner
- Macro Mode
- Stickers
- Integration of SoLoop
- Night flare
- EIS steady video
- Dynamic Bokeh and so much more
All these features are pretty fun to use, not to mention the filters and beautification modes. However, if I showed them all to you, then what would be the fun of you buying the phone? So get out there and get yourself one and trust me, you’ll have a blast.
Let’s take a look at some of the pics:
My Disappointment…
The cameras are great but only when there is perfect lighting. When the sun is shining and the clouds are hovering seamlessly by. However, compared to the big brother, there’s some softness to the pictures and a slight dip in clarity and details.
Moreso when you get indoors and in dark areas, the cameras take a tumble. But I guess that is the price you pay for the price you don’t pay:) Hence the small brother statement. It will never be the Reno5 but it does everything else so well to make it proud.
Also, the price is a bit steep. Compared to other phones in this price range, there’s more options to choose from with better screens and better cameras.
Finally, to answer your question… Should you buy this phone? At this price, this is a phone we would recommend for a long term purchase. B+
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