This afternoon Oppo has announced two phones – the Reno 5G and the Reno 10x Zoom – for release in Australia. The comnpany is especially proud to be launching on Telstra’s just-opened 5G network. The third such device, Reno 5G is set to make a big splash in the Australian market.
Priced well below the other smartphone to grace the Telstra 5G network, Reno 5G is coming in at just $1,499 RRP (Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G is $1,999), and it packs some impressive specs.
If you don’t live in a 5G coverage area or don’t wish to partake in Telstra’s 5G offering, Reno 10x Zoom will handle four of your G’s for for just $1,199 RRP.
Full Screen, Full Performance
The display is the first thing you see on Reno, and it looks impressive – the 6.6-inch second generation 1080×2340 pixel resolution AMOLED display results in a 93.1 screen to body ratio. The display also houses an in-display fingerprint sensor with a much-improved unlocking speed. There’s no notch.
Reno is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (with an x50 5G modem in the 5G model) and up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage.
Addressing one of our favourite bugbears, this year Oppo remembered to add the NFC chip alongside Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, Dolby Atmos surround sound, and triple graphite layering and copper tube liquid cooling to cool it when gaming hard. This is a phone that promises to fly even under the greatest of stresses.
Of course the new 5G connectivity is going to play havoc with the power consumption, so there’s a 4,056mAh battery and the phone supports Oppo’s VOOC 3.0 fast charging techology – the previous generaiton of VOOC wowed us on the R17 Pro. Oppo’s got the fastest charging smartphones in the industry, and it looks set to continue with VOOC 3.0 decreasing the charging time by yet another 23.8%.
Triple Camera with 10x zoom
A big selling point of the Reno is the camera. Forget the 5x zoom of the Huawei P30 Pro, Reno offers 10x zoom! The rear sensor includes a 48MP primary lens, an 8MP ultrawide lens and a 13MP periscopic telephoto lens. The zoom allows for some amazing photos, even when hand held — we’ll have some camera samples coming soon. The camera is also capable of capturing video at up to 4K 60fps.
The 16MP front camera resembles a shark fin that pops up when required, and looks impressive. It takes a decent 0.8 seconds to ascend the 11 degrees it requires to capture an image.
OS Features
ColorOS 6 makes an appearance on the Reno and once again it’s an improvement on what’s come before. For someone who has been a loud critic of ColorOS in the past, this time they have made a phone that I could use each and every day, and be happy and comfortable doing so.
Oppo’s Game Boost feature has also been — err, boosted — to version 2.0 and now includes touch boost and frame boost acceleration to take advantage of the new 5G speeds it will support.
Michael Tran, Oppo Australia Managing Director said the company is proud to bring the Reno 5G to our shores:
We have focused heavily on the design and functionality of the smartphone, which packs cutting-edge technology and exceptional photography into a unique, aesthetic design.
Locally we’re continuing to work with carrier partners to bring our 5G handset to Australian shores.
It’s not just 5G where the Reno Series is breaking new ground. The devices feature a world-first unique pop-up pivot camera, a 10x Hybrid zoom camera, as well as Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 855 processor
All five of your Gees
Of course, being a 5G phone Oppo is anxious to demonstrate just how fast Reno is on a 5G network. So, without further ado here’s a 1,907Mbps speed test result from Telstra’s Sydney store this afternoon. You’re welcome.
Reno 10x Zoom
If you’re not ready to jump on the 5G bandwagon, the Reno 10x Zoom is exceptional value at $1,199 – it’s exactly the same phone, just without the 5G radio. At this stage 5G areas are extremely limited so for the vast majority of us who spend most of our time outside 5G areas this could be a steal.
Pricing, Availability and Pre-orders
Reno 5G and Reno 10x Zoom will be available from June 11 in Jet Black and Ocean Green.
Reno 5G carries an RRP of $1,499 and will be available through Telstra and JB Hi-Fi. Pre-orders will receive a free set of Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones valued at $499.95 — that’s a fantastic bonus. If you buy it at retail rather than pre-order, you’ll get a set of Bose SoundSport Free Wireless Earphones valued at $299.95.
You’ll also be able to get Reno 5G on a plan from Telstra, but details of those plans are yet to emerge. You might want to be careful to get in early on a contact to get ahead of Telstra’s looming $15/month 5G access fee, too.
Reno 10x Zoom is priced competitively at $1,199 and will see a much wider release through Telstra, JB HiFi, The GoodGuys, Officeworks, Mobileciti, Woolworths Mobile, Wireless1 and Telechoice. Bose SoundSport Free Wireless Earphones valued at $299.95 are included with your purchase.
