“Very balanced” (01 Clean); “A good vintage” (Digital); “The investment you will never regret making” (Frandroid)… The specialized tech press got carried away by the release of the Oppo Reno8, considering this mid-range smartphone one of the best in its class. Officially sold for 599 euros (256 GB) since its release in the fall, does this 5G model justify its good reputation? 20 minutes grabbed it and took the time to test it.
A design that seduces
Like its competitors, Oppo wants to invest in the mid-range smartphone segment. It is the one where we find a clientele who cannot afford or who does not want to invest in a smartphone at 1,000 euros or more. But it’s also where you find demanding buyers, ready to devote a serious budget to their new smartphone, it comes close to 600 euros, as long as the coveted terminal is of good quality. With a price close to that of the Google Pixel 6 Pro or Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, the Oppo Reno8 first seduces with its design.
Intrusive apps
Taking up the principle of a rear photo module as if melted into the shell, the Reno8 is reminiscent of the manufacturer’s Find X Pro. But here, the hull is made of plastic (in black or “Shimmering” gold!), and it shows. Admittedly, the weight of the device, only 179 g (for 160.6 x 73.4 x 7.7 mm), is pleasantly affected. There remains a feeling of somewhat degraded quality. The three photo sensors* are still protected by Gorilla Glass 5 glass and the smartphone is IP54 standard, therefore protected against dust and water splashes.
At the front, the 6.4-inch screen is AMOLED (160.6 x 73.4 x 7.7 mm). And that can also be seen: the image quality, with its very deep blacks, its dense and vivid colors, flatters the eye. Too bad for inveterate players that it is only 90 Hz non-adaptive, at a time when 120 Hz seems to want to become widespread.
We deplore that a host of unsolicited applications load themselves after the first configuration: Booking, O Relax, Auto Doc, Joom ; or games like Dice Dreams, Rolling Twins… come to clutter our first contact with the mobile and give the feeling of being a little dispossessed. Once the cleaning is done, we quickly realize that the Reno8 is quite fast.
Fast, even for games
Running on Android 12, with the manufacturer’s pleasant Color OS 12.1 software overlay, the device is powered by a MediaTek processor (Dimension 1,300) coupled to 8 GB of RAM. Which offers a very good balance for the Reno8’s feature set, even for most video games. The presence of stereo speakers of fairly decent quality, although a bit sharp, adds to the good experience during our test, in particular to watch a few episodes of our current series, such as the exciting Life on Arte. TV, or the amazing documentary The disappearance of the Vatican, on Netflix. On the other hand, the smartphone does not have a mini-jack for wired headphones.
Selfies that hurt
The photo component of the Reno8 is well thought out. The trio of rear sensors of the smartphone adapts to any situation, even if the prowess of the ultra-wide-angle sensor in low light is not necessarily up to expectations. Often anecdotal on a smartphone, the macro mode knows how to be practical, with fairly good results. Filming up to 4K up to 30 frames / second (and in Full HF, up to 120 fps), the smartphone defends itself really well in video.
We are also surprised by the quality of the front sensor, a 32 megapixel which persisted during our tests in highlighting our wrinkles, and which delivers particularly well-defined photos. This sensor, unfortunately without autofocus, also allows filming up to Full HD with very convincing image quality. Not to be overlooked in video: the Reno8 offers an “ultra-stabilized” mode to be activated manually. Even if this (digital) function comes slightly “cropped” in the image, its contribution can be invaluable if you film while walking or moving the smartphone.
Ultra-fast charging
If the Reno 8’s 4,500 mAh battery life seems fairly conventional (offering a big day’s use), its 80-watt fast charger (included) is a strength. 30 minutes are enough to refuel your smartphone before leaving for the evening, which is far from negligible.
Is the promised good deal real? Yes, indisputably, because the shortcomings of the Reno8 (screen refresh rate, lack of wireless charging, lack of autofocus for selfies, etc.) are made up for by an overall quality of service, up to expectations, even demanding ones. . If the 599 euros claimed by Oppo for his toy constitute a significant sum, we can nevertheless find it cheaper: 499 euros at SFR or Sosh, for example.
In addition, the best month to buy a new smartphone would be February, which is about to start, with possible savings expected on the selling prices of many terminals. This is caused by the proximity of the Mobile World Congress telephony fair in Barcelona (this year, from February 27 to March 2), where many manufacturers announce their new products. This automatically creates a drop in prices on products already on sale. In the meantime, we can already offer the Reno8 in refurbished form where we flushed it out at… 399 euros!
* Rear: 50-megapixel main sensor (23mm equivalent; f/1.8) + 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor (16mm; f/2.2) + 2-megapixel macro sensor (22mm; f/2.4) ). Front: 32-megapixel wide-angle sensor (23 mm; f/2.4).