Oppo captures elegance and style

The Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G combines beauty and functionality with its attractive, lightweight, and slim design. Featuring an aluminium alloy frame, a plastic back, and a sturdy Gorilla Glass front, this mid-range smartphone is durable and aesthetically pleasing, especially with its bright silky hues on the back. 

The Nebula Silver variant, which I got my hands on, stood out with its silky glossy back and curved, rounded edges and flat screen, embodying elegance. These edges not only enhance its visual appeal but also improve durability, making accidental drops less worrisome. It comes with a protective case to ensure further protection and longevity.

Weighing only 183 grams and measuring 7.4mm thick, the Reno 12 is lightweight, and its innovative use of an alloy frame contributes to its featherlight feel. The device is dust and water-resistant, enhancing daily usability and prolonged usage.

An AMOLED display is pre-loaded with essential apps, including Google services, and equipped with advanced security features. The clean, modern look and intuitive user interface driven by ColorOS 14 offer a seamless and intelligent user experience. Its smooth screen navigation and AI Smart technology further enhances usability.

The phone has a bright display that improves overall gaming experiences, thanks to sophisticated graphics and dynamic lighting effects that allow users to see more details comfortably in different lighting conditions. The device has bedtime mode and smart eye comfort features that adjust the screen’s colour automatically after sunset to warmer tones, enhancing sleep and reducing eye strain.

Running on the latest Android 14 operating system and powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 7300 chipset, the device delivers advanced AI capabilities, improved processing power, efficient performance, and enhanced multitasking and gaming experience. This gives it tremendous performance gains over the Reno 10 and Reno 10 Pro.  

Bluetooth performance allows making and receiving calls through other Bluetooth-enabled devices, ensuring connectivity even without a standard cellular network connection. This feature provides efficient hands-free calling options, improving overall user experience.

The device has a 50MP rear and 32MP selfie camera that capture clear, sharp images and videos without graininess or blur, benefiting from ambient light for outdoor photography. Equipped with AI scene recognition, low-light optimisation, and portrait mode, the camera system is supported by AI-powered editing tools for easy adjustments. 

With 256GB/512GB storage, the device also supports external microSD cards, allowing users to store plenty of pictures and download multimedia files, games, and music without worrying about running out of space too soon.

The sound experience of the stereo speakers is average, offering sufficient sound quality and volume for personal use. 

Overall, the phone strikes a balance between cost and performance, in an elegant package.

What does it cost?

The Oppo Reno 12 5G is available in South Africa in Space Brown, Sunset Gold, and Nebula Silver, for R11,999.

Why does it matter?

One would not expect much from a mid-range phone like the Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G, but it delivers exceptional image quality thanks to improved lenses and smart AI cameras. The phone is affordable, yet comes with a powerful processor, RAM, and sufficient storage to suit everyday demands. 

 What are the biggest negatives?

• Has only three colour options, which exclude common preferences like white and black
• No headphone jack
• Average sound quality

What are the biggest positives?

• Charges quickly
• Immersive sound
• Runs on 5G network
• Supports MicroSD Card
• Able to make calls without network

*Angelique Mogotlane is content manager of Gadget.co.za, World Wide Worx.