Goldstuck on Gadgets
Reno5 brings Oppo up to speed
No longer just up-and-coming, Oppo aims to become one of the big 3 in South Africa, and the Reno5 handset leads the charge, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK
“My charging behaviour is very simple. I wake up in the morning and my phone is probably in the region of about 5 to 10% battery life. It puts my phone into night-time standby mode, so it doesn’t process anything, and it maximizes the juice I’ve got in it. So I have my shower and I have my cup of coffee, which is normally around 20 to 30 minutes, and I charge my phone while I have my cup of coffee. In 30 minutes, I’m fully charged for the rest of the day, and I know my phone will last me, even if I’m going out that night.”
Our tests showed that the phone’s 65W charging brick lives up to Oppo’s promise, demonstrating phenomenally fast-charging technology that could make this phone seriously habit-forming. At a time when brands like Apple and Nokia are launching phones without charging plugs and cables, it gives Oppo the kind of differentiator that could well propel it into the big three in South Africa, muscling its way into the current leading trio made up of Samsung, Huawei and Apple.
The box also includes, as a standard accessory, earphones with another feature that has disappeared from flagship phones: an earphone jack. In combination, these elements bring to the high end the demands of the mid-market – where dispensing with jacks and cables is not yet negotiable.
Given these benefits, a slight lag behind the Galaxy S21 and iPhone 12 in features is barely noticeable: the Reno5 has a 6.5-inch display versus 6.2 and 6.1 respectively, an image density of 410 pixels per inch versus 421 and 460, and high-definition 1080p video versus 4K on the rivals.
On the other hand, its main quad-camera – with an array comprising 64MP, 8MP, 2MP and 2MP lenses – outshines the competition. The S21 has a triple-cam at 64MP, 12Mp and 12MP, while the iPhone 12 comes in with a double-cam at 12MP and 12MP. It has to be said, though, that the software on the latter two is superior, allowing for a wider range of use cases across various activities.
However, getting back to the target market, there is one feature that further defines Oppo’s entry into the lower high-end: the selfie camera on the front of the handset has a 32MP w lens at 24mm wide-angle, compared the S21’s 10MP at 26mm and the iPhone 12’s 12MP at 23mm.
Not yet familiar with the Oppo brand? Not for long …
* Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee
