The OPPO Reno 12 series was recently unveiled in Kenya. The series has two main devices, the Reno 12 5G and the Reno 12 F. I have had the chance of using the OPPO Reno 12 5G for a few weeks and in this review, I will be sharing my thoughts on it for you to decide if it is worth your money.
Speaking of money, the OPPO Reno 12 5G and Reno 12 F are available in Kenya for Ksh 69,999 and Ksh 49,999. This is not cheap and at 70k, the Reno 12 5G is slightly more expensive than its predecessor, the Reno 11 5G. There are a few differences between the Reno 12 5G and Reno 11 5G including the processor, slightly slimmer design on the Reno 12 5G, battery charging speeds among others. If you have been eyeing the Reno 11, read this review before buying it as the 12 might be what you need.
Before we get to the review, have a look at the unboxing video below to see what you get when you buy this phone.
OPPO Reno 12 5G Specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch (1080 x 2412 pixels), AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+.
- Processor: Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Energy.
- Rear Camera: 50MP + 8MP + 2MP: Records 4K@30fps.
- Front Camera: 32MP
- RAM: 8/12GB
- Storage: 256/512GB
- Battery Capacity: 5,000mAh, 80W charging.
- Android 14, ColorOS 14.1
Simple and Classy Design
Just like the previous OPPO Reno devices, the Reno 12 5G has a simple design with a curved display and slightly curved back. This design is simple yet classy and feels much slimmer and the phone is lighter than its predecessor. It also feels very comfortable to hold and carry around.
The Reno 12 5G has all-round armour and is drop and impact resistant as well as being dust and water resistant. This means that you can drop the phone on a hard surface or in water and not have to worry about damaging it. OPPO demonstrated the phone’s impact resistance by trying to drill a hole through it during its official launch in Kenya and it passed the test. This is one of the toughest Reno yet and is perfect for you if you accidentally drop your phone all the time. You will not have to worry about damaging it at all.
I got the one with a silver finish which is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. It looks stylish but I honestly loved the colour options we had with the previous Reno devices. This new colour is not that inspiring to me.
Sharp Display
This is one of the things I love about the Reno 12 5G. The display is very sharp with slim bezels giving a very immersive look. This is not the first time OPPO is using a curved display on a Reno phone but the implementation feels and looks much better on this than the previous devices I have used.
The display is bright enough for use in different lighting conditions. It is brighter than the Reno 10 that I have been using as my main phone.
The display’s refresh rate is 120Hz ensuring a smooth experience for day to day use and even gaming. The display also supports HDR10+ and is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.
Powerful and Reliable
The OPPO Reno 12 5G is powered by the new MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset. This is the first time I am using a smartphone with this processor and the experience has been good so far. Performance is incredible even when gaming as the phone does not slow down or lag at all. This processor is also efficient, and this is evident with the battery life that you get.
The Reno 12 5G comes with ColorOS 14 on top of Android 14 and is paired with 12GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. There is an option to further expand the RAM with 12GB more using virtual RAM.
See: OPPO Showcases AI-Driven Smartphone Strategy at Google I/O Connect China
OPPO AI
With the launch of the Reno 12 5G, OPPO has introduced a number of AI features to colorOS. These come in handy and most are provided by Google Gemini without the need of a subscription. The ones worth noting include:
OPPO AI Eraser – This allows you to easily remove unwanted objects or people from photos you have taken. It works seamlessly and you can check the video below that I highlighted how to go about it.
How to use AI Eraser on the OPPO Reno 12 5G
- Open any photo in your gallery
- Tap on edit
- Tap on AI eraser
- From here, you can choose whether you want to remove objects or people from your photos and proceed.
- OPPO AI Studio – This lets you add cool backgrounds to your photos. This is a more fun feature that is appealing to the young people.
OPPO AI Record Summary – With this, you can summarize audio recordings on meetings into notes that you can access later. It also gives you the transcript of the audio recording. It is perfect for summarizing meeting or lectures. For this to work perfectly, ensure minimal background noise and clear recordings.
OPPO AI LinkBoost – This feature can detect when you are entering or leaving an elevator and your network signal is shaky will quickly reconnect to the network. It works in the background and requires no user input so you can go on with your life.
There are also other AI features but these are the main ones I had to point out. I am planning to do a full post on the others soon so watch out for that.
Cameras
You are getting very good cameras with the Reno 12 5G. the photos I got were good during the day and at night. The phone’s camera does have a night mode feature but I did not use it much as the photos I got without it were good and it tends to overdo some of them when night mode is on.
Overall, the photos I got were really good. Colour accuracy was on point and the dynamic range was equally as good. If you are looking for a smartphone camera that is always ready to capture amazing shots, this is the one for you.
Battery
With a 5,000 mAh battery, the OPPO Reno 12 5G can easily last you an entire day on a single charge. I have had no issues using this phone and the battery is good enough for my needs. I watch a lot of videos on my phone and has served me well.
The battery supports 80W charging and can be charged fully from 0% in just under 50 minutes.
Conclusion
The OPPO Reno 12 5G is a decent phone. The price is a bit higher than its predecessor and if that is not an issue, go for it. Otherwise, you can still get the Reno 11 and be OK. It does have many positives but the display, design, built quality, performance, battery and AI features are the best ones for me.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S24 Review
