Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) review

ColorOS 11.3 and Android 11

We last reviewed the Reno6 5G running ColorOS 11.3, and that's the same version of Oppo's custom Android skin that we have here on the Reno6 Pro 5G. The underlying OS is still Android 11, naturally. ColorOS 11.3 is an incremental update with no major feature releases but the usual refinements and bug fixes here and there.

It's hardly a stock look that ColorOS gives you, even though this global build does use Google's own dialer and messages apps. Those basics aside, it's a heavily customized and customizable UI.

The lockscreen and homescreen are straightforward, the notification/toggles area is simple and clutter-free. A basic App drawer is available, which you can opt-out of if you prefer to have all your apps on the homescreens. There is a Google Feed panel to the left of your homescreens.

Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Notifications • Quick toggles

The task switcher is non-nonsense too, but it has extra functionality - you can minimize an app to a mini-window or a floating window from within it. If an app is compatible, you can do either of these or use the familiar Split Screen.

Task Manager • Options • Mini app • Floating window • Split screen

Always-on display is available, and it can show the usual content - clock, date, notifications icons, battery. A ton of AOD themes are available, and you can even draw your own graphics or use images from the gallery - if you're one to struggle with decision-making, good luck picking one. Edge Lighting is available, too.

AOD

Different icon packs are supported, so if you are not happy with the default one, you can opt for material style, pebbles, or you can even fully customize them by your liking. You can also change the system colors, the fingerprint scanner animation, the notification drawer icons, even the system font. The Theme Store appears to be missing from this build, though.

Personalization options

Dark Mode is available, too, and it has support for three different dark styles - black, dark gray or light gray. It can be enabled manually or operate on a schedule. You can also opt to force it on third-party apps that don't support dark mode natively, though your mileage may vary with those.

Dark Mode

In the Convenience tools section of the Settings menu, you'll find options for navigation and gestures. Similar to the Galaxies, ColorOS offers a Smart Sidebar on the edge of the screen - you can customize the actions and app shortcuts that appear there.

Convenience tools

The multimedia apps such as Gallery, Music, and Videos are provided by Oppo. There is also an in-house File Manager and a Phone Manager app. A Game Space app is available for better game management and notification behavior. You can also opt for a Smart resolution switch and Performance/balanced/energy saving modes.

Gallery • Music • Videos • Phone Manager • File Manager • Game Space

Lastly, ColorOS 11.3 comes with the RAM expansion feature that everyone is doing lately. It allocates some of the storage space for use as makeshift RAM to keep more apps opened in the background. But with 12GB of actual RAM on board, we'd say it's essentially unnecessary.

RAM expansion

Performance and benchmarks

As a lot of high-class midrangers this year, the Reno6 Pro 5G we're reviewing is powered by the Snapdragon 870 chipset. That is, the variant we're reviewing - the China/India version by the same name is really a different phone, as we tried to establish, and it gets the Dimensity 1200.

The SD870 is a known quantity - the latest iteration on last year's SD865 is often regarded as a better package than the 2021 flagship SD888 thanks to more stable sustained performance and relative affordability. That said, it's not like the chipset's lower cost is translating into a particularly low price for this Reno and SD888 handsets can be had for as much and even considerably less money, if top benchmark results are more your thing.

Anyway, the Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) and its Snapdragon 870 post solid numbers for single-core CPU performance in GeekBench, proving superior to the high-700-series alternatives and on par with other SD870 handsets. The SD888 bunch is out of reach, however.

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• vivo X60 Pro+
  1143
• Realme GT 5G
  1139
• OnePlus 9
  1129
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  1126
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  1126
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  1124
• Xiaomi Mi 11i
  1114
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  1091
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  1020
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  1003
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  985
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  972
• vivo X70 Pro
  875
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  803
• Realme GT Master
  785
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  771
• Xiaomi 11T
  742
• Oppo Reno6 5G
  722

That last bit remains true under multi-threaded loads, but here the Reno also shows conservative results as SD870s go - the Axon 30 and the Moto Edge 20 Pro are a bit ahead, though not dramatically.

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• vivo X60 Pro+
  3749
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  3673
• Xiaomi Mi 11i
  3641
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  3636
• OnePlus 9
  3629
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  3582
• Realme GT 5G
  3555
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  3476
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  3160
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  3140
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  3050
• vivo X70 Pro
  2956
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  2941
• Realme GT Master
  2917
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  2909
• Xiaomi 11T
  2834
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  2801
• Oppo Reno6 5G
  2131

In Antutu, the Reno underperforms a little, again - the other SD870 handsets are ever so slightly higher in the chart.

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• vivo X60 Pro+
  836826
• Realme GT 5G
  810433
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  804626
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  797484
• Xiaomi Mi 11i
  779481
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  717879
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  711090
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  701991
• vivo X70 Pro
  694499
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  671577
• Xiaomi 11T
  590837
• Realme GT Master
  529263
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  522490
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  506432
• Oppo Reno6 5G
  430765

In GPU benchmarks, the SD870s are relatively tightly packed together. Here, the SD888's superiority is more easily seen, so if you're after ultimate GPU performance, perhaps skip this Reno6 Pro 5G.

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• vivo X60 Pro+
  119
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  119
• OnePlus 9
  119
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  118
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  118
• Realme GT 5G
  112
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  111
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  100
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  99
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  96
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  92
• vivo X70 Pro
  85
• Xiaomi 11T
  77
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  65
• Realme GT Master
  56
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  56

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• vivo X60 Pro+
  105
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  104
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  100
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  93
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  84
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  83
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  82
• vivo X70 Pro
  77
• Xiaomi 11T
  72
• Realme GT 5G
  60
• OnePlus 9
  60
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  60
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  57
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  57
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  49
• Realme GT Master
  46

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• vivo X60 Pro+
  71
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  70
• OnePlus 9
  70
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  69
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  69
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  66
• Realme GT 5G
  65
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  60
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  59
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  59
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  57
• Xiaomi 11T
  47
• vivo X70 Pro
  45
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  40
• Realme GT Master
  33
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  33

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  62
• vivo X60 Pro+
  62
• OnePlus 9
  58
• Realme GT 5G
  55
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  54
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  54
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  51
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  50
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  49
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  49
• Xiaomi 11T
  40
• vivo X70 Pro
  40
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  36
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  35
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  28
• Realme GT Master
  27

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  45
• vivo X60 Pro+
  44
• OnePlus 9
  43
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  41
• Realme GT 5G
  38
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  37
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  35
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  34
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  33
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  33
• Xiaomi 11T
  29
• vivo X70 Pro
  29
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  27
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  20
• Realme GT Master
  19

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  43
• vivo X60 Pro+
  43
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  41
• OnePlus 9
  40
• Realme GT 5G
  39
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  39
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  33
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  32
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  31
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  31
• vivo X70 Pro
  31
• Xiaomi 11T
  30
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  24
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  19
• Realme GT Master
  18

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme GT 5G
  5872
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
  5757
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
  5714
• OnePlus 9 Pro
  5701
• vivo X60 Pro+
  5695
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  5677
• OnePlus 9
  5667
• Realme GT Explorer Master
  4255
• Motorola Edge 20 Pro
  4206
• Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
  4201
• ZTE Axon 30 5G
  4191
• Xiaomi 11T
  4172
• vivo X70 Pro
  4148
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
  3136
• Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
  2491
• Realme GT Master
  2481
• Oppo Reno6 5G
  2024

Having said that, the Reno6's stability numbers in both CPU and GPU stress tests could actually make you reconsider. With a 99% stability rating in 3DMark, this one will actually be more consistent for long gaming sessions than an SD888. Similarly, the CPU stress test showed the phone to be remarkably stable, and the benchmark only made a dent around 50 minutes into the test, and even then, it was a relatively minor drop.

CPU Throttling test • 3DMark Wild Life stress test