The Reno7 proper is the odd one out of the whole Reno7 family - in a good way. It launched on Android 12, unlike the rest of them, though that difference is largely offset by a consistent layer of ColorOS on top. Admittedly, however, the new core OS version means a few new core features that you don't get on Android 11-based builds.
Key among those are Android 12's new privacy features. Privacy dashboard is your hub for gaining insight on which permissions have been granted to which apps and when they have been used. Precise or approximate location is another of the new privacy-focused options you get for apps that use that permission. Toggles for limiting camera and mic access across the board can be placed in the quick toggles area too, and you get an icon in the status bar when either of the two is actively being used.
A feature specific to the Reno7 and a couple of other models in the lineup (though implemented slightly differently from model to model) is the breathing light on the back. It's another use of the ring light around the microscope camera and serves as a notification and status indicator for active charging, calls and notifications. Most of us aren't ones to keep phones face-down, though, so the feature may be lost on us.
On the surface, the UI is the same as what we saw on other ColorOS 12 phones. We got an app drawer pre-enabled, but you can opt for the single-tiered, everything-on-the-homescreen layout too. The notification shade is presented in a standard way, and the quick toggles have the Oppo green accent color by default (there's an auto-brightness switch in there too). The recent apps menu is a regular implementation, in the sense that you get side-scrollable vertical cards. The main Settings menu features Oppo's colorful icons for easier navigation.
Homescreen • App drawer • Recent apps • Notification shade • Quick toggles • Settings
Most of the UI elements on ColorOS can be customized. We are talking deep customization of app icons, accent colors, quick toggles and their shape, font, fingerprint reader animation, Edge lighting for incoming notifications, the Always-on display - the lot. We couldn't find a theme store, though.
Granular notification customization is a thing we really like on ColorOS 12. The system allows for advanced notification handling in the drop-down menu, such as instant replies or other suggested actions. Incoming notifications when the phone is in use will arrive with a quieter sound and milder vibration. Notification snoozing is another neat feature that lets you attend to conversations or other apps later without having to keep them in the notification shade and clutter up.
For enhanced privacy, the system can hide the contents of the notification once the front-facing camera detects someone other than you. This requires the facial unlocking feature to be enabled and uses that data to match with your face.
Speaking of, the Reno7 supports face unlock, but you'd be better off using the fingerprint reader for extra security. It's the optical variety and worked great in our experience.
The Icon pull-down gesture is here to make it way easier to operate with one hand on an overcrowded home screen with plenty of app icons. Just swipe down alongside the edge of the display to bring down the icons close to your thumb and select an app to launch.
Icon-pull down gesture • Icon-pull down gesture
The Special features tab holds the familiar Smart Sidebar and Flexible windows functions. They are both tailored toward better multitasking. When turned on, the sidebar offers quick access to some of your favorite apps. The system allows you to adjust the position of the sidebar, which is crucial because it might interfere with the back gesture if you are using the standard Android gestures. Anyway, tap and hold on an app icon enters split-screen mode while a single tap opens up the app in a floating window. The supported apps can be opened in small, draggable and size-adjustable windows.
The Quick launch function allows you to set up to three apps that can be launched as soon as the display is unlocked. Tap and hold on the fingerprint reader from a locked screen to open up the Quick launch menu.
The good old screen-off gestures that allow you to launch certain apps or the flashlight by drawing letters on a locked screen are here to stay.
A bunch of proprietary apps are also included, often alongside alternatives from Google in the international version of phones. You get first-party apps like Photos, Phone Manager, My Files, Music, and Games (game launcher with various settings).
The Reno7 is powered by the Snapdragon 680 chipset - a modest midrange SoC with a focus on endurance more so than performance. It features an octa-core CPU in a 4+4 configuration, its Kryo-branded cores being based on Cortex-A73 and Cortex A53 designs (4x2.4GHz + 4x1.9GHz). The GPU is Adreno 610. Oppo is quite generous on the memory front, and the Reno7 has 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage (our unit is the higher spec).
The Reno7 is quick to reveal its lack of ambition in the performance department showing particularly low results in the single-core test in GeekBench - essentially, all competing chipsets have more powerful cores in their performance clusters, even if it's just two of them.
There's a more even distribution under multi-core loads, but the Reno7 remains towards the bottom of the charts.
Higher is better
Higher is better
The Reno7 places similarly low in an Antutu comparison, though it does claim a victory here over the Galaxy A23, for what that's worth.
Higher is better
The Adreno 610 is a fine match for that unassuming CPU and graphics benchmarks reveal a similar distribution of forces - the Reno7 isn't threatening any serious competitor with its oomph.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Another good thing about lower-end chipsets besides their frugal battery consumption is sustained performance. The Reno7 may not be a powerhouse, but it's consistent in its output. For the most part, that is - 50 minutes into a full-power CPU throttling test, we observed a bit of a hiccup, but hardly something to worry about.
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