Oppo Reno hands-on review - the non-10x zoom version

We're in Zurich for the global announcement of the Oppo Reno lineup and we got to spend some quality time with the fully tricked out Reno 10x zoom. After that proper flagship, we also got the opportunity to briefly play around with the regular Reno.

The differences in hardware aren't minor and the vanilla Reno comes with the mid-tier Snapdragon 710 instead of the 10x zoom's 855. There's also no periscope telephoto camera on its back and the ultra wide module didn't make the cut either. The main cam does use the same 48MP Sony sensor as the flagship, but the lens isn't stabilized here.

Fret not, however - the super-cool motorized shark fin selfie mechanism has been kept.

Here's a quick refresher on the specs.

Oppo Reno specs

• Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 back, 156.6x74.3x9mm, 185g; Ocean Green, Jet Black, Nebula Purple, and Pink Mist color schemes.
• Display: 6.4" AMOLED, 1080x2340px, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi, Gorilla Glass 6.
• Rear camera: Main: 48MP, 1/2.0" sensor, f/1.7 aperture, 26mm equiv. focal length, PDAF. Depth sensor: 5MP, f/2.4 aperture.
• Front camera: Motorized pop-up 16MP, f/2.2 aperture, 26mm equiv. focal length.
• Video recording: Rear: up to 4K 2160p@30fps, EIS, slow-mo up to 1080p@120fps. Front: up to 1080p@30fps.
• OS/Software: Android 9.0 Pie, ColorOS 6.
• Chipset: Snapdragon 710 (10nm): octa-core CPU (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver); Adreno 616 GPU.
• Memory: 6/8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, no microSD card slot.
• Battery: 3,765mAh, Li-Ion (sealed), 20W VOOC fast charging.
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE-A, Cat.15/13 (800Mbps/150Mbps); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac MU-MIMO; GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo; NFC; Bluetooth 5.0. USB Type-C, 3.5mm jack.
• Misc: Optical under-display fingerprint sensor.

Another thing the vanilla Reno shares with the 10x zoom is the under display fingerprint sensor. We really enjoyed the experience in our time with the bigger phone and the Reno is the same in this respect.

One thing that's actually better on the midranger is the presence of a headphone jack - it's right where the 10x zoom's card slot is. The Reno's card slot has been moved to the left side, above the volume controls. A nasty surprise awaits there - there's no option to put in a microSD card for expansion - you can't have it all, sadly. The power button on the right has the same green accent as the high-end model, if that counts for anything.

Oppo Reno from all sides

The Reno's display is AMOLED as well, only slightly smaller at 6.4 inches in diagonal, compared to the 6.6-inch Reno 10x zoom.

It's noticeably lighter, however, at 185g compared to the 210g of the 10x zoom. Having said that, it's not really light by any stretch - its presence will be felt in your pocket, but you'd expect that from a phone this size.

To go with the smaller display, the Reno also has a smaller battery - 3,765mAh as opposed to the 4,065mAh capacity of the 10x zoom. There are no downgrades in the charging tech and the Reno gets the same 20W VOOC charging capabilities.

That's all we have on the Oppo Reno for now. More to follow if and when we get a review unit. Meanwhile, here's another shot of the pop-up selfie cam, all raised up to reveal the rear flash.