The OPPO Reno4 5G is part of the Reno mid-range value line that comes with stacks of goodies for the reasonable price of $799.
Reno is an OPPO sub-brand. It’s positioning is just below the flagship Find X-series and above the A-series. Its mission is to offer greater value even if it competes with other OPPO models.
For example, the OPPO Reno4 5G faces off to the Find X2 Neo at $899 and the Find X2 Lite at $649. The other Reno4 Z 5G marks new ground sitting above the A91 and Below the Find X2 Lite 5G.
The OPPO Reno4 5G uses the Qualcomm SD765G. It is a companion to the OPPO Reno4 Z 5G that sells for $599 and uses the new MediaTek Dimensity SoC – a review will be coming soon.
Australian’s love the Reno series. In 2019 Reno was responsible for its largest single smartphone sales segment.
So the OPPO Reno4 5G has a lot to live up to. Let’s see, shall we?
(Spoiler – OPPO you have done it again with a 6.4″ AMOLED screen, 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charging and a great camera).
First impression – EXCEED
Its not just the grippy Galactic (Ice) Blue back with a tri-camera. It is also the aluminium anodised matching frame and superb build quality that makes this an OPPO Reno.
The front screen is vibrant and colourful with a distinctive dual-camera selfie ‘pill’ slot on the top left. But the thing that impresses me most is the galactic speed 65W charging that fills it 0-100% in well under an hour.
Screen – EXCEED
| Size | 6.4″ |
| Type | AMOLED 60Hz with a dual camera slot to left |
| Resolution | 2400 x 1080 |
| PPI/Ratio | 409/20:9 |
| Colour Brightness Contrast Delta E Vivid Gentle White HDR | 16.7m Claim: 430 normal, 600 max and 800 peak HDR content Infinite: ∞:1 approx. 2 (below 4 is excellent) 93.28% DCI-P3 and 135.13%sRGB 73.72% DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB From warm to cool GPU will decode and play up to HDR10+ |
| Daylight AOD Dark mode Blue light | Quite good Clock and notifications – not customisable Yes Yes certified |
| DRM | The GPU will decode HDR10/+ and HLG content to the screen. DRMInfo finds Widevine L1 and the latest HDCP 2.3, so it should play both SDR and HDR streaming content |
| Gaming | It is a 60Hz screen, and most gamers will look to 90 or 120Hz refresh and higher touch rates. Good for most games at medium quality |
| Protection | Gorilla Glass 6 and pre-fitted screen protector |
| Fingerprint Face ID | Optical under glass – Test: 9/10 Test 8/10 |
This is a bright and vibrant screen with accurate levels of DCI-P3 and sRGB – more than you could reasonably expect. Colour accuracy is good enough for Creatives and VLoggers.
Our tests confirmed OPPOs conservative brightness figures. It is little unfair to quote 800 nits peak because HBM (high brightness mode) only cuts in a very small portion of the screen when playing HDR content.
Processor – PASS+
| SoC | Qualcomm SD765G 7nm |
| GPU | Adreno 620 Compute Open CL: 1254 |
| Game use | The G stands for gaming functions like a game ‘smoother’; and a fast loader. Add that to OPPOs game boost and an Adreno 620 GPU, and it can handle most games with good frame rates. |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 128GB UFS 2.1 (98GB free) Androbench Test Internal 980.67/484.81Mbps sequential read/write – excellent External USB Flash 2.0 (480Mbps half-duplex) 35/34MBps – typical External USB-C SSD 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) – 33/33MBps – this is 2.0 speed |
| micro-SD | No, but supports OTG to 1TB |
| Geek Bench 5 | Single: 618 Multi: 1806 It is in between the SD845 and SD855 |
| Throttle 15-minute | Max: 162481GIPS, Average: 159,556 – 0% loss over 15 minutes CPU temp reached 50° Terrific thermal management as we have come to expect from OPPO designs |
Not only is this our favourite Goldilocks processor (just right) OPPO’s thermal design skills show again. It does not throttle at all.
OPPO has implemented USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 which in theory is 5Gbps/635MBps half-duplex. So we expect a suitable external SSD to achieve around 250-300MBps sequential read. Regrettably, data transfer is still at USB 2.0 speeds, so it is not for videographers. At this time, apart from Samsung S20/Note20, few phones support USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 speeds.
OPPO earns the PASS+ mark here due to the thermal management. Shame about USB-C 3.1 though.
Comms – PASS+
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 AC (Qualcomm WCN3990) 2 x 2 MU-MIMO Signal Strength 5Ghz – distance from ASUS AX1100 router – 2m: -16dBm/866Mbps – 5m: -30dBm/866Mbps – 10m: -50dBm/866 |
| Bluetooth | BT 5.1 |
| GPS | Single capable of <10m turn-by-turn navigation |
| NFC | Yes PayWave |
| USB-C | USB-C 3.1 but it only supports USB 2.0 speeds |
| Sensors | Bosch BMI160 triaxial Accelerometer/Gyroscope and step/motion detector gives a total of 9-axis detection used for Gyro-EIS Magmetometer eCompass Ambient Light sensor Proximity sensor |
The OPPO Reno4 has one of the strongest Wi-Fi 5 AC signals we have ever recorded. To get 866Mbps nearly 15 meters from the router is outstanding.
LTE and 5G – PASS+
| SIM | Dual sim (one active at a time) carrier unlocked |
| Ring tone | Single |
| Support | VoLTE – carrier dependent – generally yes Wi-Fi calling – Yes |
| DL/UL (Mbps) | Ping: 41ms, 17.2/21.1Mbps |
| LTE Band | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26 28, 32, 34, 38, 40, 41, 66 – a world phone |
| 5G | Sub-6Ghz nN78 Note updates may enable other bands |
| 4G Test | -99dBm/125.9Fw in a 3-bar reception area (good) Found next tower at -102dBm/79.4fW and third tower at -116dBm/3.2fW (unusable) – superb antenna design |
| 5G Test | We are unable to provide reliable results |
This is as strong in signal strength as any Telstra Bluetick phone we have tested. It should be a great rural phone.
Battery – PASS+ for battery life and EXCEED for 65W charge
| Battery mAh | 2×2010=4000mAh (4020 reported) |
| Charger | Super VOOC 2.0 5V/2A/10W and 10V/6.5A/65W Also PD and QWC 18W compatible – just slower Claim: 60% in 15 minutes and 100% in 36 minutes Test: 75% – 30 minutes 0-100% – 49 minutes |
| Tests | Video Loop test: 60Hz 1080p/50%/aeroplane mode – 20 hrs Typical use 4G, Wi-Fi Test – 12 hrs MP3 music test: 50% volume played from storage – 24+ 100% load Battery drain – 8 hrs T-Rex – 575m (9.58hrs), 3340 frames Drain screen off: 91mA (about 30 days) |
It is good for a day’s typical use and perhaps two with lighter use. But it EXCEEDs due to the incredibly fast 65W Super VOOC 2.0 charger.
Sound – PASS
| Speakers | Mono earpiece and down-firing speaker* |
| AMP | TFA98XX stereo class-D 2x 3.4W |
| BT codecs | Codecs are SBC (standard), LDAC (Sony), aptX/HD/TWS (Qualcomm), FLAC, ACC etc. |
| Dolby Atmos | It can decode Dolby Atmos metadata to its 1.0 mono speaker or the BT and USB-C stream. |
| Sound stage | Nil – it is a mono speaker. Dolby Atmos does not influence the speaker sound. |
| Mic | Dual NC |
| 3.5mm | No, but the onboard FSA480 DAC allows for unamplified USB-C earphones to plug in Standard USB-C earphone/mic supplied |
| Tests dB Anything over 80dB is excellent | Media – 71 Ring – 74 Alarm – 80 Earpiece – no setting Handsfree – adequate volume and mic sensitivity |
* It is not fair to measure the sound signature on a mono speaker system. The primary use is for clear voice. It is not for music or movies with no bass or mid before 1000Hz and no treble after 10kHz.
BT headphones – EXCEED
The BT 5.0 drove our reference Sony WH-1000xM4 in SBC, AAC, aptX and LDAC modes and provided good clear sound and plenty of volume. Few devices have such a wide selection of BT Codecs. Dolby Atmos presets for smart, movie, gaming and music do alter the sound stage in the headphones.
Sound quality
We do not measure the frequency response as it is a mono speaker. Suffice to say it focuses on clear voice.
Build – PASS
| Size/Weight | 159.3 x 74 x 7.8mm x 183g |
| Colours | Galactic Blue and Space Black (the effect is the ‘Reno Glow that is fingerprint-resistant) |
| Build | Glass: Gorilla Glass 6 Frame: Not determined – it looks like colour matched anodised aluminium Back: Plastic with a metalised painted Reno Glow finish |
| IP | Not rated but splash proof |
| In the box | 65W charger USB-A to USB-C Super VOOC 2.0 cable 3.5mm standard buds TPU bumper cover |
OPPO build quality and finish is superb, and it has a two-year warranty and excellent local service. To earn extra points here, it would have required an IP rating.
Android 10 – PASS+
| Android | Google Android 10 |
| UI | ColorOS 7.2 and new AI app preload |
| All standard apps, Google Lens and Assistant. Dedicated Google Assistant key. | |
| Bloatware | Mostly Google alternatives and utilities |
| Update Policy | It will get Android 11. Note that security updates handled by Google in Android 11 |
| Security | Fingerprint – under glass Goodix optical 9/10 tests FaceID |
I like ColorOS and its direction. It is like the oil on the wheels that makes Pure Android more usable.
Missing – PASS
| IP Rating | Not a deal-breaker – you need to spend at least $100 more |
| 3.5mm | Ditto – and it has a USB-C DAC inbuilt. |
| Micro-SD | Ditto and it can handle OTG devices to 1TB |
| Qi | Spend another $100 more |
If these are important the LG Velvet for $899 has it all.
Camera – PASS+
OPPO has some of the best camera tech with periscope zoom, gimbal lens mounts, AI etc.
This gets AI but otherwise is a fairly standard rear tri-camera setup. The dual selfie is interesting. Overall its is a great performer, but you can buy better cameraphones from its BBK siblings.
| Camera | Primary 48MP bins to 12MP | Ultra-Wide 8MP | Depth 2MP | Selfie 1 32MP bins to 8MP | Selfie Depth 2MP |
| Sensor | Sony IMX586 | HI-846 | GC2375 | Sony IMX616 | GC02M1B |
| Lens | 6P | 6P | 3P | 5P | 2P |
| Focus | Laser Detection (LIDAR) AF | AF | FF | ||
| Aperture f-stop | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Pixel size um | .8 bins to 1.6 | 1.12 | .8 bins to 1.6 | ||
| FOV° and cropped | 79.5 (68.2°) | 119 | 80.4 (69.8°) | 78.3 | |
| Stabilisation | gyro-EIS for video | gyro-EIS for video | |||
| Flash | LED | ||||
| Zoom | 10X Digital | ||||
| Video Max | 4K@30fps Also 21:9 mode | 1080p@30fps | |||
| Features | Live and auto HDR Video filters Sloop video editing | Auto HDR |
Daylight, outdoors
Indoors Office Light (400 lumens)
Great dynamic range, accurate colours and fine detail – you can shoot 48MP if you wish.
Low light (room <40 lumen)
Macro
It does not have a dedicated macro lens and there are no settings for same. This is no issue unless you plan to use macro.
You will note that the 48MP cannot focus below about 5cm (flower and greenery) but if we back off to 10cm it can pick up details (look at the flower leaves and greenery lower down).
Selfie
We don’t publish selfies because of their increasing use for ID Theft. And its not because my face may break the lens.
This has a 32MP binned to 8MP and a 2MP depth sensor. The 2MP adds detail and helps separate the foreground from the background.
Night
We wanted to comment on Night mode as OPPO makes such a big thing of it. It is computational photography (just like Google Pixel) that takes a bracket of shots and bins them taking the best pixels from the bracket. It then post processes the shot according to its AI to give you what it thinks the shot should be.
But all that post-processing can add noise and alter colours. OPPO does a pretty good job brightening but the end result is not as as good as I have seen.
Video
4K@30fps with Gyro-EIS is very good – pans are smooth and even. Colours are excellent, and it is quite competent at low light video without too much post-processing noise.
Sound is stereo recorded, but there is no beamforming, so if you are trying to capture sound, then a USB-C mic is best.
GadgetGuy’s take – OPPO Reno4 5G is one of the better ‘daily drives’
The OPPO Reno4 5G is the best SD765G implementation out there at the $799 price. It competes squarely with the Google Pixel 4a 5G, and offers just a little more. Mind you the Pixel 4a is a formidable device too – you can’t go wrong either way.
But due to a recent price drop, the OPPO Find X2 Lite at $649 is the superb deal now.
And for those that want the best SD765G then at $899, you can get the OPPO Find X2 Neo 5G or the LG Velvet 5G with Qi charge, microSD and IP68/MIL-SPEC.
Rating explanation
As you know a PASS on all tests earn 4/5. Then we add points for EXCEED and deduct points for FAIL.
Do we rate it in its narrow $100 price bracket or overall in the $700-999 bracket?
Answer: It ranks highly on hardware specs but not as high as others on value.
Fast facts – OPPO Reno4 5G Model CPH2091 8/128GB Dual Sim
- Australian website here
- Price: $799
- Colours: Galatic Blue (kind of an Ice Blue) or Space Black
- From: JB Hi-Fi, Bing Lee and Woolworths Mobile
- Elevator pitch: A terrific camera with a Qualcomm 5G phone thrown in
- Warranty: 2 years ALC
- Country of Manufacture: China
- OPPO (Est 2001) is a privately-owned Chinese consumer electronics and mobile communications company headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong. It is a subsidiary of BBK Electronics Corporation (Est 1995) along with OnePlus, Vivo, and Realme (and other brands including VSun, XTC, and IMOO). Its executives and long-term staff own many of the shares. BBK is currently the second-largest smartphone maker in the world (Source CounterPoint February 2020). It is most definitely not part of the Huawei/ZTE/China spying debate.
- Other OPPO news and reviews here
Grey market – no Australian warranty
We issue the standard warning that you must buy the genuine model with Australian firmware as it works on all Australian Telco carrier 4 and 5G bands and can make a 000-emergency call (not 911) without a SIM. As it is 5G capable the IMEI is initially locked to Australian Telcos – international models will not work here. Do not buy models PDP00 or PDPT00.
We have named and shamed the major grey marketers here. If you are going to spend this much money, get a genuine ‘Made for Australia’ model.
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