The OPPO Reno Z is part of the new Reno series – joining its 4G lossless 10X zoom and its well-priced 5G model. Reno is pronounced Ree-No like OPPO is Ohh-Po…
The Oppo Reno Z, however, is a $499 phone. I wondered if it was not a little cheeky of OPPO to call it a Reno when its Reno 4G and 5G siblings cost $1,199 and $1,499 and use the current flagship powerhouse Qualcomm SD855. This uses a MediaTek Helio P90 processor. And it is missing the uber-sexy, shark fin pop-up selfie camera. Instead, it has a centre teardrop. Reno’s brother by a different mother perhaps.
Don’t get me wrong – OPPO can call it whatever it likes just as Google has done with the Pixel 3a/XL and Huawei with its P30 Lite (that bears little resemblance to its P30/Pro siblings). As John Laws used to say, “When you are on a good thing, stick to it”.
Interesting, however, is that the OPPO Reno Z has caused so much excitement. Several readers now report having bought one, and I set out to discover why.
Spoiler alert: This is a terrific phone with a 6.4-inch gorgeous AMOLED screen, 6/128GB, Wi-Fi AC and a pretty amazing camera. And it is $499, repeat $499 dual sim unlocked.
How rate smartphones
We develop paradigms – what it needs to do – and slot them into market segments.
Our original four categories have grown to seven, and we review against different paradigms for each category.
- Foldable $2500+
- Premium Flagship $1600-2499 (usually a flagship with more memory/storage, additional camera lens and now 5G)
- Flagship $1000-1599 (account for about 10% of sales)
- Premium mid-market $800-999 (10% and often last year’s flagship at run-out price)
- Mid-market $500-799 (about 25% of the market)
- Mass-market $200-499 (about 25% of the market)
- Value pre-paid <A$199 (about 30% of the market – good for pre-paid and children)
The OPPO Reno Z is $499 and competes squarely with the Motorola One Vision (review here), the new Nokia 7.2 (when available), Samsung Galaxy A50 and the Huawei P30 Lite. Each phone has strengths and weaknesses.
Buy here – or you will regret it
We issue the standard warning that you must buy the genuine model CPH1979AU dual sim with Australian firmware as it works on all Australian Telco carrier LTE bands and can make a 000-emergency call (not 911) without a SIM. These also have Google Pay that works with Australian PayWave readers.
How to tell: Printed under the box it has the words ‘OPPO Mobile Australia’ and the warning that this product is only for sale and use in Australia. It will also have a C-tick.
OPPO Reno Z Model CPH1979AU 8/128GB dual sim
Australian Website here
In the box
- OPPO Reno Z Handset
- VOOC 3 fast charger 5V/4A
- VOOC ‘green’ USB-A to USB-C cable
- 3.5 mm OPPO earbuds and mic
- Pre-fitted screen protector
- Silicon bumper case – Smokey black
The first impression
I like the OPPO style, so I am always happy to see a new model. The review unit, however, came in basic dull, boring piano black albeit that OPPO calls it Jet Black (and it is a fingerprint magnet). The only other Australian colour is Aurora Purple. Both are gradient colours – change as you view them from
By the way, if you see it in Star Purple, Extreme Night Black, Coral Orange, or Bead White – warning – these are not Australian models.
The 6.4-inch centre teardrop screen is big, bright and almost bezel-less. The rear has a subtle OPPO branding and the wording ‘Designed by OPPO’ which is a shot over Huawei’s bow that has ‘Designed by Leica’.
It has a dual rear 48/5MP camera, dual-LED flash and the now famous ‘nub’ that raises the body ever so slightly to protect the camera.
OPPO also puts effort into the box – its worthy of finding under the Christmas tree.
But above all remember that this is a $499 phone and there must be cost compromises somewhere. Our job is to find them and let you know if they matter.
Screen
|
Size: 6.4-inches Resolution: 2340 x 1080 PPI: 402 Ratio: 19.5:9 Type: AMOLED (Samsung sourced) AOD – clock, missed calls, SMS and selected notifications S-T-B-R: 92% Colour depth in bit/colours: 16m Brightness: measured from 440 to 455 nits Contrast: infinite due to OLED producing true blacks HDR: HDR10 Colour gamut: 97% NTSC (95% sRGB) Delta E 4.82 (no adjustment) Notch: Centre small half teardrop Under glass 3D fingerprint |
| Screen protection: type: Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Daylight readability: Superb |
It is a bright AMOLED screen, easily readable in sunlight. You can alter the colour temperature from cool 6500K to warm 7500K – default is half-way.
As usual, the auto-brightness setting is too aggressive towards battery life, and I turn it off. Then set the slider to about 80% before it displays the high-power consumption warning.
There are no colour adjustment options, but under Developer Options, you can enable sRGB, and it achieves ABOUT 95% sRGB.
Summary: The best screen so far on a $499 phone – its AMOLED!
Performance
| Processor |
MediaTek MT6779 Helio P90 12nm 2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU |
PowerVR GM9446 OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 Vulkan 1.0, 1.1 OpenCL 1.1, 1.2 Android NN HAL (Android neural networks) |
| RAM |
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4-1866Mhz Storage: 128GB eMMC 108GB free OTG Support: Yes Micro-SD card expansion: No |
Here is the first of the compromises. The MT Helio P90 12nm is quite a good chip for mid-to-high-end handhelds, lets alone debuting in this mass-market device. But it is no Qualcomm. Its closest and more powerful rival is the Qualcomm SD730 or SD710 that OPPO uses in the R17 Pro.
It uses six smaller A55 at 2.0GHz (for most things) and two A75 cores at 2.2Ghz (for grunt). These idle at 774/850Mhz and this means excellent power efficiency. GeekBench gives it a single/multi/compute score of 2017/6979/5635.
We loaded the phone with multiple apps and browsers – it was silky smooth.
What you lose is Qualcomm’s tech like the superb Hexagon Digital Signal Processor, AI, Aqstic sound/aptX and its X series modems. Is it a deal-breaker? Apparently not and it saves valuable pennies.
The GPU’s forte is low power use, photo rendering and video compression – it can encode/decode MP4 and decode HEVC H.265. It also supports Google’s AR extensions.
Game use: OPPO has a Game Boost 2.0 mode with Frame Boost and Touch Boost. It should play most FHD+ mobile games. However, MediaTek has just released its games focused, Helio G90, and it uses the Mali G76 MP4.
The 8/128GB ram/storage is unheard of in a mass-market phone. Another compromise is no MicroSD slot for memory expansion. Still, for this price who cares.
Heat load: Under 100% load for 15 minutes it went between 122,466-134,283 GIPS. It averages 95% performance, so there is no throttling under load. The rear cover temperature was just on 32° – perfect.
Comms
| Wi-FI |
Wi-Fi AC, dual-band, MIMO Wi-Di, Hotspot |
| BT |
Bluetooth 5.0 SBC codec |
| NFC | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 |
| GPS | A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
Wi-Fi strength on 5Ghz is -47dBm compared to our reference Galaxy Note9 at -48dBm (lower is better). Both phones achieve 866Mbps at 2m from our D-link AC 5300 router. At 5m the Note9 is 195Mbps versus 173Mbps for the Reno Z. It has an excellent Wi-Fi antenna setup.
GPS has fast satellite acquisition and more than enough speed for turn-by-turn navigation and recalculations.
4G/5G/LTE
| LTE |
Cat 12 600/100Mbps Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/18/19/20/26/28/ 29/40/41 |
| Sim |
Dual sim unlocked – no microSD slot (note Vodafone, Optus and Telstra are single SIM) Dual active SIM can support both 4G and VoLTE at the same time |
| Other | VoLTE and VoWiFi depends on carrier |
Both the Reno Z and Note9, were -97dBm. But where the Reno Z shines is finding the next nearest tower at -99dBm – the Note9 cannot – that reflects later tech.
LTE Bands cover all Australia carriers and many international ones.
You can read about Dual Sim setup options on OPPO here. It really offers excellent flexibility.
Sound
| Sound | 3.5mm audio jack Earpiece (mono for phone) plus becomes stereo with the down-firing speaker Mics: 2 3.5mm buds FM Radio (needs wired headphones) |
| AMP | Dual Class D TFA98912UK 3.6W RMS at 8 Ohm THD <1% Dolby Atmos decoding Default res: 16-bit/48kHz Max res 24-bit/192kHz |
This is a loud phone. Ringer is 86dB and voice/music is 76/79dB – outstanding.
I usually criticise the so-called a stereo earpiece and down-firing speaker combo, but it had reasonable separation and similar volume and sound characteristics. Good tuning!
As is OPPO’s style our reference Sony WH-100XM3 headphones sounded superb although we suspect its nothing to do with the SBC codec and more to do with the Dolby Atmos psychoacoustic trickery.
Dolby Atmos means it can accept up to 5.1.2 or 7.1.4 Atmos content and downmix it to the 2.0 speakers or headphones/buds. Atmos settings are Smart, Movie, Gaming and Music.
We tested the 3.5mm buds, and the sound was adequate – no bass, strong mids and weak upper mids and treble.
Sound signature
Deep Bass: 20-40Hz – nil
Middle Bass: 40-100Hz – nil
High Bass: 100 to 200Hz – building
Low-mids: 200-400Hz – still building
Mids: 400-1000Hz – building and flat
High-mids: 1-2kHz – flat
Low-treble: 2-4kHz – flat to peaking
Treble: 4-6kHz – declining
High Treble: 6-10kHz – declining
Dog whistle: 10-20 – dropped off the cliff at 16kHz
This is predominately a bright vocal sound signature that is good for voice but tends to lack the ‘oomph’ for bass.
OPPO has a headphone monitor setting that allows you to hear the smartphone mic via the headphones. Karaoke anyone?
Other
| Other |
Fingerprint sensor under glass Face recognition 2D |
This has one of the best under glass scanners I have used. It is fast but not quite as fast as the Reno 5G which is blazing – blame the lower-powered Helio 90 SoC.
Face recognition is also excellent and quick. I tended to use this for convenience over the fingerprint system.
Battery
| Battery | 4000mAh battery |
| Charger | VOOC 3 charger 5V/4A (20W) Quick Charge: 50% in 30 minutes |
The battery is large for this class of device. OPPO VOOC is two batteries wired in serial and the Charger is two chargers putting out 5V/2A each. It is an eminently sensible and safer way to give it the capacity and charge speed without overstressing a single 4000mAh battery and USB-PD charger.
The ‘green’ cable USB-A to USB-C is for VOOC to deliver two concurrent charges. If you lose that you can still charge at half rate using the VOOC charger or a 5V/2A charger. It is not USB-C USB-PD compatible but using that charger will not damage it.
Tests:
- 1080p Video loop, 50% brightness, Airplane mode, 13 hours
- Heavy Use: 11 hours
- Under 100% load and everything turned on 3 hours
Given typical use we expect this to run for 24-36+ hours between charges.
Operating system
| OS |
Android: 9 Security Patch: July 2019 (excellent) UI: ColorOS 6 Google Assistant |
My son is an OPPO fan using its phones since 2014. He has seen ColourOS grow up. “ColorOS, when I fist started using it, was very Apple-like and that was OK as I had come from Apple. But OS5 and now OS6 are more Android-like, and that is a good thing. OS6 (based on Android 9) has so many more smarts, and I can see why it needs its camera app (for AI and added features). I really like it – it adds much value to pure Android, and you sill have all the Google services and apps.”
It is now a minimal learning curve, but for the most part, Android users will love the added functionality of ColorOS6 – more here. BTW – you can set the home key layout to Android 9, Apple or Android 8 styles.
Build etc
| Colours | Jet Black and Aurora Purple |
| Build | 2nd-generation ink-ribbon printing technology, which uses a seven-layer ribbon over polycarbonate. Alloy frame Slippery – use the bumper case |
| Dimensions | 157.3 x 74.9 x 9.1 mm x 186g |
| IP Rating | Not rated (rain resistant) |
The last thing you expect is Gorilla Glass (any version) over an alloy frame. OPPOs build quality is excellent.
IP ratings are always nice but not expected for $499.
What’s missing
| Missing | microSD slot |
I must take a point off for no Micro-SD, but with 128GB I have to add it back on in a $499 phone.
Camera
| Rear Camera 1 Primary | 48MP (pixel bins to 12MP) Sensor brand/model: Sony IMX586 Pixel Size: .8um (pixel bins to 1.6um) F-stop: f/1.7 Stabilisation: Gyro EIS for 1K video Focus type: PDAF HDR: Auto Zoom: 10X digital Flash type: dual, Saved images: Bayer RAW or JPEG Video:4K@30fps with stereo recording Google Lens: |
| Rear Camera 2 | 5MP Depth sensor F/2.4 |
| Camera features | AI Low-light Shot, Ultra Night Mode 2.0, Backlit Selfie AI scene recognition, Photo, Portrait, Video, Night, Pano, Expert, Time-lapse, and Slo-mo |
| Selfie 1 | 32MP (bins to 8MP) F/2.0 .8um (1.6um equivalent when binned) HDR Face unlock No screen fill flash |
Why the detail?
While 48MP sounds impressive and it is the same primary sensor as the Reno 5G, and 4G 10x zoom. The reality is that it defaults to a pixel binning 12MP camera in all but the brightest light. There is nothing wrong with that – most high MP cameras do that including Google’s Pixel series.
In terms of luminosity, HDR and colour reproduction of the OPPO Reno Z camera is much better than its competitors for the price. But I think it needs a firmware update to its post-processing algorithms to make images a little sharper (compared to the Qualcomm powered Reno 4 and 5G)
There are small differences between the Sony 48MP IMX586 sensor and the Samsung 48MP SK5GM1 used in the Motorola One Vision.
Sony has gyro-EIS and can shoot at 48MP or 12MP. Samsung has OIS and only shoots at 12MP.
From what I read, the Sony Sensor has the edge
it
The Samsung has Tetracel Plus (really Quad-Bayer), but its 12MP output means digital zoom is not as crisp as it extrapolates to 48MP.
AI software
Suffice to say OPPO is a leader in AI for photography and has almost every conceivable feature. Now they have added night mode.
Tests – all auto
Daylight, outdoors
Indoors Office Light (400 lumens)
Low light (room with less than 100 lumens)
Selfie
32MP (bins to 8MP) detail is excellent, but contrast is not quite there. Still it is a sharp and colourful shot.
Bokeh
See toy dog shot above. The rear bokeh works flawlessly. It is OK for the single-lens front camera as long as you are not wearing things that break your silhouette.
Video
It has 4K@30fps and colour and details are excellent if you hold it still. At 1K@30fps gyro-EIS kicks in and colour and quality are terrific even if you are walking around
GadgetGuy’s take – OPPO you have done it again. The Oppo Reno Z is a class-leading act even if its as cheap as chips.
Huge colourful, bright AMOLED display, fast SoC, 8/128GB, and a 48 (12MP) and 32MP selfie camera. There is not one thing to dislike about this.
I love this phone. In a week or so of use, it could be my daily drive. At $499 it makes me think about forking out over $1000 on a flagship ever again.
Naysayers will point to the MediaTek Helio P90 and its lack of a pedigree (specifically games, but I think it is OK. Then they will point to no microSD slot – 128GB for $499, get real. They may also say ColorOS 6 over Android 9 is not perfect, but it is pretty good, and those who use it – love it.
The only real competitor is the $499 Motorola One Vision, and yes, Pure Android One (and its guaranteed patches and OS updates) and an IP53 rating may sway me, but it’s a tough call between them.
One reader who bought and OPPO Reno Z sent me this
Despite the Reno Z not having removable SD card I’ll live with the Reno Z’s 128GB. I can use Wi-Fi or USB-C to transfer excess ‘stuff’ to my PC.
One key determinant was the Reno Z’s stereo speakers – after the Sony
I’m still getting the hang of the ColorOS 6. The fingerprint recognition works well, and very fast (a second or less). The screen has a noticeably better resolution and much easier to read than the Xperia’s. The phone overall
One nice touch is that the screen comes with a scratch-resistant protector and a silicone case is thrown in, so you don’t need to source and pay extra for these. The phone looks very nice (until you mask it with the cover, of course).
I don’t play games, so the processor is not an issue for me. It easily copes with road navigation, etc. As far as I can ascertain at this early stage, having a MediaTek rather than Snapdragon won’t be an issue.
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