It’s that sort of market. Customers seeking to upgrade or swap smartphones will seek more for less. What came to be defined as the flagship killer segment – smartphones in the Rs 30,000 to 40,000 price segment, is likely to see brands vie for customers who want devices that check all boxes. Last year, OPPO’s Reno 10X Zoom occupied the upper end of that price band. It’s probably our favourite OPPO device ever. High on style and with a camera that rarely let us down. The OPPO Reno 3 Pro sits at the entry level of this segment and has a lot riding on it.
OPPO scores with the design yet again. We like the form factor, it’s a welcome departure from the unwieldy, almost clunky smartphones that are inching towards the 7-inch threshold. The Reno 3 feels good in your hand and comes in a choice of pleasing colour options – the Sky White, that we tested is our pick. While OPPO’s Color OS 7 is definitely an improvement from previous iterations of the company’s home-grown spin on Android, it’s still too busy and comes with too much bloatware. It doesn’t quite complement the design aesthetic of the device.
It’s the same aesthetic that we dig about the display. Concealed within the tiny cut-out is a dual selfie cam (OPPO calls it the world’s first 44MP dual punch-hole camera). The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display (1080 x 2400 pixels) is one of the highlights of the device. The 20:9 aspect ratio and the screen:body ratio (beyond 91%) all add up – Content consumption is fun on this device. OPPO plays up the Dolby Atmos and Hi-res audio enhancements but the company might have missed a trick by not opting for a stereo speaker set-up.
The dual punch-hole selfie cam is more than just a gimmick; it’s one of the most formidable at this price point. The ultra-night mode is our favourite feature, one that will elevate selfies snapped in sub-optimal lighting conditions. Quad cams are a given in this segment and this one sticks to the template we’ve seen with many of its rivals. It includes a 64MP primary lens, an ultra-wide lens, a depth sensor and a telephoto lens that allows you to shoot up to 20X on digital zoom. The rear cam does an admirable job in lowlight and other scenarios but zoom photography results were average.
The Reno 3 Pro is in the same segment as the OnePlus 7T that is one of the zippiest devices out there. While the Reno 3 Pro managed a respectable 224054 score in our AnTuTu benchmark test, it may not satisfy heavy duty users. The hardware spec-sheet includes a Mediatek Helio P95 processor 8GB of RAM and two internal storage variants – 128 and 256GB. The device sailed through most of our intense gaming tests and the 4025 mAh battery didn’t disappoint. The OPPO Reno 3 scores on style, a solid camera (we enjoyed using the ultra-steady video mode) and a refined form factor. It has its task cut out in a competitive segment where all-round devices usually triumph.
The OPPO Reno 3 Pro is priced at Rs 29,990 for the 8GB/128GB version and Rs 32,990 for the 8GB/256 GB option. It comes in a choice of Auroral Blue, Midnight Black and Sky White colour variants.
(Ashwin Rajagopalan writes extensively on Gadgets & Trends, Travel & Lifestyle and Food & Drink. He owns and manages Brand Stories, a creative Content outfit and www.bytesize.in, a premier lifestyle blog with a focus on short-format content. Instagram: ‘ashwinpowers’)