focus on design and portrait photography

OPPO has just officially announced the OPPO Reno 8 series for Europe. This series consists of the ‘regular’ OPPO Reno 8 5G and the OPPO Reno 8 Pro 5G. The devices, like other smartphones from the Reno series, mainly focus on design and camera quality. For example, the Reno 8 Pro will have the MariSillicon X Imaging NPU (Neural Processing Unit) at its disposal. A special separate chip that should improve photos and videos by means of, among other things, artificial intelligence (AI).

OPPO Reno 8 Series

The OPPO Reno 8 series consists of two devices. The ‘normal’ OPPO Reno 8 5G and the OPPO Reno 8 Pro 5G. The Pro is OPPO’s flagship Reno series. However, both phones feature the same specs in many respects. However, the Pro does have a faster processor and the MariSillicon X Imaging NPU.

The Reno 8 series was previously announced in China and India, but OPPO has also officially launched the smartphones in Europe today. Besides the design and the cameras, the Reno 8 series focuses on two other factors. The device has to excel in terms of battery and performance. In this article we briefly look at these four spearheads of both smartphones.

Cinema design?

The design of both phones is somewhat reminiscent of the latest iPhones that ‘have had fun together’ with a OnePlus 10T and OnePlus Nord CE 2. With this combination you approximately arrive at the OPPO Reno 8 (Pro). This means, among other things, that the smartphones have a sleek and flat aluminum edge and have a flat glass front and back. Speaking of this front, the front of the smartphones shows off a Full HD+ AMOLED panel. The Pro has a 6.7-inch screen and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The regular Reno 8 has a 6.4 inch display with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The chin of the Reno 8 Pro, the black border at the bottom of the screen, is only 2.37mm, making it the thinnest chin of all OPPO smartphones.

The cameras of both smartphones continue into the sides of the phones. The camera island is further inspired by cinema cameras, according to OPPO, and the design further offers a “tribute to the art of light and shadow”. The OPPO Reno 8 Pro is available in “Glazed Green” and “Glazed Black” colors. The regular Reno 8 is available in the colors ‘Shimmer Gold’ and ‘Shimmer Black’.

Cameras and MariSillicon X

As mentioned above, the OPPO Reno 8 Pro has received the MariSillicon X Imaging NPU. A separate chip that was specially developed by OPPO and should ensure that photos are processed better. We first saw this chip in the OPPO Find X5 Pro, OPPO’s current flagship. This device was tested by our Sebastien at the time. He was moderately positive about the camera quality of this phone at the time. You can read more about this in his review here. The MariSillicon X chip is baked on a 6nm baking process and thus should play a major role in photo and video editing. The separate chip will have to improve the processing of photos taken with the cameras of the OPPO Reno 8 Pro due to the extra processing power and artificial intelligence. For example, according to OPPO, the MariSillicon X chip can process up to 18 trillion operations per second. In addition, through an optimized memory system, the chip should ensure that the copying of photos, videos and other data is faster.

The OPPO Reno 8 series devices also have a 50 MP main camera, an 8 MP wide-angle lens and a 2 MP macro camera. The main camera has a Sony IMX766 sensor. This is a widely used and relatively large sensor, which we also find in the Realme GT Neo 3 150W, the OnePlus Nord 2T and the Nothing Phone (1). We know from our previous experiences with the sensor that, in combination with good image processing, it is capable of taking good photos. We are therefore very curious whether the OPPO Reno 8 Pro, with its integrated MariSillicon X chip, can get even more out of the sensor. Finally, the MariSillicon X chip should provide better portrait photos. In addition, according to OPPO, the portrait mode of the Reno 8 Pro has 22 apertures that should create a wide range of bokeh effects.

Longest battery life on the market

The OPPO Reno 8 and the 8 Pro both have a 4500 mAh battery that can be charged with a power of 80W. For this, OPPO uses its self-developed SuperVOOC charging technology. With this, the device is charged from 0 to 50 percent within eleven minutes. From 0 utility 100 percent takes about 30 minutes. According to OPPO, the OPPO Reno 8 Pro also has a well-conducting cooling system that is equipped with new advanced cooling materials and a large cooling surface. This, according to the company, will cool the phone better and this should ensure on the one hand a better battery life and on the other hand to sustain peak speeds for longer.

In addition to the fast charging and the extensive cooling system, the battery of the Reno 8 and 8 Pro also contains a technology that should extend the life of the batteries. OPPO calls it ‘Battery Health Engine’ and with this the battery of the Reno 8 (Pro) retains up to 80% of its original capacity after 1600 full charge cycles. This is twice as much as the standard.

Fast performance

Finally, the OPPO Reno 8 Pro runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 MAX processor. The phone is supported by 8 or 12 GB of RAM. The MediaTek Dimensity 8100 MAX is also a small upgrade compared to the MediaTek 8100 chipset. This latter processor runs in the Realme GT Neo 3 150W, among others, and that device was very fast. The processor achieved a higher benchmark score than, for example, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Of course, benchmark tests do not say everything, because many other factors play a role in how fast a smartphone actually is and feels. However, the Realme GT Neo 3 150W was very fast, and because the Realme and the OPPO Reno 8 Pro run almost the same software, we also expect fast performance from the Reno 8 Pro. You can of course read more about this in our review. The Reno 8 will also have access to the Dimensity 1300 chipset.

Price and availability

The OPPO Reno 8 Pro is available in “Glazed Green” and “Glazed Black” colors and starts at 749 euros. If you order the OPPO Reno 8 and 8 Pro before October 2, you will get four free gifts worth 327 euros. These are OPPO Enco (wireless earbuds), OPPO AirVOOC 50W wireless charger, OPPO Watch free and a silicone case.

The ‘regular’ OPPO Reno 8 5G is available from 529 euros. This phone is available in the colors ‘Shimmer Gold’ and ‘Shimmer Black’. With this phone you get the same gifts as mentioned above, but without the OPPO AirVOOC 50W wireless charger.

• Buy OPPO Reno 8 Pro 5G – Belsimpel, Coolblue, MediaMarkt, Coolblue, Mobiel.nl and the OPPO e-store – 749 euros
• Buy OPPO Reno 8 5G – Belsimpel, Coolblue, MediaMarkt, Coolblue, Mobiel.nl and the OPPO e-store – 529 euros

Specifications