nice mid-range engine with 5G and decent performance

The Oppo Reno 6 looks nice. In appearance, the device somewhat resembles an iPhone with the flattened sides. You can read in this review whether the Oppo Reno 6 also has a nice inside.

Oppo Reno 6 5G review

The Oppo Reno series is already in its sixth edition. Recently, Oppo released the Reno 6 and the Reno 6 Pro. Two, at first glance, fine smartphones. The devices are quite pricey. In our review you can read whether the hefty price can be justified for the Oppo Reno 6.

Sales package

What immediately stands out is the large box in which the Oppo Reno 6 is delivered. In the box we find a very complete content. Oppo supplies a fast charger, a USB-C cable and earphones. In a separate box, in addition to some booklets, we also find a cover for the SIM card.

Design and interface

The design of the Oppo Reno 6 resembles an iPhone with its flattened sides. As a result, the device is not very comfortable in the hand without a case. A case is therefore definitely recommended.

Oppo has given the Reno 6 a 6.43-inch Full-HD AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 90Hz. A great screen in itself, but we would have preferred a refresh rate of 120Hz for the price. The selfie camera is placed at the top left of the screen. On the left we find the volume keys, the right offers space for the on and off button. At the bottom there is room for the USB-C connection and a speaker. Unfortunately, this is the only speaker, but the sound of this speaker is certainly there. Both the sound and the volume are excellent. On the back we find the camera module with three different lenses. We will come back to this later in this review.

Interface

ColorOS is the name of the skin that Oppo installs on its devices. Although this skin has improved quite a bit over the years, we experience ColorOS skin as quite busy and is therefore packed with options. On the other hand, you do have the option to set up the device completely to your own taste. You have the option to customize just about everything, from the shape of the icons to the animation of the fingerprint scanner when you use it to unlock the device. An always-on display can also be found under settings and can be adjusted to your own taste.

Communication: calling, chatting and surfing the internet

The Oppo Reno 6 is fine to use for calling. For this you use the standard Google phone app. You can also send messages with Google’s standard messaging app, just like typing messages. You do this with Gboard. We have no complaints about the quality of the sound during calls. This is fine.

What is also great are the possibilities in terms of connectivity. The Oppo Reno 6 offers support for 5G, WiFi 2.4GHz and 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC. The device also supports two SIM cards.

Multimedia: music and film

We have already mentioned it before, the Oppo Reno 6 has no stereo speakers on board, the device has to do with the speaker that is placed at the bottom of the device. This speaker provides excellent sound. Even when the volume is turned up, the sound is still fine. The volume is also fine, the volume can be very loud. The 6.43-inch screen is perfect for watching movies, and the screen is easy to read even in direct sunlight. The screen can also be dimmed sufficiently, so that it is also pleasant to read in the dark.

Camera: photo and video

Oppo has equipped the Reno 6 5G with three cameras on the back and one on the front of the device. On the back we find a 64 megapixel main lens, an 8 megapixel wide-angle lens and a 2 megapixel macro lens. The selfie camera is equipped with a 32 megapixel lens.

The camera app works very nicely. There is no unnecessary fuss in the app and all options and functions are easy to find. What immediately struck me is that the camera app starts up very quickly. You don’t have to wait until the app has started and you can shoot a photo, you can do this almost immediately when you start the app. Very handy if you find yourself in a situation where you have to take a picture quickly.

The camera app can still start up quickly, but if the quality of the photos is not good, this is of little use. We can immediately reassure you, fortunately this is not the case. The quality of the photos is fine. Colors and details are accurately reproduced. The device lacks a telephoto lens. Zooming in further than twice is therefore not a good idea. The photos become blurry quite quickly when zooming in.

Just like the main lens, the wide-angle lens also takes great pictures. Here too, colors are realistically displayed and a lot of detail is shown. We are even quite satisfied with the macro lens. Often the quality is not something to write home about for such a lens due to the rather low resolution, but this is not the case with the Oppo Reno 6. However, do not expect top photos either, the quality is reasonable.
Photos we took in the dark are not disappointing thanks to the night mode. Of course you notice that the Oppo Reno 6 is not a high-end device, but we are reasonably pleased with the quality. Photos that we took for the Oppo Reno 6 review can be viewed in the online photo album.

Video camera

We are also pleased with videos that we have made with the Oppo Reno 6. Oppo has added a useful feature in the camera app. When the camera app is open, quickly open the settings by swiping down. Here you have the option to quickly adjust the resolution and frame rate. You can choose from: 720p, 1080p and 4K. With the last option you don’t have the option to film at 60 frames per second, with the other two options you have the choice to film at 30 or 60 frames per second.

Other options

The fact that the Oppo Reno 6 is a device from the middle segment does not mean that Oppo has been economical with equipping functions. We’ll unpack some options.

Fingerprint scanner

The fingerprint scanner is located under the screen. We would have liked the position a bit higher, so that it is easier to reach with your thumb. We are satisfied with the performance of the fingerprint scanner, the device unlocks fairly quickly when you place your finger on the scanner. Oppo has added a handy option to the fingerprint scanner. This works as follows: by holding down the fingerprint scanner, you open up to 5 apps that you can quickly open that way. You can set these apps yourself.

Update Policy

Oppo is doing well when it comes to updating its devices. The Reno series will receive two OS updates and three years of security updates. The security updates will be rolled out quarterly. We have very little to say about this.

Performance: battery, speed and memory

We see more and more that smartphones are equipped with a processor from MediaTek. So is the Reno 6. This device is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 900. Although there are faster chipsets from MediaTek, the Dimensity 900 works fine. This processor has a clock speed of 2.4 GHz and therefore does its job well. We did not experience any stutter or lag during the test period. The device is also equipped with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This memory cannot be expanded with an SD card.

Oppo has provided a battery of 4300mAh. This is more than enough to get through the day. With fairly intensive use, you have about 20% left at the end of the day with a screen-on-time of just under five hours. If you still have to carry on, the included 65 Watt charger offers a solution. This allows you to charge the Oppo Reno 6 at lightning speed.

Judgement

Both externally and internally, the Oppo Reno 6 is fine. The device is very fully equipped and actually has few downsides. ColorOS may be on the busy side, but it’s packed with options. When you have made the device completely your own, you ask yourself why you should buy a high-end device. After all, the Oppo Reno 6 costs “only” about 480.

You can buy the Oppo Reno 6 at Coolblue, Bol.com, Mobiel, MediaMarkt and Belsimpel. The device is also available from the providers T-Mobile, Vodafone, KPN and Tele2. Until October 10, you will receive several nice extras with your order.