Oppo Reno4 5G review: the little one wishing to be as big as the Pro

At the end of 2020, the Chinese manufacturer Oppo unsheathed its latest range of phones. The Reno4 have arrived with the desire to reach a large audience. Among the devices introduced is the Oppo Reno4 5G, a standard version. MeilleurMobile was able to test it for a few days and gives you its verdict.

Summary:

Design: elegance, risk-taking but a device that looks like the others

The Chinese brand Oppo has accustomed us to high quality phones when design was involved. With the Reno4, the manufacturer ensures to offer services worthy of a product seeking to appeal to the greatest number. The phone is a pretty object in its visual aspect, taking all the codes of the best devices of 2021. If the hinge is made of plastic, Corning Gorilla Glass protects both sides of the mobile. The flat back is also very pleasant to the naked eye or in the palm of your hand.

The photo part on the front is placed in a notch on the touchscreen interface, not destroying the general harmony. It is a little more regrettable that the back creates an imbalance with the flatness rented a few lines above. This can be particularly disturbing when you have to lay the phone flat. In terms of ergonomics, the Oppo Reno4 respects the standard by offering nothing unusual on the layout of the buttons for handling.

Note the presence of a dual SIM port, as well as a type-C slot. However, no place to put a 3.5 mm jack.

Screen: a fairly fatal lack of brightness

The phone’s touchscreen interface is the primary means of interaction on it. The Oppo Reno4, highlights an OLED panel with a size of 6.4 inches. This screen is capable of displaying content of a quality corresponding to Full HD. On paper, the benefits highlighted on the phone are excellent. In fact, some difficulties are still being felt.

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According to measurements made by the 01net.com laboratory, the touchscreen interface offers a fairly low brightness compared to the competition. With a mark of 514 cd / m² it is well below the 700 cd offered by other devices. It’s also unfortunate that you don’t get a refresh rate on a panel, now that almost all devices have it. Despite this, the screen remains well calibrated and on our side the lack of brightness will not be felt during our test.

Internal power: the Snapdragon does not offer all the possible guarantees

The Oppo Reno4 has a technical sheet that is still quite attractive for its location. It works thanks to a Snapdragon 765G chip supported in its task by 8 GB of RAM. In fact, the mobile is capable of handling all types of uses. The benchmarks are however not flattering for the Chinese smartphone since his Antutu score is 321,807 points. This reflects a slight power deficit when greedy software is used.

With the contribution of ColorOS in daily operation, the Reno4 allows itself to be a faithful companion whether in standard use or a little more advanced. The videos run smoothly while the mobile games are all for the most part well animated. When the phone is used, it does not tend to overheat. Finally, the real added value within the Reno4 is its compatibility with the 5G mobile network, making it a fairly innovative product all the same.

Autonomy: can we talk about an Oppo signature?

One of the great strengths for Oppo phones is the quality of charging. Very regularly this is done to the detriment of another area and it is often autonomy. The Oppo Find X2 Pro, for example, has a fairly disappointing lifespan. For the Reno4 5G, a Lithium-Polymer slot is offered charged at 4000 mAh. For its part, the Super VOOC 2.0 charge is part of the game. Like the Find X2 Pro, the promise is made for a charge below 45 minutes.

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In fact, the mobile is doing very well in everyday use. According to the measurements of the laboratories of 01net.com, the versatile autonomy of the Oppo Reno4 reaches 15 hours and 35 minutes. It does much better than most of its competitors at the same price. It is especially at the level of the fast charge that new miracles are noted. In 11 minutes, the battery is half full. Full charge takes a total of 37 minutes. With its Super VOOC technology, Oppo is undoubtedly one of the leaders in fast charging in the telephony market.

Camera: a less prominent point

In 2021 more than in all other years, the camera of a smartphone is a decisive element in the general composition of the product. Although too often overlooked, it is also an essential aspect in the user experience. The Oppo Reno4 5G is adorned with a triple back sensor organized as follows:

• A 48-megapixel main module
• An 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle
• A 2-megapixel depth module

In everyday use, the smartphone makes use of Pixel Binning technology that merges the pixels. It is therefore a total resolution of 12 megapixels that is offered on the main lens of the mobile. When all the conditions, including lighting, are met, the pictures taken are quite respectable. Unfortunately for this kind of product, it is not enough as the images lack sharpness. Apart from the subject, the whole bears the stigma of a lack of software processing.

This is also the case for color detail, if variations in light are taken into account by the three lenses, the different colors suffer from a lack of precision. This is reflected in the pictures below. The red seems to have no distinctions while the shades of white are not transcribed, even though the play of lights is sublimated.

At night, the lack of detail is increased. So much so that a noise sometimes appears on some pictures. An aspect that is once again damaging as the phone is attractive on many points. The problem lies in the third sensor, dedicated to depth management which does not provide its added value, where a telephoto could have largely done the trick.

Conclusion: what to remember from the Oppo Reno4 5G?

Be careful not to be fooled by the last lines. The Oppo Reno4 5G is a very good smartphone. It is therefore necessary to place it in a context. The latter is sold at 499 euros and shines with its performance. The 5G compatibility, the Snapdragon 765G chip, the ergonomics of ColorOS and above all the battery offer you an almost unmatched user experience for less than 500 euros. This mobile is the second in a range with the Pro version featured, it is obvious that for even more successful services, it will be necessary to turn to this one.

Indeed, the Reno4 5G does not offer a 90 Hz screen with crazy brightness. Similarly, the photographic experience is a bit spoiled, while for the same price, a Google Pixel 4a 5G is more versatile and even better in photos. The Oppo phone remains a serious competitor to the American product, especially for people looking for an optimal experience.

The complete technical sheet of the Oppo phone is available on MeilleurMobile