OPPO Reno 7 5G: Your First Look

OPPO finally revealed the new Reno 7 series. While it wasn’t a surprise for most of us, OPPO Philippines announced that they are bringing the OPPO Reno 7 series here in the Philippines. Here’s your exclusive first look.

Unboxing

If you missed watching our quick unboxing video on TikTok and YouTube Shorts, here’s everything you need to know inside the OPPO Reno7 5G review unit I received:

• OPPO Reno 7 5G
• Jelly case
• Screen protector
• Sim tray ejector
• 65W SuperVOOC Charger
• USB-C cable
• Manual and Warranty card

Build

Some would think that the OPPO Reno 7 5G is a downgrade from its previous generation. It has a more minimalist look with its curved edges and OPPO glow design. The camera bump also gives the impression that it lower specs than the OPPO Reno 6. In actuality, the OPPO Reno 7 5G is neither an upgrade nor a downgrade. It’s unapologetically…. the same except for its battery capacity, faster storage and brighter display. Hold on – I’m getting ahead of myself.

So, the design of the OPPO reno 7 is a little bland and unexciting. It does not have the premium flair that the Reno 7z 5G exudes. Don’t get me wrong as this may just be my personal preference. If you’re still decided to get the Reno 7, I suggest that you go for the Startrails Blue and not the Starry Black that I’ve got.

Volume rockers are on the left side, just below the SIM tray; and the sleep/wake button is on the right side. There’s a microphone at the top of the device, and the rest of the I/O and speakers are at the bottom. You’ve got a 3.5mm headphone jack, secondary microphone, Type C port and speakers.

Display

The OPPO Reno 7 5G sports a 6.43-inch AMOLED display. It can go as high as 90Hz refresh rate and 800 nits peak brightness. You may think that it’s the same as Reno 6 5G’s display specs, which is absolutely correct. The only major difference on Reno 7 5G is its peak brightness, which is 50 nits more than previous generation. This is barely noticeable by my standards, and does not offer something new, overall.

However, if there’s anything that’s really commendable about the Reno 7 is how good the display is. Colors pop out out and contrast levels is impressive. Display is flagship-level and this being not too different from its predecessor in a minor concern.

Hardware

The OPPO Reno 7 5G is powered by a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor with Mali-G68 MC4 GPU. It’s a pretty decent chipset, but its performance is a tad slower than the current Dimensity 920 chipset. I really hoped for OPPO to use a newer chipset on the Reno 7, and it’s quite a letdown seeing it to have the same chipset from last year’s Reno 6.

As usual, I will be showing full benchmark results on my full review on March 18. However, if you’re itching to know how this may likely perform, you can check my full review of the OPPO Reno 6 5G here. I feel that the difference in terms of performance will not be really significant.

Camera

OPPO Reno 7 5G is quite capable in the camera department. As a midrange smartphone, while some are not expecting much from it, you’ll be surprised that this device takes really amazing selfies and rear facing photos!

Rear Camera

• 64 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.7µm, PDAF
• 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚ (ultrawide)
• 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)

Front Camera

• 32 MP, f/2.4, 24mm (wide), 1/2.74″, 0.8µm

Expectations have been met with the photos I took using the Reno 7 5G. It produces accurate contrast and saturation. Texture levels are insanely good using rear and front cameras. OPPO once again confirmed that they are among the best brands in the field of mobile portraiture. OPPO also included neat retouching effects on the Reno 7 5G, which gives your photos a boost in quality.

The OPPO Reno 7 5G also has an extra video feature that allows you to shoot DSLR-Like bokeh flare for both photo and video. This feature works well on photo, but not on video. The bokeh has wave artifacts, which can be very obvious especially when projected on a bigger screen.

I will, of course, make a deep-dive of the OPPO Reno 7 5G’s camera capabilities on my full review. Meanwhile, here are some of the sample photos I took.

Battery

The biggest changes on the OPPO Reno 7 5G are its battery capacity, charging compatibility and the included charger. The phone now has 4500mAh battery and supports up to 65W charging. Fortunately (and unlike other brands), OPPO included a 65W SuperVOOC charger in the retail box.

Initial Verdict

I need to spend more time with the OPPO Reno 7 5G. We do not have the SRP yet, which can be a significant factor in my final review. For now, I suggest that you wait out and see how much they’ll be pricing this product. Right now, I find OPPO Reno 7 5G is perfect for OPPO fans who did not buy the OPPO Reno 6 5G. If you, however, own a Reno 6 5G, I do not recommend that you consider this device. You may as well wait for next year’s OPPO Reno 8 or get the OPPO Find X5 if OPPO Philippines decides to bring it here in the Philippines.

Reno7 5G Specs

Giancarlo Viterbo

Website

Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.