OPPO Reno7 5G Review: 7 Questions Answered

2 weeks ago, we gave you a glimpse of the OPPO Reno7 5G. In our initial verdict, I said that I needed to spend more time in order to give a more proper verdict. Back then, OPPO hasn’t told us anything about its SRP, which can significantly affect my opinion about the product. Consider this article as a follow up to that article, and we’re doing this review differently. Instead of going through by segment or feature, I’ll answer 7 questions that will hopefully help you decide whether this product is a must have or a bust!

Before we proceed, here’s a quick look at the specs of the Reno 7 5G:

Reno7 5G Specs

Now, if you’re looking for our review of Reno7 Z 5G, you can check out Caroline’s article.

Question 1: The OPPO Reno7 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G. How does this even fare compared to competition?

Dimensity 900 5G’s performance sits below Snapdragon 7785G and Dimensity 920 5G in terms of overall performance. This is based on artificial benchmark and actual performance. For artificial benchmark, I used Antutu, Geekbench and PC Work 2.0. Please note that based on experience, the OPPO Reno7 5G’s performance isn’t too remote from what higher tier midrange devices. I believe, this is because of how optimized the Color OS on top of Android 12 than other products I tested.

Performance-wise, I did not have issues while editing photos, browsing social media apps or even taking photos or videos. You will, however, feel its performance inferiority when you start using the browser with lots of opened tabs, playing games or editing videos.

Question 2: Is Apex Legends Installable, and if so, what is its default graphics settings at boot?

Still on the subject of performance, you are probably wondering, how is it able to handle Apex Legends. The latter is still in early access right now, but I understand that you want to know if this game plays well on this device.

Apex Legends Mobile is ready to be downloaded from Google PlayStore (provided that you are based in the Philippines or other supported countries). It is installable too without any issues. In terms of performance, the game plays very well on the OPPO Reno7 5G with the following default graphics settings:

Question 3: Does the OPPO Reno 7 5G have Hi-Res audio support.

Yes. It can drive play hi-res audio, but it’ll hit an output cap of 16 bit 48Khz using OpenSL ES Output. You can, however, beef this up further by using an experimental direct hardware output. In my experience, I was able to play one of my 24 bit 96 kHz 32000 kbps FLAC tracks using MTK Hi-Fi Hi-Res output, albeit limited to 48kHz. It’s half the frequency of the original track, which can be played on a flagship device.

So, yes – it has hi-res audio, but it isn’t something that you will want to use when listening to your hi-res tracks with high bitrate and frequency.

Question 4: What can you say about its rear and front facing camera?

I would say that it’s one of its best traits, but it’s packs the same set of cameras of the Reno6 5G. In terms of quality, it produces accurate contrast and saturation. You also have plenty of shooting modes available using the rear facing camera like macro, Pro and Extra HD (which uses the 64MP camera), to name a few. When using Pro Mode, you’ll have quick access to histogram, timer, aspect ratio and camera settings. It’s quite packed, which can definitely be helpful for mobile photographers.

There’s nothing revolutionary about the cameras though. If you own a Reno6 5G, the Reno7 5G is an easy skippable upgrade. If you have older models, you can either consider this device, which offers a few quality and camera mode upgrades; or get a fairly cheaper device with the same set of cameras

As for its front facing camera, you get the same amount of megapixel count compared to last year’s Reno6 5G. Again, there’s nothing new, which clearly says a lot about the intended market for this device – those who have Reno 5 and below. Despite this, it is worth noting that the Reno 7 5G’s front camera is the best among the midrange devices I have tested this year. Selfies look amazing in terms of quality even in low light scenarios. You get very accurate skin tone and texture. However, as the front camera lacks a depth sensor, you lose some details when shooting portrait selfies.

Question 5: What can you say about ColorOS 12?

ColorOS 12 features quality of life and performance improvements from the previous software. There is a huge generational gap, in my experience; and it reflects a lot on the OPPO Reno7. This is what stands out versus its predecessor.

The new OS has a better and inclusive design, which favors softer icons and animations. It features adaptable frameworks, which eventually makes things easier for consumers to navigate through its software features. Seamlessness and QOL are the best things about this OS, which makes it somehow perform and look closer to Xiaomi’s MIUI OS – in my opinion.

I relatively experienced lesser navigation lag and performance stutters. There are also extra features that allowed me to further protect my privacy.

The downside is that OPPO Reno7 5G is still using Android 11, which somehow invalidates some of the features of ColorOS 12.

Question 6: How is the 4500mAh battery of the OPPO Reno7 5G?

In my case, I managed to use it for about 16 hours ang 25 minutes with 12% battery remaining at moderate to heavy usage. This is, by my standards, an average battery performance as it is neither beyond nor lower than expectation. However, it is good to note that you get a 65W SuperVOOC charger out of the box, which should allow you to charge the device to 100% in less than an hour. There are also plenty of battery optimization features built in to the system, which can further prolong its battery juice and maximize the device.

Question 7: PhP26,999 – is the price worth it?

Short answer: No. They should price it around PhP21K.

Long answer: OPPO Reno7 5G offers quite a number of upgrades if you’re coming from any midrange OPPO devices prior to Reno6 5G. In this regard, it may be an amazing upgrade, albeit pricey especially when compared to device offerings by Xiaomi, realme and Huawei. OPPO has so many things to learn from this though: (1) If they need to be seen as a premium brand, I suggest that bring their big “guns” here like Find X5 and Find N series, which are clearly the best ones in their portfolio. I would rather save for their base Find X5 smartphone rather than spend PhP27K on a device with a chipset slower than a device worth PhP24K; (2) consider repricing the Reno 7 series to PhP17,999 to PhP21,999 to make it more competitive in the landscape. Consumers will have the tendency to compare, and when faced with a plethora of choices, they will pick the device that is powerful enough within their budget.

Giancarlo Viterbo

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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.