Before we begin, let me ask a quick question: Is anyone still waiting for a sleek and stylish beauty in the smartphone world?
Yes, I'm talking about those devices that boast a slim and exquisite body, feature a unique and fashionable design, are priced in the mid-range segment, have average hardware specifications. To put it simply, I'm referring to recent releases like the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, OPPO Reno series, vivo S series, and the Honor digital series.
As an early adopter of the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, Xiao Lei can only say that I quite like it.
If you're also waiting for such a device, then you've waited for the right one. Based on current information, in the next two weeks, mainstream manufacturers with similar positioning are set to launch a wave of major updates. These models that have been selling well offline will collectively introduce new devices to make a splash for the upcoming 618 shopping festival.
Leading the charge will be the OPPO Reno12 series.
(Source: OPPO)
On May 23rd, OPPO held a new product launch event, officially introducing the highly anticipated Reno12 series.
TechRadar was invited to participate in this launch event. The new series not only features a slim and delicate body, a deep four-curved screen, and a super durable diamond structure, but also brings new software upgrades such as AI imaging and live photo sharing, showcasing OPPO's deep dive into technological innovation.
Now, we have this device in our hands as well.
Without further ado, let's dive into the main topic today: the standard version of the OPPO Reno12. What are the highlights of this product, and what are its shortcomings? I believe everyone is as eager as I am. So, without further delay, let's take a closer look.
Deep four-curved screen for a smoother touch
As usual, let's start with the appearance.
The OPPO Reno12 comes in three color options: Soft Peach, Ebony Black, and the flagship Millennium Silver.
(Source: OPPO)
The so-called Millennium Silver, according to OPPO's official statement, reflects an aesthetic of the Y2K era (the late 1990s to the early 21st century). People at that time were full of fantasies and longings for future technology, and the associated aesthetic elements featured silver, metal, fluorescence, transparency, and other semi-realistic elements. The most common of these was a unique set of silver foil outfits.
And the Reno12 in our hands does indeed look like it's wrapped in a layer of silver foil.
(Material Source: Lei Technology)
Made of AG frosted glass material, it offers a delicate and silky touch, resistant to fingerprint smudges.
With its unique flowing silver glass design, under different lighting conditions, it can refract various flowing textures, resembling the liquid metal from Terminator 2, evoking a sense of nostalgia yet seemingly from our future era.
The so-called "retro-futurism" might just be this feeling.
(Source: Lei Technology)
Looking up, you'll notice that the back design of the Reno12, with its Deco, departs from the previous generation's concentric circles and returns to the classic style of the Reno4, 5, and 6, complemented by the newly added Paris studs. This could be seen as a blend of "retro-future."
In this brief write-up, OPPO has indeed hit the mark.
Turning to the front.
This time, OPPO has moved away from using curved screens and taken a step further by incorporating a nearly flat screen with four equally deep curves, a feature typically found only in flagship products.
(Source: Lei Technology)
In terms of specific details, the Reno12 features a 6.7-inch display with FHD+ resolution, supporting a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, 2160Hz high-frequency dimming, manual maximum brightness of 600nits, and peak brightness of 1200nits.
The screen has slightly wider top and bottom bezels, with very narrow sides, providing a significantly improved visual experience. It manages to combine the convenience of a flat screen with the tactile feel of a curved screen, effectively eliminating the common issues associated with curved screens such as accidental touches, distortion, and color shifts.
The highlight lies in the entirely new form of the screen, which results in a significantly enhanced tactile experience for the Reno12.
(The source of the image: Lei Technology)
With a body thickness of only 7.3mm and weighing around 179g, the device feels as smooth as a pebble, making it easy to hold with just one hand. The curved design on both sides of the device, along with the transition between the frame, back panel, and screen, gives it a sleek and thin look, fitting comfortably in the palm of your hand.
Compared to other smartphones with a focus on imaging, the Reno12 clearly belongs to the elegant and refined category.
Truly love it, starting to really like it.
The Dimensity chip is well-tuned, offering decent performance.
After discussing the design, let's talk about the specifications.
In the past, the keywords "thin and light" and "performance" were basically contradictory. Thin and stylish phones often couldn't achieve high performance, while high-performance phones struggled to balance performance and dimensions.
However, this time, OPPO has emphasized the gaming performance of the Reno12 series, especially the Reno12 Pro, which is equipped with the Dimensity 9200+ Star Speed Edition chip. It supports 120fps extreme quality in Honor of Kings and claims to keep the gaming temperature 9°C lower than its competitors.
On the other hand, the Reno12 doesn't fare as well, featuring only the Dimensity 8250 Star Speed Edition chip.
(Source: OPPO)
The specifications of this processor are not particularly mysterious. Essentially, it is the Dimensity 8200, built on TSMC's 4nm process. It features 13.1GHz A78 super-large core, 33.0GHz A78 large cores, and 4*2.0GHz A55 power-efficient cores, along with a Mali-G610 MC6 GPU.
In the AnTuTu V10 benchmark, the OPPO Reno12 scored 1.01 million points.
(Source: Lei Technology)
For comparison, we measured the Tianji 8200's score to be around 1 million points, while the Tianji 8300 scored around 1.5 million points, showcasing a clear performance difference.
Taking the popular game "Peace Elite" as an example, with graphics set to "Ultra HD + Extreme Frame Rate" mode, during a normal half-hour match, the game consistently maintained around 60 frames per second, with an average of 58.39 frames. The gameplay remained smooth throughout, whether driving, exploring the map, or engaging in combat, with minimal to no lagging issues, demonstrating a fairly good performance.
(Source: Lei Technology)
In "League of Legends: Wild Rift," the OPPO Reno12 performs admirably. The device natively supports a 90Hz mode, maintaining stable frame rates throughout gameplay, averaging at 89.11 frames. Even in high-load scenarios like team fights, it avoids noticeable frame drops or stuttering, allowing for a smooth gaming experience.
(Source: Lei Technology)
In fact, with such performance, it is already sufficient to meet the daily gaming needs. Games like "King of Glory," "Peace Elite," and "League of Legends Mobile" have basically no pressure.
As for the body temperature, thanks to the high energy efficiency ratio of the Dimensity 8250 Star Speed Edition, although there will inevitably be a certain temperature rise in the body of Reno12 after long hours of gaming, Little Lei believes it is still within an acceptable range, especially considering the slim body design.
(Source: OPPO)
In terms of battery life, the Reno12 is equipped with a 5000mAh battery, a slight increase from the previous 4800mAh in the last generation. The charging power has also been upgraded from 67W to a new 80W.
In actual charging tests, using the 80W wired fast charging, it can charge from 1% to 28% in 10 minutes, and reach 100% in 45 minutes. The improvement compared to the previous generation is not significant, but any improvement is always a good thing.
(Image Source: Lei Technology)
AI-enhanced imaging, first-hand live photos
In terms of imaging, OPPO has stuck with the familiar formula.
However, this time there is no IMX890 sensor, instead continuing to use the trendiest LYT-600 sensor of the year, yes, the same main camera sensor as the OnePlus Ace 3v.
With a specification of 50 million pixels, a size of 1/1.953 inches, f/1.8, supporting OIS optical image stabilization, it's not exactly the same as the predecessor, but there's absolutely no difference.
As for the main camera algorithm, OPPO hasn't delved into it this time, probably not much different from the previous generation.
From the actual shooting results, in conditions of ample sunlight during the day, the shooting effect of the Reno12 is still commendable, with color tuning still favoring the vivid style loved by the industry, and the overall dynamic range performance of the image is also good, giving a natural and pleasing appearance.
(Source: Lei Technology)
At night, with the support of algorithms, any place with light performs decently. However, the highlights of the street lamps cannot be well controlled, and a lot of details are lost in extremely dark environments. Of course, this is a relatively extreme shooting scenario.
(Source: Lei Technology)
Live photos can now be taken.
Simply enable this feature, and your phone will capture a brief dynamic image of 2 seconds before and after the shutter is pressed, accompanied by sound. It creates a lively and vivid effect, almost like a short video, enhancing the photos, which can be easily shared on platforms like Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book).
(Source: Lei Technology)
Overall, the main camera is decent, considering the Reno12's positioning. It's a bit unrealistic to expect its photography to compete with the Find series.
However, OPPO's main focus this time is actually a series of AI imaging features.
AI noise reduction is now common, and the actual effect is roughly as follows.
(Source: Lei Technology)
This is a photo I took of a hotel lobby. AI automatically identified three pedestrians, and except for the reflection, the removal of the pedestrians was quite perfect.
In addition to AI removal, the OPPO Reno12 also supports AI cutout function. Simply open the photo or video in the album that needs to be cut out, long-press the subject you want to cut out in the picture, and the cutout will be completed immediately.
(Source: Lei Technology)
For example, with this wine bottle, you just long-press it.
Hey, it's been extracted just like that. The image cutout effect is quite precise. It's probably not a very complex scene, so there shouldn't be any recognition errors.
(Source: Lei Technology)
Telephoto lens can be said to be an essential configuration nowadays, and the Reno12 certainly can't miss out on that.
However, forget about long-distance surveillance, as the Reno12 is equipped with a 2x upright telephoto lens. This time, the sensor debuts the Samsung JN5 sensor, which can be considered a slight improvement, right?
With specifications of 50 million pixels, 1/2.76 inches, f/2.0, it can meet basic portrait shooting needs. But if you're thinking of using it to capture distant scenery, that might be a bit too ambitious.
In portrait photography scenarios, the default two times optical zoom telephoto lens can indeed help with composition. Coupled with the imaging algorithms that the Reno series has accumulated over several generations, it should work quite well for capturing portraits.
As for distant views, road signs at 5x zoom are basically unrecognizable.
(Source: Lei Technology)
Finally, the ultra-wide-angle lens with the IMX355 sensor, an 8-megapixel entry-level sensor, is just for fun.
I took a quick shot with it, and I must say that the ultra-wide-angle lens does bring more creativity to your phone's images. The quality is sufficient for sharing on social media.
The front part, this time it's still equipped with the standard Samsung JN5 sensor for the whole series.
Specifications include 50 million pixels, 1/2.76 inches, f/2.0 aperture, similar to the previous actor IMX709 on the Reno series, especially excelling in portrait selfies.
Summary: A mid-range phone focusing on appearance.
Advantages:
Camera design praised for its classic look;
Equipped with a curved screen, enhancing the front view;
Debuting with real-life photos, strong social practicality.
Disadvantages:
Processor remains stagnant;
Imaging setup similar to the previous generation.
Speaking of phones, the OPPO Reno12 series this time is a mid-range phone that focuses on appearance.
(Source: Lei Technology)
When it comes to specifications, it may feel a bit like squeezing toothpaste, but the Reno series is all about aesthetics. The upgrade in appearance and specifications are equally important. By willingly giving up the controversial designs of previous generations and bringing back the classic Reno system camera Deco, along with the new unique color options and a slightly curved screen, I don't see any flaws in terms of aesthetics.
Oh, and what might be most appealing to female users is the debut of the live photo sharing feature. Currently, only the OPPO Reno12 series can share live photos on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), making it the first Android phone to offer this dynamic photo sharing experience. This unique feature, giving a sense of exclusivity, can indeed stimulate the desire to purchase among the target audience.
In a year where the smartphone market is so competitive, if you are looking for top-notch performance, getting the OnePlus Ace 3V is a solid choice.
However, if you are particular about product aesthetics, not overly focused on dual speakers, and desire a phone with above-average performance and imaging capabilities, the OPPO Reno12 is definitely a stylish phone worth considering.
What do you think of the performance of the Reno12 series this time? Let's discuss in the comments section.
