OPPO Reno 2 Review

OPPO Reno 2 Specs

• Android 9 Pie, ColorOS 6.1
• Dual SIM
• 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~394ppi
• 93.1% screen-to-body ratio
• Corning Gorilla Glass 6 (front), Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (back)
• 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G octa-core processor
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB internal storage
• 16-megapixel front camera, Sharks-fin style pop-up mechanism
• 48-megapixel (Sony IMX 586, f/1.7) + 13-megapixel (5x hybrid, 20x digital, f/2.4) + 8-megapixel (f/2.4, ultra-wide) + 2-megapixel (depth sensor) rear cameras, EIS, OIS, LED flash
• Ultra Dark Mode, Ultra Steady Video
• In-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
• HSPA+, 4G LTE
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
• Bluetooth 5.0
• GPS, A-GPS, BDS, Galileo, GLONASS
• NFC
• Headphone jack
• USB Type-C
• Dimensions: 160 x 74.3 x 9.5mm
• Weight: 189g
• Colors: Ocean Blue, Sunset Pink, Black
• 4,000mAh non-removable battery, VOOC 3.0 fast charging

Design and Build Quality

As stated earlier, the OPPO Reno 2 has a unique design. Albeit, still in line with the Reno line’s design perspective.

The pivot pop-up camera on the top, which OPPO calls as the “Shark’s fin” provides a different take on the pop-up trend. It’s also symmetrically aligned with the Reno 2’s overall shape.

On the back, it has a subtle dark paint job, whether you pick the Ocean Blue option that we have here or the Black one. A Sunset Pink option is available if you want something funkier. The back panel is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for extra protection.

There’s a strip in the middle that houses the OPPO logo, “Designed by OPPO” tag, and the O-Dot which prevents the flat, no camera-bump cameras on the back from being scratched. It’s surrounded by bright paint that looks like it’s being lit up.

Meanwhile, we have the large 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED screen on the front that’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6. Thanks to the relocated front-facing camera, we’re enjoying its ultra-thin bezels that amount to an impressive 93.1% screen-to-body ratio.

This also allowed the device to have a compact build despite its large screen. The seamless curves also helped.

Other than the camera, we have a noise-isolating microphone on the top. While on the bottom we have the primary microphone, a USB Type-C, loudspeakers, and thankfully, a 3.5mm headphone jack.

On the left, we have the SIM tray. Which can only house two nano SIMs, or sacrifice the other slot for a microSD card (up to 256GB).

Below that is the lock/power switch with an OPPO green paint. Talk about attention to detail. The other side houses the volume controls, which feels tactile enough to do the job.

Overall, the OPPO Reno 2 has a unique, attractive, and sleek design while maintaining a sturdy and solid build.

Display Quality

OPPO pushed the pivot pop-up camera technology to achieve the bezel-less design. The OPPO Reno 2 benefited from this move.

The device has a large FHD+ AMOLED screen, with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels, ~394ppi, and a Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection.

Its ultra-thin bezels kept the overall footprint at the minimum despite the screen’s large size. The best part is, you’re getting a large screen real-estate with it. Perfect for reading, running two apps at once, and watching movies and playing games more immersive.

The display quality itself provides vibrant colors, fine contrast, and fine details. The screen can get bright enough to make it visible even in sunny outdoors.

Performance and Hardware

Although its price puts it in the high-end category, the chipset it comes with prevents it from being one. The OPPO Reno 2 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G octa-core processor, which is a bit underwhelming when compared to what similarly-priced devices have.

But if you can get past OPPO’s processor of choice, you’d be glad to know that it still delivered fast and reliable performance. That’s also thanks to its roomy 8GB of RAM and a generous 256GB of expandable storage.

The OPPO Reno 2 provided reliable performance in daily smartphone tasks. You can browse through different social media apps smoothly, take pictures fast, unlock the device in a jiffy, and browse the interface and open apps seamlessly.

OPPO Reno 2 Benchmark scores

Its gaming performance was also great. This is where the “G” on the Snapdragon 730G name goes into action. Partnered with its overclocked Adreno 618 GPU, it handled demanding and popular games like Call of Duty Mobile and Mobile Legends at high settings with smooth frame rates.

Still, it’s nothing like the Snapdragon 855 processor that other competing devices have. More intensive games like Asphalt 9 didn’t provide the smoothest frame rates.

See also: OPPO Reno 10X Zoom Gaming Review

Software and User Interface

The OPPO Reno 2 runs on Android 9 Pie with ColoroS 6.1 interface on top. It’s both familiar and straightforward, although it’s starting to separate itself from the iOS-like design like what it used to be.

The lock screen looks clean with the clock and the date on the top left and the notifications in the middle.

You can enable the app drawer on the settings if you want it. While swiping to the far left reveals Smart Assistant that has a search tab, weather, date, step tracker, and others.

On the top, there’s the Notification tab below the Control center. It has large icons and a drop-down menu so you can easily switch between WiFi networks or Bluetooth devices.

There’s the Screen-Off clock that shows the time, date, and battery while the screen is off. And if you like customization, there’s a built-in Themes Store for you.

A sidebar gives you access to screenshot and screen recording toggles, as well as other apps. You have the option to use gesture navigation buttons. Or enable the Assistive Ball if you can stand it being on the way.

The OPPO Reno 2 uses Google’s familiar and easy to use keyboard. The camera app is intuitive and easy to use — although I wish the ultra-wide toggle was not separated from the zoom switcher.

Game Space is also present, which optimizes the system so it runs on its best and limits distracting notifications when your playing games.

Security

It may have a midrange processor, but the OPPO Reno 2 has tons of high-end features. One of them is its in-display fingerprint scanner, which can unlock the device fast and accurately.

We also have the face unlock, which I suggest you just skip. The second or two it takes for the camera to pop-up before it can unlock the device is just not worth it.

The OPPO Reno 2 has contact blocker and filter, pseudo base station blocking, app encryption, kid space, private safe, and a dedicated secure keyboard for typing passwords.

Camera

Probably the biggest feature of the OPPO Reno 2 is its cameras. It comes with a 48-megapixel Sony IMX 586 primary camera, a 13-megapixel sensor with 5x hybrid zoom, 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

We already have a dedicated OPPO Reno 2 camera review where we go on detail in its camera prowess. But to give you the gist, let’s talk about the key takeaways.

The 48-megapixel main shooter has a wide f/1.7 aperture. It allows for bright images, even in low-light, and shallow depth-of-field without the portrait mode. Both the colors and contrast are great, and the dynamic range is acceptable.

The dark mode is present in a lot of devices now. OPPO is taking that a step further with the OPPO Reno 2 with its Ultra Dark Mode. The night shot looks brighter and uncovers more details that you can see in the regular mode.

The OPPO Reno 2 provides a decent zooming capability. The 13-megapixel telephoto camera can take a clean 2x of zoom. It gets slightly muddy, albeit still usable 5x shots.

Images taken at 20x looks unusable. Although it still feels nice to have in case you need to get close in with faraway subjects.

Probably a personal favorite is the 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera. It lets you squeeze large subjects in a single frame. Although there is noticeable distortion on the edges, which a lot of ultra-wides are suffering from. Hopefully, a software update can fix it soon.

Meanwhile, the 2-megapixel depth sensor does a good job of isolating the background from the foreground. Thus creating a believable shallow depth-of-field effect with great edge detection.

Under good lighting, the 16-megapixel front-facing camera produces clean and sharp selfies with life-like colors. The details will get inevitably softer in low-light or when you use its AI Face Beauty features.

The OPPO Reno 2 also has good video recording capabilities. With its high-resolution recording and Ultra Steady Mode features, this could easily past as a gateway for aspiring content creators. You can check the entire video we shot using the OPPO Reno 2 and judge it for yourself.

Connectivity

Being a pricey device, the company put almost all of the dated connectivity antennas available for the on the OPPO Reno 2.

It come with dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0. Both posed no problems in connecting to our home network and wireless accessories during our testing. The 4G LTE also stayed connected to the mobile network reliably with fast speeds.

The OPPO Reno 2 also has GPS, A-GPS, BDS, Galileo, and GLONASS. OPPO even included NFC, which not a lot of people use, but it is nice to have when you need it.

Battery

The OPPO Reno 2 has a 4,000mAh non-removable battery, a pretty standard capacity on smartphones these days. You can fill it up with OPPO’s 20W VOOC 3.0 fast charging support.

Its efficient processor allowed it to have great battery endurance, albeit not the best. It can easily last for a full day of light to moderate usage. But if you’re planning on playing games extensively, you might need to reach for the charger before the day ends.

Verdict

The OPPO Reno 2 is easily one of the most interesting devices around. Although, it’s being held back by one important problem.

It comes with a unique design. From the minimal but standout design on the back, a pivot-style pop-up camera, and a large bezel-less screen.

The device also has great and flexible cameras with good video recording capabilities. Plus, a robust battery, fast charging support, and snappy in-display fingerprint scanner.

However, despite how fast and reliable its processor is, going with a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor still feels underwhelming for the price.

But if the numbers don’t matter to you, the overall performance of the OPPO Reno 2 and other extras it has can still be worth your while.

OPPO Reno 2 pricing and availability in the Philippines.

The OPPO Reno 2 is available in a bunch of OPPO stores, kiosks, and multi-brand shops across the Philippines for a price of Php28,990. It’s also present in OPPO’s official stores in Lazada and Shopee.

OPPO is also offering the Reno 2 at 0% installment plans on major credit cards and Home Credit.

Pros

• Unique, sleek, sturdy design
• Large, vibrant display
• Fast and reliable processor
• Great cameras
• Good battery and fast charging

Cons

• Still underwhelming processor for the price