AI is ever-present these days and yet it seems just the start. Most of the AI features on a smartphone are available to those who are ready to pay a premium. But Oppo is looking to buck that trend and bring more people to experience the technology in their palms. The Oppo Reno 12 Pro is an interesting addition to the market, especially because of its impetus on style and AI features in equal measures.
Priced at Rs 36,999 you might hesitate to call it affordable but anything compared to Rs 1 lakh sounds reasonable. Oppo is hoping for a similar view with the launch of the Reno 12 Pro but does it justify the AI tag or is it another marketing blitz.
The Reno Style Prolongs
The Reno series has always shown its class and premium style. The Reno 12 Pro is a continuation of that legacy. Having said that, you tend to see some incremental tweaks in the design and the Reno 12 Pro has a glittery matte touch on the back panel with plastic covering the main base which doesn’t look cheap by any means.
It is really light at 180 grams and having the quad-curve display makes it easy to use and grip in the hand thanks to the 7.4mm thickness. The phone gets IP65 rating which gives it dust and water resistance. The vertical camera layout adds further balance to the design. The glazing design touches add uniqueness to the Reno 12 Pro from its predecessor.
AI Takes Centrestage
Oppo has talked about bringing AI to its devices earlier and the Reno 12 Pro is a testament to its promise. You get a slew of camera-centric AI features that are generally available in the top-tier devices these days. The Magic eraser is no stranger to most of us thanks to the Google Pixel version and Oppo does a good job of replicating the feature for its own device.
You also get an AI Summary which effectively helps you shorten long articles for a quick read. Oppo is basically scratching the surface of AI with a lot more expected in the near future and we are hoping that isn’t reserved for its premium models.
The Curvaceous Display
Oppo has gone for a quad-curved AMOLED display that supports 120Hz refresh rate to give you a smooth scrolling experience. The curved nature has a definite appeal that works for us but not necessarily that it will work for everyone. Either way, the panel offers rich colours but not the best in its segment.
The brightness is also not that high but you will find it adequate for most use cases, even when viewing under bright sunlight. The screen gets Corning Gorilla Victus 2 protection which has proven itself to be a strong ally for displays against harsh and sharp objects residing in our pockets.
Status Quo With The Cameras
Oppo has decided to go with the same camera sensors as the Reno 11 Pro which would ideally be an issue for us but not entirely. The 50MP primary sensor gives you a sharp dynamic range in the daylight photos, the telephoto lens captures portrait shots with the edges nicely outlined.
The ultra-wide sensor does its job but you notice the details are sketchy by zooming into them. The selfie camera delivers similar output and the lack of skin details is rather hard to explain on most phones in this range. We would have liked Oppo to integrate newer sensors but it seems the focus on AI has allowed the brand to keep it the same.
Performance Not-So-Premium
Oppo has seemingly chosen a MediaTek chipset that is running on a sub-Rs 20,000 phone these days. The Reno 12 Pro is not aimed at the power users, and there are plenty of options for them. Make no mistake, the brand has optimised the hardware to make sure you never feel its underpowered roots but the benchmark scores tell you the gulf between the Dimensity 7300 powering the Reno 12 Pro and the other devices in its price range.
The other aspect of the phone that needs an upgrade is the OS. The ColorOS version is riddled with over 60 bloatware apps that most people would happily remove at the first instance. Some of them cannot be deleted which is another sore point. The software has features baked into it but these blemishes are not acceptable at this price. Oppo is giving you 3 OS upgrades and 4 years of security updates but the only thing we wish from the company is to cut down on the bloat and make the UI smoother and fluid.
No Complaints With The Battery
The slim profile doesn’t deprive you of a bigger battery as the 5000mAh unit supports 80W charging speed with the bundled charger.
The overall endurance of the battery will keep most people away from the anxiety of using the phone under stress or low level. During our tests, we got the Reno 12 Pro to last well over 6 hours of screen-on-time and if your usage isn’t very heavy, you can easily get over a day’s backup.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro looks to entice people with its premium looks, fast-charging battery and cameras that work in most cases. However, the OS and the performance of the device deserves better hardware, especially to get more out of the AI tools on offer.
