There is so much fun you can have with the camera of the OPPO Reno5 F. From the Dual-View video to the AI Colour Portrait and the Dynamic bokeh, I had so much fun taking the camera out with a friend. Apart from that, this latest smartphone from OPPO Nigeria delivers a good performance like previous releases and I will be taking you through that with my review.
OPPO Reno5 F Key Specifications
- 6.43” FHD+ AMOLED Display
- MediaTek Helio P95, Octa-core
- 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM
- 48MP Quad Rear Camera
- 32MP Selfie Camera
- 4310mAh Battery, 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0
Design and Display
One thing OPPO has been nailing is the designs of their smartphones and the Reno5 F is no different. This device is available in Fluid Black and Fantastic Purple colours in Nigeria; the review unit I have with me is the Fantastic Purple colour.
The Fantastic Purple colour is achieved by using a liquid crystal coating process on a 3D back panel that has been dip-dyed. When tilted, the colour changes from purple to a shade of aurora-like green. OPPO calls the design of the Reno5 F “Flowing Light Design”, this showcases the curvature and the ultra slim body of the device in its matte glossy finish. The smartphone is very thin measuring 7.8mm and weighing only 172g, its thinness makes the camera-bulge at the back go unnoticeable.
In terms of display, OPPO Reno5 F has a 6.43” OLED panel with a 2400×1080 FHD+ resolution. Its refresh rate is 60Hz which is the basic expected and there is a single punch-hole cut-out at the front which houses the selfie camera. The screen is immersive with narrow bezels which gives the phone a 90.8% screen-to-body ratio.
Camera
Now, this is where I had the most fun playing around with this phone. At the back is a 48MP AI quad-camera featuring a 48MP main shooter, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro and a 2MP mono camera. The punch-hole cut-out in front of the display houses the 32MP selfie camera.
AI Colour Portrait Photos and Videos
One of the features of this phone’s camera is AI Colour Portrait. When you open the camera, switch to portrait and tap on the three bubble colours symbol at the top of the screen to reveal the AI Colour Portrait filter. This filter isolates the subject, maintains only the colour and makes the background and every other thing a monochrome black and white. This not only works with photos but in videos as well, see samples below.
Dynamic Bokeh
This is another feature I found really cool with the camera of the Reno5 F. Dynamic Bokeh works during the day and night and what it does is to produce a dazzling motion-blur background while the human subject is enhanced by the low-light HDR and the portrait colour tuning algorithm.
AI Scene Enhancement 2.0
When AI Scene Enhancement is turned on, it basically makes photos pop. It improves the brightness and colours in images making them vivid and natural.
Night Mode and Night Flare Portrait
There is dedicated night mode in the camera for taking better pictures at night while Night Flare Portrait which is available in Portrait mode combines the bokeh algorithm with low-light HDR and powerful lens flare enhancement algorithms to improve the dynamic range of the photo and colour processing.
Night Plus Filters
Taking photos at night got even better with the addition of three new filters to the night mode of the OPPO Reno5 F. With Cosmopolitan, Astra and Dazzle, night photos can be expressed in three different styles. The Cosmopolitan filter adds a warm and soothing golden tone to your night photos; Astral adds splashes of green, blue, oranges and yellow to give a final warm image while Dazzle makes the original shots pop by enhancing the lights from the images.
Dual-View Video
Another unique feature from this phone’s camera is the Dual-View Video mode. Basically, it allows the user to record videos from both the front and the rear cameras simultaneously, this can be accessed by going to MORE from the camera. In this mode, the selfie camera can be beautified while the rear camera can be zoomed while recording. This is a really fun feature for those who vlog.
Monochrome Video
This works by choosing the “Mono” filter when using video in the camera. Only one of the three RGB colours (red, green, blue, yellow) are highlighted in the video while the others become grey.
It should be noted, the camera comes with Electronic Image Stabilization and it is capable of shooting 4k/1080p/720p videos at 30fps and slow-mo videos at 1080p and 720p.
Soloop App
Soloop is an entertainment app on the phone. What the app does is that it converts your photos and videos into shareable cinematic movie-like clips. When you open the app, you will be prompted to either auto-generate with AI Cut or manually edit your videos. For me, auto-generation works pretty well, I just have to select the pictures and videos I want to make into one clip, choose of the available default background music or import my own manually and generate my cinematic clip.
Software and Hardware
Oppo Reno5 F runs on Android 11 based on ColorOS v11.1 It is powered by a MediaTek Helio P95 chipset with 2x Cortex-A75 CPU clocked at 2.2GHz and 6x Cortex-A55 clocked at 2.0GHz. OPPO claims the Reno5 F is 30% faster starting up apps, touch delay response is now 13.75% lower, while button responsiveness is now 41.41% faster when compared to previous generation of A series.
The processor supports dual WiFi and 4G dual connection to boost internet speed. In terms of RAM, you get 8GB then a 128GB internal storage which is expandable up to 256GB via the microSD card slot.
ColorOS and Gaming Performance
I played Sniper 3D and Dream League Soccer 21 on the phone and they both ran very well. When a game is installed on the phone, it goes under a dedicated Game Space app. Game Space is an app designed to make your game run smoothly and enjoyable.
When a game is launched, Game Space provides with two modes – Game Focus mode and Performance modes. If you choose to activate Game Focus mode, you will be able to play without interruption and features such as alarms, notifications, incoming calls, quick settings and navigation gestures will be disabled.
Performance modes has three sub-modes – Competition mode which enhances the smartphone’s performance for the best gaming experience, the means battery drains faster and there is a tendency for the phone to get hot. Balance mode which delivers a balanced gaming performance while also maintaining the phone’s stability. And lastly, Lower Power mode which delivers lower device performance for reduced power usage but game graphics will be affected.
Depending on the mode you choose, when playing game, you can still receive notifications like WhatsApp message. You can decide to drag a mini screen out as shown below.
Privacy and Security
ColorOS 11.1 comes with improved privacy and security features. With App Lock, you can lock certain apps such that a password would be required to open them, this can be accessed when you go to Settings. There is also a Private Safe cloud feature, any file saved under Private Safe is stored on the Cloud and can be accessed at any time from another OPPO device when you sign-in with your account information.
The improved privacy feature also extends to screencasting. When you mirror your Reno5 F’s screen to a Smart TV, a privacy shield automatically gets activated which means messages that may appear from the notification pop-up will not be displayed on the TV’s screen.
FlexDrop and Nearby Sharing
FlexDrop on the Reno5 F makes it possible to switch seamlessly between apps. With this feature, you can minimize apps by displaying them as a small window on a certain part of the phone’s screen while accessing another app.
Nearby Sharing is a file transfer feature available to Android devices. For it to work, both Android devices must have this feature turned on. To use it, go to the file you want to send, use the share button and select Nearby Share. Your phone searches for nearby devices, select the phone you want to transfer the file to and it will send.
Battery and Connectivity
OPPO Reno5 F comes with a 4,310mAh battery capacity which is powered through the USB-C port with a power brick that supports 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0. The Flash Charge technology means the phone’s battery can go from 0-100 percent in just under an hour, a 5mins charge time will offer up to 3.2hrs of talk time, an hour of surfing Instagram with the phone and 2.9hrs of watching YouTube.
The battery has Power Saving mode and Super Power Saving mode to prolong up-time when battery is low. The phone’s software also regulates how the battery charges to prevent it from wear and tear so it doesn’t overcharge at night.
In terms of connectivity, you get 4G but no 5G, that’s not a problem since we are barely struggling to still get a strong 4G connectivity up and running in this part of the world. The phone comes with the third generation of OPPO’s in-display fingerprint unlock which means it is faster now and more secure.
There is also support for FM Radio, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 and there is 3.5mm audio jack. There is only a single loudspeaker so don’t expect anything spectacular or extra-ordinary from the audio.
Pricing and Availability
There is a lot of fun you can have with this phone, with its retail price of N129,900 you don’t have to break the bank. You can get more information on the Reno5 F on www.oppo.com/ng. It is available to pre-order on Jumia and other accredited stores nationwide. The Reno5 F is available on pre-order until the 21st of March, 2021. Pre-order the Reno5 F and get a free power bank valued at N15,900. There are a lot of smartphones in the market but if you are looking for a new Android product to buy, the OPPO Reno5 F is highly recommended.
