During the launch of OPPO’s flagship store and the Reno 10x Zoom 12GB Edition yesterday, The OPPO Reno Ace Gundam Edition made a quiet but special appearance. For fans of the Gundam franchise, it would’ve been the perfect phone, it it were sold locally. I spent some time with the phone to calm the fanboy within me, but also to get a feel of what the phone is like beneath its Gundam skin.
But lets just start with its most defining feature – the Gundam theme. While it sports a very ordinary ordinary, grey-ish silver colour as its base, its top and bottom sides come with the original Gundam’s iconic red and blue accents. You can see the same accents on each corner of the phone as well on the back.
Speaking of the back, you’ll find even more Gundam references plastered. The head of the Gundam sits at the bottom, the Gundam’s model number sits next to the OPPO branding, and the EFSF insigina is plastered next to the quad-camera array.
And it’s not just the shell of the phone either. The Reno Ace Gundam Edition also features a custom theme, with the app icons coming with the Gundam flavour. It’s simply aesthetic, but it’s still something that owners of the phone will appreciate.
The rest of the phone is, well, as you’d expect from a phone, and should be no different compared to the regular Reno Ace. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It sits very comfortably in hand, and it feels light without also feeling hollow.
At the bottom, you’ll see the USB-C charging port, the mono speaker grille and the increasingly rare 3.5mm audio jack. While we’re on it, the speaker is sufficiently loud that the fanfare in the background does not drown it out. That said, with all the other noise in the background, it’s basically impossible to discern the sound quality.
The power button sits on the right, while the volume rocker sits on the left. They are also very sensibly placed that you wouldn’t need to reach for them or readjust the way you hold the phone.
Using it should be a breeze as well. The Reno Ace Gundam Edition comes with aQualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus, 12GB of RAM and 90Hz display. All this work to ensure that everything is snappy and responsive. The screen-to-body ratio is great, with a very thin chin, but it also comes with a waterdrop notch.
The OPPO Reno Ace Gundam Edition is a pretty good phone, and one that’s close to perfect for Gundam fans. Representatives of OPPO Malaysia say that they’re still unsure if the phone will be officially made available in the country. So, here’s hoping Gundam fans get the fan service that they deserve.
