Seven. Yes, there are now seven generations of OPPO’s popular mid-range Reno smartphone series – the latest of which is due to arrive in Malaysia next week. While the company has continued to introduce several iterations in just three years, each release includes numerous upgrades and innovations with the aim of delivering users premium-esque features at an affordable price range.
So what’s new with the upcoming Reno7 series? There’s plenty actually, especially with the Pro variant which has been provided to us by OPPO Malaysia ahead of the local launch. However, I can share only a handful of the phone’s features for preview purposes, but rest assured that there’s still enough of it to talk about.
For starters, the OPPO Reno7 Pro is an attractive-looking phone. This is thanks to the brushed metal finish to its rear panel, which is surrounded by a flat-edged metal frame – thus giving it a premium-like feel. The flat edges are a definite plus in my opinion, making the phone more comfortable to hold in one hand. Moreover, the device itself is lightweight, but still feels solid enough thanks to its mostly metal materials.
Located in front of the phone is a 6.55-inch flat display with a punch-hole camera cutout on its upper left corner. The panel itself features a reasonably high refresh rate and decent pixel resolution – both of which are ideal for viewing videos, image editing, and gaming.
Further adding to the OPPO Reno7 Pro’s posh aesthetic is the two-layered rear camera island, which features a very cool surrounding LED lighting system that activates when you plug in the phone for charging, or when receiving notifications. It also comes with an eye-fetching “breathing” effect that will certainly have the phone stand out even more. And honestly, I’m hoping that this lighting gimmick would continue to be featured on future OPPO phones, and even those from other brands.
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Meanwhile, housed within the upper half of the island is the phone’s primary and telephoto cameras, while the bottom half is where its ultra-wide sensor is located. On that note, it looks like OPPO isn’t pulling any punches in the photography department, even for its mid-range Reno line-up.
Newly introduced on the Pro is an improved AI-enhanced Portrait mode that is designed to mimic DSLR-level depth of field and bokeh effects. Most interestingly, it even allows users to manually set the aperture from as low as f/0.95, although anything lower than the camera’s actual capability will be enhanced digitally. The outcome of this mode is pretty decent, as shown in the samples provided in this article.
Undeniably, there’s still plenty more to discuss regarding the Reno7 Pro’s overall imaging performance. However, I’ll save the more in-depth evaluation for the full review of the phone much later on. And that applies to the rest of its hardware as well, which includes its battery life, hardware performance, and so on.
So far, the new Reno7 Pro is looking to be a solid mid-range entry from OPPO for 2022, especially in terms of innovative features and also design. The new series, which includes the standard Reno7 and the Reno7 SE models, are slated to launch in Malaysia next week on 21 February.
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