Oppo Reno 10X Zoom Review

You know, some supposedly wise people may have said that only fools rush in. Well, I can’t help falling in love with the Oppo Reno 10X Zoom, and I don’t care who knows it.

This, my friends, is the phone you’ve been waiting for.

First off – what’s an Oppo?

There’s a lot to get used to when you make the switch to an Oppo. First, the bottom buttons are inverted by default, which will led to mishaps aplenty until you get around to changing it. The main issue? People asking what your phone is. Despite making seriously good phones, they don’t have the widespread appeal of other brands.And I can’t understand why.

I’ve been a fan of Oppo since I first laid hands on the R15 Pro. The AX5 blew me away with its affordability, as did the AX5s. The AX7 stayed on form, and hell, I use an R17 Pro as my everyday device, and have done for months. These are great phones, with phenomenal versatility, and a model for every person or occasion. You can enjoy them with the family, at the beach, or on the boat; wherever good times are had. 

None of them compare to the Reno.

How does it look?

The Reno comes in a variety of delightful colours across the visible spectrum… Well, two colours. You can go for the classic, timeless Black, or a slightly more ostentatious Aqua. Either way, they look gorgeous.

The long vertical camera strip is also very tasteful, and adds a nice feature to an increasingly homogenised marketplace. Seriously, if you put five top range smartphones on a table in front of you, would you be able to tell the difference anymore?

The display is excellent, with colours coming through vivid and bright on the 6.6 inch screen, with the option of a more muted mode if you prefer some more subtlety in your smartphone display. Most of the bells and whistles are there to customise the display, meaning you can really make the Reno your own.

Doing away with bezels, the Reno also has a hidden surprise; there’s no camera on the front. What the hell, I hear you ask. How are we supposed to take selfies with our friends, families, and random cats we meet on the street at 1am Well, first off, I shouldn’t be able to hear you, please get out of my home. Second, and more importantly, the camera is hidden in a motorised fin that pops up when you activate the portrait mode. Now, I’m not sure how many of you hate the idea of your phone’s camera staring at you the whole time, but if that’s a bother for you, this is for you.

It’s also cool as all hell.

What about the camera?

The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom features a 48MP camera at the rear, and 16MP on the front. They are some big numbers. Below are a couple of photos I’ve taken on a the Reno… Mostly of a cat and myself, granted, but you’ll get the point.

Need I say more? It’s incredible.

Not only is this cat the best boy, but that little fin that the front facing camera pops up in is fantastic. It’s like a tiny camera shark. Did I sing the Jaws theme to myself while taking selfies and watching the fin go up and down? Yes. Yes I did. And I challenge you not to do the same, because it was very entertaining. Plus, as mentioned, the selfies turned out great. 

I’m a little bit in love with myself now, to be honest.

Now, I’ve talked about beauty modes on cameras before. Most notably, I’ve talked about how they try to smooth my beard out and make me look like one of those high end ‘adult entertainment’ dolls. So naturally, you want to know about the Beauty mode, right? Well, it no longer makes me look like a ventriloquist dummy, so that’s definitely a plus. 

The Reno’s beauty mode has now taken me to the other end of the spectrum. Now I can’t look at myself in the mirror without a vague pang of disappointment. I’m so much prettier on the Oppo. SO pretty. Like Catfish pretty.

And the performance?

The Reno performs like a dream as well. 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will keep you busy for a while, and Color OS6 is so customisable and responsive as to make the whole experience effortless. Switching between apps is effortless, easily as smooth as the iPhone XR, but, you know, on Android. And even with Spotify and Pokemon Go actively running, with a few social sites and companion apps in the background, there was no slowdown. Like literally none.

Even I find it hard to believe, and I’m holding the thing right now.

OK, but what about the battery?

Battery is, while not as mind-blowing as the AX5 and AX5s, remarkable for a phone with so much going on. With 4065mAh, I tested this the only way I know how; watching Vine compilations and obsessively playing mobile games. But even after I put it through the paces with some Mini Metro, Plague Inc, a substantial run of Pokemon Go, and a couple of fairly long videos, it was still at 41% when I went to plug it in that night.

I’m not trying to imply that Oppo have discovered a safe and stable method of nuclear fusion and put it in the Oppo Reno 10X Zoom. No, that would be madness. I’m implying that they are literally wizards, because they’ve done things no one else seems to be able to.

C’mon man, there has to be SOMETHING.

Oppo haven’t always been top of the line, mind you. The main problems I’ve had with Oppo in the past have been around choppy Bluetooth, lack of NFC connectivity, and the archaic hanging-on to the micro-USB. 

The Reno? Yeah, it fixes all that. 

I managed to connect this phone to my headphones, the UE Boom and MegaBlast, my other headphones, my keyboard, my watch, my PokeBall Plus, my OTHER headphones; everything I threw at it, it was super OK with. Most of these things, by the way, I hooked up at the same time. And it didn’t have a problem crossing brands either, which some phones do and is a pain when it happens.

The USB-C is also great to see, and the charging speed is absolutely insane. An hour to 100%. Slightly less, really, but when I tested it I didn’t expect it to go that fast so I didn’t check it often. I’d try again, but I didn’t want to wait to drain the battery again, since I intended to write this before, ya know, August. 

Anything else?

Well hey, who likes NFC? Because it’s there now. That’s all there is to say on that, really, but damn am I pleased I can top my Snapper up on mobile again. No more awkward shrugs at the bus driver for me! Can you believe the iPhone doesn’t have an app for that? 

A fingerprint scanner built into the screen? I like your style Oppo. They’ve truly committed to the whole clean screen aesthetic; you wouldn’t even know the scanner was there unless you activate the constant display option. And if you don’t want to use your fingerprint, well our friend the camera shark is there to help out with fast, reliable face recognition.

Even the cover that comes bundled with the Reno has upped the game. No clear, fingerprint collecting plastic here; this is a nice, pseudo suede affair. It has that quality, solid, almost leathery feel that you used to get with some older phone covers, and I’m extremely into it. It feels and looks great, and really makes you feel secure. Plus it’s got a racing stripe down the middle; makes it go faster.

So you’re saying this is the best phone you’ve ever used?

You’re damn spiffy I am.

I’ve been racking my brain trying to find flaw with the Oppo Reno, and it simply doesn’t have them. Display and camera, performance and battery, even the accessories that come bundled with it, all are top notch. And the Reno doesn’t even HAVE a notch!

Look, I’m raving about this phone, I know. It’s almost unreasonable. But if I’m honest? There aren’t a lot of times that a reviewer gets to wholeheartedly praise something, so I guess this is my one. Hell, I wrote this whole review ON the Reno, so I must like it.

The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom is worth 10X the price, as far as I’m concerned. Oppo have done something truly special here, and I wholeheartedly recommend this phone.