Oppo Reno 4 Pro in Stary Night colour variant.
Oppo Reno series have always been a mid-ranger series targeting customers who want the best value for their buck. The Oppo Reno 4 Pro is no different. The successor to the Reno 3 Pro, which was launched just a couple of months ago, aims at bringing flagship features to the mid-range phones. These features include the super-fast 65Watt charging, a curved display, quad-camera setup and more.
However, some corners have to be cut to provide flagship features at the budget price range. Let’s find out whether the Oppo Reno 4 Pro cut the right corners or not.
Oppo Reno 4 Pro Review: Specifications
Oppo Reno 4 Pro sports a 6.5-inch FullHD+ Super AMOLED display with an aspect ratio of 20:9 and some curved edges. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of onboard storage. The storage is further expandable using a microSD card slot. It runs on Android 10 based ColorOS v7.2 out of the box. All of this is backed by a 4,000mAh battery and a 65-watt charger in the box.
On the optics front, the Reno 4 Pro features a quad rear camera setup including a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. Upfront, there is a 32MP selfie snapper.
Oppo Reno 4 Pro Review: Design and Display
Oppo Reno 4 Pro takes a different approach in terms of the design when compared to its predecessor. While the Reno 3 Pro offered a plastic back with glass-like finish, this one goes for a matte finish instead. Although plastic, it does manage to feel great in hand and offer quite a lot of grip.
I did like the greyish black colour variant, which Oppo likes to refer to as Stary Night. It looks subtle and manages to stand out in the crowd of shiny back phones.
The punch-hole design has become really popular.
On the front, the Reno 4 Pro sports a 6.5-inch panel with a punch-hole camera to the left side. It has thin top and bottom bezels offering a seamless display experience even with the punch hole camera. The curved display contributes to the seamless look.
As for the placements, Reno 4 Pro sports a USB Type-C port on the bottom edge surrounded by the speaker grille and the primary microphone, and a headphone jack, which is much appreciated. The right edge houses the power button and volume buttons are on the left. The top edge has a sim card tray and a secondary microphone.
It feels good to see a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Overall, the design of the smartphone did manage to impress me. I loved the fact that it is so lightweight. My only gripe with the design is the plastic back instead of a glass one. A glass back with a matte finish would have given this phone a much more premium look and feel. Also, the quality of the materials used could have been slightly better.
Coming back to the display, it is a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2400x1080 pixels. The panel is curved from the sides and offers a 90Hz refresh rate. The display gets bright enough and the high refresh rate adds to the smooth scrolling experience.
Oppo Reno 4 Pro Review: Performance, Software and UI
Oppo Reno 4 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor paired with 8GB of RAM. During the review period, the phone ran without any issues. The 90Hz refresh rate of the display makes the smartphone feel faster than it is. This combined with the power of the 720G made the phone run lag-free.
At a price of Rs. 34,990, I would have liked to see the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 or at least a Snapdragon 765G. However, the company managed to optimise the phone well and 8GB RAM was sufficient enough to offer a good experience.
The curved AMOLED display makes the phone look premium.
The Reno 4 Pro runs on Android 10 based ColorOS v7.2 out of the box. The software is well built, to take advantage of all that power to provide a smooth experience. It comes built-in with a themes store and edge shortcut for your apps, always-on display and many other features. Overall, the software experience is okay. Apart from the super bright colours scheme used on the default theme, which some may like, the software experience is good.
Oppo Reno 4 Pro Review: Cameras
Oppo Reno 4 Pro sports a quad-camera setup at the back. The setup comprises a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. Upfront, there is a 32MP selfie snapper. The smartphone also gets Portrait Mode, Night Mode, Time-Lapse, Slo-Mo and other features.
The camera bump is noticeable but slapping a cover on can fix that issue.
The camera app is straightforward and offers a good amount of features. However, the absence of macro mode is seen. I think the company also realizes the 2-megapixel macro sensor is kinda useless.
During our tests, the Reno 4 Pro managed to click some great shots. Under good lighting conditions, the phone managed to lock focus quickly. The colors seem out a little washed out. The software generally overexposed the photo in bright sunlight, but it can be easily adjusted manually. In the low light conditions, the night mode usually brightens the shots where the image pops out and looks good, but not natural.
The 2MP macro sensor looks useless on paper, however, when you get the subject close enough, it has trouble focusing but when it focuses, it takes great photos. This was a surprise but to the heavy focusing issues. Seems out, the software says macro lens, but it is still using the primary 48MP sensor. When you go to the pro mode and then select the lens to macro mode manually, you can see the 2MP macro sensor in play, and as we all guessed, the small sensor produces unusable shots.
The selfie camera was good enough. You can notice a lot of smoothening in the image with the beauty mode turned on by default but can be toggled off. Most people will like the results that the software tuned photos provide.
Oppo Reno 4 Pro Review: Battery
The Reno 4 Pro comes with a 4,000mAh battery which may seem small, but with 65-watt fast charging, you probably won’t care. During my time with the device, heavy usage with 90Hz and the always-on display turned on at all times, it got me around a day of usage with some battery to spare.
The smartphone also supports 65W SueprVOOC fast charging with the included wall adapter. The company claims that the Reno 4 Pro can charge from 0 to 100 per cent in less just 36 mins. During my tests, the device charged from dead to 55% in 15 minutes and went up to 95% in 30 minutes which is impressive. The way Oppo achieves it is by using 2 batteries and alternatively providing current to as to keep the heat down and current up.
Oppo Reno 4 Pro Review: Verdict
The phone looks quite premium from every angle.
Oppo Reno 4 Pro feels like a true flagship in looks and in performance. The plastic back makes the phone feel a little cheap, however, the matte finish back makes up for it and if you decide to use the provided cover, you might not notice that. The camera performance is good too, but I feel there is still some room for improvement, some of which could be fixed with a software update. The 90Hz display is something I feel every smartphone should have and the 65W fast charging is something that is truly mind-blowing.
If you are looking at a mid-range smartphone, but want something more unique than the mainstream OnePlus smartphones, the Oppo Reno 4 Pro is a great deal at Rs. 34,990. With a great design and super-fast charging speeds, you won’t regret the purchase.
