Oppo Reno 10x Zoom beats this invincible flagship: Is it worth buying?

Oppo has finally marked its entry into the premium smartphone segment in India with the launch of all-new Reno series. Oppo Reno and Reno 10x Zoom defy the existing rival flagships in India by offering some unique features exclusive to its new phones. The camera is clearly the standout feature in the new Reno 10x Zoom, but there's more to it than meets the eye.

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom edition is the premium edition while Oppo Reno is the affordable offering in the company's flagship portfolio. The Reno 10x Zoom comes in two variants, 6GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB, priced at Rs 39,990 and Rs 49,990, respectively. Oppo Reno comes with a price tag of Rs 32,990 for 8GB+128GB configuration and sale of both phones commence from June 7 on Flipkart.

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom is the showstopper despite both phones carrying several similarities. What differentiates the Reno 10x Zoom edition from the regular variant is the camera among other things. There's a triple rear camera setup combining a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.7 aperture, a 13MP periscope-style telephoto lens and an 8MP super wide-angle lens.

With this camera, Oppo Reno 10x zoom, as the name implies, offers 10x lossless hybrid optical zoom and up to 60x digital zoom. Last we heard of such high numbers was during Huawei P30 Pro review, which was famous for its moon shot using 50x digital zoom. Oppo's new smartphone beats the invincible flagship's popular feature, but we are yet to test the phone to draw a final conclusion.

That doesn't mean Oppo Reno 10x Zoom is any less impressive. It packs dual OIS to capture stable images, AI-based Ultra Night Mode 2.0 for clear night shots, HDR, noise reduction and portrait mode. All this while charging at least Rs 20,000 less than Huawei P30 Pro.

Oppo also boasts of video recording features in the Reno 10x Zoom, which supports 4K 60fps with OIS, three microphones to leverage features like audio zoom recording and 3D surround sound capture. There's also an interesting design for the front pop-up camera, which swings from one side and looks like a shark fin. It houses a 16MP sensor. The pop-up design is something we haven't seen on any phone and it's interesting to witness the different innovations companies are exploring to obtain the highest screen-to-body ratio.

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom features a 6.6-inch panoramic AMOLED display with 93.1 percent screen-to-body ratio and a naturally sleek and premium back. The attention to detail on the Reno 10x Zoom is pretty impressive, complete with an O-Dot ceramic point on the 3D curved glass back to protect the lens cover. The handsets boast an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, Dolby Atmos and Tri-cooling Control, which combines Thermal Gel, a Graphite Sheet, Copper Pipe Liquid Cooling, to effectively keep the temperatures down.

Oppo hasn't really focused on the phone's performance until now as it prioritised camera, design and affordability above all. With Reno 10x Zoom, everything changes. There's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset with ColorOS 6.0 that offers excellent gaming performance. Under the hood, there's a 4,065mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging technology. The overall specifications of Oppo Reno 10x Zoom make a compelling choice for those who looking for a premium flagship at the right price. It poses an even bigger threat to OnePlus 7 Pro.

Taking a page from OnePlus playbook, Oppo launched Reno smartphone to target budget shoppers. The downgrades customers must be willing to accept include Snapdragon 710 chipset, a 6.4-inch panoramic display, 48MP+5MP rear camera and a smaller 3,765mAh battery with VOOC 3.0. Given the price difference, it would make sense for buyers to go for the 10x Zoom edition, even if it is the base model.