Oppo Reno 3 Pro Review: Gets most of the stuff right

Oppo is one of the leading smartphone brands in India with a strong offline presence, which has kept it from engaging in a price war against rivals like Xiaomi. The smartphone maker finds new ways to attract the Indian consumers and it has successfully done so with its focus on selfies, smartphone design and more. The Oppo phones are now evolving into something more than "selfie expert(s)" and it is refreshing to see the change.

Speaking of change, Oppo Reno 3 Pro made quite an impression with us when we first tested out the phone during its launch two weeks ago. From gaining immense praise for its lightweight, visually-appealing design and capable cameras, the smartphone managed to leave a mark. Two weeks later, our impressions of the Reno 3 Pro are somewhat similar and here's what we discovered about the phone.

Before we get to that, here's a quick glance at the key specs of the Reno 3 Pro:

• Display: 6.4-inch Full HD+
• Rear Camera: 64MP + 13MP + 8MP + 2MP
• Front Camera: 44MP + 2MP
• CPU: MediaTek Helio P95
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 128GB/256GB
• Battery: 4,025mAh with 30W SuperVOOC Flash Charge
• OS: ColorOS 7 (Android 10)
• Weight: 175g
• Add-ons: In-display fingerprint scanner, 4G, USB Type-C, Dual SIM and more
• Price: Rs 29,990

Now that we've familiarised you with the specifications of the Reno 3 Pro, let's take you through how each spec works in favour of the phone or against it.

Display & Design

Oppo Reno 3 Pro's looks are deceiving - and not in a bad way. The feel factor of Oppo's upper mid-range phone is far better than the way it looks. It sure is easy on the eyes, but boy, it feels light and sleek and fits perfectly within the palm of the hand.

Oppo Reno 3 Pro's design was one of the first things we noticed and got instantly impressed. The black-hued review unit did not get as many smudges as we thought it might. The use of plastic for the build felt like a step back, but the overall weight distribution, design and feel factor did not make us crib over that fact. The placement of power and volume controls on the sides are well within the reach so we didn't have to stretch out our fingers awkwardly.

With clean lines, unibody design, classy design, Oppo Reno 3 Pro doesn't leave much to criticise in the design.

Turn over the phone and then there's a 6.4-inch display with dual punch-hole selfie cameras. The bezels around the display don't really interfere as much as the chin, but you will get used to it. The positioning of the front cameras is towards the top left corner to avoid distraction while watching media. In fact, the punch-hole cameras are more familiar now than before, so it doesn't bother much.

As for the display resolution, we would have minded a higher 2K resolution. The Full HD+ resolution gets the job done just fine, but there's nothing extra-ordinary about it. However, the decision to go with 1080p is reflected well on the battery, which some might find it a fair trade.

Outdoor visibility for most users is not hindered in the Oppo Reno 3 Pro. The bright and hot summers in Bangalore are well handled by the phone to show the content on the phone. But it is more suitable to watch movies or TV shows indoors without any unnecessary reflections.

Camera

Oppo Reno 3 Pro has a generous amount of cameras - four on the back and two in the front. This is a great USP, not just for the abundance of the lenses, but also for their performance. The Reno 3 Pro's rear camera setup, made up of a 64MP f/1.8 shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 13MP telephoto lens and a mono lens, captures some interesting photos.

The primary camera has the best performance of all, delivering natural colours, good dynamic range, crisp and detailed photos and some noise in the dark areas, which is due to overexposure. For more detailed shots, there's an option to shoot at 64MP and then there's 108MP option in the Expert mode. But it is better to just frame your shot right in the presence of natural light and enjoy crisp photos in the normal mode.

Switching modes is pretty simple. The ultra-wide option is as in other phones, attracting unnecessary noise and impacting the dynamic range in indoor lighting conditions. However, with good lighting, the shots can be better, but not as good as the primary shooter. Unless you have an absolute need to capture the wide landscape, you are better off with the normal mode. But there's an advantage of dramatic effect with the ultra-wide-angle mode, which works in favour of the photographer sometimes.

Zooming capabilities of the Reno 3 Pro is highly touted and we found the 2x zoom quite capable of capturing well-detailed shots. At 10x zoom, the quality is naturally putting off. While the images are still usable, I personally am not a fan of zooming to get a shot.

Then there's a night mode option, which works well in exposing the shots, but the processing time is noticeable. The good thing about it is that the night mode doesn't take away the night element, but adds necessary illumination to bring out certain details.

If you take a lot of selfies, the 44MP+2MP dual camera setup does a fair job. This is the first time a smartphone has come with a 44MP sensor, which makes it possible to capture more details, sharpness, and more natural colours, even in indoor lighting condition. We found the beauty mode to add artificial effect, but that's just us preferring more of a natural form. If you have a liking towards beautified photos, the results might be tempting.

Performance

Oppo Reno 3 Pro is not the best performing phone out there but gets the job done. It is powered by Helio P95 chipset paired with 8GB RAM, which makes multitasking a natural task. Day-to-day operations were carried out with ease, no lags whatsoever. Even the games rendered pretty well, but we are more inclined towards other phones with a better configuration for high graphics games. If you live for those high graphics in games like PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty, consider OnePlus 7T or other phones with Snapdragon 855 chipset.

If your usage is limited to calls, texts, social media browsing,media streaming, you won't be disappointed with the Reno 3 Pro. It makes it all look like an easy task - almost effortlessly. We wished certain processing, such as in images, didn't take such a long time. On the brighter side, there's better battery management for you to easily go about your day.

User Interface

One of the biggest upgrades we witnessed is ColorOS 7, which is a lot refined than the previous iterations of the OS. The interface is cleaner and the overall software experience is more refined on the Reno 3 Pro. We've always criticised Oppo's ColorOS for taking a toll on the overall experience of their phones, but it is nice to see the company is moving in a direction where this won't be a setback anymore.

The animations are smooth, and the system-wide dark mode is a major welcome on our part.

Battery

Another reason why the Reno 3 Pro makes sense is the battery. Not just that the battery life is great, but also the 30W SuperVOOC Flash Charge is a boon. We've always been a fan of fast-charging, which overcomes the obstacles of short-lived battery life. Seeing Oppo bring its critically-acclaimed SuperVOOC to more and more phones is a move worthy of praise.

First, let's discuss battery life. Oppo Reno 3 Pro consistently delivers 8+ hours of screen-on-time, which is quite good. But that's only if the usage is reserved for general use, minus gaming and heavy media consumption. The 4,025mAh battery can easily get you past a full working day, and on the weekends, when there's usage, the battery would die sooner.

But that's not an issue at all. The fast-charging of the phone is uber cool. In a matter of 60 minutes, the phone can charge to full and with 30 minutes of charge, you can go about a full day's worth of use. The fast charging tech is a boon to smartphones and should be standardised for all phones in the future. For now, Oppo Reno 3 Pro's battery performance is at par with the best phones out there.

Security

There are two authentication methods, fingerprint scanning and face unlock. The fingerprint scanner is integrated within the display, which works efficiently and almost without any errors. The same cannot be said about face unlock. The facial scanning let us in the phone every time, but the concerning factor is that it worked even with a face mask on. Not too secure if you ask us, but if you're confident your phone isn't leaving your sight, it works for easy and quick authentication.

Verdict

Oppo Reno 3 Pro checks most of the right boxes. With the exception of relying on the phone for some high-graphics games, you won't find any major flaws. The design is excellent, cameras are great, and the battery is above par. These USPs are sufficed to grab buyers' attention and the company's strong offline presence is going to help push a lot of these phones off the shelves.

At Rs 29,999, Oppo Reno 3 Pro makes an oddly compelling statement, which is hard to deny.