09/19/2023
The OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G is a device that has piqued my interest this year. Mainly because I’m a fan of taking portrait photos, myself. As a whole, the OPPO Reno10 Series 5G lineup is an intriguing one, really; new design, new camera tech, and much more.
The Reno series’ longstanding claim of being #ThePortraitExpert has held true over the years but for the latest lineup, it’s even more evident than before.
With the spotlight on its pro portrait photography capabilities, the Reno10 Series 5G family all come with a new telephoto portrait lens that’s designed to produce professional-level photos. And the Reno10 Pro+ 5G sits atop the pyramid.
But while I’ve been enjoying its cameras, I’ve found there’s much more to love about this device and have been quite pleased with what it can offer as a daily driver.
Pocketable elegance
In a word, the OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G can be described as classy.
OPPO has often experimented with the look of its Reno series phones with some favoring more ‘trendy’ designs. This year, the Reno10 family instead adopts a mature and sophisticated tone.
The design is more minimalist with its clean, two-toned back crafted with glass and aluminum. For the Reno10 Pro+ 5G, we have two colorways available – Glossy Purple and Silvery Gray – both with their own personalities.
With the Silvery Gray, you’re getting that iconic OPPO Glow finish which lends the back a metallic yet subtle shimmer finish.
With the new Glossy Purple, which is what we have on hand, you’re getting silken transparent glass that both looks and feels great. With a rather unique finish, it also makes the Reno10 Pro+ 5G rather unique and easy to spot in the wild.
But whichever color you choose, maintenance won’t be much of an issue thanks to the fingerprint-resistant finish and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, too. Both also offer drop and corrosion resistance which provide peace of mind.
The OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G’s elegant look is also thanks to its thin and light construction.
Weighing 194g and just a little over 8mm thin, the Reno10 Pro+ 5G is easily pocketable. Combine that with its curved design and you’ve got a device that’s effortless to grip and provides a comfortable in-hand feel.
I’ve personally enjoyed how it simply slips in and out of my pockets or bags. When shooting with the cameras, I initially thought its thinness would make it a bit awkward to hold but whether I was shooting vertically or landscape, the Reno10 Pro+ 5G wasn’t hard to handle.
A treat for the eyes and the ears
I’m happy we have a gorgeously designed phone that’s great to look at but, in reality, it’s the display that we really look at for most of the day.
No need to preamble here – the OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G has a very very good display that fits its flagship-level status.
We have a 6.74-inch custom AMOLED curved display with barely-there bezels which make for a more immersive experience.
Colors are vibrant, punchy, and more importantly, accurate. We also get all the usual trimmings including 100% P3 Wide color, support for HDR10+, and adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz. It’s bright too and was able to maintain visibility even under the harsh noontime sun.
With the busyness of the daily grind, it’s not surprising that we become a little careless with our devices. That’s why I’m thankful for any kind of protection and for the Reno10 Pro+ 5G’s display, we have AGC Dragontrail Star 2.
OPPO also paired the Reno10 Pro+ 5G with a very capable set of stereo speakers. The sound quality is rather exemplary exhibiting a good balance of highs, lows, and mids.
I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the audio quality of this phone. Whether it was binge-watching, gaming, or even just waking up to my daily alarm clock. The sound coming out of the device was often very full-bodied and made my ears very happy.
Dependable performance no matter the task
My daily smartphone use includes a lot of social media browsing, a lot of camera use, some photo editing here and there, and a few minutes or so (or sometimes hours) of gaming.
For all that, the OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G and its Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip are more than enough to provide a smooth experience. With 12GB of RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, you’re also pretty much set in terms of performance.
In my day-to-day use, the phone was consistently quick in booting up and opening apps. Switching was also seamless with no visible lag when jumping from app to app.
On the gaming front, I was able to play Mobile Legends with the graphics setting on Ultra and the phone didn’t show signs of struggle even after a couple of matches.
Quick layout work on Canva and photo editing on Lightroom were also easily handled by this device. Editing videos on CapCut didn’t prove to be bothersome, either, and exporting took little time.
To manage heat, the Reno10 Pro+ 5G utilizes Ultra-Conductive Graphite partnered with a larger VC liquid cooling surface. In real-life use, heat is minimal for daily operation but you do feel the device get rather warm in the center when using the cameras for long or when gaming at higher graphics settings.
But apart from that, I have no real gripe with this device when it comes to daily performance. It’s smooth, fast, and does what I want it to do without hiccups.
Impressive portraits are a given
The Reno series has always been branded as the Portrait Expert but the latest lineup takes it up a notch now labeled as the Pro Portrait Expert.
The confidence comes from the all-new telephoto portrait lens found on all devices. But as we mentioned in an earlier video, the Reno10 Pro+ 5G does offer something extra – an additional sensor.
But before we get into that, let’s talk about the whole Ultra-Clear Portrait camera system on the Reno10 Pro+ 5G.
For its main shooter, we have a 50-megapixel camera working with an IMX890 sensor. Then we have that 64-megapixel telephoto portrait camera with a ½-inch sensor. Interestingly, it’s the highest-spec periscope telephoto camera currently on the market.
And finally, we have an 8-megapixel ultra-wide. Additionally, optical image stabilization, or OIS is available for both the main and telephoto portrait cameras.
For everyday use, you’ve got a capable system here that offers you some breathing room in terms of flexibility. Since all the cameras on the Reno10 Pro+ 5G are pretty capable, it wasn’t hard to capture different scenarios. From wide landscapes to tiny macro shots, there’s little compromise in quality when switching up lenses.
So even if you’re not into portraits or portraiture, these cameras can still serve a purpose since they’re very versatile.
READ: 5 Pro Features of the OPPO Reno10 Series 5G to Make You Shoot Like a Pro
For quality, expect vibrant and sharp photos with accurately reproduced colors. The shutter is also pretty fast so it shouldn’t take much to capture fleeting moments. The Reno10 Pro+ 5G’s software also impressed me as it was able to sometimes recreate or restructure blurry parts of a photo.
For example, I was attempting to take a photo of a vividly active little pooch. I checked the photo and saw that the face was blurry. But in a few seconds, the software worked its magic and the pup’s face sharpened, making for a pretty cute photo.
In low light, there’s still a challenge but that’s not to say this phone doesn’t do well. And having OIS makes it a little easier to capture photos.
When using night mode, you can still achieve detailed and balanced photos. Depending on the environment, things can start looking a bit processed but with some in-camera adjustment or even just switching back to the regular Photo mode helps more often than not.
Of course, we can’t wrap up this section of the review without talking about its Portrait capabilities. It is the Portrait Expert, after all.
I was thoroughly impressed with the performance of this phone for portraiture. As a fan of shooting portraits myself, I’m pretty pleased with how photos came out using the phone’s portrait mode and 3x zoom.
Most obviously, you’re getting soft and natural-looking bokeh. We are counting on hardware here too, so cutouts are far more natural and you can see the different planes of focus which does help make the photo look more ‘pro’.
And since the phone does utilize a zoom lens for better portraits, you also get a tiny bit of background compression which, again, adds to the pro-ness of the photo.
Coupled with smart beautification filters that also look rather natural when adjusted correctly, the need for post-processing or clean-up becomes minimal.
But as a whole, I’ve found myself using the Reno10 Pro+ 5G on several things – product shots, portraiture, landscapes, to name a few – and it’s been able to keep up.
Now, sometimes I feel the trend of using the rear cam for selfies was born out of the need for higher-quality photos. And that wide-angle look, maybe.
And for a lot of smartphones, the front-facing camera’s quality is often compromised.
With the OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G, you’re getting another impressive shooter hidden in a little punch-hole notch in the center of the device.
The 32-megapixel can churn out sharp and detailed selfies and it even has wide-angle and 2x zoom options. I’m rather pleased that it works well enough to expose scenes correctly even in trickier situations.
I was taking selfies on the beach where the sky was incredibly bright. I shot against the sun and was surprised to find the software was able to bring back details in the sky. In comparison to the two other phones I had that day, only the Reno10 Pro+ 5G was able to expose the scene correctly so safe to say, you can color me impressed.
Unsurprisingly, you still have the usual limitations. Low light will require you or your subjects to keep still for a moment to get a sharper photo. And it’s still best to have some sort of light source somewhere since it does help out the camera in focusing and getting sharper images.
Super quick top-ups
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – I love a phone that can charge fast. And now we have the fastest charging Reno device ever with its 100W SUPERVOOC flash charging.
On the Reno10 Pro+ 5G is a 4700mAh battery which is just enough to last you the good part of the working day. But if you do inject some camera use or gaming in there, battery life is cut short and you may have to do a mid-day top-up.
But again, with that 100W SUPERVOOC flash charge, it takes just a little over 30 minutes for a full charge. And 10 minutes can fetch you 50% which is just plain convenient, if you ask me.
Charging this fast may seem scary but there’s little to worry about since the OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G carries TÜV Rheinland Safe Fast-Charge System certification. This just means that the device was thoroughly tested and adjusted to rid users of the fear of overheating or other charging-related hazards.
Final thoughts
My first thought on the OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G was that it was a device you would get if you prioritized camera performance. And while that remains true, the time I’ve spent with this phone has shown its power in more than just its cameras.
It’s a bit of a pricier purchase at PhP 39,999 but you are getting quite a lot, really.
A great all-around performer that’s able to handle heavy tasks and even gaming, super convenient fast charging, a slim and light design, and those lovely cameras, of course.
It’s definitely a great recommendation for mobile photographers but I wouldn’t shy away from suggesting it to those who value performance and daily dependability as well.
The OPPO Reno10 Pro+ 5G and the rest of the OPPO Reno10 Series 5G devices are now available at OPPO’s authorized dealers nationwide and online through its official stores on Shopee and Lazada.
This post is sponsored by OPPO Philippines. Views and opinions are the author’s own.
