Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Preview – Smartphones with folding camera and anti-scratch button

In Zurich, Switzerland, Oppo has now introduced two devices in a new line that completely fit into that strategy, called Reno. Two Reno devices are being launched in the Benelux. The cheaper of the two is simply called Reno. This is a device that costs five hundred euros and has less good specifications than the technically much more interesting Reno 10x Zoom. This smartphone has the technology on board that we already examined in Barcelona at the MWC and is the most high-end of the two. But let’s start with the most striking aspect of both devices.

Flip camera

Neither the Reno nor the Reno 10x Zoom have a directly visible front camera, so the screen doesn’t need a notch or a hole. The solution that Oppo has come up with this time round somewhat builds on the sliding system of the Find X, in that the front camera is in a moving part that only pops up when needed. This also applies to the flashlight, or LED flash, and the speaker is also included, although the screen has a small grille at the top to allow the sound of the actual speaker to pass through.

As you have probably already spotted, the part that rises is smaller than with the Find X. In addition, it rises at an angle. We were able to take a good look at the system and move it around during the preview session. It seems to be the same system on both devices. There is some play in it, which in itself is not wrong. If you move it back and forth manually, it neatly returns to its starting position. Pushing back the system itself is undoubtedly possible, but not without applying so much force that we are afraid of breaking it.

All in all, the folding system seems a bit more solid to us than the system of the Find X. There is less surface area for dirt to get in and when the system is closed, dirt also gets in less easily. We do have to watch out if you take a selfie on the beach, we think, but Oppo has also found something for that; the folding section closes automatically when the phone detects a fall. We personally wouldn’t trust it to always happen on time, so caution is advised, even with a system like that of the Reno devices. Once there is dirt in the system, it seems quite difficult to get it out.

If you switch to the front camera in the camera app, it takes a while for the system to open. Still, its speed didn’t bother us when we wanted to take a selfie. In practice, most will probably use the rear camera, but if you take a lot of selfies in situations where a moment flies by quickly, then the extra time it takes compared to other smartphones might be a consideration to leave the Reno for what it is. He is. Furthermore, we see few other objections to the system after the first short experience with the device.

Notch allergy

As mentioned, the system does have an advantage; there doesn’t have to be a hole or notch in the screen anymore. It is of course a bit questionable whether the application of the folding system with all its consequences, such as the lack of an IP rating, is preferable to a waterdrop notch or something in that area . The answer will vary from person to person. We can imagine that you would prefer to hand in a small part of the screen, but we also know that there are people with such a big notch allergy that they prefer to see an uninterrupted screen and take the folding system for granted.

The result of Oppo’s hard work is a beautiful and full OLED screen, with the Reno 6.4 “large and with the Reno 10x Zoom 6.6” large. Both have support for the dci-p3 color space, a 1080p resolution and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, and are protected by Gorilla Glass 6. Also, the screen would not flicker at low brightness levels, as some OLED screens would. Personally though, we’ve never been bothered by this with smartphones, but still. The screens seem to be quite clear and look nice, like most OLED screens actually. It is also striking that both the Reno and the Reno 10x Zoom have a flat screen and therefore no screen that bends at the sides, which we see quite often in the more expensive segment.

Sleek design with ceramic wart

More interesting is the housing of the devices themselves, also apart from the folding system. The back of the Reno devices does not have a camera bump and the cameras are all protected by a glass layer with Gorilla Glass 5. That benefits the design, but they didn’t think a completely smooth back was a good idea at Oppo either, as witnessed by a small ceramic wart just below the cameras. Calling this bump a wart is actually a bit silly, because aesthetically it doesn’t look out of place in our opinion, although you can of course also find it ugly.

Moreover, it serves a good purpose, because the button is supposed to prevent scratches. It prevents the back of the device, including the cameras, from coming into direct contact with the surface. We have placed the device on a flat surface to see if it is a bit stable and that was not too bad. It is more pleasant than a camera bump, which is often also off-center, so that a device can wobble back and forth. As a result, you often cannot work well with it when it is on the table.

The Reno 10x Zoom feels heavy, which is also illustrated by the specifications, because we rarely come across smartphones that weigh 210 grams or more. 9 and 9.3mm thickness is also considerable and you notice that when you hold the devices. It doesn’t have to be a disadvantage, but you do feel that you have a decent phone in your hand. In that sense, we are not surprised that there is no camera bump.

periscopic camera

There he is. At the MWC we only got a prototype of a smartphone with ’10x lossless zoom’. That now turns out to be the Reno 10x Zoom and it has been adjusted to 10x hybrid zoom. That’s neat, because lossless is a bit misleading, as we explained in our preview . Moreover, ‘zoom’ is not entirely correct, although we forgive Oppo, since it is difficult to indicate it simply and understandably in another way.

To be clear, there are no moving parts in the telephoto camera. The 10x zoom is relative to the 16mm wide-angle lens, as the telephoto lens is 160mm in 35mm equivalent. That is more than the device with the most advanced zoom technology that was released so far this year: the P30 Pro. It has a telephoto lens with a focal length of 125mm in 35mm equivalent.

In between is of course a regular camera, which the regular Reno also has, and it has the 48MP IMX586 sensor, which we previously saw on the Xiaomi Mi9, among others. This sensor is 1/2″ larger than most high-end smartphone camera sensors, but smaller than Huawei’s. Also, the high megapixel count means that the pixels themselves are small at 0.8 microns. How the camera quality compares to, for example a Xiaomi Mi9, but also a P30 Pro, cannot be said at a preview event, but we did take some photos with the Reno 10X Zoom, at all standard zoom positions and also with the front camera.