OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ Review: A Pretty Shutterbug with Some Muscle to Flex

OPPO has been making quite a name for itself, especially with its premium Find line that now includes two kinds of foldable phones. The attention to its flagship series, however, has raised questions about the purpose and future of its other family, the Reno. Launched as the brand’s mid-range offering, the lines between tiers have been blurring the past years, and OPPO has been taking the Reno series higher and higher while still trying to keep to its camera-focused theme. With the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+, it seems ready to pull out all of the stops, but is it enough to qualify as a premium flagship? We take the “Portrait Expert” for a few turns to bring you that answer.

Designer: OPPO

Aesthetics

The OPPO Reno was initially advertised as a more affordable option for mobile shutterbugs, so naturally its designs lean towards emphasizing its cameras. Over the years, this line of smartphones has adopted less than inspiring aesthetics, despite that focus, simply content to use the trending style of each model’s period. The OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ walks off the beaten path with a design that could prove to be a little bit controversial, giving the phone a unique visual identity that also makes its key feature a bit too pronounced.

The most prominent part of the phone’s design is, of course, its camera bump. It’s a large protrusion of glass and aluminum that makes it impossible to ignore its presence, especially with a capsule shape that is rarely seen on the backs of phones. The design is admittedly tasteful, even stylish, though it might not sit well with people who profile subtler profiles. It will at least get the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ easily noticed and distinguished among a sea of rectangles and bulging circles.

The rest of the phone, fortunately, looks less conspicuous. In fact, one could say it’s pretty simple, with a nod to classic designs. That particularly refers to curved edges, both back and front, like the premium flagship phones of old. The back of the phone is clean and unblemished, save for the obligatory OPPO branding. The Glossy Purple option comes with a very reflective rear, while the Silver Gray that we received for this review has a bit of a glazed matte surface. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help reduce the lack of friction and resistance that this phone offers in your hand.

The OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ exhibits two faces, both of them notable and memorable. On the one hand, its camera bump is a real attention grabber. On the other hand, the simplicity of the rest of the phone’s design presents a sharp contrast. It’s a combination of opposites that seems to work well in OPPO’s favor, resulting in a Reno phone that can finally stand out and stand proud from the crowd.

Ergonomics

At only 194g, the Reno 10 Pro+ is incredibly light to hold, especially when you consider its 6.74-inch screen and somewhat sizable battery. Then again, the use of a polycarbonate mid-frame helps lighten the load, though you might not be able to tell it given how premium it looks and feels. That lightness, however, serves to only reduce your confidence even more, fearing how the phone might easily slip from your hand.

That’s mostly because of how slippery the phone feels, even with the matte surface of the Silver Gray colorway. The curved sides also become too smooth for the palm, comfortable yet also precarious. Fortunately, OPPO does ship with a clear gel case, but you’ll be sacrificing the phone’s pristine beauty in exchange for a better grip.

That camera bump, distinctive as it might be, also adds to the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+’s troubles. When on a fat surface, it makes the phone a little unbalanced since it raises only a corner of the device. When held in hand, the phone feels a little top-heavy, adding to the worries of accidentally dropping the phone. Almost ironically, that thick camera protrusion could actually serve as a place to rest your finger to keep it from sliding off.

Performance

The OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ has the makings of a premium flagship, that is if it was launched last year. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is one generation behind the current titleholder, and the base 12GB RAM and 256GB storage feels a little behind as well. Fortunately, these don’t matter much in practice, even for gamers, with the phone performing admirably no matter what you throw at it. It doesn’t get unbearably hot, but it does get noticeably warm after long periods of extensive use where heavy graphics and processing are involved. The phone runs OPPO Color OS 13.1, which is based on the latest Android 13 release. For all the customization options that this OPPO experience brings, it also unloads a dozen apps that most users never asked for and maybe never even use. Fortunately, you can uninstall almost all of them.

The 4,700 mAh battery might also feel like a holdover, but the phone manages to hold its own quite well. After a day of normal, mixed-use, it still has plenty of juice left to make you not worry about having to charge it overnight. You will eventually need to plug it in, of course, but that that won’t take you more than 30 minutes to go from zero to full. It should be noted, however, that the super-fast 100W charging slows down a bit around the 75% mark in order to help preserve battery life. The OPPO Reno 10 Pro+, despite its premium facade, offers no wireless charging, a feature that is becoming more common even among mid-range phones.

If the hardware specs looked a little disappointing, OPPO pulled no punches when it comes to the Reno line’s key feature. Leading the trio of cameras on its back is the 50MP Sony IMX890 with OIS, resulting in vivid, vibrant, and very detailed images, both in bright outdoor light as well as moody indoor rooms. The camera is so good that it doesn’t even need the dedicated Night Mode to produce pleasing night shots as long as there’s just enough illumination to bring out the details. There is some loss in the richness of details, but the same is true even with Night Mode enabled.

Even more impressive, however, is the 64MP Telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom, a rare treat for smartphones. Although the main camera is capable of zooming in just as much, it holds no candle to the quality that the dedicated telephoto is able to produce. This camera really shines in portrait mode, which is where the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ gets its self-professed moniker. But like any camera, quality drops off sharply once you get past that lossless zoom level.

Given these two heavyweights, the 8MP ultra-wide camera almost feels like a massive letdown. It gets the job done, and a bit nicely with its 112-degree field of view, but it’s definitely nothing to write home about. There are telltale signs of distortion and details are unsurprisingly low. The 32MP front camera is at least great for selfies and video calls, offsetting whatever disappointment the ultra-wide camera might have brought to the team.

Sustainability

OPPO is no longer a neophyte in this industry, and it is thankfully taking concrete actions when it comes to its role in safeguarding the environment. It has a clear vision and strategy for meeting its sustainability goals, which can’t be said of other brands in the market, even the older and bigger players.

Unfortunately, that isn’t clearly visible on the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+. Any sustainability boon this phone brings is mostly a side effect of OPPO’s larger program, like the use of recycled materials for packaging. The phone’s SuperVOOC fast-charging technology even mandates shipping a compatible charger in each and every box, including other models with that same feature. The use of a plastic frame also adds to the phone’s environmental transgressions. It will take some time before OPPO can boast of using recycled plastics and components in its phones, but the planet won’t be waiting for it to get its act together. It also doesn’t have definite dust and water protection, putting its durability and longevity into question.

Value

It’s hard to argue that the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ is an impressive smartphone. You might debate the beauty of its design, but its raw performance, battery life and charging, and camera output will hardly disappoint. That’s especially considering its price tag, which is around $600 to $700, depending on where you’re buying it. It’s admittedly higher than what most would consider a “mid-tier” phone, but you do get what you pay for, in a very good sense of the phrase.

The problem, however, is that it isn’t alone, even on this tier. Brands like OnePlus, vivo, and even iQOO have all stepped up with models that either offer better specs here and there or the same set of features at a more affordable price. Adding to the phone’s woes is its selective availability in some markets, leaving many major markets opting for more accessible brands or making a huge gamble on retailers. Although it does stand out aesthetically, the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ might have a tougher time competing with its peers, making it a bit of a brand battle in the final analysis.

Verdict

It is becoming more difficult to draw lines between smartphones, especially when manufacturers themselves blur those distinctions. Once just a mid-range phone, the OPPO Reno has grown up to rival even the company’s own Find line, at least in terms of offering premium features, and the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ sits at the top of the pile.

It’s one step short of being considered a 2023 premium flagship, but the corners that OPPO might have cut do little to ruin the experience. Bearing a design that you might equally love or hate, the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ establishes its visual presence with confidence, though that confidence might not extend to your grip. It shines the most with its cameras, especially that 64MP telephoto shooter, which remains the Reno brand’s bread and butter. It’s hardly perfect, but for fans of the brand looking for the next mobile photography fix, the OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ offers a more wallet-friendly option to consider.