Oppo Reno 6 5G review: An all-rounder with good cameras and reliable performance

The Oppo Reno 6 5G offers a good screen, reliable camera performance and battery life. Is it enough to justify the ₹29,990 price tag? Here’s what we think about the smaller sibling of the Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G.

The Oppo Reno 6 5G comes with some of the features we liked on the Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G that we recently reviewed. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/HT Tech)

The Oppo Reno 6 5G was launched by the company last month, alongside the Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G, which we recently reviewed. With a lower price tag, Oppo is still offering some of the features that we liked about the Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G, even though the design is different and the performance is a step down from its more expensive sibling. It is also the first smartphone in India to launch with the MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset under the hood.

We also get to see Oppo's Reno Glow design on this smartphone, although unlike the premium curved screen of the Oppo Reno 6 Pro, this device's design somewhat resembles Apple's iPhone 12. With 5G connectivity, a capable chipset and a triple camera setup that features the same video capabilities as its more expensive sibling, is the Oppo Reno 6 5G worth the asking price of ₹29,990? We've spent a couple of weeks with the device, and here's what we think.

 

Design and display

When we reviewed the Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G, what we liked about the device was how light it felt in our hands and how the curved glass and the slim design made it very easy to hold. In contrast, the Oppo Reno 6 5G feels a little heavier, but the phone's flat design makes it easier to hold. It has the same shiny finish at the back that looks great no matter how you hold it, and it doesn't pick up any fingerprints, even on the sides of the device. You might want to slip a case on the back though – there was a transparent TPU case included with our review unit.

 

The display on the Oppo Reno 6 5G looks good even when you’re outdoors with lots of sunlight. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/HT Tech)

The display on the Oppo Reno 6 5G looks good even when you’re outdoors with lots of sunlight. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/HT Tech)

The Oppo Reno 6 5G comes with a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that refreshes at 90Hz – content looks good, even when you're outdoors with lots of sunlight. The phone has a capable processor under the hood, and the higher refresh rate means the entire interface is quite smooth in day-to-day use. There's a fingerprint sensor located at the bottom of the screen, and it is quick and responsive. However, like the Oppo Reno 6 Pro, it's not very easy to reach when holding the phone with one hand. The device also lacks stereo speakers, which is disappointing at this price point, but the audio from the bottom-firing speaker is clear and crisp, especially while taking calls on speakerphone.

The primary camera on the Oppo Reno 6 5G can take good photos with ample lighting. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/HT Tech)

The primary camera on the Oppo Reno 6 5G can take good photos with ample lighting. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/HT Tech)

Camera

Oppo has included a triple camera setup on the Reno 6 5G, and has the same sensors as the more expensive Pro variant, except for the depth sensor. There's a 64MP primary sensor, which takes clear photos, with ample detail and images. You also get the same AI-based features that are part of the Oppo Reno 6 Pro, and images have a lot of detail, but we noticed issues with exposure for some of the images we clicked with the Oppo Reno 6. The phone also has a Night Mode for images, which helps to reduce noise in images for low light conditions, but it's nowhere as good as the Google Pixel 4a, which does a better job in this regard.

Up next is an 8MP ultrawide sensor, which captures clear images with minimal distortion at the edges, if you're far enough from the subject. That said, the primary camera sensor is much superior and captures colour better with sharper results. In most cases, it is better to move backwards and capture images with the main sensor. You also get a 2MP macro camera, which captures images clearly if you're close enough to the subject. On the front is a 32MP selfie shooter, which captures bright and clear images.

Coming to video performance, the Oppo Reno 6 comes with the same AI-based Bokeh Flare portrait features as the Oppo Reno 6 Pro, and the performance is quite reliable when there's ample daylight. It could come in handy when shooting videos during the daytime. Video performance on the Oppo Reno 6 is good when you have enough light around, but there's a noticeable drop in areas with less than ideal lighting.

We noticed that the wide angle camera was not very good with exposure and the colours were not as well preserved as the primary camera. (Image resized for web) (David Delima / HT Tech)

We noticed that the wide angle camera was not very good with exposure and the colours were not as well preserved as the primary camera. (Image resized for web) (David Delima / HT Tech)

 

Performance and battery life

As we've previously mentioned, the Oppo Reno 6 5G comes with the 6 nm MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset – it has two A78 cores at 2.4 GHz and six A55 cores at 2.0 GHz along with a Mali G78 GPU. We ran a few synthetic benchmarks on the Oppo Reno 6 to see how the Dimensity 900 performs – the device managed a score of 727 for single core and 2140 for multi core performance on Geekbench respectively. On 3DMark, the device managed a score of 2018 in the Wild Life test with an average frame rate of 12.10 FPS. This puts it within range of the scores achieved by the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro and the Vivo iQOO Z3, as well as the Samsung Galaxy A90.

When it comes to real-world performance, the Dimensity 900 chipset showed it was capable of handling anything we threw at it. From compressing large files, to editing images and videos and exporting them, the device could handle it all without any stutter or lag even while switching apps. Gaming is also a breeze, and the smartphone can handle titles like Asphalt and Fortnite on high settings without any noticeable issues. We noticed that the smartphone got a little hot after about half an hour of gaming, but this only happened occasionally and we could still hold the device without much discomfort.

The Oppo Reno 6 5G is a good looking phone that performs well in day to day tasks. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/ HT Tech)

The Oppo Reno 6 5G is a good looking phone that performs well in day to day tasks. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/ HT Tech)

The Oppo Reno 6 runs on ColorOS 11.3 which is based on Android 11 and the software is quite well optimised. The device received an update to build CPH2251_11_A.11 while we were testing it and performance largely remained the same after we installed it. However, we noticed a lot of promotional messages that appeared on the notification shade through built-in apps like the browser and the theme store – these were completely absent when we tested the Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G.

The Oppo Reno 6 is powered by a 4300mAh battery that can easily last for over a day if you use the device for a lot of calling, texting with some social media browsing and streaming video. We saw an average of six to seven hours of screen time and standby battery life was respectable, and we were only charging the device after a day and a half. When the battery runs out of charge you can plug in the included 65W charger to charge up the device from zero to 50 percent in about 15-18 minutes, which is handy if you forgot to charge your phone and need a quick top-up.

 

Verdict

When we reviewed the Oppo Reno 6 Pro, we found that it offered a lot of features, but that the competition offered similar performance for less money. In the case of the Oppo Reno 6, there are smartphones like the Mi 11X and the Poco F3 GT which both boast a more powerful chipset than the MediaTek Dimensity 900. However, we recently tested the Mi 11X and found the Oppo Reno 6 offered better camera performance. The Oppo Reno 6 also has a very bright display which is also good at displaying a variety of content, which makes it a good device for watching and streaming TV and movies – the battery life on the device is also quite reliable.

The Oppo Reno 6 5G's in-screen fingerprint sensor is fast. We wish Oppo had included stereo speakers, though. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/ HT Tech)

The Oppo Reno 6 5G's in-screen fingerprint sensor is fast. We wish Oppo had included stereo speakers, though. (Image resized for web) (David Delima/ HT Tech)

While the Oppo Reno 6 might resemble the latest model of a very popular smartphone brand, that's not necessarily a bad thing and the company hasn't made any compromises when it comes to build quality. With devices like the Realme X7 Max 5G and the Poco F3 GT offering improved performance with the MediaTek Dimensity 1200, the Oppo Reno 6 has some tough competition at this price point.

All of this doesn't change the fact that the Oppo Reno 6 is a smartphone that offers a satisfactory experience – including good camera performance, a high-quality display, ample battery life and fast charging which are all good things to have at this price range. Does it justify the ₹29,990 price tag? We think so. Whether it is enough to convince customers to pick up this device over the competition, only time will tell.