Oppo Reno8 T 5G review: Style tops everything here
The Oppo Reno8 T 5G focuses on design and a feature-rich spec sheet but does that mean you should buy it?
Are all smartphones the same these days? I don't think so, even if I ignore minute technical specifications. Some focus on design, some on cameras, while others focus on performance. Oppo services the first two kind of consumers and its Reno phones grab attention with every generation. Right now, you can buy its latest avatar at a much more accessible price. Meet the Oppo Reno8 T 5G.
A first for the Reno series with a T badging, Oppo chose to differentiate its offering with one standout feature that's all the rave these days – a curved edge display. Costing Rs. 29,999, the Reno8 T 5G also sticks to it philosophy of being a bling pocket accessory first and a utility smartphone later. It's got a 108MP camera, a shiny new design, and some cool tricks. Is it worth buying though?
mobile to buy?
Design
Oppo Reno phones have always looked beautiful and I can say the same for the Reno8 T 5G. The curved edge display on the front is the pièce de résistance here – it looks luxurious. Turn it around and the familiar shiny and shimmery back is hard to miss. The new camera hump design agrees with the current fashion and for once, I saw people take note of it. The back glass panel helps with the fancy feel but the plastic frame takes away from the “premium” feel. At least it is light on the hands though. And, you get an in-display fingerprint scanner, which Redmi chose to miss on its Note 12 Pro Plus 5G.
An honourable mention goes for the in-box accessories that include the 67W charging set, a TPU case, and a SIM ejector tool.
Display
The Reno 8T 5G makes no compromise here. This is a great display, having a 6.7-inch AMOLED FHD+ panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz. As with OLED panels, everything looks vibrant and high contrast-y, especially those deep blacks. Whether you scroll through Instagram endlessly or catch up on your current dose of the latest web series, this is one good medium to do so. I also love the super slim bezels as well.
Performance
This is where the style factor affects the package adversely. Don't get me wrong – the Reno 8T 5G is plenty capable “now” to handle all the popular social media apps, OTT apps, and causal games with ease, courtesy of the Snapdragon 695 chip. However, the Snapdragon 695 was an entry level chip for budget smartphones in 2022 and it wasn't an eager one. In 2023 on a phone costing Rs. 30000, it doesn't justify. It runs Oppo's ColorOS 13 easily but when it comes to gaming or some intensive Insta reels editing, the phone starts panting. Don't expect it to play Call of Duty:Mobile at the very best settings.
If you don't game though, you will be smitten by ColorOS 13. Based on Android 13, this is a nicely designed interface that offers a lot to customise and enhance productivity. I tweaked the UI to my heart's content and I had a nice experience overall. Oppo being Oppo, the interface is laden with junk apps (Hot Apps, Hot Games, Oppo Store, App Market and the lot). However, they don't bother with pesky notifications and you can choose to ignore them all. Oppo seems to be trying hard to take you away from the Google Android experience.
Now that 5G is here, I tested the phone on Airtel's 5G network and enjoyed faster mobile data experience (helps with streaming YouTube). The battery life took a hit but only ever slightly. Call performance was good during my test phase. The stereo speaker setup is decent but it could have been better; sounds too tinny at the moment.
Cameras
The Reno 8T 5G has a decent set of cameras for a phone costing Rs. 30000. The main 108MP camera is tuned to amp up the brightness, squash shadows, and increase sharpness to return bright photos; be it day or night. I don't prefer such tuning but there's a vast majority that love their photos to look overly bright and fair. One can even apply filters and modify their face structure. The portrait mode effects are stunning too. Videography quality is pretty average but some Vlogging-friendly modes like Dual-View Video and portrait mode could sway the young crowd.
Image Samples
See all photosThere's no ultrawide camera but you get a depth camera and a microscope camera. The microscope camera is an interesting tool to play with, offering new insights into everyday objects; it can photograph your skin pores! This is a much better and fun alternative to the often useless macro camera. The selfie camera is decent too, taking brighter and touched up selfies all the time, even in its natural settings. If you love touched-up photos, you will love the Reno 8T 5G's camera.
Check some photo samples from Reno 8T 5G here
Battery
The 4800mAh capacity battery is just about enough to make the phone last an entire day, provided you have a moderate use cycle involving a decent mix of Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity. Heavy multimedia usage could see the phone drain the battery before the day ends. Thankfully, the 67W SuperVOOC charger comes to help, filling up the battery from under 5 percent to full in around 45 minutes.
Conclusion
The Oppo Reno8 T 5G is all about standing out from the crowd and for Rs. 29999, I think it justifies itself well. The blingy design and the trendy curved edge display are sure to woo youngsters and female customers alike. Eyeball grabbing specs such as the 108MP camera, microscope camera, and the 120Hz OLED panel could help those pesky store salesmen to push out the phone easily to the lesser known crowd.
Look beyond its glittery facade and the Reno8 T 5G is simply average. The Snapdragon 695 runs fine for now but in a year or two, the Android OS could itself be too much for it to handle, let alone the updated and intensive apps. The camera quality is sub-par too and ColorOS 13 could do away with those shady Oppo apps.
At Rs. 30000, the Reno8 T 5G also faces tough competition from the Nothing Phone 1, if a standout design and build quality is priority. Phones such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus and iQOO Neo 6 are more capable options at this price.
- Stylish design
- Gorgeous display
- Fun microscope camera
- Weak chipset
- No ultra-wide camera
- Camera quality
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6.7-inch FHD+ Curved AMOLED 120Hz
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4800mAh
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67W wired
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108MP + 2MP + 2MP
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ColorOS 13, Android 13
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