OPPO Reno 2 review: beautiful and possible!

OPPO Reno 2 which I will tell you about in this review is confirmed as a unique and interesting smartphone. Find out more in the article

Contents

Points in favor

Points against

OPPO Reno 2 it is the direct evolution of the first generation of OPPO Reno, a smartphone that, in the review a few months ago, had particularly impressed me indeed, I liked it as few devices can now do. That’s why I appreciated the Chinese company’s choice of keep the form factor almost unchanged, going to make some small aesthetic optimizations that give Reno 2 an even more premium appearance, in addition to the right renewal of the hardware equipment that sees its spearhead in the new photographic sector “created for creatives”.

Technical sheet | OPPO Reno 2 review

Display: AMOLED da 6,5 pollici Full HD+, Gorilla Glass 6
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G con Adreno 618
Operating system: ColorOS 6.1 with Android 9 Pie
Memory: 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB (UFS 2.1) of internal memory
Rear Camera: quad camera with 48 MP main sensor with OIS and f / 1.7 aperture, second 13 MP sensor with f / 2.4 aperture, third wide angle at 8 MP, fourth with 2 MP black and white – Front chamber: 16 MP sensor with f / 2.0 aperture
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo, NFC, USB Type-C 2.0
Battery: 4000 mAh with fast charging up to 20 W (VOOC 3.0)
Dimension: 160 x 74.3 x 9.5 mm
Weight: 189 grams

More beautiful than ever! | OPPO Reno 2 review

Full screen design e refined rear it’s unique. Here’s how I would summarize the aesthetics of this OPPO Reno 2 if asked. It is difficult to say with absolute certainty that this is the most beautiful smartphone on the market (obviously understood among the devices of this generation, foldable excluded) but there is no doubt that it is among the top for what concerns a glance and premium touch and feel. Unlike last year, the rear has a glossy finish that highlights the beautiful play of light of the glass both in the coloring Ocean Blue but, even more, in this stupendous one Luminous Black. Games of light that find their maximum expression in the outline of the “plate” bearing the brand logo, which even seems to be illuminated by pulsating blue LEDs. All completed by four cameras not at all protruding and the now usual green ceramic insert.

Moving on to the front, the display AMOLED da 6,5” stands out over the entire surface thanks to the solution of the shark fin front chamber which always remains a typical feature of the OPPO device. Thanks to this optimization, the dimensions are still contained despite the wide diagonal of the display, we are talking about 160 x 74.3 x 9.5 mm by a weight of 189 grams. The glossy finish certainly makes the grip slippery but it’s an acceptable sacrifice for a gorgeous overall design. On the other hand OPPO has also thought of this, inserting a beautiful and resistant cover in the sales package. Present the Type-C 2.0 connector and the input for the 3.5mm jack, convenient to take advantage of the earphones included in the sales package.

OPPO Reno 2 review: beautiful and possible!

Model: @diastolesg

AMOLED of quality | OPPO Reno 2 review

If so far I have talked to you about the spectacular rear, the same could be said of the front, on which the beautiful stands out display AMOLED da 6,5” with FullHD + resolution (2400 × 1080 pixels). This component is also confirmed at the top among the various current proposals, beautiful colors and excellent maximum brightness. All amplified by the feeling of immersion that only an uninterrupted display can guarantee. The oleophobic treatment is excellent and the sensor for automatic brightness is always super reactive.

OPPO Reno 2 review: beautiful and possible!

The Snapdragon 730G is not the top but it comes close | OPPO Reno 2 review

True, now in the same price range as Reno 2 it is possible to find devices that have the top of the range Snapdragon 855 on board so it seems almost unthinkable to be equally satisfied with a lower-end processor. Well, I can assure you that it is not, it is Snapdragon 730G (octa core at 2.2 GHz), the beating heart of Reno 2, will not disappoint you on any occasion, also thanks to the 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of UFS 2.1 internal storage. The smartphone is in fact always reactive, snappy, performing and never hints to slow down, even in situations where the maximum is required by the processor.

The Adreno 618 also, unlike what was seen with the first generation of Reno, guarantees the granite 60fps at ultra settings even in heavy video games such as Call of Duty Mobile. Also present i Level 1 DRM (Widevine L1) for viewing Netflix in HD. Also present this year the release with the 2D face recognition in addition to the release with the optical sensor under the display, also improved in terms of speed and reliability.

Created for creatives, will it be true? | OPPO Reno 2 review

OPPO Reno 2 is OPPO’s flagship smartphone for this 2019, and, like any flagship smartphone, it cannot miss a very complete photographic department dotted with many sensors. Reno 2 is equipped with 4 rear cameras (main at 48 megapixel f / 1.7, 13 megapixel f / 2.4 zoom, 8 megapixel f / 2.2 wide angle and a 2 megapixel f / 2.4 sensor for image definition enhancement).

The entire array of sensors is effectively reflected in the shots. The photos are perfectly defined, indeed, almost perfect in good lighting conditions with always precise exposure and autofocus. Portrait mode is also excellent which, thanks to the optimization of the OPPO software, does not cause trouble for what concerns particular distances to be maintained. HDR is also good, although at times it is too invasive. Good optical zoom up to 5X. During the day, the shots taken with the wide-angle camera are also excellent but they lose saturation and have a different white balance than the main camera.

At night you can choose to take the shots in the standard mode while maintaining high quality of the shots, or take advantage of theUltra Night Mode, perfect in situations where the light is really at a minimum. In low light, however, the wide-angle camera is unfortunately almost unusable.

The 16 megapixel shark fin front camera is good although, given the large space available to OPPO, we would have expected a higher quality sensor. Also this year, the presence of the internal LED flash was appreciated.

OPPO Reno 2 review: beautiful and possible!

We come now to another important point, that is, how does this Reno 2 record videos? In this case we advise you to take a look at the appropriate one video test that we have created in conditions that are not simple for a smartphone sensor. In any case, the videos are not “bad” videos, but we would certainly have expected something more given the premises and the quality found in the photographic field. Reno 2 can record up to a maximum resolution of 4K but manages to give its best in FullHD, a resolution in which it is possible to activate theultra stabilization, or a combination of optical and digital stabilization that reaches impressive levels for a smartphone. Too bad that what is really missing is a general depth in the colors and a hair of general definition unless you have high light intensities.

Full connectivity | OPPO Reno 2 review

Faced with such a device, there would be no longer any need to specify it, but it is always the case to say that we have not encountered any problems regarding the telephone part. The Wi-Fi module is excellent, performing even at a different distance from the modem. The system speaker is still only mono, really a shame because it was a limit already found in the last model that we could have thought of working on. L’audio is very loud but lacking in bass. Bluetooth 5.0 A2DP / LE and GPS GLONASS / BeiDou / Galileo. The presence of NFC should be noted.

I don’t understand all the criticisms of ColorOS | OPPO Reno 2 review

On board the OPPO Reno 2 there is the ColorOS in version 6.1 updated for October patches. Honestly, I already appreciated this software that I find much improved in this new version in the small aesthetic refinements. I don’t really understand why so many complain about this complete and visually beautiful software. Present the possibility of cloning apps, the intelligent assistant as well as a series of aids for one-handed use such as a floating bar for app shortcuts.

Autonomy like a champion | OPPO Reno 2 review

The battery aboard Reno 2 is a 4000 mAh unit which guarantees to arrive in the evening with even 30% of residual autonomy. Present the 20W ultra fast VOOC charging which allows a top-notch recharge speed among the most performing systems.

It’s time to take stock!

If I had already enjoyed OPPO Reno last year, this year I literally loved Reno 2, thanks to an improved photographic department and a design to be envied by anyone. All this without changing the € 499 price at launch that had already distinguished the first generation of Reno. In this price range there is certainly a lot of competition but we are sure that OPPO Reno 2 can be considered an excellent alternative that can amaze.