Oppo Reno 10x Zoom

Oppo is a tech brand which works with 5G networks and also produces smartphones. It is known for pioneering some features; among them is the famous beauty filter which is used a lot today. This brand is owned by BKK Electronics Corporation along with Realme, Vivo and OnePlus.

Among the many options, one can find the Reno 10X Zoom, which is a powerful smartphone with good specs.

Reno 10X Zoom

Announced at the Mobile World Congress in 2019 and delivered on time, one of the main features of this phone is about its camera as the name suggests, 10X Zoom. Although the zoom ability is not a straight 10X, the analog is 6X and with a digital combination it goes up to 10X. Huawei has also launched the Mate 30 Pro that has 5X zoom to compete, both phones use a similar technology to achieve this zoom. They employ prisms that bend light 90 degrees into a perpendicular stack with the camera sensor, this would not have been possible otherwise given how slim smartphones. The phone also features a new design for their selfie shooter, a 'shark fin' like pop up that comes out of the top. This also houses the LED flash for the main camera, the earpiece and a secondary mic. Oppo claims this should last for about 200,000 uses. Generally a bulky phone, but the design form is sleek. The glass rear curves around the edges to meet the metal frame, making the grip a bit better. The Reno 10X Zoom is a large phone, some people feel it is easier to use with both hands, as a one-handed grip is difficult. The phone is available in Jet Black or Ocean Green.

Internals and OS

Powered by an octa-core processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. The Kryo 485 Silver and Gold cores clock 1.8GHz and 2.84GHz. Plus an integrated Adreno 640 chip for the graphics rendering processes. The Reno 10X Zoom comes in two variants as far as the storage and RAM are concerned, the first with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, the second is 8GB RAM and 256GB of space. With the OS base being Google's Android 9 Pie, a Machine Learning able system. Meaning it can learn your patterns to pace up the phone's performance. The UI or skin layer is Oppo's ColorOS 6, which is part of their phones regularly. The ColorOS allows for some more customisations like an app drawer, gesture-based controls, customisable navigation keys and more. There is the issue of bloatware with this UI, Oppo has apps installed that cannot be uninstalled and send notifications you cannot disable.

Cameras and display

Aside from the main 10X zoom feature and shark fin pop up selfie camera, the main camera is a 13MP f/3.0 telephoto camera, there's a 48MP f/1.7 standard camera and an 8MP f/2.2 wide-angle one. The main sensor is the Sony IMX586, which on its own is a great selling point given how well it performs, taking clear and crisp images. With shooting modes that include Night, Pano, Expert, Timelapse, Slo-mo, Portrait and Google Lens. The front camera in the fin is a 16MP f/2.0 unit, the fin takes 0.8 seconds to pop out and you can also set a sound-effect for it if you want. The video recordings go up to 4K and the focus is tight even with moving objects. With image stabilisation for photo and video both, keeping ones shot steady especially with the zoom engaged. To show these great image options the phone has a large 6.6-inch screen, with a resolution of 1080 x 2340p. The display technology is based on AMOLED technology, making it bright and vibrant. Running up to a 100% in the DCI-P3 RGB colour space used for movies in the US.

Sensors, connectivity and battery

The sensor range is full, including an in-screen fingerprint reader. For connectivity as well the phone houses all the channels and also retains the 3.5mm audio jack. The battery could have been a little larger but due to it being a Li-Polymer based battery it is still quite powerful. The capacity is at 4065mAh and supports the Oppo proprietary VOOC Flash Charge.

This phone is powerful, most reviews claim it is providing more features than other flagship phones that cost more. From the top of the price range but packed with features that were specific to this phone, a good buy for someone who can afford to purchase the Reno 10X Zoom.