OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G – top of its class (smartphone review)

The OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G revitalises this OPPO sub-brand that has not been updated since the Reno4 series. It is well-received by Australians that want more than OPPO’s A-series and less than the Find X-series.

The phone does most things right – AMOLED screen, Qualcomm SD695 5G (that is very similar in performance to the older flagship SD845), a ‘portrait camera’ (50+2+2 and Bokeh Flare) and a new gimmick- dual orbit lights (LED light rings around the primary and depth sensors).

Add to that OPPO build quality, Australia-wide service and a decent 2-year warranty, and it is a winner. But as you will see, the smartphone market is crowded and competitive with many choices.

OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G, 8/128GB, CPH2343, Dual hybrid sim with microSD

Website	Product page
Price	$599
Colours	Rainbow Spectrum and Cosmic Black
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Bing Lee, Big W, Woolworths Mobile, Catch.com.au, TeleChoice, Australia Post
Warranty	2-years ACL
Country of Origin	China
Company	OPPO is now #2 in Australia for Android smartphone market share. It has achieved that through excellent product and after-sales service.
More	CyberShack OPPO news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

First impression – Applesque – Pass+

At first glance, the OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G is very Applesque – flat back, sides, screen, and big, round camera sensors. But that is what its primary market wants – Apple-like with Android benefits.

The philosophy builds on the OPPO Watch – the best all-around Google Wear smartwatch (review) that is probably the best Android Wear watch with a huge square screen (a.k.a. Apple Watch) and its OPPO Enco series earphones – Buds, Air, Free2, and X – too good to ignore (review) that in many ways are Android equals to the AirPods gen 2 and 3 and Pro.

The new things here are two orbit lights – LED ring lights around two rear camera sensors. Add to that an AMOLED screen, Qualcomm SD769 5G and OPPO camera smarts, and it is a pretty good package.

Market Position – mid-range with benefits

• AMOLED 2400x1080p screen
• Qualcomm SD695 5G
• 8/128GB and microSD to 1TB
• Dual Sim (hybrid shared slot)
• 3.5mm 3-pole jack
• Incredibly strong phone signal reception strength good for all areas
• Typical use Battery life of 20 hours plus – two days
• Decent 50+2+2MP rear and 16MP front camera

At $599, its nearest competitor is the $649 OPPO Find X5 Lite – uber-value (review) and $549 Samsung A53 5G – a decent 5G smartphone (review). Motorola has its Edge 30 at $699, but OPPO owns the <$600 price bracket.

Screen – 2400 x 1080, 60Hz, AMOLED – Pass+

It is a 6.43″ fixed 60Hz refresh with an upper left selfie hole. Colours are relatively accurate, and typical brightness is 430nits with maximum of 600. Being AMOLED, contrast is infinite. It has L1 Widevine for Netflix et al., FHD SDR and will support HDR10 content.

Our only comment is that stepped 60/90Hz, or variable refresh is more common (not at this price), but as it does not focus on gamers, this is fine.

Processor – Qualcomm SD695 5G – Pass+

It is the latest and fastest 6-series and performs like a Flagship SD845 of a couple of years ago.

The RAM is 8GB (heaps), plus you can swap an extra virtual 5G ram from storage. The SSD is fast, and you can fit up to a 1TB microSD (shared with a hybrid dual sim).

As with all OPPOs, thermal management is excellent, and it barely throttled 5% over 15 minutes under 100% load.

Gamers should get 50-60fps on medium settings – more for casual gamers.

Comms – Wi-Fi 5 AC, BT 5.1, and NFC – Pass+

It has a very strong antenna design giving it excellent Wi-Fi signal strength out to 19m+ on the 5Ghz band. BT 5.1 supports multipoint and up to 30m signal distance. NFC is expected at this price.

Phone – 4G and 5G – Incredibly strong – Exceed

It has a hybrid dual sim (one slot is microSD or sim). Not only does it find the four closest towers (few others do), the phone’s signal strength is incredible, reaching 20pW (picowatt). Even the fourth, furthest tower away records pW strength signals. It is for the city, suburbs, regional and rural use.

Battery – 20 hours typical use and nearly 29 hours video loop – Exceed

PC Mark 3.0 battery test gives an indication of general office use, and 20 hours is excellent. The video look is nearly 29 hours (50% brightness and sound). If you run it at 100% load, with the screen on, it is a creditable 5 hours.

But (and Samsung can learn from this) it comes with a 33W (5V/2A/10W and 5-11V/3A/33W PD charger for a full battery in one hour and four minutes!

Sound – mono – Pass

It has a mono earpiece for calls and a mono down-firing speaker for hands-free. The maximum volume is 84dB. It is not fair to compare mono devices to stereo as the focus must be on clear voice – not music.

But it has a 3.5mm 3-pole earphone/mic port and Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.1, which gives you SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+ audio and LDAC. It is perfect for BT headphones, and the wide choice of codecs makes this aspect Exceed.

Hands-free is good with dual mics and some noise cancelling.

Build – Better than most – Exceed

Toughened glass front and plastic back and frame are well made and have a nice feel in hand. OPPO’s strength is its two-year warranty and excellent after-sales support.

The fingerprint reader is optical under glass – it works very well.

Android 11 and should get 12 – Pass

Reno gets three years of quarterly security updates. It is a little disappointing that it comes with Android 11.

Camera – One sensor/lens does most of the work – Pass+

The primary sensor/lens is 64MP, that bins to 16MP – the real post-processed result. This has a 2MP bokeh depth sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. It is missing wide angle, ultrawide angle or telephoto. The front selfie is 16MP (no binning).

Interestingly this ‘platform’ is used in several OPPO (and other brands) models, and the motherboard supports 20 different camera sensors (a supply chain sign of the times). I think we got the best setup in the OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G.

• 1X Day (well, a slightly overcast one): Primary sensor – the colours are accurate, natural, and good dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights.
• 2X Day: Primary sensor – perfect shot as per 1x
• 5X Day: Primary sensor – terrific detail for 5X digital zoom and the barest hint of background noise
• 6X Day: Primary sensor: as per 5X
• Ultra-wide: N/A
• Macro: The primary sensor can take macro shots at 4cm. It is OK, but it is critical to get the focal length correct
• Indoor office light: Perfect, crisp details, bright shots, and accurate colours
• Bokeh Depth: A 2MP sensor helps for bokeh shots, and the subject is colour accurate and bright, and the background is suitably blurred. There is a Bokeh Flare setting that creatively blurs background lights
• Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) takes great shots with good colour and some detail. Night mode improves the detail and saturates the colour without adding a lot of noise
• Selfie: The MP selfie has natural skin tones and details and a range of filters to enhance any image.
• Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@30fps with some Qualcomm EIS (Electronic Image Stabilisation crops the image to the horizon) for a reasonably stable image.

Test shots

CyberShack’s view – OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G owns the $599 space

For the price, it is an excellent Qualcomm Snapdragon device, has a terrific camera, long battery life (and a 33W charger inbox), incredible phone reception and Applesque enough to make people think it is one. Buy the Rainbow Spectrum colour even if you use the clear bumper case provided.

Other reviews have mentioned the Samsung A53 and A73 as competitors. While both are excellent phones with AMOLED screens, the OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G is $50 dearer than the A53 and offers more RAM and a QUALCOMM SD. It is closer to the A73 ($699), which has an SD778 5G SoC but 6GB RAM. Don’t forget the OPPO has a 33W charger, and Samsung is 25W capable but does not supply a charger.

The OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G gets our unreserved buy recommendation.

OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G CPH2343

Brand	OPPO
Model	Reno8 Lite 5G
Model Number	CPH2343
Price Base	8/128
Price base	$599
Warranty months	24-months ACL
Tier	Upper Mid-range
Website	Product Page
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Bing Lee, Big W, Woolworths Mobile, Catch.com.au, TeleChoice, Australia Post
Country of Origin	China
Company	OPPO is now #2 in Australia for Android smartphone market share. It has achieved that through excellent product and after-sales service.
Test date	1-18/07/2022
Ambient temp	9-15°
Release	Jun-22
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Reno7 Lite 5G, Reno 7 Z 5G, OPPO F21 Pro 5G, 12GB models, Champagne Silver colours, OnePlus Nord 20 5G, Single Sim

Screen

Size	6.43″
Type	AMOLED
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat
Resolution	2400×1080
PPI	409
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body %	90.8
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7m colours
Refresh Hz	60Hz fixed
Touch Response	120Hz 5-finger, 180Hz 2 finger
Nits typical (test)	430 (tested 435)
Nits max (test)	600 HBM (tested 602)
Contrast	Infinite – OLED
sRGB	Gentle 100+%
DCI-P3	Vivid 93% of the 16.7m colour gamut
Rec.2020 or other	97% NTSC
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	2
HDR Level	Claims HDR10 but downmixed to panels SDR capability
SDR Upscale	No
Blue light control	Yes
PWM if known	250Hz
Daylight readable	Yes
Always on Display	Yes
Edge display	Yes
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L1 for FHD SDR playback
Gaming	40fps at best G-t-G 3ms
Screen protection
Comment	Excellent bright, reasonably colour accurate screen. It is a shame it is not adaptive refresh, but it is not aimed at gamers.

Processor

Brand, Model	Qualcomm SD695
nm	6
Cores	2 x 2.21GHz and 6 x 1.8GHz
Modem	X51 5G
AI TOPS	Estimate 10 TOPS
Geekbench 5 Single-core	688
Geekbench 5 multi-core	1997
Like	Similar to older flagship SD845
GPU	Adreno 619 840Mhz
GPU Test
Open CL	1380
Like	Similar to SD845
Vulcan	1158
RAM, type	8 LPDDR4X, 2133, 2 x 16bit but can swap up to 5GB virtual from storage
Storage, free, type	128GB UFS 2.2 (92GB free)
micro-SD	Up to 1TB
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	519
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	475
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	78/34 mountable
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	27/26 OTG
Comment	All are fit for purpose. Casual gamers only.
Throttle test
Max GIPS	190,726
Average GIPS	186,148
Minimum GIPS	176,230
% Throttle	5%
CPU Temp	52
Comment	Excellent thermal management

Comms

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 5 AC supports Wi-Fi display and tethering
Test 2m -dBm, Mbps	-20/433 – All very strong antenna signal strength
Test 5m	-36/433
Test 10m	-49/433
BT Type	5.1
GPS single, dual	Dual
USB type	USB-C 2.0 480Mbps
Alt DP, DeX, Ready For	No, Wi-Fi casting and Chromecast
NFC	Yes
Ultra-wideband	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes -combo with Gyro is very sensitive
Gyro	Yes -combo with Gyro is very sensitive
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer
Gravity	Yes
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Other	Pedometer
Comment	Wi-Fi 5 AC is strong and keeps signal well to 10m

LTE and 5G

SIM	Hybrid Dual sim (retail model) shared with microSD
Active	Only one active at a time
Ring tone single, dual	Single
VoLTE	Carrier dependent
Wi-Fi calling	Carrier dependent
4G Bands	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6Ghz	N1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 77, 78
Comment	All Australian sub-6Ghz and low-bands
mmWave	N/A
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
UL, DL, ms	25/17/38ms
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-70/2.5 to 20pW
Tower 2	-88/1.6 to 3.2pW
Tower 3	-89/1.6 to 3.2pW
Tower 4	-84/2.4 to 4.2pW
Comment	This has exceptionally strong signal strength and would be great for city, suburbs, regional and rural use

Battery

mAh	4500mAh single battery
Charger, type, supplied	33W SUPERVOOC 5V/2A/10W or 5-11V/3A (33W) – charges at 4.741A
PD, QC level	PD capable – Overcharge protection may influence results
Qi, wattage	No
Reverse Qi or cable	No
Test (60Hz screen)
Charge % 30mins	52%
Charge 0-100%	1 hour 4 minutes
Charge Qi, W	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	4.5 hours
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	28 Hours 31 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	20 hours 37 minutes Accubattery 19 hours mixed use
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	371.8 min (6.2 hours) 1881 frames
GFX Bench T-Rex	518.1 min (8.64 hours) 3357 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours (confirmed by Accubattery)
mA full load	1050
mA idle Screen on	380-450
Estimate loss at max refresh	N/A – Fixed refresh 60Hz
Estimate typical use	Two days at typical use
Comment	Excellent battery life and a fast 33W charger make this a class-leader

Sound

Speakers	Earpiece and mono down-fixing speaker
Tuning	No
AMP	TFA9879 NPX Class-D stereo digital amp and DSP 1.6/2.65W@8/4Ω .02% THD
Dolby Atmos decode	No
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	Yes
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+ audio and LDAC
Multipoint	Should support it
Dolby Atmos (DA)	No
EQ	Real original Sound EQ – smart, movie, game, music and useless for a mono device
Mics	2 with some noise-cancellation
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	84
Media (music)	70
Ring	83
Alarm	83
Notifications	80
Earpiece	55
Hands-free	Decent hands-free and has 2 mics for some wind noise reduction
BT headphones	Excellent separation and volume with Qualcomm codec set
Sound quality
Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	Nil
High Bass 100-200Hz	Slowly building
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Slowly building
Mid 4000-1000Hz	Slowly building
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat
High Treble 6-10kHz	Steep decline
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Steep decline
Sound Signature type	Mid-centric for clear voice. Missing all the important bass so that this is muddy and missing all the important treble, so there is little character and directionality.
Soundstage	Mono
Comment	Good for voice but not for music

Build

Size (H x W x D)	159.85 x 73.17 x 7.5mm
Weight grams	173g
Front glass	Schott Xensation Up. Chemically strengthened lithium aluminosilicate (LAS) cover glass is similar to GG5 for scratch and drop resistance.
Rear material	PMMA
Frame	Plastic
IP rating	IPX4
Colours	Rainbow Spectrum Cosmic Black
Pen, Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	33W SUPERVOOC
USB cable	USB-A to USB-C SuperVooc m3A capable
Buds	No
Bumper cover	Yes
Comment	OPPO leads this class with a 33W charger – it is fast.

OS

Android	11 and all Google Apps
Security patch date	1/06/2022
UI	ColorOS 1.2
OS upgrade policy	Should get Android 12
Security patch policy	Reno gets 3-years of quarterly updates
Bloatware	Amazon, Bookings.com, Facebook, Games, LinkedIn, Netflix, PUGB Mobile Gift Box, Soloop, TikTok and OPPO alternatives to Google Apps
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	Optical under glass
Face ID	Yes 2D
Other	OPPO ColorOS has advanced security features
Comment	ColorOS is a light touch over Android, and this version is for Android 12

OPPO Reno8 Lite 5G Camera

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	64MP bins to 16MP
Sensor	Omnivision OV64B
Focus	AF Open loop motor
f-stop	1.7
um	.7 bins to 1.4
FOV° (stated, actual)	80.6 (69-81.3)
Stabilisation	Qualcomm 5.3x crop EIS only
Zoom	6X digital
Rear 2	Macro
MP	2
Sensor	Galaxy Core GC02m
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.4
um	1.75
FOV (stated, actual)	89
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Rear 3	Depth
MP	2
Sensor	Galaxy Core GC02m
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.4
um	1.75
FOV (stated, actual)	89
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Special
Video max	1080p@30fps and Qualcomm EIS
Flash	Yes
Auto-HDR	Primary lens
	Photo, Video, Night, Expert, Panoramic, Portrait, Time-lapse, Text scanner, and Sticker
QR code reader	Via Google Lens
Night mode	AI

Front

MP	16
Sensor	OV15A1/Sony IMX481/Sony IMX519
Focus
f-stop	2.4
um	1
FOV (stated, actual)	79 (67.8-80.1)
Stabilisation
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	6x digital
Video max	1080p@30fps
Features	Photo, Video, Panoramic, Portrait, Night, Time-lapse, Sticker
Camera comment	• 1X Day (well, a slightly overcast one): Primary sensor – the colours are accurate, natural, and good dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights. • 2X Day: Primary sensor – perfect shot as per 1x • 5X Day: Primary sensor – terrific detail for 5X digital zoom and the barest hint of background noise • 6X Day: Primary sensor: as per 5X • Ultra-wide: N/A • Macro: The primary sensor can take macro shots at 4cm. It is OK, but it is critical to get the focal length correct • Indoor office light: Perfect, crisp details, bright shot, and accurate colours • Bokeh Depth: A 2MP sensor helps for bokeh shots, and the subject is colour accurate and bright, and the background is suitably blurred. There is a Bokeh Flare setting that creatively blurs background lights • Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) takes great shots with good colour and some detail. Night mode improves the detail and saturates the colour without adding a lot of noise • Selfie: The MP selfie has natural skin tones and details and a range of filters to enhance any image. • Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@30fps with some Qualcomm EIS (Electronic Image Stabilisation crops the image to the horizon) for a reasonably stable image.

Ratings

Features	8.5
	It has everything you need
Value	9
	At $599, it owns the <$600 market
Performance	8
	Solid performance, no lag and 8/128GB fast ram and storage
Ease of Use	8.5
	We hope to see Android 12 or 13, but three years of security patches compensate.
Design	8.5
	It is very Applesque. It is the Toyota Camry – the ideal 5G phone at a sweet-spot price, proving you don’t need to spend more (unless you want to).
Rating out of 10	8.5

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