OPPO Reno 13 5G – premium features at a lemonade price (review)

The OPPO Reno 13 5G is an ‘entry-level’ premium handset with every feature a typical user could want at a price that makes sense.

If you know OPPO, you know that its:

• A-series, priced from $199 to $399, provides excellent value and incredible build quality.
• Reno occupies the mid-range and high-end mid-range segments with its 2025 Reno 13 F 5G at $499 (looks pretty good and has a Qualcomm SoC) to the $1299 Reno 13 Pro 5 G. This review is for the $899 OPPO Reno 13 5G which apart from the camera shares the same SoC as the Oppo Reno13 Pro.
• Find X8 Pro at $1799, which is a true flagship. Read OPPO Find X8 Pro – at last, flagship competition.

OPPO makes many more phones, but we don’t see these here due to the exorbitant costs of Australian certification and network approvals.

It occupies #3 in the Australian Android Market share, pipped by the popularity of Google Pixel, which came from well behind with the 2024 8-series. Hot on its tail is Motorola, which aims to be #2 by having a phone in almost all price brackets.

Back to the OPPO Reno 13 5G

I can’t fault it, and that is after we ran over 70 punishing tests to be totally objective.

The main difference between it and the OPPO Reno 13 Pro 5G is that the latter has a 3.5X Optical/120X hybrid telephoto sensor, a slightly larger battery and 512GB storage. 

But the $599 OPPO Reno 13 F 5G is a totally different animal. It has a Qualcomm SD6 Gen 1 SoC, AMOLED screen, camera, and more. It should also be a good, low-cost option with phone reception for regional areas.

We have not reviewed the 13 F or 13 Pro (yet), but will do a specs comparison soon.

Comparison to the 2024 OPPO Reno 12

Our comprehensive review of the OPPO Reno12 and Reno 12 Pro – almost identical twins shows these are still great value. The main differences (OPPO Reno 13 5G in brackets)

• 1080p AMOLED (2.5K flexible AMOLED) – excellent 10-bit screens.
• MediaTek Dimensity 7300 (MediaTek Dimensity 8350 has nearly twice the performance).
• 12GB LPDDR4X (12GB LPDDR5X is faster).
• Dual SIM (Dual SIM + eSIM) – both good for city and suburban use.
• 5000mAh battery (5600 with nearly twice the battery life under load)
• IP65 (IP69 and underwater camera setting)
• Android 14 (Android 15)
• Camera – similar but the new SoC has more post-processing power.
• Rating 79/100 (84 or more)

Test ratings

We use the following ratings: Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations), and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) for many of the items listed below. We occasionally give a Passable rating that is not as good as it should be, and a Pass+ rating indicates it is good but does not quite meet the Exceed standard. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

How to make the best use of this review

We tested over 70 different aspects and uncovered nearly 300 key data points about the device. Overall reviews can reach 5000+ words. So, if you are keen, this is the world’s most comprehensive review!

If you want to see our impressions only, they are at the beginning of each table, and at the end are CyberShack’s View, competitor analysis, and ratings. Ratings are based on the price bracket and expectations, so a $200 phone may score as well as a $2000 phone—we compare like with like.

The OPPO 13 5G and OPPO 13 Pro 5G perform similarly, apart from the telephoto camera and more storage.

Australian Review: OPPO Reno 13 5G CPH2689, 12/256GB, Dual SIM + eSIM as at 10/5/25

Brand	OPPO
Model	OPPO Reno 13 5G
Model Number	CPH2689
RAM/Storage Base	12/256GB
Price base	899
Warranty months	24-months ALC
Teir	Entry-level premium (used to be called upper midrange)
Website	Product Page
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Officeworks, Bing Lee and OPPO online
Country of Origin	China
Company	OPPO is now #3 in Australia for Android smartphone market share. It has achieved that through excellent products and after-sales service.
More	I can’t fault it—it’s all anyone needs. The primary difference between this and the Pro is the camera.
Test date	April 2025
Ambient temp	18-26°
Release	March 2025
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	The genuine Australian model has an R-NZ C-Tick on the box label and under About Phone, Regulatory. Reno is somewhat of a cookie-cutter version supporting different processors, RAM/Storage and camera sensors.

First Impression – Another glass slab, albeit with a nice shimmery back

OPPO makes excellent phones, and this excels with an IP69 rating and underwater camera setting (2m for 30 minutes).  It is very Applesque with straight sides, flat glass and a passing camera hump resemblance. This has an Aluminium frame and sides, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i (drop and scratch resistant) and a larger 5600mAh battery. Thanks, OPPO, for including an 80W SUPERVOOC charger in the box, saving at least $70 over those that don’t (we are looking at you, Samsung, Google and Nothing).

This is another cookie-cutter version supporting different processors, RAM/Storage, and camera sensors, all in the same Reno case. In fact, the OPPO Reno13 5G is also branded as OnePlus.

It is all about filling niches in the global market. In the $800-899 slot, the OPPO Reno13 5G is very good value.

OPPO bring premium build, quality and features to a mid-range smartphone without compromise.

Screen: Pass+

PWM-sensitive people can use this excellent 10-bit/1.07 billion-colour flexible AMOLED screen. I don’t know why Apple, Google, and Samsung persist with dangerous PWM, 8-bit/16.7m colour screens, except to save money and extend battery life. Read PWM – Is your phone making you sick? and 8-bit versus 10-bit screen colours. What is the big deal?

It can run at two resolutions—1256p or 1080p—and we suggest the latter if any of your apps don’t resize correctly. It is bright without quoting the rubbish and highly irrelevant peak nits (in a 2 to 5% window with HDR10+ content). What you see is a good daylight-readable screen at up to 600 nits and an HBM of 1200 nits in bright daylight.

It has the new Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection, developed for value. Its scratch resistance is just above hardened glass and can withstand drops of up to 1m.

Summary: Excellent, bright, colour accurate screen (Delta E <1) suitable for PWM

Screen specs

Size	6.59″
Type	AMOLED – Flexible LTPO
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat centre O-hole
Resolution	2760 x 1256 or 2373 x 1080
PPI	460
Ratio	19.78:9
Screen to Body %	93.4
Colours bits	10-bit/1.07 billion colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive	Auto 60/90/120Hz or fixed 60 or 120Hz
Response 120Hz	240Hz – defaults to 120Hz
Nits typical, test	Claim: 600 typical Test: 550
Nits max, test	HBM: Claim: 1200 Test: 1220 Peak: No claim Test: 1850
Contrast	Infinite
sRGB	100%+
DCI-P3	Natural/Pro/Vivid 100%
Rec 2020 or other	N/A
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	<1 – excellent
HDR Level	HDR10+ – no Dolby Vision
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light control	BOE SGS Seamless Pro Eye Protection Certificate
PWM if known	3840Hz – no issues
Daylight readable	Yes – excellent
Always on Display	Yes, and adaptive sleep
Edge display	Yes, and a sidebar
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L1 FHD HDR Amazon Prime content. Netflix is still SDR.
Gaming	Although it has not been tested, the SoC has enough power for casual gamers, and the screen has a touch response of up to 240Hz.
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. Mohs harness 7 1 meter drop resistance.
Comment	Excellent 10-bit screen, colour accurate and very bright. Excellent for PWM-sensitive eyes.

Processor (SoC) – Pass+

The processor is the device’s heart and impacts raw and graphics performance, phone reception, AI, and more. The MediaTek 8350 is a good choice to keep costs in check and provide near-Snapdragon SD8 Gen 1 performance.

Its GPU (while the same as the Reno 12) is far faster due to the faster memory, and an NPU now handles all AI functions.

Gamers can use the new StarSpeed Engine (not tested) for extra performance.

OPPO’s Trinity Engine ensures almost no loss in power over four years!

(Reno 12 specs where relevant are in brackets)

Brand, Model	MediaTek Dimensity 8350
nm	4nm – TSMC N4P
Cores	1×3.35GHz & 3×3.20GHz & 4×2.20GHz
Modem	MediaTek
AI TOPS OR Multi-thread Integer Operations Per Second (INOPS) GINOPS = billion	MediaTek NPU 780 (655) Geekbench AI (last figure is rating) CPU 1844/1842/3352 GPU 632/671/656 NNAP 1126/4262.4518 AI Benchmark 6 482 AiTuTu 194962 (97473) GFLOPS 13.76 GNOPS 19.15 (15.98)
AnTuTu	1292574
Geekbench 6 Single-core	1315
Geekbench 6 multi-core	4080
Like	Like Exynos 2100/2200 or Google Tensor G3 Benchmarks
GPU	Mali G615-MC6
GPU Test
Open CL	7359 (2364)
Like	Similar to SD8 Gen 1
Vulcan	8320 (2467)
RAM, type	12GB LDDDR5X plus up to 12GB virtual ram expansion.
Storage, free, type	256GB UFS 3.1 (GB Free)
micro-SD	No
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	627.75 818.43 Max
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	852.79 1730 Max
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	N/A
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	11.04/26.48 Mountable for photos and video – not apps.
Comment	It is a competent entry-level premium range SoC with enough AI capability for on-device processing. It has developed a Trinity Engine to improve fluency and stability, ensuring a smooth-running phone even after 48 months of use (background App management). Overall, it has a decent SOC and is the first time we have measured AI benchmarks.

OPPO Reno 13 5G Throttle – Pass

While it can throttle up to 23% (which is pretty minor), it maintains that level very well.

Max GIPS	292518
Average GIPS	251565
Minimum GIPS	219973
% Throttle	23%
CPU Temp	50° (12%)
Comment	Good thermal management. Not quite enough to worry gamers.

Comms – Pass

I gave it a pass because it only supports Wi-Fi 6 dual-band 2.4/5GHz, yet the SoC natively supports Wi-Fi 6e AXE 2.4/5/6Ghz. I suspect the price point precluded this.

But it is a good, strong 5GHz 2400Mbps full-duplex signal, almost out to 10m, showing OPPO’s antenna design prowess.

Another price decision is using USB-C 2.0 480Mbps instead of 3.1/2 Gen 1/2, 5/10Gbps with Alt DP. It supports OTG and will mount an external drive for image storage.

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 6 AC 2.4/5GHz 20/40/80/160 Soc supports AXE 6GHz, but it is not enabled.
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps	-39/2392/2402 (1200)
Test 5m	-49/2392/2402
Test 10m	-57/2392/2002
BT Type	5.4 LE
GPS single, dual	Single GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
USB type	USB-C 2.0 480MBps
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	Chromecast
NFC	Yes
Ultra-wideband	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes
Gyro	Yes
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Other	Colour Temperature IR remote control
Comment	While it is not expected, there are phones with USB-C 3.1 or 3.2 Gen 1 or 2, 5/10Gbps. USB-C 2.0 means external mountable storage is too slow for vloggers and videographers. Wi-Fi speeds were excellent, reaching the maximum 2400Mbps full-duplex.

4/5G – Pass

MediaTek modems are strictly for city and suburban use, and this gets a strong signal on 4G Bands 3 and 28.

It did not find a 5G tower (few do in our blackspot test area), so don’t pay extra for a 5G plan you may seldom use.

SIM	Dual SIM or One SIM and eSIM
Active	DSDS – only one active at a time
Ringtones single, dual	Single
VoLTE	Yes
Wi-Fi calling	Yes
4G Bands	1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/18/19/20/26/28/3238/38/40/41/66
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6GHz	n1/2/3/5/7/8/12/20/26/28/38/40/41/66/77/78
Comment	All Australian sub-6GHz and low bands
mmWave	N/A
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
DL/UL, ms	16.6/29.2/28ms (low)
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	Band 3 -77 to -79, 12.6 to 20pW
Tower 2	Band 28 -85 3.2pW
Tower 3	N/A
Tower 4	N/A
Comment	We were surprised that it reliably found two towers at usable strength. MediaTek modems usually only find one. Band 28 was the only one found indoors at usable strength. 5G was not found (it should have been) It is suitable for city, suburb, and regional city use, provided there is reasonable tower coverage. It is not suitable for rural or remote use.

Battery – Pass+

It is part of the new breed that shoehorns extra capacity into the same battery space—you will see a lot more 5000+mAh phones. The Pass+ comes from including an 80W SUPERVOOC charger and 5W cable in the box, which saves you $70 over those brands that don’t.

Battery life is excellent, but take care when using a higher screen brightness and 2.5k resolution, as a higher resolution/brightness impacts battery life.

mAh	5600mAh/21.96Wh Single Cell 5-year battery 3.92V/5.45A
Charger, type, supplied	80W capable but charged at 9V/5A/45W
PD, QC level	SUPERVOOC 2.0, SUPERVOOC, VOOC 3.0 Using PPS or PD chargers, maximum 33W
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable.	Reverse wired
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)	Adaptive
Charge % 30mins	75%
Charge 0-100%	Test: 45 minutes (42 minutes)
Charge Qi, W	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	N/A
Video loop 50%, aeroplane mode	Test: 22 hours (23 hours 17 minutes)
PC Mark 3 battery	14 hours 35 minutes (16 hours 37 minutes) Accubattery 17 hours 16 minutes (17 hours 49 minutes)
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run (typical of MediaTek)
GFX Bench T-Rex	1375 minutes, 22.91 hours, 3378 frames (12 hours)
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	8 hours (4 hours 21 minutes) Accubattery 4 hours 57 minutes
mA Full load screen on	1850-1900 100% screen brightness 1500 50%
mA Watt idle Screen on	450mA – 100% screen brightness 200 at 50%
Estimate loss at max refresh	Tested on adaptive
Estimate typical use	Typical users should get 24+ hours and heavy users 8-12 hours. Reno 12 had about half the screen on discharge life.
Comment	Even though the 4nm Soc is more energy efficient, the screen brightness affects battery life. If you can tolerate Dark Mode, use it.

Sound Hardware: Pass

Sound quality is in the next table – this is about sound hardware. OPPO was built on a sound pedigree.

It is almost identical to the Reno 12, which means it has a good selection of Bluetooth Codecs (including some aptX).

It is loud enough, hands-free is good, and headphones are excellent.

Speakers	Stereo (earpiece and bottom-firing speaker
Tuning	No
AMP	2 x TFA98xx (unusual not to use MediaTek’s SoC amps)
Dolby Atmos decode	No
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	Digital earphones via USB-C – no analogue DAC
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX-HD, LDAC, LHDC5.0 16bit-48000Hz
Multipoint	Yes
Dolby Atmos (DA)	No, but has HOLO spatial audio
EQ	Oreality – Smart, Movie, Gaming, Music
Mics	2 with some noise-cancellation
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	81.2
Media (music)	72.9
Ring	82.2
Alarm	78.4
Notifications	59.8
Earpiece	55
Hands-free	Decent hands-free and has 2 mics for Clear Voice noise reduction.
BT headphones	Tested on LDAC and aptX HD. Excellent separation.

Sound Quality – Passable

Few phones rate better than passable because you simply cannot get enough fidelity from micro speakers.

It focuses on clear voice, so if you love music, use headphones. 3.5mm headphones need an external DAC, but USB-C headphones work fine.

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	Slow, long build from 65Hz
High Bass 100-200Hz	Slow build to 1kHz
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Slow build to 1kHz
Mid 400-1000Hz	Slow build to 1kHz
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flattish to 5kHz
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flattish to 5kHz
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Steep decline to 8kHz
High Treble 6-10kHz	Flat to 12 kHz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Steep decline to 20kHz
Sound Signature type	Mid-centric for clear voice. Missing all the important bass makes this muddy, and missing all the important treble means there is little character and directionality. In short, it is dull and thin for music.
Soundstage	It is as wide as the handset. It does not decode Dolby Atmos, but the 2D placement is good. A HOLO spatial setting gives DA a slightly wider sound stage.
Comment	Suitable for voice but not for music. There is a significant bias towards the bottom speaker.

Build – Exceed

OPPO knows how to make excellent built phones. This has an IP69 rating for up to 2m for 30 minutes. Add a 2-year warranty, outstanding local support, and it’s a keeper.

Size (H X W x D)	157.9 x 74.7 x 7.2 mm
Weight grams	181
Front glass	Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
Rear material	Glass (unspecified)
Frame	Aluminium
IP rating	IP68/69 2m for 30 minutes Or 1450 PSI high-speed water jet
Colours	Luminous Blue Plume White
Pen, Stylus support	No
Teardown	See below
In the box
Charger	80W
USB cable	USB-A to USB-C 5W cable
Buds	No
Bumper cover	No
Comment	OPPO build quality and 80W charger inbox

OS – Android 15 – Pass+

ColorOS 15 is overlaid on Android 15. It has almost no learning curve, adds value and smooths over some Android rough spots. Its sub-menus are closer than ever to Android.

OPPO has a 2+3+4 warranty, OS upgrade, and security patch policy, which is excellent for this price.

One area that OPPO fails (or excels in, if that is what you want) is the inclusion of way too much bloatware, but hey, it keeps prices down. All is removable.

ColorOS 15 also includes some extra security features that help keep you safer.

We did a test to upgrade an iPhone to Android, and it was flawless as long as you know all your passwords. Android had all the equivalent iOS apps.

AI – yes, but subtle and not compulsory

Whenever I speak to Samsung, Google, Motorola, or OPPO about AI phones versus older ‘speeds and feeds’ measurements, they say it is not about specifications but what AI can do for you.

Well, it is about specifications because you need a lot of power and RAM. AI Gen 2 requires at least 12GB of RAM; some models have separate 4GB+ AI RAM.

For those who want to avoid having AI shoved down their throat, OPPO has made AI contextual (applicable to what you are doing) and optional via a swipe-right sidebar. It is one of the better implementations I have seen.

Google Gemini and Circle to search are there if you want them, and most AI is performed on-device without the need for expensive AI subscriptions that Google and Samsung threaten to implement later this year. OPPO even gives you enough credit to try advanced features and see if you need them.

Android	Android 15
Security patch date	1/4/25
UI	ColorOS 15
OS upgrade policy	5 years
Security patch policy	6 years
Bloatware	4 years
Other	AliExpress, App market, Booking.com, Candy Crush Saga, Facebook, Fitbit, Junes Journey, Kids mode, Lock Screen Magazine, Solitaire, Temu, TikTok, WoW, Yatzy, Zen Space, plus many more supposedly avoided at setup.
Comment	OPPO alternatives to some Google Apps. Use Google.
	AI TOOLBOX 2.0 AI Summary AI Rewrite Extract Chart Screen translator AI Speak AI Writer AI Reply AI Studio (cloud generative – cost)
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	Optical under glass
Face ID	Yes 2D
Comment	OPPO ColorOS has advanced security features

OPPO Reno 13 Rear Camera – Pass+

It is a 50+8+2 setup—main, wide, and depth. As far as our Joe and Jane Average point-and-shoot tests go, it’s superb.

The primary difference between the Reno 13 and 13 Pro is that the latter has a 3.5X/120X telephoto. It also uses a different 50MP primary sensor, which makes little difference.

It is similar to the Reno 12 in many respects, but the extra processing power means more AI manipulation.

Our take: Superb for day, office and low-light camera use – well above most at this price.

We have included links to OPPO users’ camera reviews.

Rear camera Images

Rear Camera Specs

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.6MP
Sensor	Lytia LYT600
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	.8 bins to 1.6
FOV° (stated, actual)	OIS/EIS
Stabilisation	68.2 x 80.5
Zoom	10X digital
Rear 2	Ultrawide
MP	8MP
Sensor	Sony IMX355
Focus	AF
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	115 (97.7 x 110)
Stabilisation	EIS
Zoom	No
Rear 3	Depth Mono
MP	2MP
Sensor
Focus
f-stop	2.4
um
FOV (stated, actual)	89
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Video max	4K@60 1080p@60 EIS
Flash	Colour spectrum quad LED.
Auto-HDR	Yes
	Rear: Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, HI-RES, PANO, Slo-mo, Time-lapse, Dual-view video, Sticker, underwater, DOC SCANNER, Google lens
QR code reader	Google Lens
Night mode	AI
DXO Mark	Photo review

OPPO Reno 13 Front camera – Pass+

The big winner was the upgrade from 32MP to 50MP and 4K@60fps with EIS. Selfies are superb, with lots of filters and up to a 91.4° wide angle for group selfies.

Front
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	Samsung S5KJN5
Focus	AF
f-stop	2
um	.64 bins to 1.28
FOV (stated, actual)	90 (78.6 x 91.4)
Stabilisation
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	No
Video max	4K@60 EIS
Features	Front: Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, HI-RES, PANO, Time-lapse, Dual-view video, Sticker
Comment	AI AI Motion transforms still images into three-second videos. AI Clarity Enhancer AI Unblur AI Reflection Remover Underwater camera mode due to IP69

CyberShack’s view: OPPO Reno 13 improves on every aspect of the 2024 Reno 12 to give a highly polished performance

OPPO Reno13 presents compelling features in its price bracket. But more than that, it shows that you don’;t need to spend a fortune to get OPPO Reno 13 features and quality. It rates very well, as there are no compromises, giving a near-premium experience.

With better phone reception and some AI capabilities, it gets our recommendation for features and value.

Competition

In the $800-900 bracket, you have the 2024 Reno 12, Nothing (3a) Pro, Google Pixel 9a, 2024 Google Pixel 8 Pro, HDM Skyline and the OPPO Reno 13.

They are all pretty good, but the Nothing (3a) Pro is marginally the class leader due to its Qualcomm SoC and Telephoto sensor. Read Nothing (3a) and (3a) Pro – class-leading mid-rangers

But the SoC is not an issue for city dwellers.

OPPO Reno 13 rating

I love the $800-900 price bracket because this is where you can get premium features for a better price, more of an aspirational proof-of-concept. OPPO hopes that those buying a Reno will go to the FindX-series next time. Well, I have to say, why bother? It has all you need.

Ratings
Features	85
	Entry-level premium with everything you need and AI as well. Decent camera, screen and battery life.
Value	85
	In the $800-900 bracket, you have the 2024 Reno 12, Nothing (3a) Pro, Google Pixel 9a, 2024 Google Pixel 8 Pro, and HDM Skyline. They are all pretty good, but the Nothing (3a) Pro is marginally the class leader.
Performance	85
	Significant performance boost over the Ren0 12 with almost 100% increase in GPU performance.
Ease of Use	85
	Its 2+5+6 warranty, OS upgrade, and security patches are excellent. Only the Google Pixel 2+7+7 beats it.
Design	85
	Gone is the Reno 12 curved edge and screen. It is now more than ever very Applesque.
Rating out of 10	85
Final comment	This takes the 2024 Reno 12 and adds a faster processor and more RAM, but leaves the camera essentially the same. The camera benefits from more processing power and enhanced AI.

OPPhttps://youtu.be/yw9dzYpexSQO Reno 13 5G, OPPO Reno 13 5G