OPPO Reno 13 F 5G – the poor bushies’ new friend (review)

The OPPO Reno 13 F 5G is the impoverished bushies’ new friend. At $599, it has one of the strongest phone signal strengths we have seen.

Every so often, a smartphone maker nails it. The OPPO Reno 13 F 5G is exceptional for a meagre $599, and as of 10/6/25, it is on special for $499! Run, don’t walk.

What makes it exceptional is the Qualcomm System-on-a-Chip (SoC) and its X62 5G modem. In pretty much all ‘speeds and feeds’, it is an excellent phone for the price.

Now we have seen all the OPPO Reno 13-series – which is the right one for you? This is the ‘white sheep’ using a Qualcomm SoC instead of the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 in the Reno 13 and 13 Pro. These may have more horsepower for AI, but their modem is really only for city and suburb use.

You can read the OPPO Reno 13 5G – premium features at a lemonade price (review).

What is OPPO?

If you know OPPO, you know that its:

• A-series, priced from $199 to $499, 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 $599 (looks pretty good and has a Qualcomm SoC) to the $1299 Reno 13 Pro 5 G.
• Find X8 Pro at $1799 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.

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 a few thousand 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.

Australian Review: OPPO Reno 13 F 5G CPH2699, 8/256GB, Dual SIM or Single SIM and MicroSD as of 10/5/25

Brand	OPPO
Model	OPPO Reno 13F
Model Number	CPH2699
RAM/Storage Base	8/256GB
Price base	$599 but on special for $499 now
Warranty months	24-months ACL
Teir	Mid-range
Website	Product Page
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Officeworks, Bing Lee and OPPO online
Made in	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	CyberShack OPPO news and reviews
Test date	May 2025
Ambient temp	18-26°
Release	45748
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 – anticipation

When I heard that it had a Qualcomm SoC, albeit a 2022 SD 6 Gen 1, I fervently hoped that it would harness OPPO’s great 360° antenna design and give regional and rural users – ‘bushies’ – a lower-cost alternative. Well, it does with some of the strongest phone reception signals I have seen in this class.

Apart from that, it is an attractive glass slab with an AMOLED screen, Snapdragon processor, great battery life, decent camera, and well, it has my vote.

It is not a fancy AI phone. It can do limited on-device processing (see AI toolbox later). It uses Google Gemini (a scaled-back version for 8GB of RAM), Circle to Search, and AI cloud for off-device processing.

Like any low-cost device, there are some compromises, but none are deal breakers.

Screen – Pass

It is bright, daylight readable, and reasonably colour-accurate AMOLED. OPPO has saved money by using an 8-bit/16.7m colour panel, which also helps give it extra-long battery life.

It is also fine for PWM-sensitive people.

Summary: Great for the price.

Size	6.67″
Type	AMOLED Rigid
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat centre O-hole
Resolution	2400 x 1080
PPI	394
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body%	92.2
Colours bits	8-bit/16.7m colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive	60/120Hz
Response 120Hz	180Hz
Nits typical, test	Claim: 600 typical Test: 587
Nits max, test	Claim: 1200 HBM Test: 1170
Contrast	Infinite
sRGB	Claim: Natural mode: 100%+ Test: 100%+
DCI-P3	Claim: Vivid Mode 100% Test: 77% of 8-bit/16.7m colours
Rec 2020 or other	N/A
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	2.2
HDR Level	HDR10 – no Dolby Vision
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light control	Yes
PWM if known	1920Hz – too high to be an issue above 50% brightness
Daylight readable	Yes – excellent
Always on Display	Yes, and adaptive sleep
Edge display	Yes and sidebar
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L1 FHD SDR
Gaming	Not tested, but no dedicated game features.
Screen protection	Asahi Glass AGC DT-Star2
Comment	It is an 8-bit screen and all that entails. On the positive side, it increases battery life and has good PWM ratings.

Processor – Pass

While the silicon was released in 2022, it is still perfect for a midrange phone offering smooth, lag-free performance. Again, it helps OPPO make a phone for this price. It has a 5-year Fluency protection promise, which means the phone is as snappy as day 1.

It is not for on-device AI, although OPPO has managed to include its AI Toolkit.

Type	Qualcomm SD 6 Gen 1
nm	4nm
Cores	4×2.2GHz & 4×1.8GHz
Modem	X62 5G
AI TOPS OR Multi-thread Integer Operations Per Second (INOPS) GINOPS = billion	7th Gen Qualcomm AI Engine (does not appear to have a dedicated NPU) Geekbench AI (last figure is rating) CPU: 802/792/1334 GPU: 187/271/290 NNAPI: 128/128/360 QNN: 128/129/360 AI Benchmark 6: 901 AiTuTu: 280,726 GFLOPS: 13.22 GNOPS: 14.43
Geekbench 6 Single-core	934
Geekbench 6 multi-core	2703
Like	Benchmarks Like Exynos 1380 or SD 865
GPU	Adreno 710
GPU Test
Open CL	1534
Like	SD 865
Vulcan	2561
RAM, type	8GB LPDDR4X
Storage, free, type	256GB UFS 3.1
micro-SD	Up to 2TB
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps sustained/peak	1120 Max 1620
CPDT internal seq. write MBps sustained/peak	491.4 Max 768
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	Yes, microSD 77.8/43.85Mbps
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	23.69/11.77Mbps mountable
Comment	It’s a competent SoC first released in 2022, and Qualcomm is up to Gen 3. Its AI is more about photography than on-device processing.

Throttle – Pass

It throttles, but not too badly. It is not a device for gamers or power users.

Max GIPS	257806
Average GIPS	221197
Minimum GIPS	188713
% Throttle	24%
CPU Temp	76°
Comment	We are used to OPPO’s excellent thermal management, but this SoC throttles in cycles. It’s not for gamers or heavy users.

Comms – Pass

Wi-Fi N is all you can expect, and it maxes out at 433Mbps. NFC is there, and the GPS is effective to 2m for in-car navigation.

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 5 N 2.4/5GHz
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps	-49/397-433/93-433
Test 5m	-53/433/96-433
Test 10m	-56/433/91-433
BT Type	5.1 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 – combo
Gyro	Yes – combo
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer
Gravity	Yes
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Comment	The SoC’s age reflects BT 5.1 and the relatively slow 433Mbps half duplex Wi-Fi. It is for purpose and at least allows for an external mountable SSD, although it is too slow for vloggers and videographers.

4/5G – Exceed

This phone excels at signal strength, finding all four towers at picowatt strengths. In part, it’s the Qualcomm modem, but OPPO’s interesting 360° antenna design (AI LinkBoost 2.0) really makes this phone stand out. It is for city, suburbs, regional and rural use.

SIM	Dual SIM or Single SIM and micro-SD
Active	Only one active at a time
Ringtone single, dual	Single
VoLTE	Yes
Wi-Fi calling	Yes
4G Bands	1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/26/28/32/38/39/40/41/66
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6GHz	1/2/3/5/7/8/12/20/26/28/38/40/41/66/77/78
Comment	All Australian sub-6GHz and low bands
mmWave	N/A
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
DL/UL, ms	37.5/36.7/34ms above average
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	Band 3: -77 to -80 10 to 20pW
Tower 2	Band 28: -82 yp -83  5 to 6.3pW
Tower 3	Band 28: -77 to -84 4pW to 20pW
Tower 4	Band 28: -88 1.6pW Indoor Bands 3 and 28, approximately 100fW
Comment	Amazing signal strengths suitable for cities, suburbs, regional, and rural areas, as long as you have adequate band 28 coverage. As a 5G phone (the test is in a blackspot), it’s OK for city and suburb use.

Battery – Pass+

It’s a new breed of battery that puts more capacity into the same space and has over 1000 charge cycles before the retained charge drops off (most others use 300-500 charge cycles). This cleverly analyses what you are doing to maximise battery life. For example, if playing a video, it shuts down all unnecessary phone functions to give it an impressive 27 hours and 29 minutes of SDR playing time.

Recharge time is 50 minutes using an OPPO 45W SUPERVOOC charger. It will be slightly slower on PPS/PD chargers.

mAh	5800mAh/22.74Wh This reflects new battery tech that crams more capacity into the same space.
Charger, type, supplied	45W capable. We got 9V/4A/36W charging
PD, QC level	SUPERVOOCT 2.0, SUPERVOOC, VOOC 3.0 PD2.0 (9V/3/27W)
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable.	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)	Adaptive
Charge % 30mins	44%
Charge 0-100%	50 minutes
Charge Qi	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	N/A
Video loop 50%, aeroplane mode	27 Hours 29 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	18 hours 30 minutes Accubattery 18 hours
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	584.7 minutes (9.75 hours) 2261 frames
GFX Bench T-Rex	855.2 minutes (14.25 hours) 3187 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours Accubattery 6 hours
mA Full load screen on	1650-1700
mA Watt idle Screen on	50% brightness 200-250mA 100% brightness 550-600mA
Estimate loss at max refresh	Tested on adaptive
Estimate typical use	This has an exceptional video loop time due to OPPO identifying its video and shutting down most of the other processes. Typical users will get over a day, and power users closer to 8-10 hours.
Comment	Even though the 4nm SoC is more energy efficient, the screen brightness has a lot to do with battery life. If you can tolerate Dark Mode, use it.

Sound hardware – Pass

It has stereo speakers, and while there is no longer a 3.5 mm jack, it has an internal DAC that lets you plug in USB-C or 3.5mm to USB-C earphones without needing an external DAC. It is good for hands-free use.

Speakers	Stereo (earpiece and bottom-firing speaker
Tuning	No
AMP	AW87XX low noise, stereo 2W per channel
Dolby Atmos decode	No
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	No, but the FSA4480 driver for use without an external DAC.
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, Aptx, Aptx-HD, LDAC
Multipoint	Should support it
Dolby Atmos (DA)	No
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	Dual mics for some noise cancellation and excellent volume.
BT headphones	Tested on LDAC and aptX HD. Excellent separation.

Sound Quality – Passable

No phone has more than passable sound because the micro speakers simply cannot reproduce the low/mid bass and mid/high treble necessary for good music. They are designed for a clear voice, and this is no different. However, OPPO’s sound pedigree means that when you use headphones, you get excellent separation and fidelity.

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 so that this is muddy, and missing all the important treble, so 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. There is a HOLO spatial setting that gives DA a slightly wider sound stage.
Comment	Good for voice but not for music. There is a bias towards the bottom speaker.

Build – Exceed

This is more of a comment about OPPO’s superb build quality. But it is extraordinary to see IP69 water resistance and the ability to take photos and videos underwater at up to 2 metres. Plus, the charger is worth at least $60!

Size (H X W x D)	162.2 x 75.1 x 7.8 mm
Weight grams	192
Front glass	Asahi Glass AGC DT-Star2
Rear material	Plastic (unspecified)
Frame	Plastic (unspecified)
IP rating	IP68/69 2m for 30 minutes
Colours	Luminous Blue Plume Purple
Pen, Stylus support	No
Teardown	Yes, see the video below.
In the box
Charger	45W charger
USB cable	USB-A to USB-C 5W cable
Buds	No
Bumper cover	No
Comment	OPPO’s build quality and 45W charger inbox

Android 15 – Pass+

While this phone is loaded with bloatware, it helps OPPO make a lower-cost device, and you can remove it all.

 OPPO’s ColorOS 15 keeps getting better, and five OS upgrades and six years of patches are unheard of at this price.

OPPO AI is mainly done on the device. The OPPO Reno13 series features an AI Toolbox 2.0. This version provides enhanced capabilities for tasks like real-time spell checks, translations, and text rewriting.

Context-Sensitive:

• The AI Toolbox is designed to be context-sensitive, meaning it understands the user’s current task and suggests relevant AI-powered tools.

AI-Powered Tools:

• The AI Toolbox offers a range of tools, including AI Summary, Screen Translator, and AI Writer.

AI Assistant for Notes:

• The AI Assistant for Notes provides AI-driven tools for formatting, editing, content expansion, and style variations.

Documents:

• The series also includes a dedicated Documents app with AI features for professionals to summarise, edit text, or even extract charts

Android	Android 15
Security patch date	1 May current
UI	ColorOS 15
OS upgrade policy	5
Security patch policy	6 years
Bloatware	AliExpress, App Market, Booking.com, Candy Crush Saga, Facebook, Fitbit, Junes Journey, Kids mode, Lock Screen Magazine, Solitaire, Temu, TikTok, WoW, Yatzy, Zen Spacec, and many more are supposedly avoided at Steup.
Other	OPPO alternatives to some Google Apps. Use Google.
Comment	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
Other	OPPO ColorOS has advanced security features

OPPO Reno 13 F 5G rear camera

The 50MP (bins to 12.5MP) Sony IMX766 does most of the work. To illustrate how good it is, it was the primary sensor in the 2022 OPPO Find X5 and Pro, which set records for its time—an oldie but a goodie. Add Optical Image Stabilisation, and it takes excellent pictures in daytime and office light.

The 8MP ultra-wide has decent results in good light, but loses sharpness in low light. Overall, it is really just for wide shots in good light.

The 2MP is a macro.

The video is good, but you really want to use 1080p@30 to benefit from OIS and Qualcomm EIS for shudder-free results.

Test photos

This was at 8 AM in very bright conditions. OPPO’s AI is working overtime to get definition in the shadows.

OPPO Reno 13 F rear camera specs

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	Sony IMX766
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	1 bins to 2
FOV° (stated, actual)	66 to 78.1
Stabilisation	OIS/Qualcomm EIS
Zoom	10X digital
Rear 2	Ultrawide
MP	8MP
Sensor	Omnivision Ovo8D
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	112
Stabilisation	EIS
Zoom	No
Rear 3	Macro
MP	2MP
Sensor	Unknown
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.4
um
FOV (stated, actual)	89
Stabilisation
Zoom
Video max	4K@60 no OIS 1080p@60 EIS and OIS
Flash	LED
Auto-HDR	Yes
	Rear: Photo, Video, Portrait, Night, PRO, Panorama, Macro, Slo-mo, Dual-view video, Time-lapse, sticker, HI-RES, Google lens, Underwater, Doc Scanner
QR code reader	Google Lens
Night mode	AI

OPPO Reno 13 F 5G front camera

It takes quality selfies, with sharp details, good skin tone and good blur in portrait mode. Low light gives sharper photos than many mid-range models.

Front	Selfie
MP	32MP bins to 8MP
Sensor	Samsung S5KJD1
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.4
um	.7 bins to 1.4
FOV (stated, actual)	82 (70.5-83)
Stabilisation	EIS
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	No
Video max	1080P@30fps
Features	Front: Photo, Video, Portrait, Night, Panorama, Dual-view video, Time-lapse, sticker, Retouch, Screen fill light

CyberShack’s take: OPPO Reno 13 F 5G is the white sheep of the family – something for everyone

It took the 2024 Reno 11 F (there was no 12 F) and updated the tech, giving it a better SoC, IP69, and superb phone reception while keeping the price the same! In doing so, it increased CyberShack’s objective ratings from 77 to 84, which is impressive.

At $599, it is excellent value. If you hurry, it is $499, and you can’t beat it. Don’t underestimate the benefits of this phone’s top-rate phone signal strength.

OPPO Reno 13 F competition

There is nothing in the $400-499 field that comes close. Some 2024 runouts are tempting, like the $799 Motorola Edge 50 5G 12/256GB, 50+13+13MP, now $449.

The OPPO Reno 11 F 5G is good at $449, but spend the extra $50 for the 13 F.

If you pay $599, the Nothing (3a) is tempting, but it only has 8/128GB and IPX4. The 2024 Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is worth a look, but OPPO excels all around.

OPPO Reno 13 F, OPPO Reno 13 F, OPPO Reno 13 F, OPPO Reno 13 F

OPPO Reno 13 F Ratings

Ratings	70/100 is a pass
Features	80
	It’s a mid-range device with excellent battery life, city/suburb/regional/rural phone reception, and a competent camera. It’s a winner.
Value	90
	It is $599, but at 10/6/25 on special at $499. That makes it the $400-499 class leader. Even at $599, only the Nothing (3a) comes close, but OPPO  has superior specs.
Performance	80
	It meets or exceeds what is expected at this price.
Ease of Use	85
	2+5+6 warranty/OS/security is unbeatable at this price
Design	85
	Very Applesque now.
Rating out of 10	84
Final comment	Another impressive Reno with an outstanding phone signal strength