OPPO Reno12 and Reno 12 Pro – almost identical twins (smartphone review)

The OPPO Reno12 and Reno12 Pro are practically identical twins—they have the same screen, processor, battery, size, and weight. Both come with OPPO’s ColorOS 14.1, which has useful generative AI features.

The Pro version has an additional 50MP telephoto camera, 50MP selfie, 512GB, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and different colourways.

Reno is OPPO’s mid-range brand between its A-series and FindX-series. It offers OPPO’s renowned build quality, excellent camera prowess, and a decent 2+3+4 warranty/operating system upgrade/ security patch policy.

This is a combined review, and the Reno12 Pro differences are in brackets.

What is OPPO AI?

Frankly, it is pretty much like Samsung, Google, and Motorola AI. All leverage Google Gemini Nano on the device, access Google Gemini Cloud for heavier AI work and can access Gemini Advanced (at an extra cost). Most are working with Microsoft as well. OPPO has yet to announce policies regarding AI use, service levels, and costs, but the basic AI performed on the device will likely remain free.

The hardware needs an NPU (we can now measure that), at least 12GB of RAM (OPPO also has virtual RAM), and fast Wi-Fi or mobile connections. OPPO has deployed its own 7 billion parameter LLM to these devices.

 OPPO AI  includes:

AI Toolbox (powered by Google Gemini LLM – large language model)

• AI Writer for AI-generated text
• AI Recording summary supports multi-speaker recognition, automatically identifying and extracting key information
• AI Summary of text content
• AI Speak for translation.
• Multi-modal (voice, text, image) is coming

Other AI

• AI Clear Voice reduces background noise by up to 40dB, enhancing call clarity
• AI LinkBoost optimises network use, reducing data lag by up to 25%
• BeaconLink for one-to-one voice calls via Bluetooth in no-network environments.

Photography

OPPO expects to lead the field in AI photography despite Google’s Pixel claims.

• AI Eraser 2.0 removes unwanted objects and quickly generates missing content.
• AI Perfect Shot
• AI Best Face – opens closed eyes, etc.
• AI Clear face – filters
• AI Studio – generative AI

Australian Review: OPPO Reno12 (CHP2625) and OPPO Reno12 Pro (CPH2629). Reno12 Pro differences are noted.

Brand	OPPO
Model	OPPO RENO12 and OPPO Reno12 Pro
Model Number	CPH2625/CPH2629
RAM/Storage Base	12/256 (12/512)
Price base	$799 ($999)
Warranty	24 months
Tier	Mid-range (Same plus camera and storage)
Website	Reno12 Product Page Reno12 Pro Product Page
From	JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Bing Lee and OPPO online
Made in	China
Company	OPPO is now #2 in Australia for Android smartphone market share. It has achieved this by offering excellent products and after-sales service.
More	CyberShack OPPO news and reviews CyberShack smartphone news and reviews
Test date	1-30/7/2024
Ambient temp	8-17°
Release	July 2024
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.

Warning – do not buy grey market

Nothing is a trendy phone brand with a huge grey market. Only buy the Australian-certified version for Telco networks and an Australian warranty from Nothing (it has an Amazon store) or JB Hi-Fi. You can check its bonafide by an R-NZ C-Tick on the packaging and under Settings, About Phone, and Regulatory labels.

Read Don’t buy a grey market smartphone.

New review format

We are experimenting with our review format. Where we used to put all the raw data in tables at the end, we will now break them up and briefly comment on the various parts. Why? Readers who want to know more will paw over the tables. Readers who wish to see if it’s a good phone can just read the comments. Of course, we still have CyberShack’s’ View and rating explanation at the end – do make sure you read that.

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(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – Reno12 is another OPPO winner

I remarked that this is another cookie-cutter version supporting different processors, RAM/Storage, and camera sensors, all in the same Reno case. In fact, Reno12 also has 12F 4G, 12F 5G, and a Chinese version. You will find variants of this branded as OnePlus.

It is all about filling niches in the global market. In the $700-799 slot, the Reno12 is the best there is.

In the $900-999 slot, the Reno12 Pro (12/512GB/microSD/dual SIM) has a strong competitor in the Motorola Edge 50 Pro (12/256GB/SIM and eSIM) but edges ahead with more storage.

You cannot go wrong with the Reno12 or Reno12 Pro, and the surprisingly good phone reception (for a MediaTek modem) is a welcome bonus.

Screen – Pass+

It is a bright, colour-accurate, daylight-readable AMOLED screen with 10-bit/1.07 billion colours.

Size	6.7″
Type	AMOLED
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Slightly curved edge centre O-hole
Resolution	2412 x 1080
PPI	394
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body %	93.2%
Colours bits	10-bit/1.07 billion colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive	Fixed 60 or 120Hx and Adaptive 60/90/120Hz
Response 120Hz	240Hz touch sample
Nits typical, test	Claim 600 (640)
Nits max, test	Claim Peak 1200 (1350)
Contrast	Infinite
sRGB	Gentle: 100% sRGB/72% NTSC
DCI-P3	Vivid: 100% DCI-P3/97% NTSC Cinema: 100% DCI-P3/96% NTSC Brilliant: 100% DCI-P3/107% NTSC
Rec.2020 or other	N/A
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	Approx 3
HDR Level	HDR10, HDR10+. HLG
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light Control	Yes
PWM if known	2160Hz – too high to be an issue.
Daylight readable	Yes – excellent
Always on Display	Yes, and adaptive sleep
Edge display	Yes, and sidebar
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L1 FHD HDR Amazon Prime content. Netflix is still SDR.
Gaming	It has not been tested, but there are no dedicated game features.
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass 7i (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Comment	Excellent 10-bit screen, colour accurate and very bright.

Processor – Pass

I am warming to the MediaTek Dimensity series (kind of like the Intel and AMD debate), although this is more comparable to a Qualcomm SD6 series. Above it are the 8000 and 9000 series, which compete with SD 7 and 8.

It is a perfectly good SoC for daily use and energy efficiency. The NPU 655 adds basic on-device AI processing. But to put that in perspective, it has a 380 AI benchmark score versus the Samsung S24 Ultra’s 3213!

It is not a gamer’s device.

Brand, Model	Similar to Exynos 2100 Benchmarks
nm	4nm – TSMC N4P
Cores	4 x 2.5GHz & 4 x 2.0GHz
Modem	MediaTek
AI TOPS OR Multi-thread Integer Operations Per Second (INOPS) GINOPS = billion	NPU 655 15.03 GFLOPS 15.98 GINOPS AI Benchmark Score 380 AITuTu score 97473
Geekbench 6 Single-core	1014 – high-performance mode; otherwise, 520
Geekbench 6 multi-core	2931
Like	Similar to Exynos 2100 Benchmarks
GPU	Mali-G615 MC2
GPU Test
Open CL	2364
Like	Like Exynos 1280 – lower end
Vulcan	2467
RAM, type	12GB LPDDR4X 2133 (Test shows LPDDR5X)
Storage, free, type	256GB UFS 3.1 (206GB free)
micro-SD	Up to 2TB
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps sustained	1380 Jazz Disk 1372.65
CPDT internal seq. write MBps sustained	492 Jazz Disk 796.27
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	Yes, SD 3.0 81.5/34MBps
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	24/13MBps mountable
Comment	It is a competent SoC, but not for gamers. OPPO has developed a Trinity Engine to improve fluency and stability, resulting in a smooth-running phone even after 48 months of use (background App management). It has a decent SOC, and we now have measured AI benchmarks.

Throttle test – Pass+

It works well under prolonged load with minimal throttling and keeps the CPU cool.

Max GIPS	253563
Average GIPS	238349
Minimum GIPS	209950
% Throttle	12%
CPU Temp	50°
Comment	Good thermal management

Comms – Pass

Wi-Fi 6 AX provides good full-duplex speeds. It is not as strong as some at 10m but still entirely usable. While USB-C 2.0 480Mbps is typical for the price bracket, some have USB-C 3.1 or 3.2 5 or 10Gbps transfer speeds.

The IR remote control may be interesting to some as it can learn from almost any IR remote.

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 6 AX, 2.4/5GHz, 2×2 MIMO
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps	-39/1201/1080
Test 5m	-46/1201/1120
Test 10m	-56/960/648
BT Type	5.4
GPS single, dual	Beidou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS 2m accuracy
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	No
Gravity	Yes
Pedometer	Yes
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor	No
Proximity	Yes
Other	IR remote control
Comment	While it is not expected, phones with USB-C 3.1 or 3.2 Gen 1 or 2, 5/10Gbps, are available. USB-C 2.0 means external mountable storage is too slow for vloggers and videographers.

The images below show that the 10m tests were variable, while the 2 m and 5m were rock-solid.

4/5G – Pass+

The pleasant find here was that it has a very strong single-tower reception. Unusually for a MediaTek modem, it also picks up the second tower with strong pW strengths. This should be good for city, suburb, and regional city use, with reasonable tower coverage. It is not suitable for rural or remote use.

SIM	Dual sim or hybrid with micro-SD
Active	Only one active at a time
Ring tone single, dual	Single
VoLTE	Carrier dependent
Wi-Fi calling	Carrier dependent
4G Bands	1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/26/28/38/39/40/4166
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6Ghz	n1/2/3/5/7/8n12/20/26/28/38/40/41/77n78/66
Comment	All Australian sub-6Ghz and low bands
mmWave	N/A
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
DL/UL, ms	82.1/15.2/28ms
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-76 to -105 25.1pW to 31.6fW
Tower 2	-80 to -109 10pW to 12.6fW
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. 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+

Two features – excellent 24+ hour typical use and 42 minutes charge from the 80W charger provided.

mAh	5000mAh nominal/19.5Wh/3.9V Using a 5-year minimum lifespan battery – excellent
Charger, type, supplied	80W SUPERVOOC (5V/ 2A/10W or 5-11V/ 7.3A/ 80W over 2 x 40W channels. The phone has a single battery, so it cannot use SUPERVOOC dual channel charge. Typically charges at 9V/3A/27W or occasionally at 11V/3A/33W.
PD, QC level	SUPERVOOCT 2.0, SUPERVOOC, VOOC 3.0 PD2.0 (9V/1.5/13.5W)
Reverse Qi or cable.	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)	Adaptive
Charge % 30mins	N/A
Charge 0-100%	Claim 100% 46 minutes. Test 42 minutes
Charge 5V, 2A	2 hours
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	23 hours 17 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	16 hours 37 minutes Accubattery: 17 hours 49 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	491.1 minutes (8.2 hours) 3043 frames
GFX Bench T-Rex	716.9 (12 hours) 3386 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	4 hours 21 minutes Accubattery: 4 hours 57 minutes
mA Full load screen on	1350-1450
mA Watt idle Screen on	150-200
Estimate loss at max refresh	Tested on adaptive
Estimate typical use	Typical users should get 24+ hours, and heavy users 5-8 hours.
Comment	The battery capacity retention rate is more than 80% after four years of use at a full charge-discharge once a day.

Sound Hardware – Pass

It has stereo speakers with decent volume and hands-free. BT headphones also get an aptX codec.

Speakers	Stereo (earpiece and bottom-firing speaker
Tuning	No
AMP	MediaTek
Dolby Atmos decode	No
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	No
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX-HD, LDAC, and LHDC
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	84 – loud
Media (music)	83.5
Ring	83.2
Alarm	81.8
Notifications	78.6
Earpiece	55
Hands-free	Decent hands-free and has two mics for Clear Voice noise reduction.
BT headphones	All codecs available. Tested on LDAC and aptX HD. Excellent separation.

Sound quality – Passable

It is almost impossible to get ‘listenable sound’, let alone good sound, from tiny micro speakers, so we do not expect it. Use BT headphones for music.

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	As wide as the handset. It does not decode Dolby Atmos.
Comment	It’s good for voice but not for music. There is a significant bias towards the bottom speaker.

Build – Pass+

This has class-leading rigidity, thinner body and lower weight.

Size (H X W x D)	161.4 x 74.1 x 7.6 mm
Weight grams	177
Front glass	Gorilla Glass 7i Reno12 Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Reno12 Pro
Rear material	PMMA
Frame	Alloy
IP rating	IP65—This is purely splashproof—20 cm for 30 seconds of immersion. It is not warranted for water ingress. Torture test: 100K volume presses 200K power button presses 20K USB-C tests
Colours	Black Brown (Nebula Black) Astro Silver (Nebula Silver)
Pen, Stylus support	No

In the box
Charger	80W charger
USB cable	USB-A to USB-C 3W cable
Buds	No
Bumper cover	No
Comment	OPPO build quality and 80W charger inbox

OS – Pass+

OPPO has provided ColorOS 14.1 with its AI extensions and lifted operating system upgrades to three and four years of patches. Add a two-year warranty and a five-year battery, and this is a keeper.

Security patch date	5/7/24
UI	ColorOS 14.1 with new AI features
OS upgrade policy	Three
Security patch policy	Four years quarterly from launch
Bloatware	App Market/ Bookings.com/ Games/ LinkedIn/ and OPPO alternative to Google Apps.
Comment	New AI features – See review
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	Optical under glass
Face ID	Yes 2D
Other	OPPO ColorOS has advanced security features

OPPO Reno12 and Reno12 Pro rear camera – Pass+

Before you get excited about the Sony LYTIA LYT600 sensor, remember it is just a new marketing name that will replace the IMX model numbers. It does not imbue it with special powers!

It takes class-leading day, office, and night light shots. It has a 10X Digital zoom. OIS/EIS video is good.

The Reno12 Pro loses the 2MP Macro (no loss!) and gains a 50MP, 2X Optical/20X Digital sensor, which is much more useful.

Apart from Zoom, the photos are identical – same app, same processing power, AI, etc.

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5
Sensor	Possibly Sony Lytia LYT600
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	.8 bins to 1.6
FOV° (stated, actual)	68.2 to 80.5°
Stabilisation	OIS
Zoom	10X digital
Rear 2	Ultrawide
MP	8MP
Sensor	Sony IMX355
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.2
um	1.14
FOV (stated, actual)	112
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Rear 3	Macro (Reno12 only)
MP	2MP
Sensor	Omnivision OVO2B10
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.4
um	1.75
FOV (stated, actual)	N/A
Stabilisation	N/A
Zoom	N/A
Rear 4	Telephoto (Reno 12 Pro only)
MP	50MP bins to 12.6MP
Sensor	IMX766
Focus	AF
f-stop	2
um	1 bin to 2
FOV (stated, actual)	90
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	2X Optical 20X Hybrid Digital.
Special
Video max	4K@30 with OIS/EIS
Flash	Dual LED
Auto-HDR	Yes
	Rear: Pro, Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, Extra HD, Pano, Slo-Mo, Time-Lapse, Dual-view video, Sticker, Doc Scanner, and Google Lens
QR code reader	Google Lens
Night mode	AI

OPPO Rear camera test shots (Reno12 Pro where noted)

OPPO Reno12 and Reno12 Pro front camera.

Terrific selfies, great natural colour and able to do a small group selfie.

MP	32MP bins to 8MP (50MP bins to 12.6MP)
Sensor	Sony IMX709 (IMX989)
Focus	PDAF (same)
f-stop	2 (same)
um	.7 bins to 1.4 (.64 bins to 1.28)
FOV (stated, actual)	78.8 to 91.5 (79.5 to 92.3)
Stabilisation	No (same)
Flash	Screen fill (same)
Zoom	No (same)
Video max	4K@30fps (same)
Features	Front: Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, Pano, Time-lapse, Dual-view video, Sticker, etc.

CyberShack’s view – OPPO Reno12 and OPPO Reno12 Pro are AI phones with a future

Whenever I speak to Samsung, Google, Motorola or OPPO, they talk 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, coming later in 2024 and 2025, will need at least 12GB of RAM, and some models will have separate 4GB+ AI RAM.

We saw AI Gen 1 last year, first with the Samsung Galaxy S24 (Ultra) and Google 8 (Pro). OPPO is bringing some of the Gen 1 AI to the Reno12/Pro and promises to democratise AI for everyone. However, as you can see with AI benchmarks, it’s barely 10% of the NPU power of the current class leader, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Would I buy them?

OPPO Reno12 and OPPO Reno12 Pro present compelling options in both price brackets. With better phone reception and some AI capabilities, they get our recommendation for features and value.

OPPO Reno12 and Reno12 Pro

Ratings	New 2024 ratings – 70 is a pass
Features	75/80
	It has everything you need, including basic AI. It has a decent camera and great battery life.
Value	80/75
	It is good value, with a 10-bit OLED screen. However, the OPPO Reno12 Pro price bracket has strong competition.
Performance	75/75
	It meets or exceeds what is expected at this price.
Ease of Use	80/80
	Its 2+2+3 warranty/OS/security is quite good.
Design	85/85
	I like the curved screen edge and the hand feel.
Rating out of 10	79/79
Final comment	This is the upgrade to the Reno11 with a faster processor, better phone reception, great battery life, and camera. This has some OPPO-influenced Google AI.