OPPO Reno8 5G – middle child excels at everything (smartphone review)

The OPPO Reno8 5G is the middle child – not too hot, not too cold, just right. It joins the OPPO Reno8 Lite and the OPPO Reno8 Pro and is possibly the best of the series.

You can get an overview of the series OPPO Reno8 series arrives in Australia, but in summary, the Reno8 Pro and Reno8 feature:

• Sony IMX766 50MP primary sensor
• Sony 8MP Ultra-wide sensor
• 2MP Depth
• MariSilicon X Imaging NPU and 4K ultra night video (8 Pro only)
• Selfie Sony IMX709 32MP RGGB sensor
• 4500mAh batteries and 80W SUPERVOOC fast charge for up to up to 80% of their original capacity after 1,600 complete charge cycles
• Pro: MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX SoC, Ultra-Conductive Cooling System, 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage
• Standard: MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC with the Super-Conductive Vapour Chamber (VC) Liquid Cooling System
• 6.7” and 6.4” 2400 x 1080 AMOLED (120Hz Pro/90Hz standard).

While they are very similar, we will post different reviews.

Australian Review: OPPO Reno8 5G CPH2359 8/256GB, Dual Sim

Website	Product page
Price	$999 but on sale at JB Hi-Fi for $799
Colours	Shimmer Gold and Shimmer Black
From	JB Hi-Fi
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

Deep-Dive review format

It is now in two parts – a summary and a separate 300+ line database-driven spec, including over 70 tests to back up the findings. It also helps us compare different phones and features.

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.

First Impression – Very Applesque – Pass+

At first glance, the OPPO Reno8 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, 3 and Pro.

I like the design, and the Shimmer PMMA back resists fingerprints very well.

Market Position – Pass+

At $999, it essentially competes with the Motorola Edge 30 Pro ($999) and Google Pixel 7 256GB ($1129), but at $799, it is competing with the Samsung A73 ($799) and is class-leading.

For that, you get

• 2400 x 1080, 90Hz AMOLED screen
• One of the most powerful processors
• 8/256GB
• Dual Sim
• Two-day battery and 36-minute recharge
• Great 50+8+2MP rear and 33MP front camera

The two areas it could have done better are stereo sound and tweaking the firmware to reduce throttling under 100% load. These won’t affect most users.

Screen – 2400 x 1080, 60/90Hz, AMOLED – Pass+

It is a 6.43″ fixed 60 or 90Hz refresh (although the latter drops to 60Hz when content supports it). It has an unobtrusive upper left selfie hole.

Colours are relatively accurate, and typical brightness is 430nits with HBM (High brightness mode) of 600 and peak brightness (in a small portion of the screen for HDR) of 800. Being AMOLED, contrast is infinite.

It has L1 Widevine for Netflix FHD SRD and will support HDR10+ content downmixed to the screen’s capability. Protection is Gorilla Glass 8.

Overall, a bright, colourful, daylight-readable screen.

Processor – 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 1300 – Pass+ for speed

Dimensity is a sub-brand to help MediaTek rise above the Helio-branded SoCs. Is it as good as a similar Qualcomm Snapdragon? The answer is that it’s a lower-cost option and provides pretty impressive specs. We have found the key differences are in 4/5G antenna strengths (reception), and its AI is not as refined as Qualcomm. There is no stigma in buying MediaTek SoCs – you get what you pay for.

CPU performance is on par with the 2019 Qualcomm SD865 flagship. Video performance is closer to the 2021 Samsung Exynos 990.

RAM is 8GB plus another 5GB of virtual RAM (swap with the UFS storage), and there is no lag. Storage is 256GB UFS 3.1 and records very fast speeds of 1300/554Mbps sequential read/write – that is fast.

It will mount external storage at USB 2.0 speeds of about 40MBps sequential read/write.

Our only concern is the 37% throttling that starts after two minutes and remains stable for the rest of the test. OPPO could possibly fix this through firmware (see Update below)

Update – November firmware update brings throttling under control (by stealth)

After the review was complete and before we reset the phone to send it back, the November firmware update downloaded (October Security Patch). We ran a few tests to see if it made any difference, and there was a huge difference in throttling. OPPO has lowered the limit on the processor’s GIPS (Billion Instructions per second) from 265,048 to 212,656. The result is that the minimum performance has gone from 157,438 to 164,446, and throttling has reduced from 37% to 22%.

Is this ethical? Well, Samsung was lambasted in relation to fudging test results just like this – read Samsung flagships are throttled – user discovery prompts action.

But OPPO is not fudging test results. It is throttling this relatively new processor that has only been used in its own phones (OPPO, Vivo and OnePlus), and it is more about setting safer limits for this processor. It is like your Ferarri can do 280kph but is limited to 230kph so as not to blow its engine up.

An average of 22% throttling is acceptable, given that it can now deliver consistently above 80%.

Comms – Pass

It has Wi-Fi 6 AX (1200Mbps), BT 5.3, NFC and a dual-channel GPS. It is everything you need in a smartphone.

4 and 5G – Pass(able)

It has all Australian 4 and 5G bands. As we have seen with MediaTek, it has a good strong signal but only finds the closest tower. It is a phone for major city/suburbs use where there is good tower coverage.

Battery – Two days and 36-minute charge – Exceed

OPPO includes an 80W SUPERVOOC charger inbox that can refill this in 36 minutes – fast.

The video loop test was 22.5 hours, and various other typical use tests were between 18-20 hours. It’s a two-day phone. But if you push it, the battery will empty in five hours.

Sound – Mono – Pass(able)

It has a single earpiece speaker and a down-firing bottom speaker. We don’t usually measure frequency response on a mono phone as they all focus on clear voice – this is no exception. It is not loud, with music maxing out at 80dB.

As it does not use a Qualcomm SoC, it lacks aptX (and variant) Codecs, but SBC, AAC and LDAC do the job.

The hands-free speakerphone is adequate but a little soft.

Build – Solid – Pass+

The design is Applesque, meaning flat sides and back. It feels solid with Gorilla Glass 5 screen and a textured ‘Shimmer’ back that resists fingerprints. It is light enough at 178g. OPPO has an excellent 2-year ACL warranty, and the service is very good.

It earns huge brownie points for the 80W SUPERVOOC charger inbox.

Android – Pass+

Reno gets two OS upgrades (13 and 14) and four years of security updates – great. We just wish OPPO would stop installing so much bloatware – Amazon, Bookings.com, Facebook, Games, LinkedIn, Netflix, PUGB Mobile Gift Box, Soloop, TikTok, and OPPO alternatives to Google Apps.

All are uninstallable.

OPPO Reno8 5G camera – Pass+

OPPO uses Sony sensors it co-developed. The rear Sony IMX766 50MP (bins to 12.5MP) is superb. The selfie is a 32MP Sony IMX709 with brighter RGGB pixels. Both feature DOL (digital overlap) HDR High dynamic range), the next generation Sensor-based WDR technology exclusively developed by Sony. In essence, it shoots several frames and different exposures and combines them for the best image.

Simply put – excellent point-and-shoot shots in day, office, or night light.

Results

• 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are accurate/ natural and have good dynamic range. Good details in the background shadows, and highlights.
• 2X Day: Primary sensor – perfect shot as per 1x
• 4X Day: Primary sensor – terrific detail and the barest hint of background noise
• 10X Day: Primary sensor: don’t go there
• 20X Day: Primary sensor: don’t go there
• 50MP Day: lots of detail and no post-processing- let AI do its job.
• Ultra-wide: Good dynamic range but a colour difference to the primary sensor
• Macro: Good shots from the 8MP sensor, but it is critical to get the focal length correct
• Indoor office light: Perfect, crisp details, bright shots, and accurate colours
• Bokeh Depth: The subject is colour-accurate, bright, and the background is suitably blurred.
• Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) takes great shots with good colour and detail.
• Night mode improves the detail and saturates the colour without adding much noise
• Selfie: The 32/8MP RGGB selfie has natural skin tones, good detail, and a range of filters to enhance any image.
• Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 4K@30fps, but there is no OIS. The sweet spot is 1080p with EIS.

CyberShack’s view – the OPPO Reno8 5G excels at almost everything

If I only wanted to spend $799, then this is it. There is so much going for it at this price.

My caveats are

• Only a city/suburbs phone with good tower coverage
• Mono, but you can use stereo earphones

It gets our unreserved buy recommendation at both $799 and RRP $999.

CyberShack Smartphone comparison v 1.1 (E&OE)

OPPO Reno8 5G

Brand	OPPO
Model	Reno 5G
Model Number	CPH2359
Price Base	8/256
Price base	$999 (on sale $799
Warranty months	24-months ACL
Tier	Lower premium
Website	https://www.oppo.com/au/smartphones/series-reno/reno8-5g/
From	OPPO, JB Hi-Fi. Officeworks, Bing Lee
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
Test date	5-22 November 2022
Ambient temp	20-25°
Release	Aug-22
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	The model number CPH2359 appears to be used globally but with different 4 and 5G bands, RAM/ROM configurations and colours. Do not buy the Chinese version.

Screen

Size	6.4″
Type	AMOLED
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat
Resolution	2400 x 1800
PPI	411
Ratio	20:09:00
Screen to Body %	90.8
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7m colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive	but 90Hz will step back to 60Hz if content requires it
Response 120Hz	180Hz touch
Nits typical test	430 (tested 435)
Nits max, test	600 HBM (tested 602) 800 Peak (not tested)
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)	2.5
HDR Level	Claims HDR10+ compatible but downmixes to the panel’s SDR capability
SDR Upscale	No
Bluelight control	Yes
PWM if known	250Hz
Daylight readable	Yes
Always on Display	Yes, and adaptive sleep
Edge display	Yes
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L1 for FHD SDR playback
Gaming	Screen can handle 90Hz
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass 5
Comment	Video Colour Boost enhances video content. Adaptive Sleep uses the Selfie camera to see if you are looking at the screen. Excellent bright, reasonably colour-accurate screen. Shame its not adaptive refresh, but then it is not aimed at gamers

Processor

Brand, Model	MediaTek Dimensity 1300
nm	6
Cores	1 x 3.0GHz + 3 x 2.6GHz + 4 x2.0GHz
Modem	MediaTek
AI TOPS	Estimate 10 TOPS
GeekBench 5 Single-core	614
GeekBench 5 multi-core	2853
Like	Similar to SD865
GPU	Mali-G77 MC9 866MHz
GPU Test
Open CL	4893
Like	Similar to an Exynos 990
Vulcan	4916
RAM, type	8 LPDDR4X, 2133, 2 x 16bit but can swap up to 5GB virtual from storage
Storage, free, type	256GB UFS 3.1 (213GB free)
micro-SD	No
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	1300
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	554
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	N/A
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	39/40 OTG
Comment	Very fast GPU and CPU are close to SD865.
Throttle test
Max GIPS	265,048 – after new November firmware retest 212,656
Average GIPS	206,737 – 192,643
Minimum GIPS	157,438 – 165,446
% Throttle	37% – 22%
CPU Temp	50°
Comment	MediaTek SoCs tend to run hotter. Initial throttling tests with early firmware were not great. New November firmware brings that well under control.

Comms

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 6 AX supports Wi-Fi display and tethering
Test 2m -dBm, Mbps	-20/1201
Test 5m	-38/1201
Test 10m	-46/1201 (15m -56/1201)
BT Type	5.3 BLE
GPS single, dual	Dual
USB type	USB-C 2.0 480MBps
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	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	Yes
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes, and an optical sensor for screen wake
Other
Comment	Wi-Fi 6 AX is strong and keeps the signal well to 15M

LTE and 5G

SIM	Dual Sim
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
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6Ghz	n1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/77/78
Comment
mmWave	N/ A
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
UL, DL, ms	31/62/37
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-89/1.3-10pW
Tower 2	No
Tower 3	No
Tower 4	No
Comment	This is strictly a city and suburbs phone and reflects the lower cost MediaTek SoC and antenna design.

Battery

mAh	4500mAh dual battery
Charger, type, supplied	80W SUPERVOOC (5V/2A/10W or 5-11V/ 7.3A/ 80W) over two channels/ e.g., 11V/3.65A/40W x 2
PD, QC level	SuperVOOC 2.0, SuperVOOC, VOOC 3.0, PD (9V/2A), QC (9V/2A/18W)
Qi, wattage	No
Reverse Qi or cable	No
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)
Charge % 30mins	Who cares?
Charge 0-100%	26 minutes
Charge Qi, W	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	4.5 hours
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	22 hours 29 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	19 hours 40 minutes Accubattery 18 hours mixed use
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	216.4 min (3.61 hours) 3374 frames
GFX Bench T-Rex	1092 min (18.2 hours) 3349
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours (confirmed by Accubattery)
Watt full load	1000
Watt idle Screen on	100-150
Estimate loss at max refresh	15-20% 90Hz
Estimate typical use	Some unusual readings. Overall it has excellent battery life – two days at typical use but push it hard, and you might only get five screen-on hours
Comment	Excellent battery life and an 80W fast charger inbox. Battery Health Engine takes better care of the battery offering 1600 vs 800 charging cycles before the battery capacity reduces below 80%.

Sound

Speakers	Earpiece and mono down-fixing speaker
Tuning	No
AMP	MediaTek
Dolby Atmos decode	No
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, LDAC (no Qualcomm aptX)
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	80
Media (music)	70
Ring	75
Alarm	75
Notifications	80
Earpiece	55
Hands-free	Decent hands-free and has two mics for some wind noise reduction
BT headphones	Could drive them on SBC/ AAC and LDAC but not aptX

Sound quality

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	Nil
High Bass 100-200Hz	Nil
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Slowly building
Mid 4000-1000Hz	Flat
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat
High Treble 6-10kHz	Slow linear decline to 20kHz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Decline
Sound Signature type	Mid verging on analytical – crisp and clear voice but not good for music
Soundstage	Mono
Comment	Good for voice but not for music

Build

Size (H X W x D)	160 x 73.4 x 7.67mm
Weight grams	179g
Front glass	Gorilla Glass 5
Rear material	PMMA
Frame	Plastic
IP rating	No stated – assume minimal
Colours	Shimmer Gold Shimmer Black
Pen, Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	80W SUPERVOOC
USB cable	USB-A to USB-C
Buds	No
Bumper cover	Not with the review unit, but probably
Comment	Amazing build quality/ 80W charger in the box

OS

Android	12
Security patch date	October 2022 (current)
UI	ColorOS 1.2
OS upgrade policy	Should get Android 13 and 14
Security patch policy	Reno gets 4-years of quarterly updates
Bloatware	Amazon, Bookings.com, Facebook, Games, LinkedIn, Netflix, PUGB Mobile Gift Box, Soloop, TikTok, and OPPO alternatives to Google Apps
Other
Comment	ColorOS is the light grease on Android wheels that makes it easier to use
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	Optical under glass
Face ID	Yes 2D
Other	OPPO ColorOS has advanced security features
Comment

Camera – OPPO Reno8 5G

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	OPPO/ Sony IMX766
Focus	AF and closed-loop focus motor All Pixel Omni-directional PDAF
f-stop	1.7
um	1 bins to 2
FOV° (stated, actual)	84 (74.2 to 86.7)
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	10x digital
Rear 2	Ultrawide and Macro
MP	8MP
Sensor	Hynix HI846
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	112
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	4K@30fps and 1080p@30 with EIS
Flash	Yes
Auto-HDR	Primary lens  DOL-HDR
	Photo/ Video/ Night/ Expert/ Panoramic/ Portrait/ Time-lapse/ Text scanner/ and Sticker
QR code reader	Google Lens
Night mode	AI

Front – OPPO Reno8 5G

MP	32 bins to 8MP
Sensor	Sony IMX709 DOL-HDR
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.4
um	.8um bins to 1.6
FOV (stated, actual)	81 (69.7)
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	No
Video max	1080p@30fps
Features	Photo/ Video/ Panoramic/ Portrait/ Night/ Time-lapse/ Dual-view video/ and Sticker, RGBW filter for improved selfie performance
Comment	• 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are accurate/ natural and have good dynamic range. Good details in the background shadows, and highlights. • 2X Day: Primary sensor – perfect shot as per 1x • 4X Day: Primary sensor – terrific detail and the barest hint of background noise • 10X Day: Primary sensor: don’t go there • 20X Day: Primary sensor: don’t go there • Ultra-wide: Good dynamic range but a colour difference to the primary sensor • Macro: Good shots off the 8MP sensor, but it is critical to get the focal length correct • Indoor office light: Perfect/ crisp details/ bright shot and accurate colours • Bokeh Depth: The subject is colour accurate and bright, and the background is suitably blurred.T • Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) takes great shots with good colour and detail. •          Night mode improves the detail and saturates the colour without adding much noise • Selfie: The 32/8MP RGGB selfie has natural skin tones, good detail and a range of filters to enhance any image. • Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 4K@30fps, but there is no OIS. The sweet spot is 1080p with EIS.

Ratings – OPPO Reno8 5G

Features	8.5
	It has everything you need
Value	9
	At $999, reduced to $799, it has class-leading value
Performance	8
	Solid performance/ no lag and 8/ 128GB fast ram and storage. Throttling is not ideal for gamers
Ease of Use	8.5
	We hope to see Android 13 but three years of security patches compensate.
Design	8.5
	Its very Applesque
Rating out of 10	8.5
Final comment	It’s the Toyota Camry mid-range model – the extras are a step up from the Reno8 Lite. Excellent battery, camera, power, and screen for a great price. Now, if it had stereo speakers, it would be hard to beat – so use earphones.