5 facts about Oppo Reno2

Cool shots, proprietary front camera mechanism, nice design – testing a smartphone from the Reno line …

Instead of a preface

Last year's launch of the Oppo Reno line, in the first generation consisting of the Reno, Reno Z and the flagship 10x Zoom, left a pleasant subjective impression in terms of photography and not only. Unfortunately, this year, due to numerous external factors, it was not possible to closely study the new items, so this material is a kind of attempt to catch up, I wanted to see why the new Oppo Reno2 smartphone is better than its predecessor. A full review is not entirely relevant from the point of view of relevance, so I will try to describe my feelings of use in the format of five facts.

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone
• AC adapter, USB Type-C cable
• Protective case
• Protective film (already glued on)
• Headphones
• A clip to remove the SIM card tray
• Documentation, warranty card

Specifications Oppo Reno2 (CPH1907)

Positioning

From the first minutes of communication with the device, a persistent feeling of déjà vu is created, the smartphone is as similar as possible to the devices of the previous generation: the same shapes, practically the same dimensions, only the filling and the set of cameras differ. Among the models of this year, Oppo Reno2 takes the position of the flagship from the 'medium +' segment, between the slightly cheaper Reno2 Z and Reno2 F models and the flagship Reno Ace, the latter two models, unfortunately, are not yet represented on the Russian market. On the other hand, maybe it's for the better, if the average model is estimated at 40 thousand, then all 60 will be requested for the flagship, and no matter how beautiful, fast and innovative it is, our customers in general are not yet ready to spend such an amount on the device. an unknown manufacturer. However, I know several stories of buying the first generation Reno, which are quite positive, because the devices are successful, although they cost a little more than we would like.

Perhaps, in Reno2, the manufacturer decided to smooth out some corners, taking into account modern trends: put four cameras instead of two, add a portion of flagship photo functions from 10x Zoom, increase the amount of RAM to a distinct 8 GB, put a slightly faster processor that can outrun competitors in synthetic tests from flagship lines of past years, and at the same time leave the cost at the level of the previous generation. In the context of evolution, this smartphone cannot be called a major update, apparently, they did not want to encroach on the laurels of the flagship, which turned out to be very good.

Design

The Reno2 appears to be a little slicker than its predecessor. The texture of the layers under the glass is more glossy, it still looks interesting and plays in the light. The color version 'deep ocean' gives a little blue, apparently, this is how 'depth' is played out. The ceramic insert on the back is also in place, the color accent of which echoes the accent of the on / off button of the smartphone. Otherwise, as I have already noted, the sensations are very similar, the dimensions of the Reno2 and Reno are almost identical: a wide, weighty bar, smooth and excellent at collecting fingerprints.

In my opinion, in the Reno line (excluding Ace) there is the best option for positioning camera lenses on the smartphone market: under the protective glass flush with the back surface, without protrusions. Personally, I am ready to sacrifice one millimeter of the thickness of the case, if only the camera unit does not cling to anything and does not get scratched. Someone will say that the problem is solved by the case, and will be right in its own way, but my friendship with the cases did not work out, I prefer vinyl stickers or I just go with the phone 'as it is'. Perhaps that is why the absence of protruding elements on the back (the round insert does not count) gives me such positive emotions.

Speaking of extra elements. Another subjective advantage of the Reno2 design is the lack of a cutout in the screen. During the whole time of testing smartphones with various cutouts, I realized for myself that they are not to my liking at all, especially if there is no option to hide them by software. The next step will probably be to test my OCD with cameras in the style of 'holes' in the screen, but the same Oppo has a more pleasant option for me personally for the future: a selfie camera under the screen, almost invisible. The concept of such a system has already been shown at the Oppo Inno Day. By the way, in second place for me is the solution with the camera in the status bar suggested Meizu.

Cutout, come on, goodbye https://t.co/Ge3teCgCu5

– Ilya Subbotin (@voi_sko) December 10, 2019

Cameraphone at maximum speed

As in the Reno, there is a fin-shaped camera that sticks out of the case when it is necessary to take a photo or recognize the face of the owner of the phone. Technically, it has not changed at all, the same 16 megapixels, the same good selfies and improvements.

The main cameras have become more versatile in terms of shooting scenarios: now the company consists of a telephoto lens and a wide-angle camera, as well as a mono lens for depth and black-and-white effect. If desired, and with straight hands, you can get quite good pictures, I liked the adequate color reproduction and contrast in the final images. Separately, I would note the ultra-stabilization mode when shooting video, everywhere in the reviews there are complaints about the lack of optical stabilization, so in this aspect, video lovers will not be disappointed.

Evolution of ColorOS

Frankly, somewhere deep in my soul, I hoped that the shell in Oppo Reno2 would surprise and delight with something, as has happened since the release of the sixth version of this add-on on Android. But most of the changes became purely cosmetic: they cleaned up the localization, slightly changed the logic of the menu organization. According to the manufacturer's assurances, by the end of 2019, the smartphone will be updated to a new version of ColorOS, in which at least one questionable moment for me will be closed – the absence of a dark interface theme, which is declared as one of the innovations of the update. So the upcoming update promises to be interesting, the press materials talk about redesigned visual and sound parts, as well as improved performance. Well, let's watch.

The update will affect a number of Oppo smartphones and Realme, in plans – to try to get a shell review that left a good impression of a brief acquaintance Realme X2 Pro. If it doesn't work out, I'll wait for the update and re-request the smartphone for a test from the Russian representative office of Oppo.

What's next?

If you follow the news from the world of smartphones, then it's no secret for you that some details about the upcoming Reno3 smartphone in two versions, standard and 5G / Pro, are already known. Interestingly, none of the leaks feature the proprietary front-facing camera module; instead, there is a teardrop-shaped notch, like in the Reno Ace, and a camera-hole in the screen itself.

All this reminds of OnePlus' approach to the release of new smartphones, but in the context of the Reno line, this may mean that they decided to abandon the 'fin' in favor of more familiar solutions with a front camera. I repeat, I do not consider any of these options as adequate for myself at this stage, but the 'invisible' front camera in the screen gives me hope for further experiments on this important part of the smartphone. The announcement of new products is just around the corner.

Outcome

Did I like the Oppo Reno2? For the most part, yes, a good model, but there are not many fundamental changes compared to its predecessor. There are more cameras, a number of useful modes and functions have appeared, and tolerable performance and speed of the system have been preserved.

At a price of 40,000 rubles, the smartphone has a lot of competitors in our market, to which it is inferior in various aspects, and on the Reno2 side there is a trump card in the form of an unusual front camera module. Could this be a decisive advantage? Everyone will decide for himself, we should expect a decrease in cost after the new products from Oppo enter our market.