No notch changes everything. Oppo Reno 10x Zoom - review

A few weeks ago, we had a fierce discussion in the editorial office on whether or not the presence of notch matters. Of course, I also had my clearly defined sentence in it (it does not matter) and I did not let myself be persuaded to change it. Now I know one thing - I was stupid.

Today I am still stupid, but at least I learned something new:

No notch changes everything.

When the Oppo Reno 10X Zoom smartphone came to me for testing, I thought everything would look like it always was. Ot, another Android phone, some interesting solutions and that's it. There is nothing to excite you, you can easily return to your private phone after completing the tests. The more so that my private phone is more expensive than Oppo from almost PLN 3,500.

However, I soon realized that there would be a small problem with this return. And the problem is notch , which I did not see before, and now it strikes me every time I reach for my smartphone.

Oppo Reno 10X Zoom attracts attention with its two features from the moment it is removed from the box and launched. First of all - as it is easy to guess after a lengthy introduction - there is not even a trace of notes . There is also no indentation, notch, depression, incision or dot on the camera. The screen surface is absolutely undisturbed.

And yes - it makes a huge difference. Even if you take the correction that in everyday use there will usually be a fragment of the notification beam or a white space. First of all - the whole screen seems to be not only more natural cut, but also bigger (and it is huge, measuring 6.6 ") Secondly - there are a lot of cases when notch is salvation. Watching movies, reading books in full-screen mode, browsing photos, etc - all you need for the whole surface of the big screen.

Thirdly, finally - Oppo has impressively thin frames on almost every side of the screen. Maybe the bottom one could be thinner or at least symmetrical, but ... it's already clinging to it. The final effect is important.

It does not just look better. It simply is better and indisputably. Phones with notes suddenly seem to be delayed by at least a generation, and the use of them no longer makes such a pleasure.

In addition to the lack of notch, there is another interesting addition - the camera hidden in the fin .

I also had my opinion on this solution. That it is certainly slow, that it will be impermanent, that it is coming up. effective solutions for strength. And so on and so forth.

I can not say anything about the durability of this solution after the tests, but in everyday use it works just as well as a classic camera on the front of the phone. And it's both for taking a selfie and for unlocking the phone (although you have to remember that this is not an advanced FaceID counterpart).

Time to move the fin? Actually negligible. If we take a selfie, then when we click the switch on the front camera, it takes more time to set the scene. Unlocking your phone face ? The whole is also quite shockingly fast - fast enough that we do not even have time to think about the fact that maybe we would prefer a traditional front camera.

Of course, this solution has its drawbacks. It is not enough that it is a complicated mechanism, which has its limited durability, it is still or collect during use some dust and dust. Which, of course, when folded, is pulled together with the fin inside.

However, we should not worry too much about the resistance of the fin to falls - if the phone detects that it falls, it will automatically hide this element and let us know what happened and why.

However, when it comes to the same quality of the pictures taken by the front camera, Łukasz provided his face for this test. This is how it looks in the day:

And it looks like this at night:

Yes, in night conditions it is a bit worse, but we are talking about the front camera at the end. And Oppo has as many as three cameras in the back and at least some interesting tricks in the sleeve.

Like, for example, a fingerprint reader sunk under the screen layer.

I confess - it is the first phone with a solution that I have in my hands, but ... I am not able to complain about it too much. Yes, it's an optical sensor, so it does not provide as much security as classic solutions, but it worked surprisingly in my case.

Unfortunately, I can not guarantee that everyone will work so well - for example, with Łukasz for 10 attempts to apply a finger, only 2-3 ended with an effective unlocking of the phone the first time. Fortunately, there are two methods of unlocking based on biometrics and a few more standard ones. So there is a lot to choose from.

And there is also something to look at ...

And both on the screen and turning the phone around. The first one - even bypassing its framelessness and its lack of attention - is perhaps not ideal, but it is undoubtedly one of the best on the market. AMOLED panel (2340 by 1080 pixels, PPI 387) can and gently loses with the iPhone XS Max or OnePlus 7 Pro, but I can guarantee one - anyone who buys Reno 10x Zoom will be satisfied with the screen. Maybe even delighted, if we start to incorporate miniature frames and a lack of notes.

The casing itself - in particular in the tested color - does not have any weak points. The fitting is exemplary, just like the materials with which it was finished. In the front we have a rounded glass Gorilla Glass 6, while the back (yes, the back is also glass) - Gorilla Glass 5. The only drawback? The rear quickly collects fingerprints, especially at temperatures that currently prevail in Poland. For the peace of mind, it is better to put on quite original protective euti attached to the set or ... walk everywhere with the right cloth.

Oppo - apart from a sliding webcam - also did at least one thing differently than most manufacturers do. The set of three cameras at the back does not stick out of the case even a small piece. If you omit the small convexity just below the lenses, the Reno 10x Zoom backpacks are perfectly smooth. Fortunately, this convexity is so small that you can write on the phone without being irritated when, for example, it lies on the table.

Bravo. So, however, it is possible.

Unfortunately, in this barrel of praise, I need to find a place for a bucket of criticism. Or three. First of all - probably due to the fin - Oppo Reno 10x Zoom does not guarantee resistance to water at any level. Secondly - and here I do not know for what reason - it does not offer wireless charging. Thirdly - we will not find real stereo speakers here. Instead, the upper loudspeaker tries to support the main one, which comes out to him ... differently. It's not bad, but it's definitely not ideal.

You can also apparently make a phone that you do not have to charge every day.

4065 mAh - this capacity has a battery that you can fit inside the housing. And by translating it into everyday use, it should usually last for at least 1.5 days of intensive use. And if that was not enough, there is a fast loading on the board, which will allow us to top-up 50 percent. battery life in approx. 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, this large and capacious battery has one drawback.

This smartphone is simply great. And heavy.

The 6.6 "screen, even frameless as in the Oppo edition, forces large enough dimensions of the whole, Reno 10x Zoom measures 162 x 77.2 x 9.3 mm and has a mass of 215 g. For comparison - it's 5 g more than Nokia Communicator E90. And about 7 g more than the iPhone XS Max.

Is this a problem? For me it was not any, but every day I use the last of the devices listed here, so an additional 7 g did not make a difference. However, if someone is not convinced of the big smartphones, it's better to try Reno 10x Zoom sooner.

And it's worth it, because there is almost everything on board.

USB-C with fast charging (and headphones on USB-C included)? Sure. LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, NFC, dual SIM - everything in place. Added to this are the powerful guts, which include 8 GB RAM, Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640 and 256 GB of built-in memory with memory cards.

The effect of this last statement? Oppo Reno 10x Zoom, working on a modified version of Android 9, is an absolute rocket. It is difficult to find a task for him, which he would consider longer - regardless of whether it is about everyday work or entertainment in the form of video or games.

The ideal performance is surprising in that the Color OS 6.0 pad is ... definitely overloaded with additional applications. It looks good and works exemplary, but the list of applications out of the box is full of either duplicate system applications, or junk that you do not need, or applications that I would rather install myself if I felt the need to use them.

You could also turn off the power saving mode by default. It works aggressively enough to disrupt notifications and best resign from it as quickly as possible. With such a powerful battery it is completely pointless to turn it on.

Color OS has been happily developing in a very good direction for a long time, so it is possible that these gaps (or surpluses) will eventually be removed. And then there would be absolutely nothing to cling to.

And there is still a camera.

Actually, it is a set consisting of three cameras - 48MP F1.7, 8MP F2.2, 13MP F3.0. The first one - optically stabilized - is the main module. The latter is responsible for wide angle pictures, while the third one - also optically stabilized - is a periscope lens. Effect? In theory, a hybrid magnification up to 10x (hence the name), and to this a number of other approximations (according to the manufacturer - a focal range from 16 to 160 mm), which we can use without a greater loss of quality. How is it in practice?

One must remember: the actual maximum optical zoom level in Reno is 6x. Everything above is a hybrid approximation.

In practice, one must mention one thing - the camera at Oppo Reno 10x Zoom is one of the most versatile on the market and allowing a lot of fun while framing photography.

This is how an example picture from a wide-angle lens looks like during the day:

Yes under the same conditions, but in standard mode:

We zoom in twice:

We zoom in 6 times ...

And finally x10:

A 10x hybrid zoom, however, requires a very stable hand. Even the slightest twitch results in a moved shot.

And the same, but in a little more favorable circumstances of nature. Widely:

Wężej:

Full zoom:

And once again, but at night:

Conclusions? It's really good. Although the zoom here is hybrid, in good lighting conditions we should not have a big problem with it. At night, unfortunately, Oppo must give way to the Huawei P30 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S10, but ... there are no dramatic differences.

In the daytime, probably no one would be able to determine which of the flagship phones on the market the photographs come from. Oppo provides a really good tonal range, very good reproduction of colors and details.

Added to this is the versatility of focal lengths and a very pleasant, simple and useful camera application with automatic scene detection.

Worth it or not?

In order for the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom image to be complete, you still need to add a price to it. This theoretically amounts to PLN 3,499, but in some stores it can be found for less than PLN 3,000 (offers for PLN 2,200 is rather a mistake with an ordinary Reno).

On the one hand, a lot - PLN 3299, costs OnePlus 7 Pro with a slightly better screen, and also 8 GB RAM and 256 GB for multimedia, but without such an interesting camera solution. Huawei P30 Pro also starts at PLN 3,000, but for the version identical to Oppo, i.e. 8 GB RAM and 256 GB, you have to pay PLN 4300, for which we get a slightly better camera, but with smaller screen and indentation on the front camera.

Which of these models should you choose? This should already depend on our preferences and what is most important to us on the smartphone. But I have no doubt about one thing - Oppo Reno 10x Zoom has nothing to be ashamed of against the most powerful rivals. It is a beast of performance in a great housing, supported by a number of interesting solutions that - most importantly - work well every day. And with a really ingeniously solved camera.

No notch changes everything. Oppo Reno 10x Zoom - review