REVIEW: Oppo Reno 12 Pro has useful AI tools but not ideal for gaming

Smartphones with artificial intelligence (AI) are all the rage at the moment, and Oppo is no different.

The company recently launched the Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G and I had the opportunity to review it for a few weeks.

Selling for R17 300 (down from the R18 500 launch price), the Reno 12 Pro smartphone comes close to the prices of other brands, including Samsung’s Galaxy S24, but it’s far above the Galaxy S23 FE.

The Reno 12 Pro 5G also faces competition from Honor with its recently launched 200 Pro, Huawei’s Pura series and the Nothing CMF smartphone which was expected to be launched in South Africa. However. I’m awaiting that announcement.

Design

When it comes to design, the Reno 12 Pro doesn’t do anything revolutionary. Actually, it reminded me of the Samsung S24 with the cameras positioned in a traffic light orientation.

It has a large 6.7″ display with narrow bezels and a punch hole for the front facing 50 MP selfie lens.

There’s glass on the front and plastic around the edge and rear that does a better-than-average job of impersonating a metallic surface. A large rectangular camera bump lives on the upper left side of the rear panel, which is striking.

The back of the Reno 12 Pro 5G sports a coating, giving an almost 3D impression of raised metal ridges.

ALSO READ: Honor 200 and 200 Pro launched in SA, it’s all about photography

Reminds of a soap dish

At least that’s the case with the Nebula Silver version which I tested. It’s also available in a far more subtle matte dark brown without the ripple effect.

However, if you want to ensure the phone remains in a pristine condition, an included clear plastic case, also with ripples, comes with the device reminding me of a butter or soap dish from the 1980s.

In general use, the phone feels responsive and nimble, although the sound when taking a picture was unnerving and reminded me of the loud shutter noise of the first camera phones.

Slow sensor

The Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G features the Dimensity 7300 Energy MediaTek processor, which is also found in the Oppo’s Reno 12, and the Nothing CMF Phone.

Swiping around the operating system was mostly smooth, though I did notice the occasional animation stutter during heavy multi-tasking, and when the phone was first powered up.

However, when it comes to gaming, it’s not the most impressive showing.

Less graphically intensive games are no issue, but when I played graphic hungry games, I had to stick to the lowest preset to achieve a stable 30 FPS. You can push it higher but expect some jitters and slowdowns if you do. On the plus side, it never gets too hot under the hood.

Battery

The Oppo Reno 12 Pro packs in a 5 000 mAh battery. Combined with its efficient chipset, I had high hopes for the battery life. 

In reality, it’s slightly above average, but it’s nothing astonishing. It’ll easily see you through a day of heavy use with a bit to spare, but you’re not likely to get two days from a charge.

Shifting to the software, the focus here is very much on the photography side of things, as well as the editing of images.

All about AI

I put the AI Eraser 2.0 to good use. It allows you to remove people or objects that were not supposed to part of the photo in the first place.

It also features AI smart imaging matting, which allows users to add themselves to photos they were not part of, perhaps with a celebrity or even a sporting event.

There is potential for abuse, as there are currently no control mechanisms in place to avoid misuse of the feature, which is very concerning considering the popularity of sharing special moments on social media.

There’s also AI Best Face for group shots and selfies, so that if your eyes are closed, AI can correct it digitally.

Other helpful AI features include the ability to transcribe recordings but is dependent on the accuracy and quality of the recording, which may be impacted if the environment is noisy.

The Transcribe Assist on Samsung’s Galaxy AI-powered S24 Ultra also has the same issue.

Camera

As for the camera performance, the Oppo phone performed impressively. Here, a pair of 50 MP lenses (wide-angle and telephoto) are found on the rear, along with an 8 MP ultra wide-angle included to complete the trio.

The mix proved capable of handling a number of photography environments, though I found accessing the Hi-res mode, which captures at the full 50 megapixels, difficult at times.

The Reno12 Pro has the extended RAM functionality, a feature that is popular among Android phones. The default setting is 12 GB of RAM, with an additional 4 GB of RAM via the onboard storage, which can be upped to an additional 12 GB of RAM.

Verdict

While it’s not among the very best mid-range phones in its class, the Oppo Reno 12 Pro has a stylish design, lovely display, decent cameras and a suite of useful AI tools. It’s a great value option that’s easy to live with, but the relatively weak processor means that it’s not ideal for gaming.

With the host of competitors like Huawei, Samsung and Honor among others, Oppo is in a tough market as brands strive to be the leader.

ALSO READ: [REVIEW] Huawei Pura 70 Pro, flagship with excellent camera performance