This post was brought to you by OPPO.
The OPPO Reno7 series 5G just launched and it’s the first series to feature the new Sony IMX709 sensor. It’s a front selfie camera, and compared to the previous Reno model, the new sensor is advertised to have a 60% increase in light sensitivity and 35% noise reduction. Those numbers sound impressive, but how well does the camera system perform?
We got our hands on the Reno7 5G and the Reno7 Pro 5G and tested out the front and rear cameras, as well as broke down the details on what’s new with the series.
The first phone to get the IMX709 sensor
Both the base and Pro models get a triple rear camera setup, but the Pro version features Sony’s flagship sensors. The Reno7 Pro 5G gets a 50MP main camera powered by a flagship IMX766 sensor, an 8MP ultra wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 32MP front camera powered by the Sony IMX709 sensor. Both of the new sensors were co-developed by OPPO and Sony.
The base model on the other hand gets a 64MP HD main camera, a 118-degree Ultra Wide-Angle camera, a 2MP macro camera which can focus on subjects as close as 4cm away, and a 32MP ultra-clear front camera.
So what’s so good about the IMX709 sensor? It’s the world’s first released high-light sensor lens by Sony and specialises in low light conditions. This is because the IMX709 is able to capture 60% more light than standard RGGB sensors while reducing noise by up to 35%. This means that the IMX709 sensor is able to capture low-light photos and wide-angle selfies quite well.
The phone also features Digital Overlap High Dynamic Range (DOL-HDR) on the front camera of a smartphone. In combination with the new sensor, DOL-HDR allows the Reno7 Pro 5G to capture selfies with more dynamic range.
With a 1/1.56-inch sensor size, the IMX709 also uses All Pixel Omni-Directional PDAF, which ultimately results in more accurate autofocus.
Now that we know the technology behind the new Reno7 Series 5G, let’s talk about what we can do with the cameras.
Get beautiful bokeh flares in your selfies
The Reno7 Pro 5G features Portrait Mode as well as Bokeh Flare Portrait Video, which can elevate your selfies into proper DSLR-like portraits.
Portrait Mode allows you to get a bokeh effect with a nice blurred background, but is often limited to the rear cameras. The Reno7 Pro 5G however allows you to get this mode on both the front and rear cameras.
Sample photos with Reno7 Pro 5G’s rear and front camera, low light.
Sample photos with Reno7 Pro 5G’s rear and front camera, daylight.
With 25 different aperture sizes ranging from F0.95 to F16, you can customise how your portrait turns out. To get even more control, you can use their enhancement features such as skin texture detection and preservation.
Adjusting the aperture size from 0.95 all the way up to 16.
If you increase the aperture size, you can get effects like bokeh flares at night time, which can look quite cool. Since Portrait Mode is available for both photos and videos, you can capture great nighttime and daytime videos with bokeh flare circles in the background.
Portrait Mode during the day with the rear camera. Shot by Alex Tan.
Portrait Mode indoors with the rear and front cameras respectively.
Portrait Mode at night with the rear camera. Shot by Alex Tan.
You can get the bokeh flare effect with city lights at night outdoors or even with fairy lights indoors! In this mode, the Reno7 Pro 5G will turn the lights in the background into cool flares that are both fun and professional-looking.
On top of everything, the camera processes your videos with AI Highlight Video to make optimizations based on the lighting environment For example, it would enable Live HDR during the day, and its Ultra-Night video mode at night.
A phone that can breathe
One of the standout features of the Reno7 Pro 5G is the “breathing light”. It’s a 3D circular light surrounding the rear cameras that acts as a notification system as well as an aesthetically pleasing design.
The light is activated when a message is sent or when the phone is charging. It’s a small addition to the phone, but the breathing light is a pretty cool feature that makes the rear design much more interesting.
Multicoloured exterior with OPPO glow
Another design feature that makes the Reno7 Series 5G stand out is OPPO Glow. Coming in Startrails Blue, the Reno 7 5G uses industry first-ever Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) to give the rear of the phone a multicoloured effect. It’s also made with aerospace-grade material for durability.
It’s manufactured with two textures and two layers giving the phone two layers of colour and a dynamic look that changes depending on what angle you look at the phone,
Specs that tick all the boxes
Apart from the impressive camera system, the Reno7 Pro 5G gets a 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate which provides a smooth viewing experience. The display is also SGS Eye Care Display Certified, which is meant to prevent eye-strain by reducing bluelight. This screen is more than enough to stream HD Netflix and Amazon Prime Video content.
Powering the device is a MediaTek Dimensity 1200-MAX flagship-level 5G-integrated SoC built on a 6nm process. This is a state-of-the-art octa-core SoC includes an ARM Cortex-A78 core operating at up to 3GHz, which means that gaming would be highly optimised.
In terms of battery, the Reno7 Series 5G gets a 4,500 mAh battery that allows for 65W SUPERVOOC, getting you to 100% in just 31 minutes.
Pre-order the Reno7 Series 5G from now until 4 March 2022
The Reno7 Pro 5G and Reno7 5G are available in Startrails Blue and Starlight Black. You can pre-order them from now until 4 March 2022, with the OPPO Reno7 5G costing RM1,999 and the OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G costing RM2,999.
If you pre-order now, you will get free gifts including Enco Buds (worth RM159), Reno Bag (worth RM109) and 1 Year Screen Damage Protection from OPPO Care (worth RM139, only available for customers who pick up their device on 5th/ 6th March), on top of the My OPPO Members’ Privileges worth up to RM999 which consist of Malaysia Airlines free return tickets, and a Bonia Bag.
Pre-order at any My OPPO Space, OPPO Brand Stores, OPPO Official Online Store, telco partners, E-comm partners or chain-store partners.
OPPO Reno7 Series purchases made at OPPO Brand Store outlets will make you eligible for OPPO Watch Free and OPPO Enco Air2 at 50% off.
On top of that,OPPO will be having a first sale roadshow from 28th February onwards until 6th March at Sunway Pyramid and 10 roadshows nationwide. The first 100 customers who pick up their device at the Sunway Pyramid roadshow will receive a free OPPO Watch Free (RP:RM449). The offer is also applicable to the first 30 customers who pick up their device at other Reno7 roadshows nationwide!
To pre-order the Reno7 Series, you can visit the OPPO Store here for the Reno7 and here for the Reno7 Pro.