It's arguably difficult to turn heads with the aesthetics of a smartphone these days — the ergonomic design is kind of perfected for a candy bar-style smartphone. So, what now?
OPPO decided to play with materials, and bring back underwater practicalities to their Reno13 series.
The OPPO Reno13 Series, announced in November 2024, brings a blend of advanced features and sleek design in a compact super computer. Comprising of 3 models: OPPO Reno13 Pro, OPPO Reno13, and OPPO Reno13 F; each one has an avant-garde touch to its eye-catching design, aside from the advanced photography capabilities the series boasts.
Aside from the 50MP camera setup, other unique features for the Reno13 series include 3 kinds of IP rating as well as Aerospace-grade Aluminum Frames for the Reno13 Pro and Reno13 (aesthetic choices consciously done by OPPO).
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
First Look: The Design is One Of The Best
OPPO have always ensured its phones get the best of features and designs, and the Reno13 series is no different.
In terms of colours, our team had the chance to witness a total of 3 out of the 4 colours announced: Lavendar Mist and Luminous Blue for Reno13, and the Ivory White for the Reno13 Pro. The Graphite Grey, which we didn't get a chance to look at, is also available for the Reno13 Pro.
The Lavendar (purple) and Ivory variants come with a Butterfly Shadow element at the back that refracts a butterfly effect at certain angles when light is shone onto the phone.
Meanwhile, the striking deep blue variant has a simple yet touch of elegance to its overall design. This blue design also lends a glow-like effect around the camera notch to the Reno13, which drew our attention to and is our favourite aesthetic detail so far. For those who wants a simple yet sleek looking smartphone, the Graphite Grey is an easy choice.
Beyond the tactile appeal, the use of the Aerospace-grade Aluminium frame for the Reno13 and Reno13 Pro offers superior durability, shielding internal components and to reduce immature wear and tear on the screen. This frame is also able to provide additional strength, withstanding yield strength 200% better than plastic frames.
Whereas, the Reno13 F in all colors are made of transparent injection-moulded PC to help with budget constraints.
The phones are also incredibly lightweight and comfortable to hold, with the Reno13 Pro being only 195g and measuring 7.55mm thin while the Reno13 weighs 181g with a thickness of just 7.29mm.
OPPO has also shared that this series is designed with recyclable materials. At the time of writing, it is not clear how much of the series' design uses said construction.
Cameras: 50MP For Everyone
The highlight of the OPPO Reno13 series are its cameras.
All three models will have 50MP rear shooters. But it is a wonder whether the Reno13 F will perform just as great with its triple rear setup when the more expensive Reno13 has a dual rear setup, albeit with a better front camera shooter of 50MP in contrast to the Reno13 F's 32MP front shooter.
Of course, the Reno13 Pro gets to have the most advanced camera setup , and is expected to perform like most flagships.
- OPPO Reno13 Pro: Triple rear setup (50MP + 50MP + 8MP) with 50MP front camera
- OPPO Reno13: Dual rear setup (50MP + 8MP) with 50MP front camera
- OPPO Reno13 F: Triple rear setup (50 MP + 13 MP + 2 MP) with 32 MP front camera
Seen on previous Reno series, OPPO prides its smartphones with photo capabilities that offers mesmerizing colour-shifting magic of electrochromic technology, as well as the iconic orbit breathing light seen in multiple models.
Given the popularity, OPPO has also brought in the Luminous Loop tech on the Reno13. This self-illuminating ring placed around the camera deco serves as both a functional and emotional element to lend a soft glow to images.
Another feature to look forward to is the underwater image capabilities of the Reno13 Pro. Unfortunately, this was a feature we only managed to capture with the Reno13 Pro briefly and we are unsure if there are any quality differences between the images taken with general and underwater modes at the time of writing.
Practical Processing Power & Battery
The series will be running on the updated OPPO ColorOS 15 which is based on Google's Android 15 operating system. The Reno13 and Reno13 Pro uses a Mediatek Dimensity 8350 chip, whereas OPPO has not officially revealed the processor for the Reno13 F.
Online resources revealed the Reno13 Pro to expect up to 16GB RAM, and the Reno13 as well as the Reno13 F with up to 12GB RAM. Storage ROM will start from 256GB up till 1TB, and battery storage starting from 5500mAh up to 5800mAh.
Even at just a glance, the OPPO Reno13 series is very promising given its design and camera-focused features that appeals to the mass audience, with attractive practical details to its overall built. The prices are not officially released by OPPO Malaysia yet but should be expected to start in the RM2,000 range according to China set models.
Ahead of the official launch, the Reno13 Series is available for pre-order starting today until 10 January 2025, with up to RM200 instant rebate and exciting rewards worth up to RM2,266. For more information, head on to the OPPO Reno13 series pre-order website here.
Watch out for our review of the OPPO Reno13 Series soon!
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