Oppo may be the new smartphone brand on the block locally, but they’re quickly becoming a top (and award-winning) smartphone maker to watch worldwide. In China, they’ve already hit number one because the brand is all about combining aesthetics with intelligence. Its devices look beautiful but are forward-thinking when it comes to premium technology.

Oppo’s newly launched Reno5 5G smartphone is a standout device with premium features that will make you question how much you should be spending on a high-end smartphone (and why other smartphone brands, which seem to offer less, are so much more expensive).

Say cheese!

While the dual-curved Reno5 5G does include all the basics such as an on-screen fingerprint sensor and USB Type-C charging port, its camera performance is something to take note of. If your smartphone doubles as an on-the-go camera, you’re going to love the hi-tech photography and video features of the Reno5 5G: it has an impressive 64MP AI Quad Camera with 10x zoom in video mode and 20x in picture mode. Quad means four (of course) and on the back of the phone you’ll find a 64MP camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP mono lens.

On the front, the 32MP selfie camera is coupled with Oppo’s use of artificial intelligence (AI). With automatic AI adjustments, the colour, saturation and brightness of photos is immediately improved and photos look pretty close to what you would get using a professional DSLR camera. The Ultra Night mode blew us away with naturally bright shots that don’t look fuzzy or overdone.

The Dual View video mode lets you shoot with the front and back camera of the Reno5 5G at the same time. It doesn’t mean you’ll simply get a split-screen view; there are three different layouts and you can customise which zoom lens to use for the background — a vlogger’s dream set-up!

Another standout feature is the AI Highlight Video, which boosts your live HDR performance for a background that’s brighter and clearer. You know when you’re outside and trying to get a beautiful photo of the clouds but then the trees below get dark and it just doesn’t work? Live HDR fixes this.

Many smartphones offer a beauty filter, but the Reno5 5G also has this option for video. The videos are surprisingly steady because Oppo has a built-in, gimbal-like stabilisation for the rear and front camera, and for video mode.

Do you have charging anxiety?

Sometimes you need to charge your smartphone in a hurry and it’s just not going to happen. You know that the power is going out but you forgot to plug it in, and now you’re watching the battery dwindle away. With the Reno5 5G, this isn’t a thing any more. Because it has 65W Super-VOOC 2.0 flash charge technology, it only takes 36 minutes to get to 100% battery life. After using the Reno5 5G, you’ll find charging anything else a chore.

The Reno5 5G is also a pretty good gaming device. With its big, 6.43-inch 1080p AMOLED screen and 90Hz refresh rate, games look beautiful and are always responsive. Weighing in at only 172g, it’s a pleasure to hold for longer, playtime sessions. The handy Gamer Mode filters out anything that could disturb your gameplay and the ability to charge up quickly when you need to keep going is a no-brainer.

Starting from R14,999, the Reno5 5G is available in Galactic Silver and Starry Black.  

The Reno5 5G comes standard with a Super-VOOC enabled charger and cable, protective case, fitted screen protector, and cabled and wireless earphones and is available at all participating MTN and Vodacom stores nationwide.

This article was paid for by Oppo.