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Review | Oppo Reno 10x Zoom full review: camera zoom is up there with Huawei P30 Pro, and it’s much cheaper

  • For those drawn to the prowess of the Huawei P30 Pro’s zoom lens but put off by its price – not far off that of the iPhone X – Oppo phone is great alternative
  • It includes a pop-up selfie camera, seamless glass back with no camera bump, and improved ColorOS Android skin

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The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition uses an elevating pop-up camera module to avoid putting a notch in the display. Its zoom lens uses the same novel technology as the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro and takes shots almost as good. Photo: Ben Sin
Ben Sin

For two years, Oppo has been teasing breakthrough mobile camera technology that offers lossless optical 5x zoom and near lossless 10x zoom (very minimal loss of quality when zooming in). The tech is finally ready, but unfortunately for Oppo, Huawei has beaten it to the punch by introducing the same tech in its P30 Pro last month.

Still, despite missing out on the “world’s first” label, there’s plenty to like with the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Edition – it is a viable alternative not just to Huawei’s flagship phone, but Samsung’s too. This review is of the model that comes with the 10x zoom lens.

Design and hardware

The design of the Oppo Reno is mostly understated. Its back is almost entirely smooth, with no protruding cameras. The black version I tested has a gun metal finish to the glass that, coupled with a minimalist logo and labelling, makes for a clean yet stylish look.

The phone’s rectangular camera module is a “periscope” 10x zoom lens that Oppo has been working on for the past two years. Photo: Ben Sin
The phone’s rectangular camera module is a “periscope” 10x zoom lens that Oppo has been working on for the past two years. Photo: Ben Sin
On the front is a 6.6-inch OLED screen, uninterrupted by cut-outs or notches. The panel is mostly flat, so it does not have the attention-grabbing curves of a Samsung Galaxy S10 or Huawei P30 Pro, but is easier to grip. It is when the selfie camera comes into play the Reno goes for flashiness: the 16-megapixel, LED flash module pops up and elevates on one side. This odd triangular shape has been dubbed “shark fin” by Chinese media.

The main camera module on the back houses three lenses: a 48-megapixel Sony IMX 586 sensor; an eight-megapixel wide-angle lens; and a zoom lens.

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