The new Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G comes as the new mid-range device with 5G and brings improvements over last year’s Reno 4 Pro. But is it good enough for Rs 35,990? India Today Tech explores in the review.
Oppo has kicked off its new year with the Reno 5 Pro 5G for the Indian market. The brand-new Reno 5 Pro 5G is a big improvement over last year’s Reno 4 Pro, not because it is the successor — which is obvious — but also since it brings the 5G connectivity to the Reno line in India. Oppo has previously launched 5G models of previous Reno series phones, but it brought only the 4G variants to India, so there are a lot of expectations from the Reno 5 Pro 5G. While the 5G connectivity is still not available in India, smartphone companies want to make their offerings future proof. Reno 5 Pro 5G is one of Oppo’s attempts in achieving so. So, yes there is 5G, but this review will not have much to talk about 5G because there is no way I could test it out easily. Which means this review will tell you how good the display is, how well the phone performs, its camera performance, and finally, the battery backup. Let us find out if the Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G is a good smartphone for its price of Rs 35,990 in this review. If you have seen a Reno series phone earlier, you will have an idea of what to expect design-wise. Last year’s Reno 4 Pro had a matte design on the back that looked exquisitely premium even though the material used was not. With Reno 5 Pro, Oppo has moved things a bit higher. There is a glass back now with the Reno Glow technology that instils each nanoparticle with the ability to reflect the light, giving the back a beautiful look. The glass back is quite glossy, which some people may like. I prefer neutral shades and designs, so this design is sadly too much for me. Although Oppo says it is a glass back, it certainly does not feel glassy because the phone is lightweight. Normally, phones with a glass back have some heft. The Reno 5 Pro 5G is very lightweight at 173 grams and comfortably thin with 7.6mm thickness. The matte finish also ensures the back does not retain fingerprints, which is a good thing. The phone’s grip is also good, and holding the device never felt uncomfortable to me. There are two colour variants of the Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G: Astral Blue and Starry Black. I have been using the former, but I believe the latter looks more beautiful (at least in pictures since I did not use it). The camera design is slightly different from how cameras look on the Reno 4 Pro. Instead of all four sensors stacked up in a series, you will see only three sensors in the vertical alignment while the third sensor — which is smaller in diameter from the rest — sits adjacent to other sensors. The design is old but still relatively new. One thing that you will miss on the Reno 5 Pro is the 3.5mm headphone jack. The previous version Reno 4 Pro has it, and I think it is always convenient to have the 3.5mm audio jack. But you have the USB-C port that you can use for audio connectivity, as well, and for which you will have to look for USB-C earphones. I think you should go for truly wireless earphones because they are more convenient to use.
