Oppo has been on somewhat of a hot streak, releasing one smartphone after another. Hot on the heels of the Reno 10x came the Reno 2, a mid-range device and now, we have the Reno2 Z, a MediaTek chipset powered smartphone from the Chinese company. We got our hands on the phone and while the review is going to take some time, here is our first impression of the device.
Whatever the phone may have on the inside, it’s the design of the Oppo Reno2 Z that really makes it a special device. The unit we played around with is the Luminous Black variant, with the Oppo branding running in the middle of the back panel. It is definitely a classy looking design and if that doesn’t come across in words, just take a look at the photos below.
The power button has a delicate green accent
What also stood out in our brief time with the phone was that it wasn’t very slippery when held without a case. It does feel slightly on the heavier side, but that could just as easily be attributed to the use of good quality materials for the construction. The frame is made of metal and sadly, isn’t as flush with the rear and front panels as most “premium constructed” smartphones, but this is one area where the Reno2 Z can be afforded a pass.
The Oppo Reno2 Z is powered by the MediaTek P90 SoC, which, the company says, puts special emphasis on AI-related tasks. Its cores are configured as 2 Big Cortex A76 cores and 6 small Cortex A55 cores, making this an octa-core SoC. There is also 8GB of RAM on-board, complemented by 256GB of storage, plenty for even the most avid of content creators. Speaking of which…
The Oppo Reno2 Z has a very interesting imaging stack. On the back, there are four cameras. The primary camera offers a resolution of 48MP (Sony IMX586), with the lens sporting an aperture of f/1.7. This is fairly standard, but the bare minimum for a decent shooting experience. The 48MP camera is accompanied by an 8MP camera with an ultra-wide lens, and a pair of 2MP sensors for shooting portraits. One of these two sensors is a monochrome sensor. Its not just the hardware here that’s going to be of interest, but also the numerous shooting modes. Oppo has added an all-new Ultra Dark Mode which we are eager to try out, along with the usual host of beautification modes, HDR capabilities, and even a life bokeh feature when shooting video. A front camera is again a pop-up unit, but instead of a shark-fin design, the Oppo Reno2 Z has a rather simple pop-up unit. The camera itself is a 16-megapixel shooter with the lens having an aperture of f/2.0. The cameras on an Oppo device are always interesting and the Reno 2z is no exception.
Quad Cameras on the Oppo Reno2 Z are definitely worth a closer look
No Shark Fin here, but you still get a pop-up front facing camera
Putting the Oppo Reno2 Z right next to the Oppo Reno 2, the two looks very similar. The Oppo Reno2 Z also sports a full HD+ near bezel-less display, VOOC 3.0 super-fast charging the 4000mAh battery. For all intents and purposes, the Oppo Reno 2z definitely seems like a lucrative device when it comes to its looks and camera stack, but we are curious to see how the MediaTek P90 chipset will fare when it comes to daily tasks and gaming. Sure, for the price of Rs 29,999, there may be options with a more powerful chipset, but Oppo has always played in this price segment, and somehow, still managed to garner a rather large number of fans. Stay tuned for our review on just how far the Oppo Reno2 Z goes in justifying its price.