OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G Review – Blurring the Line Between Mid-range and High-end Smartphones

In the ever-evolving world of smartphones, Oppo has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation and user experience. Today, we’re diving into the latest addition to their popular Reno series: the Oppo Reno12 Pro 5G. As a long-time Oppo enthusiast who’s been using their devices for the past seven years, I’m excited to share my thoughts on this mid-range powerhouse.

The Reno12 Pro 5G promises to deliver cutting-edge technology and premium features at a more accessible price point. With my current daily driver being the OPPO Find X2 Pro from 2020 (check Michael’s review out), I’ll be using this flagship as a benchmark to evaluate how far Oppo has come with their mid-range offerings. From its sleek design to its AI-enhanced capabilities, we’ll explore every aspect of the Reno12 Pro 5G to see if it lives up to the hype and delivers on Oppo’s reputation for quality and innovation.

OPPO RENO12 PRO 5G REVIEW – WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

As usual, the packaging is slick and compact. You will find the following items in the box:

• Oppo Reno12 Pro 5G 512GB
• USB type C
• 80W SUPERVOOC Flash Charge
• Safety guide
• Quick guide
• SIM ejector tool

Many brands have not been including a charger in the box for the past few years, but as you can see, we do find a charger in this box. This really shows Oppo’s thoughtfulness and commitment to service their customers with the best experience possible.

OPPO RENO12 PRO 5G REVIEW – HOW DOES OPPO RENO12 PRO 5G FEEL?

The OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G is 161.5mm tall and 74.8mm wide. I’ve got the nebula black one and it is 7.40mm thick and it weighs 180 grams. It is interesting that the nebula silver one is 7.45mm thick and weighs 181 grams. But the difference is too miniscule for me to really question it. Feel free to find more details around the specs in Oppo Australia official page for OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G.

The device fits perfectly in my hand (which is on the smaller side). I really like the matte finish at the back of the phone as it adds more grip. Although the Oppo Reno12 Pro 5G is smaller than my Oppo Find X2 Pro, the display size is still the same at 6.7 inches. It is definitely enough to enjoy your favourite show on your favourite streaming service.

OPPO RENO12 PRO 5G REVIEW – BATTERY AND CHARGING

It is quite apparent that the OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G is built with battery optimisation in mind. With normal usage, the battery lasts about 2 days for me without charging. To push the limit, I did what any sane person would do and let OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G run a very long YouTube video with maximum brightness. I managed to get to about 3% after 9-10 hours. With the magnificent 80W SUPERVOOC Flash Charge, it took about 45 minutes to fully charge it again. Please find my charging log below.

Battery level	Time	Number of minutes
3%	1.05pm	Starting point
11%	1.07pm	2
20%	1.10pm	5
30%	1.13pm	8
42%	1.18pm	13
55%	1.23pm	18
64%	1.28pm	23
75%	1.33pm	28
81%	1.36pm	31
96%	1.44pm	40
100%	1.49pm	45

OPPO RENO12 PRO 5G REVIEW – CAMERA AND AI

The OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G has a great camera and some cool camera functions. Check out some photos and videos I took around Melbourne.

But what impresses me the most is the incorporation of the latest OPPO AI technology. How many times have you tried taking a perfect group photoshoot, only to find that someone had their eyes closed while the others had the perfect shot? OPPO AI Best Face can help you fix those closed eyes. Here is the demonstration of how it works as I took some photos of some of my friends.

To make this happen, you do need to have at least 3 people in the shot, hold your device steady until you see a prompt in the camera that says AI group photo on, then make sure to take a few shots so the AI has samples that it can refer to.

Another feature that I played around with was the AI Eraser tool. Before I show some examples, let me show you the three ways you can use this tool:

• Smart lasso
  This mode lets you encircle the object you would like to erase and it will try to find an object within the area and erase that object.
• Paint over
  This one lets you paint over the object you would like to erase and will blindly erase everything that you paint
• Remove people
  This one will detect different persons in the images and will let you choose which person to remove from the picture.

Let me show you how it works.

Let’s consider this image of a pair of slippers and how I attempted to use the smart lasso tool to erase them from the image. As you can see it could detect the pair of slippers but it did not erase them smoothly and the end result was not ideal.

Maybe the paint over tool is more suitable for this, so I tried that and voila, the result was much better.

Then my mind started wondering if the lasso tool is just a gimmick. I then tried to find an image with a bigger object to erase. Then I found a picture of me in the snow from a few years ago. I used the lasso tool to detect me and my shadow and I can easily remove both.

I spent a bit more time with the AI eraser tool and tried to remove some cars and bins from the picture of my neighbourhood. I quickly found out that it was not always reliable. At one point, it even tried to erase a car by putting in another car as a replacement picture rather than filling it with the background properly. Like any AI tool, it is not perfect, but it is definitely fun.

OPPO RENO12 PRO 5G REVIEW – ANY MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES?

The AI summary tool is pretty fun. Basically if you record a voice note, you can use this tool to go through your audio and it will summarise what is being said in the voice note. This is particularly useful when you want to make a note on the go.

The OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G uses a new proprietary tech called BeaconLink. BeaconLink boosts the range of Bluetooth connection to 200 metres, allowing the beloved OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G to make a one to one voice call with another Reno device without any mobile coverage. This feature can be super critical in an emergency situation and can literally be a lifesaver.

Another one that is worth mentioning is the AI LinkBoost technology that will ensure you have a seamless and uninterrupted connection to your provider.

OPPO RENO12 PRO 5G REVIEW – WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED?

I love the battery and the 80W SUPERVOOC Flash Charger, but boy isn’t it big. The charger is quite bulky that it easily takes up two spots in the power board. I also wished there is wireless charging on this model, but hey, it is a small price to pay. Besides, I would not worry about wireless charging if I can fully charge my device within 46 minutes.

In Australia, the OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G costs A$999. Considering it being a mid-range phone, I think it is hard to justify spending that much money. At the time of writing this review however, OPPO was discounting the price to A$799 making it more affordable and suitable for the phone.

OPPO RENO12 PRO 5G REVIEW – VERDICT

In conclusion, the OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G proves to be an impressive mid-range smartphone that punches above its weight. With its sleek design, long-lasting battery life, and blazing-fast 80W SUPERVOOC Flash Charge, it offers a premium user experience. The device’s camera system, enhanced by Oppo’s AI technology, provides versatile photography options and useful features like AI Best Face and AI Eraser.

While the Reno12 Pro 5G may not have wireless charging, its rapid wired charging more than makes up for this omission. The inclusion of innovative features like BeaconLink and AI LinkBoost further sets this device apart from its competitors, offering practical solutions for connectivity in various scenarios.

At its discounted price point of A$799, the OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G presents excellent value for those seeking a feature-rich smartphone without breaking the bank. It successfully bridges the gap between mid-range and flagship devices, making it a compelling choice for tech enthusiasts and everyday users alike.

I actually really like this phone. There is not much to complain about and it includes the latest cutting edge Oppo technology. It is even more impressive that this latest phone is a mid-range phone, not flagship. Yes, it could be cheaper and yes it would be nice to have a smaller charger, but in the end, the OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G is definitely a winner here.

Bonus Round – Useful Tip

One feature that I’ve always loved from OPPO is its proprietary people tagging feature. The way it works is it will go through all your photos in your device and group people with similar faces in an album. I love this because it makes it really easy for me to find pictures of a specific person. Google Photos actually do this as well, but to do this, you need to backup and sync your photos with your Google account and considering I have around 20GB worth of photos, I can’t get away with using the free account for this.

So as you do in a normal migration process, I used the Oppo clone phone tool to migrate my photos from the old phone to the new. But after I migrated the photos to my new OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G, it did not tag people properly. I was confused as to why it did not work properly. Then I saw this picture, and the answer dawned on me.

I used to charge my phone at night so I could have it ready in the morning. But ever since I used my OPPO Find X2 Pro (which also charges very fast), I’ve been charging my phone during the day because it only takes less than an hour to charge. The new OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G charges even faster as it takes less than 46 minutes.

With thousands of photos to tag (again, 20GB worth of photos), the process might not have enough time to people-tag all of them. So with that hypothesis, I tried leaving the device to charge all night for the first time. Then voila!!! All the images are people-tagged properly and I am a happy man. I thought I would share this here in case someone finds it useful.

Disclosure: OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G review sample was supplied for reviewing