Since the arrival of the Reno Series with the uniquely wedge-shaped motorized pop-up camera in 2019, Oppo has managed to whip interest with their Reno phones. Though not all the subsequent models were runaway success like the first generation, there were few notable ones in the lineup like the previous gen, Reno 5 Pro. Now that the Reno 6 Pro has arrived, here is my complete thought on the device to help you make the right buying decision. Do note that we are talking about the Mediatek Dimensity fuelled Reno 6 Pro which has been launched in India, while Oppo also has made available Snapdragon 870 powered Reno 6 Pro globally in some markets.
Box contents of Reno 6 Pro
- Reno 6 Pro phone
- 65W charger
- Earphone
- Type C Cable
- Sim ejector Pin
- Protective case
- Quick guides
Build and Design of Reno 6 Pro
Reno 6 Pro is available in three colour choices in India – Aurora, Majestic Gold and Stellar black. I guess the “Reno glow” Aurora colour might be the most popular choice, the Gold seems a bit outlandish for me and the black model I got is understated but must appeal to those who want a subtle colour. The matte frosted glass back makes it extremely good to grip and highly unlikely to get fingerprint smudges. The sides have a metal frame. It’s also strengthened by Gorilla glass 5. The phone weighs just 177 grams and is at 7.6 mm thickness, making it very comfortable to use for longer use. The curved edges at the front and back, add to the ergonomic handling.
The right side has the power button, with a green tint to it and the left side has the volume buttons, both offers good tactile feedback.
The top is laid flat and has a noise-cancelling mic. The bottom houses the speaker, type C port, mic and SIM tray. There is no 3.5mm audio jack and the SIM tray does not include a memory card slot. There is no dual speaker either.
A rectangle camera housing is at the back, with a small bump. Overall, I think Reno 6 Pro has a good design and build quality, something carried forward from the previous generation Reno 5 Pro.
Reno 6 Pro display
- 6.55 inches AMOLED
- 1080 x 2400 pixels
- 402 ppi density
- 90Hz, HDR 10+
- 500 nits (typ), 800 nits (HBM)
- 20:9 aspect ratio
I really liked the display of Reno 5 Pro and I have no complaints they have retained the same here in Reno 6 Pro. The curved display offers an immersive experience, I did not have any accidental touch issues in my usage. There is a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protective layer.
While you might see panels offering 120Hz in this price segment, and outdoing the 180Hz touch panel offered here, I see no reasons why anyone can complain using this screen. The colours are punchy true to its AMOLED offering, sharp with sufficient brightness even under direct sunlight. While there is HDR 10+ technically, it cannot play HDR videos on streaming apps like Netflix and Prime video which is a bummer.
Audio and Speaker quality of Reno 6 Pro
Then watching a movie or online content needs a good sound backing, while the display is good enough, Oppo could have included a stereo speaker here. The sound is loud but I missed the stereo quality many phones in this category offers these days. Coming to Bluetooth audio codecs, it supports SBC, AAA, Qualcomm Apt X, Apt X HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+, LDAC, LHDC. I am delighted by the comprehensive list here, which would appeal to audiophiles.
Oppo Reno6 Pro: Performance
- Mediatek Dimensity SoC
- 12GB LPDDR4X RAM
- 256GB UFS 3.1 storage
The Reno 6 Pro sees a bit of upgrade from Reno 6 Pro here. To begin with, we have Dimensity 1200 SoC replacing the 1000+ and also the storage gets UFS 3.1 boost here over the UFS 2.1 in Reno 5 Pro. While I had used both the phones, trust me, the majority of people won’t notice much of a difference in the real-life performance but it would nevertheless be comfortable to know you are getting a marginal upgrade here.
In my good use, the apps opened pretty good, I did not notice any lag and it was a smooth operator. Well, I was similarly at ease with Reno 5 Pro, just putting it across here. While Snapdragon offers more firepower with their chipsets in this price range, if you are a keen nitpicking gamer, you could explore Snapdragon choices but for the majority again, the Dimensity 1200 carries enough firepower for enjoyable gaming. There is a bit of throttling happening here when games are played extensively.
The Reno6 Pro is a 5G Smartphone. It supports 11 bands, making sure you would not miss out on the 5G bus whenever it arrives in the country.
Reno 6 Pro Camera
- 64 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.7µm, PDAF
- 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
- 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
- 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
- 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS, HDR
- Front : 32 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide)
There is no surprise here, it is equipped with the same camera hardware as on the Reno 5 Pro. The selfies come good, with good detailing, though the facial features tend to get smoothened. Surprisingly, I find many normal users like this aspect off the camera. Overall pictures come good, you can check some of the samples. The daylight shots look good with enough details. While there is macro photos and I love taking macro photography, this is not the best macro implementation I have seen. You can follow my Instagram (@LakshmiRajan) for more macro samples.
Oppo Reno 6 Pro Battery
The phone packs a 4500mAh battery. The 65W SuperVOOC charger top the phone from 0-100% in about 37-40 mins. I managed to sail through an entire day with a screen on time of around 6 – 6.5 hours.
Oppo Reno6 Pro: Software
As I write this review, the phone runs on Color OS 11.3 based on Android 11. Oppo has started beta testing Color OS 12 for the Reno 6 Pro, I haven’t tested it yet but you can expect the rollout in the coming months.
I personally like the Color OS treatment these days, they had made vast improvements, the UI looks pleasing. It offers tons of customization and features for users to fiddle around. The current skin is also light and gives a pleasant experience. The UI is not without its share of third-party bloatware apps, which you could remove. Few pre-installed Oppo apps have to be lived with.
There are some neat personalization options for the UI to tweak the icon styles, app layout, colours, fonts, icon shapes etc. While there is no LED notification indicator, you can opt for edge lighting for notification when the screen is off.
Features like gesture and motions actions, quick-access settings like smart sidebar, assistive ball, quick return bubble, quick launch, split-screen, screen recording google lens integration in screenshot etc along with granular control over app settings might delight some users.
Reno6 Pro Verdict
Pros of Reno6 Pro
- Good design and build quality
- Comfortable ergonomics
- Appealing AMOLED curved display
- Super quick fast charging
- Good performance for most use cases
Cons of Reno6 Pro
- No radical upgrade over Reno5 Pro
- No stereo speakers
- Unimpressive macro photography
