In the highly competitive mid-range smartphone market, the Oppo Reno series has been a go-to choice for an affordable camera powerhouse. The new Oppo Reno 11 Pro, with its new shimmering back cover design, is undoubtedly eye-catching, especially in the Pearl White color. But beyond its looks, does the Oppo Reno 11 Pro have what it takes to retain the “Portrait Expert” title? Let’s find out.
Design
First and foremost, let’s look at the design of the Reno 11 Pro. It comes in two shimmering colors, Pearl White and Rock Grey. We love the pearl white color with its luxurious marble-like finishing. The unit we received for review is the Rock Grey, which exudes a rugged, classy look and also comes with a shimmering matte surface that keeps fingerprints at bay. The phone’s contoured design also feels secure and comfortable to hold in the hand. At just 181 grams, this phone is at least 30–40% lighter than most of the flagships out there. It is so light that it feels a bit weird at first to hold, but after an hour or two, I got accustomed to it and kind of appreciated the lightness.
Display and Entertainment
On the display, you get a buttery smooth 3D curved 6.7-inch AMOLED 120hz display with HDR10+ support. Ive always liked the curved screens; they look pretty immersive and add extra depth to the screen. Yes, I know. Of course, there are flaws in curved screens, and a lot of manufacturers are ditching curved screens nowadays; even Samsung’s latest flagship went back to a flat screen. So I guess these could be the last few curved screens available today. The screen looks vibrant and crisp; the only setback is the peak brightness of 950 nits compared to 1200–1800 on other competitors. If you are always on the go under bright sunlight or you consume HDR contents every day, that would probably be an issue for you, but for other mainstream users, you are fine otherwise.
It’s also worth nothing that the Reno 11 Pro lacks stereo speakers, which might be a letdown for some. While the single speaker does its job adequately, the audio experience may not be as rich and immersive for those who frequently revel in entertainment and gaming. However, for me, I always use a nice pair of earbuds for the best experience, so a mono speaker is not so much of an issue for me.
Camera
Now moving on to the highlight of this phone, the camera setup. The Reno 11 Pro boasts a triple rear camera setup consisting of a 32 MP telephoto lens, a 50 MP primary camera, and an 8 MP ultra-wide lens, all of which run on Sony’s IMX sensors. Not to forget the 32MP front camera for sharp and detailed selfies.
The 32MP telephoto comes with a 2x zoom to capture more natural-looking portraits with better subject and background separation for a better and more natural-looking bokeh. Coupled with the AI optimization technology, the Reno 11 Pro really excels at capturing portraits. So much so that it can even out-beat a flagship phone that costs twice or three times as much. Here’s a picture I took using the Reno 11 Pro and a flagship phone, both using portrait mode on default settings. The Reno 11 Pro does slightly better than the flagship with a warmer color tone, a brighter skin tone, and a better bokeh (background blur), especially when it comes to separating the finer details like hair. For a mid-range phone to achieve this, it is just outright amazing.
Portrait mode aside, the Oppo Reno 11 Pro takes pretty decent pictures with the 50MP main camera, which, with its optical image stabilization (OIS) and fast f/1.8 aperture, delivers detailed and sharp shots while retaining a lot of the details. The 32MP front selfie camera is also pretty good. As a result, selfies come out sharp and with vibrant colors. Say good-bye to taking selfies using the back camera.
Performance and Battery Life
Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chipset and 12GB of RAM, the Reno 11 Pro has proven to be a performance powerhouse. Although it’s not the best mid-range processor out there, the phone still manages to handle everything with ease. Whether I’m multitasking between apps, editing photos, or indulging in some mobile gaming, even demanding games like Genshin Impact run smoothly with minimal heating and no noticeable lag.
The battery life on the Reno 11 Pro is also pretty impressive. Even with a 4,600mAh battery, I’ve been able to go through an entire day of heavy usage without worry. And when it does need a top-up, the 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging is a game-changer. The phone charges from near-empty to 100% in the time it takes me to get ready in the morning, ensuring I never find myself stranded with a dead battery again.
ColorOS 14 software
The Reno 11 Pro, which runs on OPPO’s most recent ColorOS 14 software, has a number of AI-powered features designed to revolutionize smartphone usability. The aquamorphic design language immediately draws your attention with its flowing animations, distinct color palettes, and user-friendly interactions. OPPO has implemented robust security measures to safeguard your personal information and guarantee uninterrupted smooth operation. The Trinity Engine’s optimizations and features, like ROM and RAM vitalization, make this possible.
With the RAM Vitalization feature, apps can seamlessly run in the background for a whopping 72 hours. On the other hand, the ROM Vitalization feature can liberate a significant amount of storage space, up to 20GB. With advanced AI technology, you can now effortlessly extract multiple subjects from photos and images with remarkable precision. This feature, known as Smart Image Matting, is a game-changer for creative editing; you no longer need to use Photoshop to trace and cut out subjects from an image.
Auto Pixelate is a helpful tool that adds an extra layer of security by automatically blurring any sensitive information, and Picture Keeper provides advanced media permissions for apps that are using your images and videos. You can set it to “ask every time” whenever an app tries to access or use your images and videos.
In my opinion, ColorOS 14 brought a noteworthy degree of thoughtful anticipation to the software experience with the Reno 11 Pro. The Smart Touch feature, which made it remarkably simple to copy text from uneditable text sources like images, impressed me. The formatting choices in the Notes app also improved my productivity a lot.
In summary
At RM 2,499, the OPPO Reno 11 Pro presents a compelling option for anyone seeking a mid-range smartphone. Despite lacking several high-end capabilities and not being the most affordable option in its category, it is still a strong contender given its price range.
With its elegant appearance, great camera capabilities, lightning-fast charging, well-optimized software, and outstanding battery life, the Reno 11 Pro provides a superior user experience.
The OPPO Reno 11 Pro is an excellent mid-range option for anyone who enjoys taking pictures, requires a robust gadget, or simply needs a dependable phone for daily usage. It offers remarkable value considering the cost.
