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Introduction
The Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G, the highest-spec Reno of the '6' batch, has been with us for the past couple of weeks, undergoing the usual rigorous testing. What about the Pro+, you say, isn't that the top-of-the-line model? Let's try to clarify.
This 'global' version of the smartphone has 'Snapdragon' in the name on the specs page as our attempt to make sense of a confusing lineup - it's not really part of its actual market designation.
The good bit is that the confusion is only for someone like us, which caters to all markets across the world. The consumers get either model based on their locale. India and China get the Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G with a Mediatek Dimensity 1200 and a different camera setup - it's downgraded compared to this Snapdragon version here, which is meant for western markets.
That's not to say that a very similar handset isn't sold in Eastern markets - a nearly identical phone is marketed as the Reno6 Pro+ 5G in China. So in a way, the Pro+ is the best-equipped Reno6, but so is this particular flavor of Pro non-plus. At least the other Reno6s don't get too much in the way. We'll use the Snapdragon moniker on occasion, but even if we do drop it, you should know that's the specific model we're reviewing.
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) • Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G • Oppo Reno6 Pro+ 5G
On to hardware. The Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)'s specsheet starts off with a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a modestly-high refresh rate - just 90Hz, and that's one of few odd choices, when most any competitor is at 120Hz. The Snapdragon in the name is the 870, the last iteration on last year's flagship SoC and in some ways better than the 888 of 2021. A single SKU with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage should keep most people happy.
The cameras aren't half bad either. The tri-set at the back is headlined by the same 50MP sensor you'd find in the Find X3 Pro flagship, and the numbers suggest that the 2x tele is shared between the two as well. The Find maintains exclusivity on the 50MP ultrawide, so the Reno gets a 16MP one instead, but it does keep the 32MP selfie unit. So a 3-out-of-4 flagship camera system on the Reno6 Pro 5G (SD). Well, sort of - the 2MP macro here is nowhere as interesting as the 3MP microscope on the Find X3 Pro, but that's niche enough to not count - if we do say so ourselves.
The 4,500mAh battery should be good enough, the 65W fast charging is even better, the stereo speakers are appreciated. Missing is an IP rating, and you might be inclined to forgive that omission if you label the Reno a midranger, but at around €800, that field in the specsheet shouldn't be empty, we reckon.
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) specs at a glance:
- Body: 160.8x72.5x8.0mm, 188g; aluminum frame; glass back.
- Display: 6.55" Super AMOLED, 90Hz, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 800 nits (HDR), 1100 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 585); Adreno 650.
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- OS/Software: Android 11, ColorOS 11.3.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, omnidirectional PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 13 MP, f/2.4, 52mm, 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 16 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1/3.09", 1.0µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps; gyro-EIS, HDR; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 65W, Reverse charging, SuperVOOC 2.0.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; stereo speakers.
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G unboxing
A teal box holds the Reno6 Pro 5G until it reaches your hands, with a bold 6 on top to signify the generation and a smaller but more detailed designation of the specific model on the bottom (minus the Snapdragon). Same presentation as the fifth generation, then.
Oppo has skipped the earbuds this time, however, while both the 5 Pro 5G and the 6 5G have a pair, but not the 6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon). You do get the beefy 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charger and a cable to go with it, plus a basic but functional soft protective case that's also transparent, so it doesn't hide the fancy back.
Design, build quality, handling
The Reno6 Pro 5G has all the physical markings of a high-end phone - curved-edge display, metal frame, glass back with a fancy finish - its look and feel match its price. Our review unit is in the Arctic Blue colorway, its shimmery frosted surface fitting the name surprisingly well.
The back is made of glass, though Oppo isn't advertising where it's coming from, and Corning, too, is mum about it in the 'Is It On Yours' section on its website. Gorilla or otherwise, the panel doesn't pick up fingerprints, which is great, but it's very slippery, which is less so - the usual trade off.
The quad-camera island also hosts the flash LEDs and an extra ambient light sensor. The assembly sticks out enough that the phone will rock if you type on it while it's lying on a table.
Both this 'issue' and the slipperiness can easily be resolved by using the included case - while nowhere as premium feeling as the phone itself, it's at least transparent, so the Arctic Blueness makes it through.
We're hardly fans of the whole paragraph of tiny text Oppo has decided to print on this one - there has to be a more subtle way to satisfy regulatory requirements.
The back curves to the sides into the polished aluminum frame, matching the curved edges of the display. We get that some people aren't fans of curved displays, but there's an undeniable feel of poshness they tend to bring.
Here, that's somewhat ruined by the factory-applied screen protector, whose edges rub your fingertips the wrong way. It also has a tendency to accumulate dirt in its punch hole for the punch-hole selfie camera and that's hard to clean. You can always remove it, in which case it would be nice to know what glass is protecting the display, but Oppo isn't saying that either. It's probably a good one, but which one?
The smallish top and bottom bezels are similarly sized and together with the minimal black strips on the sides make for a premium look - a bit of a generic premium look, if you will, but premium nonetheless.
Oppo continues with a control layout that many makers have moved away from and splits the power button and volume controls between the two sides of the phone. The power button is on the right and has a signature green accent, while the separate volume buttons are on the left. All click nicely.
Power button on the right • Volume keys on the left
The bottom of the phone has the USB-C port, the primary loudspeaker (earpiece up top serves as the other one), the primary mic, and SIM slot (dual nano-SIM, no microSD).
On the opposite end, there's just a mic pinhole amidst a plastic inlay that's very likely the cover for the 5G antennas.
Bottom • Top
The green gasket on the SIM tray might lead you to believe that the Reno6 Pro 5G is dust and water-resistant, and while it may very well be, it doesn't have a formal IP rating. That's a very notable omission on a phone this expensive and one we can't overlook.
The Reno measures 160.8x72.5x8mm and weighs 188g. Virtually every potential rival is in the same ballpark, with perhaps the Galaxy S21+ being just tangibly heavier at 200g. We'd say the handset feels more compact than the numbers suggest thanks to curved sides, and is the slippery back giving it an air of lightness too, or is that all in our heads?
The 6.55" SuperAMOLED maxes out at 90Hz, is pretty good nonetheless
The Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) is equipped with a 6.55-inch SuperAMOLED display with 1080x2400px resolution. The aspect ratio is 20:9, and the pixel density works out to 402ppi. More importantly, it has a 90Hz maximum refresh rate and does so at a price that more or less mandates 120Hz.
When it comes to brightness, we have little to complain about. The phone put out the promised 500nits (give or take) under normal conditions and got a healthy boost to 780nits when bright ambient light called for it. Minimum brightness was also excellent at 1.8nits.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 499 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 780 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 438 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 632 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 516 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 837 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 525 | ∞ | |
| 0.038 | 871 | 22921:1 | |
| 0 | 459 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 883 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 518 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 735 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 457 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 993 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 484 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 673 | ∞ | |
It's not quite as rosy when it comes to color rendition - it's rather bluish, in fact. In the default Vivid mode there was a strong cold cast to the grayscale set of target swatches, and fiddling with the color temperature slider shifted that to a slightly less pronounced red tint, but we couldn't really get an accurate white point. The average color deviation wasn't bad, but it wasn't really 'calibrated'-level either. Interestingly, the Gentle mode wasn't overly accurate for its intended sRGB content reproduction either - these are usually easier to get right. Overall, not a dealbreaking performance here, but not praise-worthy either.
Display settings
The screen refresh rate menu lets you choose between Standard (60Hz) and High (90Hz) settings. The Standard mode locks everything at 60Hz, as expected. High is a bit more complicated, as it does have some adaptive behavior, and it will switch down to 60Hz based on app and activity.
The phone will maintain 90Hz throughout the UI. Going into any app, it will start looking out for touch input, and the refresh rate will drop to 60Hz a few seconds after the last touch. That behavior applies to browsers and social networking apps as well. Classic 60Hz-only apps like Google Maps and the camera will be at 60Hz, as usual. On a positive note, the high refresh rate is available when gaming.
The Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) carries an HDR10+ certification. Unlike how it's often the case, the phone played back HDR content in all three platforms we usually check - YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) battery life
This Reno6 is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery, a standard capacity for the class. The Mi 11T Pro has a 5,000mAh cell inside, but the bulk of the potential competition stands at 4,500mAh or thereabout.
In our testing, the Reno6 Pro 5G with a Snapdragon inside posted generally solid numbers. The 20hours of offline video playback (with the display at 60Hz) are particularly impressive. The 13:29h result in Wi-Fi web browsing, meanwhile, can best be categorized as okay, considering it's recorded with the screen at 60Hz as well - we found no way to lock it at 90Hz. Having said that, past experience has taught us that there isn't much difference between 60Hz and 90Hz in terms of power draw for web browsing. The voice call longevity turned out good as well, as did standby.
All things considered, the Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) posted an Endurance rating of 108h.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage - check out our all-time battery test results chart.
We went ahead and repeated the screen-on tests in 1080p resolution mode and got virtually the same results, so there's no point in lowering the resolution from an endurance standpoint.
Charging speed
Oppo was among the fast charging pioneers, and it's no wonder that the Reno6 Pro 5G is properly well equipped in this department. It supports the company's proprietary SuperVOOC 2.0 standard and comes with an adapter that can deliver those watts.
Using this unit, we clocked a full charge at 39 minutes, not quite the 35 minutes Oppo advertises, but amazingly fast nonetheless. The first thirty minutes after plugging in got us to 91% - again, a properly good result.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Oppo Reno6 5G
100% - Realme GT Master
100% - Xiaomi 11T Pro
100% - Realme GT Explorer Master
96% - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
91% - Realme GT 5G (65W)
87% - Xiaomi 11T
86% - Poco X3 GT
75% - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
74% - vivo X70 Pro
64% - Asus Zenfone 8
60% - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
54% - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
53% - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
53%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Xiaomi 11T Pro
0:21h - Oppo Reno6 5G
0:29h - Realme GT Master
0:30h - Realme GT Explorer Master
0:33h - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
0:39h - Realme GT 5G (65W)
0:39h - Xiaomi 11T
0:41h - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
0:44h - Poco X3 GT
0:48h - vivo X70 Pro
1:00h - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
1:12h - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
1:17h - Asus Zenfone 8
1:28h - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
1:28h
Speaker test
The Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) has a fairly standard stereo speaker setup - there's one bottom-firing unit, and the earpiece also acts as another channel. In vertical orientation, the earpiece is in charge of the left channel, while in landscape, the phone will switch the channels to correspond to the way you're holding the phone. There will be some sound coming from the opposite channel, but at a much lower volume - so you get both the channel separation and a guarantee that you won't completely block all sound if you happen to hold the phone the wrong way.
Bottom speaker • Earpiece/Top speaker
The Reno6 Pro 5G earned a 'Good' rating for loudness in our test - on par with the Xiaomi 11T Pro and the Motorola Edge 20 Pro, but not as loud as a Galaxy S21+. The Xiaomi is boomier, the Samsung has a bit more sparkle in the treble, but the Reno is still pretty good overall.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
ColorOS 11.3 and Android 11
We last reviewed the Reno6 5G running ColorOS 11.3, and that's the same version of Oppo's custom Android skin that we have here on the Reno6 Pro 5G. The underlying OS is still Android 11, naturally. ColorOS 11.3 is an incremental update with no major feature releases but the usual refinements and bug fixes here and there.
It's hardly a stock look that ColorOS gives you, even though this global build does use Google's own dialer and messages apps. Those basics aside, it's a heavily customized and customizable UI.
The lockscreen and homescreen are straightforward, the notification/toggles area is simple and clutter-free. A basic App drawer is available, which you can opt-out of if you prefer to have all your apps on the homescreens. There is a Google Feed panel to the left of your homescreens.
Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Notifications • Quick toggles
The task switcher is non-nonsense too, but it has extra functionality - you can minimize an app to a mini-window or a floating window from within it. If an app is compatible, you can do either of these or use the familiar Split Screen.
Task Manager • Options • Mini app • Floating window • Split screen
Always-on display is available, and it can show the usual content - clock, date, notifications icons, battery. A ton of AOD themes are available, and you can even draw your own graphics or use images from the gallery - if you're one to struggle with decision-making, good luck picking one. Edge Lighting is available, too.
AOD
Different icon packs are supported, so if you are not happy with the default one, you can opt for material style, pebbles, or you can even fully customize them by your liking. You can also change the system colors, the fingerprint scanner animation, the notification drawer icons, even the system font. The Theme Store appears to be missing from this build, though.
Personalization options
Dark Mode is available, too, and it has support for three different dark styles - black, dark gray or light gray. It can be enabled manually or operate on a schedule. You can also opt to force it on third-party apps that don't support dark mode natively, though your mileage may vary with those.
Dark Mode
In the Convenience tools section of the Settings menu, you'll find options for navigation and gestures. Similar to the Galaxies, ColorOS offers a Smart Sidebar on the edge of the screen - you can customize the actions and app shortcuts that appear there.
Convenience tools
The multimedia apps such as Gallery, Music, and Videos are provided by Oppo. There is also an in-house File Manager and a Phone Manager app. A Game Space app is available for better game management and notification behavior. You can also opt for a Smart resolution switch and Performance/balanced/energy saving modes.
Gallery • Music • Videos • Phone Manager • File Manager • Game Space
Lastly, ColorOS 11.3 comes with the RAM expansion feature that everyone is doing lately. It allocates some of the storage space for use as makeshift RAM to keep more apps opened in the background. But with 12GB of actual RAM on board, we'd say it's essentially unnecessary.
RAM expansion
Performance and benchmarks
As a lot of high-class midrangers this year, the Reno6 Pro 5G we're reviewing is powered by the Snapdragon 870 chipset. That is, the variant we're reviewing - the China/India version by the same name is really a different phone, as we tried to establish, and it gets the Dimensity 1200.
The SD870 is a known quantity - the latest iteration on last year's SD865 is often regarded as a better package than the 2021 flagship SD888 thanks to more stable sustained performance and relative affordability. That said, it's not like the chipset's lower cost is translating into a particularly low price for this Reno and SD888 handsets can be had for as much and even considerably less money, if top benchmark results are more your thing.
Anyway, the Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) and its Snapdragon 870 post solid numbers for single-core CPU performance in GeekBench, proving superior to the high-700-series alternatives and on par with other SD870 handsets. The SD888 bunch is out of reach, however.
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- vivo X60 Pro+
1143 - Realme GT 5G
1139 - OnePlus 9
1129 - Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
1126 - OnePlus 9 Pro
1126 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
1124 - Xiaomi Mi 11i
1114 - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
1091 - Realme GT Explorer Master
1020 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
1003 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
985 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
972 - vivo X70 Pro
875 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
803 - Realme GT Master
785 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
771 - Xiaomi 11T
742 - Oppo Reno6 5G
722
That last bit remains true under multi-threaded loads, but here the Reno also shows conservative results as SD870s go - the Axon 30 and the Moto Edge 20 Pro are a bit ahead, though not dramatically.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- vivo X60 Pro+
3749 - Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
3673 - Xiaomi Mi 11i
3641 - OnePlus 9 Pro
3636 - OnePlus 9
3629 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
3582 - Realme GT 5G
3555 - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
3476 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
3160 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
3140 - Realme GT Explorer Master
3050 - vivo X70 Pro
2956 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
2941 - Realme GT Master
2917 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
2909 - Xiaomi 11T
2834 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
2801 - Oppo Reno6 5G
2131
In Antutu, the Reno underperforms a little, again - the other SD870 handsets are ever so slightly higher in the chart.
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- vivo X60 Pro+
836826 - Realme GT 5G
810433 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
804626 - Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
797484 - Xiaomi Mi 11i
779481 - Realme GT Explorer Master
717879 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
711090 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
701991 - vivo X70 Pro
694499 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
671577 - Xiaomi 11T
590837 - Realme GT Master
529263 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
522490 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
506432 - Oppo Reno6 5G
430765
In GPU benchmarks, the SD870s are relatively tightly packed together. Here, the SD888's superiority is more easily seen, so if you're after ultimate GPU performance, perhaps skip this Reno6 Pro 5G.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- vivo X60 Pro+
119 - OnePlus 9 Pro
119 - OnePlus 9
119 - Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
118 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
118 - Realme GT 5G
112 - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
111 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
100 - Realme GT Explorer Master
99 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
96 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
92 - vivo X70 Pro
85 - Xiaomi 11T
77 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
65 - Realme GT Master
56 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
56
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- vivo X60 Pro+
105 - Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
104 - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
100 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
93 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
84 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
83 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
82 - vivo X70 Pro
77 - Xiaomi 11T
72 - Realme GT 5G
60 - OnePlus 9
60 - Realme GT Explorer Master
60 - OnePlus 9 Pro
57 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
57 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
49 - Realme GT Master
46
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- vivo X60 Pro+
71 - OnePlus 9 Pro
70 - OnePlus 9
70 - Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
69 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
69 - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
66 - Realme GT 5G
65 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
60 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
59 - Realme GT Explorer Master
59 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
57 - Xiaomi 11T
47 - vivo X70 Pro
45 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
40 - Realme GT Master
33 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
33
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
62 - vivo X60 Pro+
62 - OnePlus 9
58 - Realme GT 5G
55 - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
54 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
54 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
51 - Realme GT Explorer Master
50 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
49 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
49 - Xiaomi 11T
40 - vivo X70 Pro
40 - OnePlus 9 Pro
36 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
35 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
28 - Realme GT Master
27
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
45 - vivo X60 Pro+
44 - OnePlus 9
43 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
41 - Realme GT 5G
38 - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
37 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
35 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
34 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
33 - Realme GT Explorer Master
33 - Xiaomi 11T
29 - vivo X70 Pro
29 - OnePlus 9 Pro
27 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
20 - Realme GT Master
19
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
43 - vivo X60 Pro+
43 - Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
41 - OnePlus 9
40 - Realme GT 5G
39 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
39 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
33 - Realme GT Explorer Master
32 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
31 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
31 - vivo X70 Pro
31 - Xiaomi 11T
30 - OnePlus 9 Pro
24 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
19 - Realme GT Master
18
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme GT 5G
5872 - Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
5757 - ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
5714 - OnePlus 9 Pro
5701 - vivo X60 Pro+
5695 - Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
5677 - OnePlus 9
5667 - Realme GT Explorer Master
4255 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
4206 - Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
4201 - ZTE Axon 30 5G
4191 - Xiaomi 11T
4172 - vivo X70 Pro
4148 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
3136 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
2491
2481
2024
Having said that, the Reno6's stability numbers in both CPU and GPU stress tests could actually make you reconsider. With a 99% stability rating in 3DMark, this one will actually be more consistent for long gaming sessions than an SD888. Similarly, the CPU stress test showed the phone to be remarkably stable, and the benchmark only made a dent around 50 minutes into the test, and even then, it was a relatively minor drop.
CPU Throttling test • 3DMark Wild Life stress test
Flagship-grade triple camera
The Reno6 Pro 5G in this West-bound Snapdragon trim comes with a quad-camera setup on its back that's more of a tri-camera setup when you scratch out the nigh-useless 2MP macro. The remaining three are pretty good, though, with traces of the Find X3's imaging genes.
The primary camera uses the Sony IMX 766 sensor, a 50MP 1/1.56" type imager with 1.0µm pixels and 4-to-1 binning behind a Quad Bayer color filter array. It features omnidirectional PDAF and what Sony calls DOL-HDR (digital overlap) or essentially capturing different exposures simultaneously at the sensor, instead of stacking consecutive frames with different exposure. That's the same sensor used for the main and ultrawide cameras in the Find X3/X3 Pro. The lens on the main camera is stabilized and has a 24mm equivalent focal length and an f/1.8 aperture.
The telephoto, too, comes from the high-end Finds. It's the same 2x zoom unit (so not all that telephoto) with an f/2.4 aperture and a 13MP sensor.
The ultrawide is different, though - it relies on a more modest 16MP 1/3.09" sensor paired with an f/2.2 aperture lens with a focal length in the low teens (or a 123-degree field of view as per Oppo specs). Sadly, this one is missing autofocus.
The selfie camera is using a 32MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture lens that covers an 80-degree field of view. Again, no autofocus here.
The camera app of the Reno6 Pro 5G is very similar to other iterations we've seen on previous Oppos and Realmes alike, and it's a fairly simple layout, with menus hidden from view. A lot of the main modes are on the main rolodex, which is good, but there's a host of extra ones in the More tab - that's where 'Macro' and 'Expert' modes are. There are more zoom levels shown than actual cameras, and the 5x and 10x levels are a digital zoom from the tele camera.
The usual controls for HDR and the AI mode can be found on top of the viewfinder. The Settings menu gives you the standard list of options, including watermarks (thankfully off by default), shutter release sound and grid overlays.
Camera UI
Daylight image quality
The Reno6 Pro 5G captures great-looking photos with its main camera in daylight. You can expect lively colors that pop without being excessively saturated, and the white balance is consistently on point. Dynamic range is excellent, and even complex scenes have well-developed tonal extremes.
Similarly, there's a great level of detail - to the extent that a 12-ish megapixel camera can resolve, of course. Textures are rendered relatively naturally, though there are hints of that characteristic artificial smartphone processing when they out resolve the sensor - nothing too dramatic. You could some grain in uniform color areas or in the lower midtones, but noise is well controlled overall.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x)
If you'd like to have a bit more color in your photos, the AI Scene enhancement toggle will be happy to oblige. Not that the regular photos are dull, but the fall colors do get a nice boost shooting this way, and skies also turn into a deeper blue. It's a noticeable difference, but it's done in a fairly measured way, unlike some other efforts we've seen.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), AI Scene enhancement
The full-res 50MP mode proved largely useless for extracting extra detail in the real world, giving us instead photos with an upscaled and heavily sharpened look. Our studio scene did show improved resolution, so with more balanced lighting and/or closer subjects, you might stand to gain some additional detail.
Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP
The 2x tele is a competent performer and takes good photos. Detail is nice and sharp, but there's a bit more than the usual amount of noise. The color reproduction maintains the vivid look of the main camera and is a close match overall. Dynamic range, meanwhile, is very good as well.
Daylight samples, telephoto camera (2x)
Flipping casually to the 5x zoom level, we're getting usable shots, albeit with clear signs of digital zoom - the optics stop at 2x after all. These will do the trick at fit to screen magnification or for general social media sharing, just don't look at them from up close.
Daylight samples, telephoto camera (5x)
The ultrawide delivers great results too. The 16MP sensor captures a lot of fine detail, even though there's also a bunch of noise. Colors are a precise match for the main camera's and dynamic range leaves nothing to be desired either. You might spot some purple fringing around high contrast edges, but even that is minimal when it comes to smartphone ultrawide. One flaw you can't escape is the lack of autofocus, so emphasizing nearby subjects is not this one's strong suit.
Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
Macro
The 2MP 'macro' cam is no good, really - not for a phone this expensive, and possibly not even for a phone a third of the Reno's price. Resolution is low, colors are dull, dynamic range is narrow. We'd leave the 'Macro' mode the 'More' tab in the camera modes carousel and forget about it.
Close-up samples
Low-light image quality
Low-light photos from the Reno's main camera are overall good, but missing something. Detail is sharp in the well lit areas, but shadows are too dark for our liking and in need of better development. Highlights are reasonably well controlled, though there clearly are clipped areas here as well.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x)
Night mode isn't the savior we were expecting it to be either. It does bring down the highlights but does almost do too much of it - are crushed highlights a thing? And shadows don't see much change from their previous dark state. Then again, it could just be us being too used to the more dramatic Night mode look of other makers - you could be a fan of the Reno's more 'true-to-life' rendition.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), Night mode
Having said that, a 1EV boost (perhaps more) in post makes these look a lot better to our eyes, a simple edit that doesn't require much work or understanding, though you could fiddle with sliders more if that's your thing. The extra detail in the shadows is appreciated, there's not a dramatic spike in noise, and even the highlights look more natural in this brighter state.
Low-light samples, main camera (1x), Night mode, +1EV in post
The phone doesn't trust its telephoto camera in the dark and shoots 2x zoom photos with the main camera. Images are then pretty soft on a pixel level, but they do look decent at fit to screen magnification. Even then, however, you can tell that dynamic range isn't great - deep shadows, clipped highlights.
Low-light samples, telephoto camera (2x)
In Night mode, we did get a couple of images sourced from the actual tele - the first and the sixth, and we'd say they look substantially better than the others. Oddly, that last scene also got captured by the main camera as well, and it serves to illustrate the difference between the two approaches.
Either way, Night mode shots have improved dynamic range, specifically in the highlights. Excessive sharpening can't help mask the softness of the digital zoom on the images captured by the main camera, while the ones taken by the tele actually have decently crisp detail.
Low-light samples, telephoto camera (2x), Night mode
The ultrawide, without Night mode assistance, can't gather quite enough light at night and captures deep, nearly black shadows. It has a limited dynamic range, too, so highlight clipping is also a thing. The images are very soft overall too.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x)
This one benefits the most from Night mode, which salvages some scenes and makes usable shots. It improves the development of both tonal extremes and gives color saturation a much-needed boost. Detail can best be described as okay.
Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.6x), Night mode
Once you're done with the real-world samples, head over to our Photo compare tool to see how the Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G stacks up against the competition.
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (SD) against the Xiaomi 11T Pro and the Motorola Edge 20 Pro in our Photo compare tool
Portrait mode
Portrait mode on the Reno6 Pro 5G works on the main camera only. It's super-competent with the subject isolation, and the blur is convincing at the default level. HDR is available, so you can count on a wide dynamic range in all lighting. If we had to point out one area that could use improvement, it's the skin tones - a bit more saturation and warmth wouldn't hurt.
Portrait mode samples
Selfies
Selfies on the Reno6 Pro 5G come from a 32MP camera that we've seen in one way or another on a number of Oppos and vivos recently. There's no option to shoot at a lower resolution so 32MP selfies are what you're getting. And in ideal conditions (ISO 100), those are going to be super detailed, more so than you'd like, perhaps. In even slightly dimmer settings, images will show signs of aggressive sharpening, but if you care to downsize them to a more manageable resolution like 12MP, they'd look great. Again, the color rendition is a bit lifeless, but the dynamic range is solid.
Selfie samples
HDR is in full swing in portrait mode, too; points for that. The subject detection is pretty great as well.
Selfie samples, Portrait mode
4K across the board
The Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) records video at up to 4K60 with its main camera while the telephoto and the ultrawide are capped at 4K30 - not a bad achievement on its own. There's always-on electronic stabilization across the board, and you get the usual choice of h.264 and h.265 codecs.
4K30 videos from the main camera (50Mbps bit rate) are very good. Detail is abundant, and sharpening is a notch below excessive - not really natural, but acceptable. Colors are likable as in photos - white balance is accurate, and the saturation level is just right. We'd take a bit more dynamic range, particularly in the highlights, but it's alright as is too. 4K60 is hardly any different at all, despite being encoded with the same bit rate - so those 50Mbits are a bit squandered on 4K30.
The telephoto is similarly capable of daylight video recording. Its 4K30 clips have pleasing colors and a good dynamic range. The detail is excellent, and the noise in the sky may go unnoticed if you don't go looking for it.
The ultrawide's color saturation is a bit much, and there's a warmth to its greens that's off the mark. There's decent detail as ultrawides go, but flagship ultrawides have done better in our experience. Again, dynamic range can be wider, too.
Stabilization on the main camera is okay, but not the best. It can't quite iron out walking shake, and while it does remove some of it, it leaves us wanting. There's no weird jelloing, and pans are smooth, no issues there.
It's a similar story on the ultrawide - the wider focal length, which normally helps, doesn't make much of a difference. Again, decent but unremarkable showing from the Reno.
The Ultra Steady mode doesn't quite remove walking shake either. Couple that with the abrupt panning action and the limitation to 1080p60, and we'd straight up skip that.
Low-light footage out of the main camera is visibly noisy without poking your nose into the screen, but it's pretty detailed too. Dynamic range is adequate, colors maintain a good level of saturation. We've seen worse.
Zoomed in 4K in low light is perhaps too noisy even for our lax standards in this regard. Again, detail is pretty decent still. Dynamic range and color reproduction are okay given the circumstances.
The ultrawide's clips in these conditions are probably in the unusable category. They're too soft and noisy.
Here's a glimpse of how the Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) compares to rivals in our Video compare tool. Head over there for the complete picture.
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (SD) against the Xiaomi 11T Pro and the Motorola Edge 20 Pro in our Video compare tool
Competition
The Reno6 Pro 5G is going for €750-€800 in Europe, and that hefty price tag exposes it to some tough competition. There's little that it does wrong, but others do more for the same money or offer similar features and performance for less.
The Galaxy S21+, for example, falls in the former category. Nearing replacement, the Samsung can be had for a little over Reno's asking price. That will get you a brighter and higher refresh rate display and IP68-rated dust and water resistance. Samsung is also using the current-gen flagship chipset for extra performance. The Galaxy camera system is more versatile, too, offering more consistent results in adverse conditions, plus it's significantly more capable as a video camera. You even go for the smaller S21 and get essentially the same package but smaller and save money in the process.
Also in the same category is the Zenfone 8 Flip. Its party trick with the rotating camera assembly actually does wonders for its usefulness and makes it one of the best selfie cameras around. The Zenfone, too, has a faster chipset than the Reno, for that small edge in performance. The Flip also supports microSD cards for memory expansion, which could sway the right buyer.
Retailing for some 10% less than Reno6 Pro 5G money, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro has a lot going for it in this head-to-head. Longer-reaching tele and autofocusing ultrawide are both in its favor, though it doesn't have an edge in the dark. The 144Hz display is also in its favor, as is the 'Ready for' functionality for turning the phone into a desktop PC of sorts. The Reno does have stereo speakers (the Moto doesn't) and charges faster.
The Xiaomi 11T might sound like a surprising alternative, but hear us out. It's arguably better at taking pictures than the 11T Pro, and while it undoubtedly isn't a a cameraphone reference, its 108MP main unit works well and can also get you good 2x shots if you put in a little extra work, even though it doesn't have a dedicated tele. The Xiaomi has longer battery life with the screen on, and it's a 120Hz screen too, which you can brag about having Gorilla Glass Victus in front, and the 11T has an IP53 rating - not much, but better than the none on the Reno. But the best bit is probably the Xiaomi's price, which is around €300 less. The Oppo is arguably prettier and more premium looking, and its Snapdragon is more potent than the 11T's Dimensity 1200, so it's not without its strengths.
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G • Asus Zenfone 8 Flip • Motorola Edge 20 Pro • Xiaomi 11T
Verdict
For all of its high-end aspirations, the Reno6 Pro 5G misses the mark in a few key areas. We're the most bummed about the lack of dust and water protection, and the 90Hz refresh rate is out of place at this price. The camera system has its imperfections, and while the 2MP macro camera is really unfixable, low-light photography could probably be tweaked in software.
Daylight photos are really good, as are videos, and selfies are one resize away from greatness. The Snapdragon 870 once again proves unscathed by long-term loads, and the ability to actually run games at high frame rates is appreciated too. Meanwhile, the fast charging complements the good battery life nicely.
In the end, it's a tougher decision than usual. Out of the things that the Reno6 Pro 5G does well, none does it do exceptionally well. Meanwhile, the cons list isn't filled with dealbreakers either, except maybe the IP rating. Ultimately, it's a good phone and a well-balanced package, but not quite worth its current list price.
Pros
- Outstanding design - sturdy and water-proof.
- Competitive battery life, very fast charging.
- Solid performance results, nearly no throttling, high frame rate gaming.
- Great all-round photo and video quality across all cameras.
Cons
- No IP rating for dust and water resistance.
- The display is just 90Hz when competitors are at 120Hz.
- Night mode underdelivers, low-light photography in general could be improved.
- Video stabilization is not quite as good as it should.
- The macro camera is as good as nonexistent.
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