OPPO Reno11 Pro review: flamboyant and pricey

Name: OPPO Reno11 Pro
Item: OPPO Reno11 Pro
Rating: 7.5
Author: Abhik Sengupta

Published On: January 12, 2024

Review Summary

Expert Rating
★
★
7.5/10

The new OPPO Reno11 Pro shares the same ethos as the previous Reno iterations, that is, focusing heavily on cameras and design. Now that may also suggest that the Reno11 Pro isn’t exactly a powerhouse, but don’t solely rely on numbers. The real-life performance can be entirely different and often indistinguishable compared to some of its immediate peers.

But the one thing that the Reno11 Pro cannot hide is its price tag. Available in a single storage configuration (12GB + 256GB) at Rs 39,999, it competes with the likes of Honor 90 (review), OnePlus Nord 3/ OnePlus 11R (review), iQOO Neo 7 Pro (review), and more.

OPPO justifies the cost by introducing cutting-edge camera features previously restricted to its premium OPPO Find X and Find N-series phones. The phone maintains a fast charging standard similar to the older Reno phones (charger included). Plus, there’s Android 14 goodness right out of the box.

How well do these features perform? More importantly, is the pricing justified? Here’s my review.

Table of Contents

Verdict

The OPPO Reno 11Pro delivers what it promises – a flamboyant design and a reliable rear camera system. You also get the goodness of Android 14, which many smartphones in the segment are yet to offer. However, ColorOS 14 still includes loads of pre-installed apps, which makes the software experience cluttered. While the rear cameras perform quite well in most lighting conditions, the front camera needs improvement, especially in portrait mode.

Design and display

OPPO smartphones consistently embrace bold designs, and the Reno11 Pro is no exception. It features a sophisticated “contoured” texture on the back that looks highly premium. Even the in-hand experience is equally refined, thanks to the rear panel’s velvety smooth finish. OPPO has incorporated additional elements into the camera module for enhanced aesthetics.

While I like the supporting features surrounding the camera module, such as the analogue watch-style rim, I am not the biggest fan of the module’s shape and cutouts that house the different cameras. At least these new additions do not increase the weight. The Reno11 Pro weighs roughly 181 grams, nearly five grams lighter than the Reno10 Pro.

But there’s a slight difference between the two colour variants. I am reviewing the Pearl White edition, which measures 7.69mm in thickness, while the Black model measures 7.59mm. It’s a negligible difference to notice either way. I quite like the marble textures on the white version, and it does a fantastic job of repelling fingerprint smudges. The texture also successfully hides scratch marks.

There’s no 3.5mm audio jack but other ports and buttons, including the volume rockers, SIM card tray for dual SIMs, and IR blaster are at their usual places. For biometric security, the smartphone includes an in-display fingerprint scanner, which is responsive provided your fingers are clean and not sweaty.

There’s a transparent case in the box for added durability and thickness, but sadly it does not match the Reno11 Pro’s aesthetics. Perhaps OPPO can take inspiration from Xiaomi and provide a different coloured (plus textured) case in the box that goes with the phone’s design.

The OPPO Reno11 Pro’s display continues to feature a 3D curved standard that most smartphone OEMs are adopting in their phones above Rs 30,000. The 10-bit 6.68-inch AMOLED display with 2,412 x 1,080-pixel resolution offers a crisp viewing experience. OPPO has also added support for HDR 10+ and up to 120Hz refresh for an enhanced viewing experience.

While the tall screen is perfect for reading views or scrolling short videos on Instagram/YouTube, the movie experience can be slightly underwhelming as there are no stereo speakers. You can solve the problem by connecting wireless headphones, but it can get annoying if you want to watch a quick video on YouTube or other OTT apps.

Cameras

The Reno11 Pro boasts a triple rear camera system, which includes a 50MP IMX890 camera sensor with OIS, a 32MP IMX709 sensor with a telephoto lens and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. There’s also a 32MP front camera for selfies. OPPO is focusing on portraits by leveraging the HyperTone Imaging Engine algorithm introduced in Find X Pro and Find N3. More on that in a bit.

Photos from the primary camera typically include a cooler tone, while maintaining a balanced contrast. As a result, shadows are less pronounced, and the dynamic range remains commendable. Even in low-light conditions, the photos retain sharpness with minimal noise. The colour calibration is also true to real life. However, the Reno11 Pro tends to over-smoothen surfaces in extreme low-light conditions, often leading to an oil-painting effect. To be fair, it’s a limitation with most smartphones in this price bracket.

I am also happy with the portrait mode, which by default works with 2x mode. Results with the 2X portrait mode look stunning as it maintains natural colours or very little boosting. The skin tone detection is also on-point most of the time. In that case, credit goes to HyperTone Imaging Engine. However, there is a bit of inconsistency between photos captured using the portrait camera (in 2x), the primary camera (in 1x), and ultra-wide. Occasionally, you may need to balance colours by editing with native tools or an app of your choice. Reno11 Pro’s native editing tool also has a lot to offer.

Selfies with the 32MP camera look good, if not the best. While images appear sharp, the software tends to boost the skin tone. Even portrait mode with the selfie camera fails to detect edges accurately. The portrait video mode exhibits a similar problem of accurate edge detection. Thanks to OIS and software tweaks, the stabilisation performs efficiently. However, some colours appear faded, which could be blamed on Delhi’s gloomy winters.

Performance

The Pro version of Reno continues to be available in a single storage option. It rocks MediaTek’s 4nm-based Dimensity 8200 SoC with 12GB of LPPDR5x and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage – an upgrade on all fronts compared to Reno10 Pro.

Real-life performance was also satisfactory, as I did not face abrupt app crashes or overheating issues on the Reno11 Pro. Gaming performance with demanding titles like BGMI and COD was good, if not the best. In benchmarks, the Reno11 Pro attains decent scores (images below). However, the scores put it behind the OnePlus Nord 3, Redmi Note 13 Pro+, and iQOO Neo 7 Pro – at least based on numbers.

What sets it apart is the Android 14 experience out of the box, which most rivals are either gradually receiving or yet to receive. Some of my favourite Android 14-based ColorOS 14 features include File Dock to save images, text, or files in a neat dock at the corner of the screen. Plus, the dock syncs across your ColorOS 14 phone and tablet. Another available feature is the Smart Image Matting, inspired by iOS’s Quick Look Cutout. It essentially takes a neat cutout of the subject that you can share across messaging apps. Plus, the overall UI feels much more refined.

However, despite Android 14, the Reno11 Pro comes loaded with pre-installed apps. At least the phone is assured of three years of Android updates.

The Reno11 Pro also supports 5G. With an Airtel 5G Plus SIM card, I was getting speeds over 200Mbps at my home in Delhi. Do keep in mind that speeds can vary based on coverage.

Battery

The OPPO Reno11 Pro retains a 4,600mAh battery that offers almost all-day battery life with the highest settings enabled. You can stretch the battery life by turning off some high-consuming apps and features, including AOD. I like that the ColorOS 14 offers a specific app-related high refresh rate, meaning you can reserve the 120Hz refresh rate for select gaming apps, while the rest of the apps can operate at 60Hz. Theoretically, this can provide longer battery life.

The Reno11 Pro also continues to support 80W SuperVOOC charging. With the bundled charger in the box, the phone attains a 50 percent charge in around 25 minutes. A full charge may take up to 45 minutes.

Final verdict

The OPPO Reno11 Pro does feel priced on the higher side, and there are a bunch of more affordable alternatives available. For instance, if your priority is gaming, you may want to consider the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ powered iQOO Neo 7 Pro. The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is also a solid option with its all-round specifications. And if you care about the software experience, the OnePlus Nord 3 is a solid choice, which coincidentally leverages the same IMX890 camera sensor used in the Reno11 Pro.

In summary, the Reno11 Pro may not be the most powerful smartphone in its segment, but it’s easily one of the most flamboyant devices at any price bracket. This smartphone also has a lot to offer if your priority leans towards the camera. Moreover, Reno11 Pro’s 80W charging support makes it a more compelling option than Google and Samsung smartphones.

Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10

Reasons to buy

The Reno 11Pro boasts a stylish design and the rear panel has a velvety smooth finish.
The 32MP telephoto camera performs reliably in different lighting conditions.
80W charging fetches 100 percent charge in 45 minutes.
The Reno 11Pro ships with Android 14-based ColorOS out of the box.

Reasons not to buy