Oppo’s Reno series is all about attracting the youth with its fancy design and flagship-grade camera features. The company has brought unique design language with the Reno series in the past, and this time, it has added some new elements with the 
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G AI Eraser 2.0 removes people from the background.
Coming to the camera-centric features, we have the AI Eraser 2.0 tool, which removes background distractions. You get three options to choose from, including Smart Lasso, Paint Over, and Remove People. The feature is particularly useful when removing people from the background. However, I noticed that removing big objects like cars was not that great.
Another interesting feature to mention here is AI Studio. This uses generative AI to transform yourself into anything. You can be a cowboy or an intergalactic alien. This feature is really fun to use, in my opinion.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G Software: Still Needs Improvement
- Android 14-based ColorOS 14
- 3 years of OS upgrade
- Good level of customisation
Coming to the software, the Oppo Reno 12 Pro runs on ColorOS 14 and brings an interesting set of features. The noticeable one is the File Dock feature. The feature is available in the smart sidebar and lets you drag and drop items from one application to another. First, one needs to drag an item, like an image or video file, from one app to the File Dock. Once done, you can easily drop it to any supported application. This is useful, especially when you want to drag and drop an item from Gallery to WhatsApp or email.
The phone runs on ColorOS 14, which is based on Android 14 OS
Apart from this, the OS also brings a lot of customisation options to personalise it to one’s taste. So, you can change themes, texts, text sizes, icons, icon sizes, and more. The global search bar is also there, which acts as a one-stop destination to search for anything. However, it is not as fast as you would expect it to be.
Then there is Smart Touch, which allows you to take screenshots with a three-finger swipe-down gesture. Interestingly, you can also extract text or images from the screenshot and save them to File Dock or simply copy them.
That said, the user interface still comes with a lot of bloatware. The usual suspects are the Hot Games and Hot Apps, which recommend different apps and games. You also have FinShell Pay and other first-party apps that you simply cannot delete. Then, there are multiple third-party apps that spoil the whole mood (thankfully, you can delete them).
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G Performance: Good for Daily Usage
- MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Energy SoC
- 12GB LPDDR4X RAM / Up to 512GB UFS 3.1 storage
- Virtual RAM expansion up to 12GB
This is where things get interesting. The Oppo Reno 12 Pro is loaded with the latest MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Energy SoC, an upgraded version of the Dimensity 7050 processor made especially for the Reno series. The new chipset promises around 25 percent improvement in efficiency compared to its predecessor.
The handset is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Energy SoC
I did run some of the benchmarks, and you can check them out in the table below, along with the competition.
| Benchmark | Oppo Reno 12 Pro | iQoo Neo 9 Pro | Samsung Galaxy A55 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 1013 | 2050 | 1132 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 2938 | 5741 | 3346 |
| AnTuTu v10 | 619,149 | 1,585,868 | 678,167 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 13,309 | 13,319 | 13,315 |
| 3D Mark Wild Life | 3170 | Maxed Out | 3814 |
| 3D Mark Wild Life Unlimited | 3162 | 12789 | 3811 |
| 3D Mark Slingshot | 6606 | Maxed Out | 7467 |
| 3D Mark Slingshot Extreme | 5180 | Maxed Out | 5525 |
| GFXBench Car Chase | 29 | 85 | 32 |
| GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 | 49 | 119 | 56 |
| GFXBench T-Rex | 59 | 120 | 59 |
The performance was good enough for everyday use, and I hardly noticed any lag or stuttering. Moreover, the phone was able to handle heavy multitasking as well. However, considering the price tag, the chipset does not justify the price. For instance, we have CMF Phone 1, which has almost the same chipset but is half its price.
In terms of gaming, the phone performed well. Trying out the Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM), the phone provided lag-free gameplay with the default graphics settings of High frame rate and Very High graphic quality. Moreover, with the Max graphics and Max frame rate, the phone delivered a smooth experience. While playing the Asphalt 8: Legends game, the phone delivered a smooth gameplay experience with 60fps mode and High graphics settings.
The phone also comes with a stereo speaker, meaning that the earpiece acts as a secondary speaker. The audio quality is fair, if not great, and you can crank up the volume up to 300 percent with Ultra Volume Mode. Although the mode makes the sound feel much louder, the cost of quality is high.
The phone also comes with BeaconLink, which enhances the Bluetooth uplink capabilities by up to 300 percent. This also allows for device-to-device voice calls over Bluetooth within a range of 30 meters. With this, you can easily talk to other BeaconLink-supported devices via Bluetooth without needing any wireless or cellular connection.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G Cameras: Delivers as Promised
- Rear: 50-megapixel Sony LYT600 sensor + 8-megapixel ultra-wide Sony IMX355 + 50-megapixel telephoto camera with Samsung S5KJN5
- Front: 50-megapixel Samsung S5KJN5 sensor
The cameras are the biggest highlights of any Reno series smartphone, and the same is true with this one. The 50-megapixel primary sensor clicks some sharp images with true-to-source colours and a balanced dynamic range. The photos were consistent with vibrant colours and high contrast.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G daylight camera samples. Top to bottom: 2X digital crop, primary camera, ultra-wide camera. (tap images to expand)
The indoor photos resulted in a softer touch. Still, the details were there, and the algorithm did a good job suppressing unwanted noises in the images.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro indoor camera samples. Top to bottom: primary camera, 5X digital crop, 2X digital crop. (tap images to expand)
On the other hand, the telephoto lens also delivered good results in daylight, though you can see a slight shift of white balance compared to the primary sensor. The digital 5X samples also delivered good results, though the details were slightly missing.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G low-light camera samples
Cut to low light, the phone again does a good job. The photos taken under low light conditions fetched some incredible shots with the primary sensor with an ample amount of detail and sharpness. However, the same cannot be said for the 5X shots and wide-angle shots.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G selfie camera samples
The selfie camera also does an excellent job in both daylight and low-light conditions. The Portrait mode brings a natural bokeh effect, though the edge detection was slightly off in some cases. The video capabilities are decent enough for sharing on social media.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G Battery: Decent Enough
- 5,000mAh battery
- 80W SuperVOOC fast charging support
The battery on the Oppo Reno 12 Pro has improved. During the battery loop test, the phone lasted 23 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge. The handset gets charged 56 per cent in 15 minutes and completes the charge in just 40 minutes with the help of 80W fast charging support.
In real-life usage, the phone lasted a full day with still some battery percentage. The usage included checking work emails, listening to music on Apple Music, playing CODM for a few MP matches, and clicking some selfies. This is surely an improvement over the Reno 11 Pro battery life.
Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G Verdict
The handset brings some interesting set of features at this price point.
At a starting price of Rs 36,999, the Oppo Reno 12 Pro seems to deliver what it promises. The handset comes with a sleek and slim design language, but it’s the AI features that make it stand out from the crowd. The AI Speak and AI Summary are going to be my favourites when it comes to daily use. The cameras are versatile and deliver good results in different lighting conditions. At the same time, the performance is decent enough for a daily driver.
However, the company will surely get some heat from the competition. Compared to Realme GT 6T, Iqoo Neo 9 Pro (Review), OnePlus 12R (Review), and Xiaomi 14 Civi (Review), the phone does seem to feel a bit weak, especially with the choice of chipset Oppo has gone with its latest handset. That said, if you are looking for a sleek smartphone and want to test some AI features, you can consider the Oppo Reno 12 Pro.
