When OPPO launched the Reno6 series smartphones, it came in two variants, a regular Reno6 and a more expensive Reno6 Pro. The Reno6 Pro, while having a great camera for a smartphone, is priced at Rs. 39990, which is quite expensive for a mid-range smartphone. The Reno6 on the other hand, is priced at Rs. 29990 and shares many of the features of the Reno6 Pro, with a few compromises.
Are these compromises justifiable by the Rs. 10000 less in price between the Reno6 and Reno6 Pro? Let’s dive into the review to find out. Just note, this review will focus primarily on the differences between the two devices, and you should check out my review of the Reno6 Pro for a complete understanding of how these devices are to use.
Hardware and Design
The design of the Reno6 is very similar to the Reno6 Pro, with one major difference – it has flat edges for the front and back instead of being curved. In the hand, the Reno6 feels very much like the iPhone 12, which also has flat edges. The rear glass panel of the display has the same fingerprint-resistant finish as the Reno6 Pro, with the same texture, and it changes colour the same way under changing light.
The build quality is great overall and the choice of materials, including the metal side rails, all add to the premium feel of the Reno6. The power button can be found on the right edge, the volume rocker on the left edge, speaker grill, USB Type-C port and SIM slot on the bottom edge. There are also quite a few antennae cutouts on all four edges.
Display and Performance
The display on the OPPO Reno6 is also similar to the Reno6 Pro, with the only difference being that it is a slightly smaller 6.43-inch. It has a resolution of 1080 × 2400 with a pixel density of 410PPI, a maximum 90Hz screen refresh rate, a maximum touch sampling rate of 180Hz, and a typical contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. It is pretty much an identical experience when compared to the Reno6 Pro, which isn’t a bad thing. Plenty sharp, smooth 90Hz refresh rate, 750-nits peak brightness, vibrant colours and 93.28% DCI-P3 colour gamut in Vivid mode. Watching media on the Reno6 is an enjoyable experience overall.
The phone also features support for the Always-on-display, with all the same customization options such as the ability to set the type of clock, text, images and custom patterns.
When it comes to the internals, the Reno6 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 900, which, on paper, is a downgrade when compared to the Dimensity 1200. However, in real world use, I didn’t notice any significant difference in performance between the Reno6 and Reno6 Pro. It comes only in one version – 8GB RAM and a 128GB of storage, which is expected for smartphones in this price segment.
I believe that OPPO has focused on optimizing the software experience for the Dimensity 900, and the results are good. Navigating the OS was smooth, apps opened quickly and with RAM expansion, there were no issues of apps closing prematurely either. In heavily-graphics intensive games, you might notice the occasional drop in frames and stutters, but it can easily run lighter games smoothly. Having a high refresh rate display also enhances the gaming experience. Check out the synthetic benchmark scores below.
Camera
The Reno6 has a triple rear camera setup that includes a 64MP primary sensor camera with f/1.7 aperture, an 8MP 119° ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture and 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture. The front camera is a 32MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture.
Similar to the Reno6 Pro, the camera UI is simple to use, with easy access to toggles for HDR, flash, AI and filters, along with quick shortcuts to settings such as aspect ratio, timer, 64MP mode and more. Access to other camera modes, including portrait mode, video, macro, night mode and pro mode are a simple swipe away.
Considering that the Reno6 shares similar camera hardware as the Reno6 Pro, it isn’t very surprising to know that the camera output is also similarly very good. Lots of detail with good amount of contrast, accurate white balance and good HDR performance. The highlight feature of the Reno6 is its ‘Bokeh Flare Portrait Video’, which uses AI to separate the subject and apply a bokeh effect that isn’t too unnatural. It works impressively well, and I loved the output from this feature, however, do note, it drops to 720p at 30fps for the output.
The 8MP ultra-wide sensor is not as impressive as the main sensor, with slightly softer images, and it almost always produced warmer photos. Still, I much prefer having an ultra-wide sensor instead of a telephoto lens, so I’m willing to overlook the average performance of the ultra-wide sensor. The macro sensor on the other hand produces poor quality images, and I honestly wish OPPO had ditched the sensor. Its 32MP front-facing camera produces identical results as the Reno6 Pro too.
Here are some samples from the Reno6:
When it comes to video, the phone supports up to 4K 30fps or 1080p 60fps, and does not support 4K 60fps. The video quality is just acceptable, with nothing special to talk about. Dynamic range was alright, but lacked sharpness and since there is no OIS, the video can sometimes be a little shaky.
Conclusion
The OPPO Reno6 has a beautiful design with great build quality and materials, and it has a nice, smooth display for consuming content. The battery life is strong too and the 65W charging speeds are really fast. The 64MP primary sensor produces some great photos in most lighting conditions, and the 8MP offers an alternative angle that is serviceable. The videography experience however could have been made better with OIS and the macro sensor is pointless.
Between the Reno6 and the Reno6 Pro, I would personally recommend the cheaper Reno6. It offers nearly all the same features of its more expensive sibling, with the main difference being the flat edge design and Dimensity 900 SoC. These downgrades can easily be justified by the Rs. 10000 difference in price, and honestly, it makes the Reno6 Pro a little overpriced.
With regards to other smartphone brands, the under-30K segment is quite competitive. These include the OnePlus Nord 2, the Poco F3 GT, the Realme X7 Max, Mi 11X and Samsung Galaxy A52. Some of these smartphones offer better specs on paper, but I believe the Reno6 offers a better build quality and design, and a good camera too.
Pricing and availability
The OPPO Reno6 5G comes in Aurora and Stellar Black colours, is priced at Rs. 29,990 and is available from both online and offline stores.