In the brutal battle royale of the sub-Rs 35,000 price segment, OPPO has introduced yet another contender — the Reno 12. I say battle royale because this price range is filled to the brim with insane heavy hitters. Some of them are performance-focused, while others are keen on providing an all-rounder experience. The Reno 12 series, on the other hand, seems to slowly but steadily shift its focus from cameras to AI.
OPPO Reno 12
Rs 32,999
What Is Good?
- Awesome in-hand feel and gorgeous design
- Reliable battery life
- Handy AI features
- Good primary camera output
What Is Bad?
- Ultra-wide and low-light performance could have been better
- Not for performance enthusiasts
- Bloatware apps
So, will it be a piece of cake for the Reno 12 to swoop in and claim the big W from its contemporaries? Find this out in my review.
OPPO Reno 12 Review: Pricing and Availability in India
The OPPO Reno is available via Flipkart, OPPO’s official website, and partner retail stores. Here are its prices in India: 8GB+256GB variant with a price tag of Rs 32,999.
OPPO Reno 12 Review: Design and Build Quality
Hands down, the OPPO Reno 12’s design is something worth raving about. Weighing just around 177 grams, it is such a lightweight phone that lugging it around is a breeze. What makes it even more exceptional is that the phone is packed with a 5000mAh battery. Additionally, its compact form factor makes one-hand use a piece of cake for someone like me whose hands resemble those of a raccoon.
| Design | Specifications |
| Weight | 177g |
| Thickness | 7.57 mm |
| IP rating | IP65 |
| Port and Button placements | Bottom: SIM tray, Primary microphone, USB port, Speaker grille
Top: Secondary speaker, IR blaster, Secondary microphone Right Side: Power button and volume buttons |
The praise doesn’t stop here. The back panel is covered with a matte finish, which renders the phone almost immune to fingerprints, dirt, and debris. So, this does save a piece of a person’s mind who wants their phone spotless.
It’s available in matte black, sunset pink, and astro-silver colour variants. The one I received for the review was sunset pink. Honestly, it should be people’s first pick, as it gives the phone a distinct look while making it bonita.
The phone is IP65-rated for dust and water resistance, which is acceptable but not on par with the unwritten standard set for the price segment it comes in.
OPPO Reno 12 Review: Display and Audio
The phone rocks a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display. Its display has been able to entice me with its curvature, which no other phone has succeeded in doing since OPPO managed to find the sweet spot between flat and curved displays. This lends the phone a premium look while making it practical. OPPO did the same with their Reno 12 Pro, and I believe this is a perfect execution.
It was a joy watching YouTube videos on the display since the colours were bright and accurate. Also, they were adequately saturated with on-point consistency. Out of the box, it supports HDR 10 and Widevine L1 on Netflix.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 6.78-inch |
| Type | AMOLED |
| Resolution | FHD + (2412 x 1080) |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz |
| Peak brightness | Claimed: 1200 nits, Tested: 829 nits |
| Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 7i |
| Other features | Splash Touch & Touch Optimisation |
The phone fares well in brightness. Indoors, I never felt the need to go beyond the 57 per cent brightness level, as the display got fairly bright. Outdoors, the screen was visible enough not to squint my eyes, although, under direct sunlight, I had to adjust it slightly to see the viewfinder while clicking photos.
Continuing this amazing streak is the stereo speaker setup. With the phone being compact, the sound gets surprisingly loud. It provides crisp and clear audio at 80 per cent. If you go beyond that level, the balance between the right and left channels does go for a toss. This could also be observed on the Reno 12 Pro.
OPPO Reno 12 Review: Performance and Software
The Reno 12 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Energy For Reno chipset, which is also a secret of its elder sibling’s (Reno 12 Pro) energy. Moreover, the same chipset can be found on the CMF Phone 1, which is priced quite low in comparison to these two phones.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Energy |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | Up to 512GB UFS 3.1 |
| Storage Test | 87234 |
| CPU Throttling Test | 73% of its maximum performance |
| Geekbench 6 | Multi-core: 2945, single-core: 1049 |
| Software version | ColorOS based on Android 14 |
| Connectivity details | Dual SIM, Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, and NFC |
While both siblings are powered by the same chipset, the Reno 12 still scored considerably fewer points than the Reno 12 Pro in the Antutu Benchmark. On the flip side, you have the Realme GT 6T, which touched the 1.4 million mark despite costing less. Clearly, attaining big numbers isn’t Reno 12’s cup of tea. That said, in real-world performance, this difference isn’t that visible.
This phone really excelled at carrying out day-to-day operations without any hiccups or drops in performance. I scrolled through numerous reels on Instagram, updated myself with the latest gossip on X (formerly known as Twitter), and watched multiple YouTube videos.
To blow some steam off from a long day of work, I played heavier games like CODM and BGMI. Here are the observations I made during my playthrough:
| Game | Graphic Quality | FPS | Result |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | Maximum: Very
High Quality + Very High FPS |
Maximum: 41fps
Minimum: 36fps |
I didn’t notice any stutters during gameplay. |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | Minimum: Low Quality + Max FPS | Maximum: 60fps
Minimum: 59fps |
Same performance here as well |
| BGMI | Maximum: HDR Quality + Ultra FPS | Maximum: 40fps
Minimum: 34fps |
While the frame rates were good at Ultra, the gameplay wasn’t smooth. I noticed many lags and stutters, even when doing mundane tasks like walking and being driven. It was bit exacerbated when scoping in. |
| BGMI | Minimum: Smooth Quality + Extreme FPS | Maximum: 60fps
Minimum: 52fps |
At Smooth quality, the quality of the game was quite good. |
All in all, the gaming experience was okayish but not smooth. At times, the playthroughs were filled with lags and stutters, leaving me unsatisfied. Hence, hardcore gamers may look for options like the Realme GT 6T, Poco F6, and the iQOO Neo 9 Pro.
The phone runs on ColorsOS 14, based on Android 14, and is stuffed with a variety of customisation options. These include Quick Return, Smart Sidebar, Smart Suggestions, and One-handed Mode, among others. Even so, despite having the upper mid-range tag, it still comes with a bunch of bloatware apps, like the infamous Hot Games and Apps.
Moreover, this phone is packed with AI features. If you want to take a deeper look at them and how they function, head to the Reno 12 Pro review.
OPPO Reno 12 Review: Camera
The phone sports a triple camera setup on the rear. The primary camera can take excellent photos in daylight with close-to-natural colours that are adequately brightened.
Under proper lighting conditions, the photos don’t get blurred even when the subject is in motion.
| Camera | Specifications |
| Primary Camera | 50-megapixel with OIS, f/1.8 |
| Secondary Camera | 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 |
| Tertiary Camera | 2-megapixel macro; f/2.4 |
| Selfie Camera | 32-megapixel, f/2.0 |
| Video Recording Capabilities | Up to 4K at 30fps, Video stabilisation: EIS/OIS |
The ultrawide camera is a mixed bag. It can capture decent shots with great contrast, though at times, it oversharpens the image whilst giving it a yellowish tint. Moreover, it sometimes overexposed the brighter part of the image due to poor dynamic range. The macro camera is capable enough. That said, proper lighting will be a prerequisite to output good-quality images.
In portrait mode, the phone captures good portrait shots. With ample lighting, I have succeeded in clicking portraits worthy of praise. While edge detection is generally accurate, it’s not flawless.
The low-light photography is passable as well. It is quite easy to get good images in a properly lit environment; however, with the dip in lighting, even a slight hand movement can cause blurry photos. For selfie lovers out there, it is adept at taking some great images, given the ample lighting available. Having said that, it tends to smoothen human skin in dimly lit environments.
OPPO Reno 12 Review: Battery and charging
The next best thing about the Reno 12 is its battery life. Despite its smaller footprint, OPPO manages to pack in a 5000 mAh battery. Due to this, the phone is proficient at lasting an entire day of clicking multiple photos, casual gaming, and social media scrolling.
| Battery | Specifications |
| Battery | 5000mAh |
| Charging Adapter | 80W SUPERVOOC, Charger-in-the-box |
| Charging Time | 54 minutes and 19 seconds |
| PCMark Battery Test | 15 hours and 45 minutes |
In the PCMark battery test, this phone lasted for a whopping 15 hours and 45 minutes—which is great. For context, the Xiaomi 14 Civi lasted for 12 hours and 22 minutes in the test, despite costing Rs 10,000 more.
To complement its amazing battery life, the phone comes with an 80W fast charger, which juices up the device from zero to full in just 54 minutes.
OPPO Reno 12 Review: Verdict
The OPPO Reno 12 possesses a unique proposition in the sub-Rs 35,000 price range: a camera-centric phone dabbling in AI as well.
The AI features on this phone are far from just gimmicks, and they can actually come in handy for office-goers and students. The cameras are good too, but the ultra-wide shooter and the low-light photography need a bit of tweaking; however, these are just minor gripes that don’t really affect the phone’s quality in the grand scheme of things.
Albeit, cameras and AI being the main focus, its tremendous build quality, design, and battery life can easily allure people.
For people out there starving for performance, phones like the Realme GT 6T and Poco F6 are the better options. If you can shell out a bit more, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro would be the ideal choice for gamers and performance enthusiasts alike.
