Hands-On

I tried keeping up with my life using a sub-$200 tablet

From cafés to airports, the OPPO Pad SE proved it could handle my fast-paced, content-packed lifestyle.

Published

June 6, 2025

MJ Jucutan

I’m always on the move. One day I’m editing my reels in a café, the next I’m working on a pitch deck for a sports event while waiting for my boarding gate to open.

In between, I’m catching up with my emails and Viber messages, watching funny cat videos, or working on my content calendar for the brands I handle.

That’s just life when you’re a creative director, does sports marketing, and live life as an endurance athlete who doesn’t really know how to slow down.

So when I got my hands on the OPPO Pad SE, I didn’t think much of it — until it started slipping into every part of my day without fuss.

Tablet that goes the distance

Battery life is a big deal for me. If I’m working from a café or a hotel, or reviewing my footage after a trail run, the last thing I want is a blinking battery icon.

With 9,340mAh of juice and up to 11 hours of continuous video playback, the OPPO Pad SE easily handled back-to-back Zoom calls, Canva designs, and long Spotify marathon sessions.

I even used it to stream my favorite pop singers on YouTube while it ran in the background — and I didn’t need to plug it in for two days straight.

When it did need charging, 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging got me from zero to work-ready in under an hour.

Not the fastest but it gets the job done

Let’s be honest, it’s not the fastest tablet out there. There were moments I wished it could load apps quicker, especially when I was bouncing between Canva, Gmail, and WordPress.

It lagged a bit when I tried to multitask like I would on my work laptop or flagship phone.

But then again, for a tablet with an affordable price tag, it delivers more than I expected.

It’s not built for heavy-duty multitasking. But for casual editing, content previews, Netflix, journaling, or checking brand decks? Totally serviceable.

Built for the long haul

Tech gets sluggish over time, but OPPO promises 36-month fluency protection and 800 days of standby time.

That means if I forget it in my gym bag for a week, it’ll still have battery. And for someone who rotates between a work laptop, a trail bag, and a camera sling, knowing my tablet will still work when I finally get back to it? That’s peace of mind.

Seamless sharing

Here’s something I really love: O+ Connect. I’ve been using it ever since I had the OPPO Find X8, and it has been the reason why my social media posts are extra cinematic.

If you’re curious how this works, you can seamlessly send files from your OPPO device to your iPhone (and vice versa).

I can shoot a product flat lay on my iPhone, then send it to the OPPO Pad SE in seconds.

It’s like AirDrop but across ecosystems. You can also mirror your phone screen, drag-and-drop files, and even share GPS or mobile data via Communication Sharing.

When I’m on shoot or working out content ideas with the team, that seamless sync is everything.

Like a built-in lightroom

Editing on a bigger screen just hits different.

I used the Pad SE to retouch trail photos, clean up a selfie that had café window glare, and even remove photobombers from a beach shoot — all thanks to its AI photo editing tools like AI Eraser and Reflection Remover.

There’s even AI Clarity Enhancer, which turned a blurry mid-run snapshot into a post-worthy pic. For someone who creates on the go, it’s like having Lightroom built in.

There’s no wrong way to hold it

Finally, the Quad Speakers on this thing are no joke. Whether I was watching clips from The Eras Tour in landscape mode or queuing weepy tracks from Adie and Cup of Joe in portrait, the sound stayed crisp and immersive.

Hi-Res Audio (wired and wireless) means I don’t even miss my Bluetooth speaker.

Is the OPPO Pad SE your GadgetMatch?

For something that retails at PhP 9,999, the OPPO Pad SE punches above its weight.

Sure, it’s not the zippiest tablet I’ve ever used, but it fits into my creative lifestyle without drama. From trail runs and café edits to chill anime nights and client meetings on the fly.

If you want an affordable, well-rounded tablet that won’t slow you down too much, this one’s worth considering. You’ll find it now on OPPO’s Shopee store, priced at PhP 9,999. There’s also a Matte Display Edition, retailing at PhP 10,999.

Hands-On

OPPO Reno15 F 5G hands-on

More question marks than exclamation points?

Published

March 6, 2026

Manila Connoisseur

The OPPO Reno15 Series 5G made its way to the Philippines last month, and reception has been pretty great so far.

With a powerful camera package, AI, and a slew of upgrades, there’s a lot to love and not much negative to say. But that’s with both the standard and Pro models.

On the other hand, with the Reno15 F 5G — the series’ supposed budget-friendly “lite” variant —there were more question marks than exclamation points.

I attack this piece once more from a consumer standpoint: shelling out PhP 23,000 to PhP 26,000 for a midrange smartphone that feels and performs like it’s a few notches below its segment doesn’t sound too pleasant.

Performance

With a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, the OPPO Reno15 F performs pretty much like any sub PhP 20,000 mid-ranger. It’s acceptable, but does not punch above its weight as expected.

No major hiccups for light and casual usage. But performance struggles a lot for demanding video games.

It also heats up significantly just 10 minutes into a title like Honkai: Star Rail. This is a stark contrast to the marketed 25℃ and up to 10 hours straight of smooth gameplay.

Although, the experience was still enjoyable with several wins and MVP runs in Call of Duty Mobile. It only means the F variant remains a more camera-centric phone rather than an a hard-hitting all-arounder.

As with other devices, the 7000mAh battery with 80W SUPERVOOC is a strong suit. You’re fueled from dawn ’til dusk, with much to spare. Recharging takes a breeze, too.

Display

The OPPO Reno15 F has a 6.57-inch 120Hz display, with a 92.8% screen-to-body ratio. At least, that allows you to focus on content on the screen.

Content leans more towards the cooler tone, so you’ll have to adjust it manually if you want a warmer or more vivid look.

The 397ppi pixel density is fine to ensure sharper visuals, while the 1400 nits peak brightness is helpful outdoors.

Camera

The device’s 50MP main camera captures decent quality. The color science leans on being natural anew, without being too dull nor washed out. You can pull off smooth portraits too.

I hardly used the phone for stills as I focused on videos, but here are some samples, on the occasions I was able to take the handset with me:

The 50MP front camera is an intriguing add-on, as it is capable of up to 4K video and a wide 100° field of view.

What this does is it essentially removes the need to flip your phone for the popular “0.5” shots. And the quality doesn’t get compromised given the pixel count.

Here are some selfies from different focal lengths:

To its credit, filming with the back camera at 60fps does look and feel smooth, although it can be improved.

Same with the front camera; and the zoom range can be switched from 0.6 to 2x without cutting the recording.

Although, it’s still best to use a selfie stick or small tripod if you’re just after talking head videos.

Speaking of which, here are a few I’ve made with just this device:

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@manilaconnoisseur

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♬ original sound – Manila Connoisseur – Manila Connoisseur

But for travel and on-the-go captures, as OPPO markets for the series in general, even the Reno15 F can cover a lot of background along with your or your groups’ faces.

Make no mistake, there are some useful AI editing features here. In particular, AI Portrait Glow gives your raw capture an effect to make it look it was taken with flash.

I do not recall the device heating up as well when taking many photos or videos, so you can say it’s more optimized for that task rather than gaming.

Connectivity issues

Meanwhile, AI LinkBoost 3.0, as in the case of the OPPO A6 Pro, doesn’t seem to punch above its weight either.

Once, I also played Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and the session opened to a jittery start despite being on Wi-Fi and having a stable connection. I don’t know what triggered this.

Design, feel

We got the Aurora Blue variant which does kind of resemble the northern lights when you tilt the phone a certain way and when light hits its back panel.

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The cursive “Reno” on the large, protruding camera island gives it more style.

However, it’s all just aesthetics. On the downside, the phone is all sorts of slippery.

I couldn’t hold it properly without think of it slipping away from my hands; nor could I put it on my lap with confidence.

So I guess it’s good that it has structural integrity and waterproofing, because you’ll need that.

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The 6.57-inch body does have a good balance between being too compact and too large, like ultras and pro maxes.

It has a squarish body and has already adapted to the premium, aluminum frame look from the sides.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

Sadly, the OPPO Reno15 F 5G is a Swipe Left unlike its bigger, more capable siblings. There are plenty of plus points for the camera package but take that away, and I don’t see much difference between the Reno15 F and something like the A6 Pro.

Granted, the asking price of this phone will drop significantly in a few months. But throw in a little more, and you’ve got a legitimate mid-ranger that’s more on the premium side rather than the cheap end of the spectrum.