Hands-On

Painting a slice of life with the OPPO Reno11 Pro 5G

Pictures, portraits, and priceless memories

Published

February 22, 2024

MJ Jucutan

Taking photographs has been a part of this generation. We snap a slice of life to apprise the people in our lives, to show what we’re up to. Mostly, in squares and perpendicular stories across our slates.

Remembering that life is fleeting, we turn to our smartphones to take picturesque memories. To vividly paint a beautiful portrait; recollecting someone’s face in a certain point of time.

I think that’s what the OPPO Reno11 Pro 5G is about. It stood out above all smartphones when it’s time to paint a slice of life through faces of people close to our hearts, and to places that have our stories and laughter written in between.

Though I can’t recall your face, I still got love for you

Perhaps, the one thing that the OPPO Reno11 Pro 5G takes pride on is its camera system. Friends and folks who used the smartphone took portraits of the faces they want to vividly remember.

Its main camera sports a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 sensor, complemented by a 32-megapixel portrait telephoto lens utilizing a Sony IMX709 sensor.

The ultra-wide lens, which I used to love, sports an 8-megapixel Sony IMX355 sensor. And there’s a 32-megapixel selfie-shooter using a Sony IMX709 sensor.

The camera system makes for a perfect companion in taking everyday photos. I loved how it produced vibrant and crispy images, though the portrait’s still a hit or miss.

Nevertheless, here are portraits and faces I took, most of which are looks I don’t want to forget.

I’ll just stumble on home to my cats

I’ve grown to be a homebody ever since I adopted three rescued moggy cats. Playing with them (and taking their photos) has been a spectacle I always share with friends. “Look at how fat my cat is!” “See how they’re eating well.”

As they cuddle up (or sit beside me), I find myself playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang when I’m not watching any films. The 6.7-inch Curved OLED makes it easy to look at and grip the phone while playing.

Its 120Hz dynamic refresh rate makes for a smoother gameplay, making me immersed as the heroes clash. The screen looks elegant, and made me want to stare at it for a long time.

In between, I take snaps of my cats. My life has been better with them in it.

All’s well that ends well to end up with you

Having a smartphone that gets you throughout the day is enough for most people. On most days, I find myself taking photos to update the people I love about where I’ve been. At least, they have an inkling on where I am and if I’m still alive and breathing.

The OPPO Reno11 Pro 5G gets me through the day, even with a 4600mAh battery capacity. The only time it drains faster than my energy is when I’m playing games.

But for taking snaps throughout the day and scrolling over social media? This slate can keep up with my overly-energetic and highly-caffeinated self.

Recharging it its quite quick as well, lasting less than an hour, thanks to its 80W SuperVOOC. But for the most part? You can take it out with you on a full-day of dates, laughter, and adventure.

It can certainly keep up with you as you create more memories to remember.

Is the OPPO Reno11 Pro 5G your GadgetMatch?

The OPPO Reno11 Pro 5G caters to a select market, mostly those who love the beauty of taking photographs through their smartphones.

Whether it’s a portrait of their loved one, a snap of their everyday life, a breathtaking scenery they chanced upon during their travels. As long as you want a capable camera in your pocket, the OPPO Reno11 Pro 5G can be easily your GadgetMatch.

That is, if you believe that money is just paper only. It retails for PhP 31,999, which is way too far from its base unit that retails for PhP 24,999.

Honestly, the OPPO Reno11 5G might be a better option for most people. But if you want to take your photography game to the next level while having a near-flagship experience to keep you going, the OPPO Reno11 Pro 5G just might be it.

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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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.