Another month, another new Reno phone from OPPO. Okay, fine, they don’t literally release one monthly but it sure feels like it. What we have here is the OPPO Reno6 Z 5G. On paper, it isn’t too different from the OPPO Reno5 Z 5G.

Take a look:

They’re practically the same smartphone. The difference, of course, is the camera hardware.

OPPO’s push in their marketing for the OPPO Reno6 series is about having #EveryEmotionInPortrait. And while that’s more about the video features, to us, portrait photography has always been about capturing still portraits that evoke some type of mood. So we did just that.

Initially, we only wanted to take a few shots with the default Portrait mode and put it through a post-processing app like Lightroom or VSCO to achieve our #PortraitGoals. However, after toggling through the different filters and effects, we figured this is indeed the magic of the OPPO Reno6 series — to be able to shoot stunning images even if you have little to no post-processing knowledge. Here’s how some of the shots came out.

Coffee by the window

This was the first shot. It was a gloomy, rainy day but the default portrait mode produced an image with still lively colors. It didn’t capture what we were hoping for and that’s when we figured perhaps we should see how it’ll come out with a different filter.

We went with B&W (black and white) and were floored by the result. Black and white really captured the general mood of the weather that day and the way our model posed — sipping on coffee while looking out the window — communicated the longing feeling we generally get when it isn’t bright and sunny outside.

Close-up, straight into the camera 

Here, we tried three sets of effects/filters: the regular portrait, B&W, and Paris. Gotta admit, we might have fallen in love a little bit too much with the B&W filter. There’s just something about it that really hits differently.

However, our top pick for this set is the one with the Paris filter. The near-monochromatic, golden-brown filter over the image just has more personality over the other two shots.

Working at the café 

This one’s my personal favorite. It almost looks like one of those stock images you see when you randomly search “girl in café” on the Internet. I can imagine it as the first shot in an opening scene of a romantic drama where the main character, unbeknownst to him/her, lays eyes on a person that’ll play a significant role in a few chapters of their lives.

It’s a bonus that it works in color and in black and white.

Out chillin’

For this next shot, we stepped outside the café and tried a wider-angle perspective. The shots are okay but aren’t the best of the bunch. I chalk this up to now being sure how I wanted the model to pose. So, we tried something different.

The pose above is more dynamic and has more of an identity and attitude. The default portrait version is more straightforward but using the A.I. Color Portrait filter to really separate the subject from the background makes it stand out more.

It’s a fun feature but something we have to warn might feel overused. It takes the right kind of pose, look, and feel to really bring out the best of the A.I. Color Portrait. We feel it’s not something that should be used arbitrarily in nearly all images. See the samples below:

It is kind of cool, but it won’t always match the mood you’re going for. But that’s just us. If you want to have fun with it, then you do you.

Bonus! 

Here’s a fun neat trick that, honestly, some of you may have already known but we’re sharing anyway. This first shot you see above was taken with the phone right side up. It’s nice and all, sure. But if you flip the phone upside down as you take the shot, you end up with something more intimate and striking. The cool thing is you don’t have to rotate the image after taking it. The OPPO Reno6 Z 5G understands your intention in taking the shot.

It’s the same method used to take this photo below.

Mind drifting to alternate universes.

👕: @arts423
👞: @PlayStation #PG5
📷: #OPPOReno6 pic.twitter.com/cHXyM1tF9Y

— Rodneil M. Quiteles (@rodneilquiteles) July 22, 2021

What else can you do with the Reno6 Z 5G?

Pretty much everything else, too, really. As mentioned earlier, it isn’t too different from the OPPO Reno5 Z in terms of specs. And that’s not entirely a bad thing.

It’s a capable midranger that can be your daily companion whether you’re just browsing social media, flipping through messaging apps, sending work emails, or watching Netflix.

Han So Hee is gorgeous AF. Watch Nevertheless on Netlfix 😉

As listed above, it runs on Android 11 with Color OS 11.1 so you get all the OS benefits that range from the clean user interface, FlexDrop that lets you have a floating screen to multitask, Three Finger Translate which is a quick way to translate text on your screen, and various customizations that make the device truly feel like it’s your own.

You also get the usual features for gaming like Game Space for quickly launching your mobile games, and the Game Assistant with all its benefits like shutting off notifications to help you focus on winning.

One thing that I noticed with our particular review unit though is that it’s connection to WiFi seemed to falter often. It was a little stressful at first but it wasn’t an issue that persisted.

The OPPO Reno6 Z 5G retails for PhP 19,999 and will be available in OPPO Concept Stores as well as their e-commerce partners Lazada and Shopee. It’ll be available alongside the OPPO Reno6 5G which retails for PhP 26,999.