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.

Nothing is not launching the Phone (4) this year. Though the lack of a flagship is certainly disappointing, the brand is still launching the Phone (4a) series, and now that it’s official, there really is no reason to feel like we’re missing out.

Nothing Phone (4a)

The base Nothing Phone (4a) carries over the circular camera island design of the previous Phone (3a). However, this generation will feature the new Glyph Bar, a subtler and more functional take on the brand’s iconic lighting system. It has 63 mini-LEDs in seven square light zones. It provides 3500 nits of brightness, which is 40 percent brighter than the Phone (3a)’s Glyph Interface.

The 6.78-inch AMOLED screen delivers images at 1.5K resolution,120Hz refresh rate, and 440 pixels per inch.

Inside, the Phone (4a) is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. This is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It can reportedly play Call of Duty: Mobile at up to 90fps.

For cameras, the model carries a Samsung GN9 50-megapixel main camera. It can take in more light and offer a wider field of view. Plus, the camera can zoom by up to 3.5 times using an optical zoom. There’s also 7x lossless zoom and 70x ultra zoom.

Using Qualcomm’s triple Image Signal Processor, the camera can shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second. It can also shoot Full HD videos at 120 frames per second.

Finally, the Phone (4a) has a large 5080mAh battery, capable of charging up to 60 percent in just 30 minutes.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro takes the best parts of the Phone (3) and brings it to life in the (a) series.

For one, the bolder camera island revives the Glyph Matrix of the flagship series and packs in more shooters inside. The three-camera system consists of a Sony LYT-700C 50-megapixel main shooter, a Samsung J5 50-megapixel periscope lens, and a Sony IMX355 ultrawide camera.

The 6.83-inch LTPS AMOLED screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i. It can deliver images at 1.5K resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and 5,000nits peak brightness.

Inside, the Pro model sports the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4. Plus, the RAM Booster can increase the up to 12GB of RAM to 20GB. It will also have 256GB of internal storage.

It still has the large 5080mAh battery of its regular sibling and all the power that promises.

Price, availability

The Nothing Phone (4a) will be available in black, white, blue, and pink. It starts at EUR 349 for the 8+128GB configuration, topping off at EUR 429 for the 12+256GB model.

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro will be available in black, silver, and pink. It starts at EUR 479 for the 8+128GB model, with the 12+256GB version selling for EUR 549.

In the past, the only way to escape the constant influx of technology is to purposely go for older or “dumber” phones. For example, if you wanted to prevent your elder loved ones from fussing over features they’d never use, you’d give them feature phones. Now, there’s no escape. HMD, one of the biggest names in the feature phone segment, is bringing AI to its devices.

For years, HMD, especially through Nokia, has provided low-tech phones for everyone’s grandma. From merely keeping the Nokia brand of phones alive, the company has now embraced its reputation as the feature phone king, building its own branded phones.

Now, announced during MWC 2026 (via Tom’s Guide), HMD will start infusing its phones with AI, video calling, and a digital wallet.

Of these, video calling is the easiest to digest. Rather than just being simple front-facing selfie shooters, HMD’s phones can also use the camera for video calls.

Secondly, the company is also packing in its own digital wallet into its phones. As with other wallets, HMD’s version can receive, store, and send funds to other users. It’s set to launch in India first.

Now, the AI assistant is the more controversial one among the three. The first rollout is India’s Sarvam AI, which will do the basic tasks you’d expect from an AI assistant. Naturally, this rolls out in India first.

However, HMD is also developing its own AI assistant alongside InTouch. The feature will supposedly provide companionship for elder users. The company will test the assistant in Europe first but aims to launch it globally.

SEE ALSO: HMD announces 1st line of own smartphones