OPPO Reno8 T 5G First Look: Reigniting The Segment With Power-Packed Features

Leading global smart-device brand, OPPO, is expanding the OPPO Reno family in India with the addition of the Reno8 T 5G. Over the years, OPPO is known for its technological innovation and commitment and the latest device is just another addition to its crown. The smartphone joins the OPPO Reno8 and the OPPO Reno8 Pro 5G in the brand's winning lineup and promises an unadulterated unique experience to the users. The phone is carved out of premium materials, flaunts a striking design, and is filled to the brim with killer features designed to elevate a premium Reno user experience. All in all, the OPPO Reno8 T 5G promises a perfect blend of specifications.

Here's what makes the OPPO Reno8 T 5G a great value proposition and why it deserves to be on the top of your shopping list.

To this effect, we spent a few days of quality time putting the phone through its paces. Let's find out what else the OPPO Reno8 is capable of.

Design: When Aesthetics Meet Ergonomics

They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but that thinly veiled excuse of relativism flew right out the window when we got the OPPO Reno8 T 5G in our hands. The sheer number of heads turned by our Sunrise Gold review unit, out in the wild, stand testament to this fact. We only had the handset for a few days, but its Dual Micro Curved bevels accentuated by the resplendent OPPO Glow design elicited a large number of enquiries from bystanders, who are unfortunately oblivious to the concept of journalistic embargos. The all new rear panel design of the smartphone vertically aligns the slightly-raised dual-camera module within a decorative strip with rounded ends.

We haven't had the chance to see the Midnight Black colorway in person, but our Sunrise Gold unit absolutely dazzles as ambient light bounces off the millions of pyramid-shaped crystals dotting its micro-structured surface. This, in turn, creates an optical effect that's hard to put into words. And this beauty isn't just skin deep, because the proprietary finish also happens to make the device smudge and fingerprint resistant.

This rare confluence of aesthetics and practicality continues with the overall ergonomics. The phone's sturdy construction lends it a heft of 171 grams, but it still doesn't feel heavy in your hand thanks to a combination of gently curved corners and super-slim 7.7mm thickness. The Reno8 T 5G is not only one of the most compact smartphones we have used to date, this is segments slimmest and lightest device which is also an extremely comfortable device for all-day usage.

Display: Curved For Pleasure

In a dreary smartphone space dotted with drab 2D panels, the Reno8 T 5G's 6.7-inch toughened micro-curved Dragontrail-Star2 AMOLED display stands out as a shining beacon of tactile delight. And it's not all about ergonomics either. The curved screen adds a touch of class to the overall design and firmly establishes the device amongst smartphone royalty. What's more, even the bezels surrounding the display are very slim, which results in an astounding 93 percent screen-to-body ratio.

Furthermore, the display comes with 10-bit color support, which is touted to offer 64 times better color fidelity compared to the older 8-bit display technology. As for the numbers, the display of the Reno8 T 5G can display up to 1.07 billion colors, whereas the 8-bit panels max out at a mere 16.7 million colors. Isn't it amazing?

But what's the point of all those colors, if you can't run Netflix in all its high-definition glory. Fortunately, OPPO has you covered by ensuring full Widevine L1 certification. In layman's terms, that translates into an unadulterated binge-watching experience in Full HD+ resolution. The same courtesy is extended to all streaming services that support the encryption standard, such as Amazon Prime Video.

What's more, OPPO's AI-enhanced Adaptive Eye Protection System ensured that enjoying movies in the dark didn't come at the cost of eye strain. Prolonged screen time wasn't an issue even when we were devouring entire web series or playing competitive mobile shooters into the wee hours of the morning. Did we mention that the display supports a 120Hz refresh rate? Let me tell you that the device is segments slimmest and lightest one with 120Hz 3D curved screen. That made everything from gaming and web browsing to something as mundane as scrolling through the UI all the more enjoyable.

Camera: Holy Trinity of Hardware, Software, and AI

The ability to effortlessly capture great photos marks the difference between a good flagship grade smartphone and a great one. The OPPO Reno8 T 5G lands firmly in the latter category thanks to its unique AI-enhancements and clever pixel-binning technology that elevate your camera game. The 108MP primary camera sensor is great at capturing life-like images. But what really takes the cake is its nifty NonaPixel Plus binning technology.

We were genuinely astonished by the phone's low-light photography chops. OPPO claims that its pixel-binning tech enhances light sensitivity by up to 37 percent for clearer shots. The Reno8 T 5G's penchant for nailing difficult dim light shots with consummate ease had us entirely convinced.

The camera optimization continues with the phone's secondary 2MP depth sensor, which works in tandem with OPPO's superior software algorithm to deliver enhanced portrait bokeh flare effect, portrait matting, and lens flare rendering effects. There's even the tertiary 40x Microlens, which allows you to get extremely close to the subject for superior macro photography.

However, not everyone is into hardcore technical photography. Sometimes you just want a great selfie to share on your social media feeds. The phone's high-resolution 32MP front-facing camera has been designed to that effect. The great front camera hardware, working in tandem with the excellent Selfie HDR mode, delivered some insanely impressive selfies with an incredible dynamic range.

The dual view video feature is a boon for vloggers, whereas the Bokeh Flare portrait feature allowed us to click photos with a uniquely artsy perspective. Meanwhile, other noteworthy camera features, such as AI Color Portrait and OPPO AI Retouching, provide real-world photography benefits.

Performance: Sensible and Futureproof

The OPPO Reno8 T 5G might be packed to the gills with features, but it also harbors some serious performance under its beautiful shell. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC 5G chipset, which is built on the 6nm fabrication process. We threw everything and the kitchen sink at the phone, with multiple benchmarks and heavy gaming sessions, but the octa-core SoC handled the varied workloads with great aplomb.

With the 5G services spreading like wildfire in India, it is important for your next smartphone to be truly 5G ready. Needless to say, the OPPO Reno8 T 5G is future-proof in this respect. Uploading massive videos to your YouTube channel or downloading large games? This OPPO device has you covered. But more importantly, the lower latency of its 5G radio also ensures minimum ping while gaming, which is crucial if you are into esports.

Multitasking and app loading times are a breeze with the device's 8GB RAM capacity, which can be further expanded up to 16GB via the virtual RAM expansion feature. This seamless user experience is delivered through the feature-rich ColorOS 13 UI, which is known for its lag-free operation. Meanwhile, its solid Dynamic Computing Engine can keep up to 18 apps running in the background with ease.

The OPPO Reno8 T 5G is the first device in the Reno lineup to debut with the Android 13-based ColorOS 13 operating system out of the box. For complete peace of mind, the brand also promises two Android updates and four years of security patch updates for the handset.

Data privacy is absolutely crucial, and the ColorOS 13 bakes in advanced security and privacy features to this effect. The other key features includes Smart Always On Display, Meeting Assistant and Auto Pixalate. Also, for instance, the privacy protection feature automatically deletes clipboard contents after a certain period to prevent the information from being leaked. Additionally, the Private Safe feature is also encrypted with the acclaimed Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

The smartphone also packs in dual stereo speakers with Dirac surround sound-a genuine treat for audiophiles. On a more practical note, we found the Ultra Volume Mode, which boosts the speaker volume all the way to 200 percent, especially handy in noisier outdoor conditions.

Battery: Sprinting Through A Marathon

The OPPO Reno8 T 5G is backed by a 4,800mAh battery under its hood. The energy-efficient Snapdragon 695 SoC combined with ColorOS 13 delivers outstanding endurance. It even delivered all-day battery life in our rigorous testing routine involving streaming videos, heavy web browsing, music playback, UI navigation, gaming, and more without breaking a sweat.

Even if you somehow manage to drain the battery, it can be topped up in a jiffy thanks to the 67-watt SuperVOOCTM fast charger. Going from zero to 100 percent battery in about 45 minutes is a cakewalk for this device.

And although fast charging is usually considered harmful for battery health, that's not an issue for the Reno8 T 5G. OPPO has deployed its proprietary Battery Health Engine (BHE) and a five-layer charging protection that claims to offer up to 1600 battery charging cycles. This is significantly higher than the industry standard of 800 charging cycles.

But the real icing on the cake is the 48-month Fluency Protection guarantee. It's one thing to make tall claims, but a guarantee of great ownership experience for three whole years speaks volumes for OPPO's commitment.

First Impressions

If you seek the perfect all-rounder smartphone, the OPPO Reno8 T 5G ticks all the boxes and then some. The smartphone has the looks to kill and performance to annihilate its rivals. OPPO has hit the ball out of the park with the phone's camera system and advanced image processing wizardry. Consuming content is a joy on the dazzlingly bright display, even as the generously sized battery refuses to die even under heavy usage.

The OPPO Reno8 T 5G is a force to be reckoned with, and a genuine five-star smartphone experience. The device is positioned with an aggressive price tag of ₹29,999 It goes on sale from February 10, 2023 and will be available across Flipkart, OPPO Store and Mainline Retail Outlets. The Reno8 T 5G will be offered in two colorways-Sunrise Gold and Midnight Black. Go grab one for yourself today and be a step above. Do check out for great offers running across at Flipkart and OPPO Store.

On the sideline, OPPO has also introduced the latest Enco Air3 TWS earphones along-with the Reno8 T 5G for immersive and three-dimensional listening experience for their users. The wireless earphones sports an all-new transparent lid design and comes with a powerful 13.4mm drivers mated to the sublime Cadence HiFi5 DSP, which unlocks unmatched sound quality. Furthermore, the Bluetooth v5.2 support ensures a stable connection between the Enco Air3 TWS and the Reno8 T 5G. The earphones provide a massive six-hour backup individually, and a total of 25 hours when combined with the charging case. The new IP54-rated OPPO Enco Air3 weighs 3.75gm each and will go on sale starting February 10, 2023 via Flipkart, Amazon, OPPO Store and Mainline Retail Outlets and is priced at just ₹2999.