A thousand dollars and higher is a lot to spend on a phone. What if you want a flagship device without all the high-end glamour? Oppo might have the answer in the Reno Z.
We’re getting a feeling that Oppo’s mid-range R-series might not be a thing anymore. At the halfway mark of the year, there hasn’t been an R-series device at all, but we have seen two high-end phones from the brand, arriving in the Reno 5G, and the 4G equivalent, the $1199 Reno 10x Zoom.
Those phones are practically identical, and barring the 4G and 5G connection difference, plus the $300 price disparity, it’s a sign that Oppo’s push for the high-end is here to stay, distinct from the typical mid-to-high push we’ve seen from the company in recent years.
So where are the mid-range phones that used to light up the scene, providing value for folks who wanted something a little more than budget, but at a fraction of the cost of the high end?
They may end up being in different versions of those flagship devices, if the latest phone is anything to go by.
This week, Oppo has announced a new variation of its flagship “Reno” series of phones, with the Reno Z joining the 5G and 10x Zoom with a cut-price variation on the top-end device.
While the name is familiar, the specs are a little different, with the 6.6 inch screen of the flagship models dropping to 6.4 inches, even if the design is pretty close.
The specs are different, though, as the eight-core Snapdragon 855 gets switched out for a lower performance MediaTek Helio P90, and the storage is cut in half from 256GB to 128GB, too. There’s no microSD slot, though, a change from the original meaning you’re stuck at 128GB, but given the $499 price, that might not be so bad.
Even the camera is a little different, because while you’ll find the 10x zoom on the Reno 4G and 5G equivalents, Oppo is using only the 48 megapixel sensor from those cameras, pairing it with a 5 megapixel camera for background defocused shots like with a portrait mode.
You won’t get the motorised selfie camera like on the more expensive model, though, as that’s built into the 6.4 inch screen, similar to the tear drop camera seen on the R17 Pro.
In essence, the Reno Z is aspects of the high-end Reno thrown into a slightly less expensive body.
“The Reno Z provides Aussies with game-changing power and the most immersive audio-visual experience available, making it one of the best devices in its price bracket,” said Michael Tran, Managing Director for Oppo in Australia.
“Making premium accessible is, and always will be a priority at Oppo,” he said. “The Reno Z does just that, taking a number of impressive features from across the Reno Series and making them accessible to Aussies, no matter their budget.”
At $499, the Reno Z won’t break the bank the same way its higher priced siblings might, though you won’t find it on plans at any telco. Rather, it’s seeing release at $499 outright, arriving at JB HiFi, MobileCiti, Officeworks, and The Good Guys this week.
