We have to accept it: the mid-range is becoming more and more defined for its price than for its features, some that are closer and closer to the high range in many aspects. We have seen it with Honor, realme, Nothing, Poco phones and now with Oppo and its latest smartphone: the Reno 12 Pro 5G.
Let’s first with what is most striking about this device: the implementation of artificial intelligence technology in a mobile phone that does not reach 550 euros. Obviously, this applies primarily to photography. We have, for example, the AI Eraser 2.0 feature. Thanks to it, we can delete unwanted elements from an image by simply marking them with a circle. It is possible to create stickers from a photograph. We also have the AI Clear Face option (a group photo beautifier) and AI Best Face, an interesting option, as it identifies people with their eyes closed and “opens” them in the image. In portraits the result is somewhat obvious, but in group photos it works very well.
But AI also has other applications. One of the most interesting is that Oppo Used to increase Bluetooth transmission power up to 200 meters. And a very useful option is the one proposed by AI Recording Summary, which allows you to make text summaries and organize them in notes.
That said, let’s get to the first thing: the visual aspect. As far as design is concerned, Oppo has taken great care in this section. Three versions are available in purple, black and silver. The edges are curved, but the rest are straight lines and the camera module stands out subtly, without being in the way. As he Silver and purple models have patterns on the back, similar to glass.while the black is matte and, in my personal opinion, more elegant. It has a 6.7-inch screen (AMOLED panel), resolution of up to 2,300 nits and high-grade protection thanks to a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. At the top of the screen is the front camera, a 50 MP beast. But we’ll talk about photography.
The brain of the Oppo Reno 12 Pro is a Dimensity 7300 from Mediatek with 12 GB RAM and 512 GB storage. This may be the “weakest” point of the mobile. For now We do not know how Mediatek operates with artificial intelligence. It does improve battery performance, but AI requires a fairly high processing demand and with a more powerful microchip you could get more out of it, without a doubt… A certainty that also applies to the fact that the price would increase with another processor.
This is when Oppo has had to find the balance between price and processing and has decided on price. Definitely, A better microchip would raise the price by about 100 euros and it would take it quite far from the mid-range sector. It works well? What most of us mortals use it for, yes. Could AI be even more leveraged with a better microchip? Definitely. It would further improve battery management (5,000 mAh with fast charging at 80 W, although the phone does not include the charger).
In the photographic section, the OPPO Reno 12 Pro 5G includes a triple camera: a main sensor and a telephoto lens, both 50 MP, and a 10 MP wide-angle lens is added to the set. Plus the aforementioned 50 MP front camera. The set works very well thanks to the Sony LYT-600 sensor. It is not the most advanced, but Oppo is not the first to have opted for this sensor, Xiaomi and realme have also done it and with good results.
Verdict:
For €549 (until July 31 with the charger and free case), this is a mobile phone that will last several years thanks in part to its design, guaranteed updates, battery and memory. It is not a mobile phone that stands out in photographic quality, but the AI increases its performance and makes it very efficient.