Cheatsheet:

 

• The Oppo Reno 7 5G is the lower-priced version of the new Oppo Reno 7 duo

 

• It stands out with its design aesthetic with a slightly more curved form compared to the flat edge design of the Reno 7 Pro

 

• It’s propelled by a Mediatek Dimensity 900 processor

 

• Gets camera features including DSLR-style portraits

 

• 4-inch FHD display features a 90Hz refresh rate with a 90.8 percent screen: body ratio

 

• There’s no Android 12 out of the box; it runs on Android 11 layered with Oppo’s Color OS 12

 

The Oppo Reno 7 is the lower-priced sibling of the Oppo Reno 7 duo. We’ve spent more than a week with both these smartphones and have just done our deep-dive review of the Oppo Reno 7 Pro. The Oppo Reno 7 sits in the sub-Rs 30K price band and offers a price saving of Rs 11,000 over the Reno 7 Pro. So does it have all the stuff you need, and, more importantly, what does it miss out on compared to its pricier, more formidable sibling?

Stunning colour palette

Our Oppo Reno 7 review unit came in the gorgeous Startrails Blue shade. Oppo claims that it’s the first phone to use LDI (Laser Direct Imaging) processing. It’s chiselled with over 1.2 million micro-rasters reminiscent of shooting stars. Two things impressed us about the finish—first, the textures with an etched design and then the interplay of colours. The glossy back swings from blue to purple under a light source. In terms of build, heft and finish, the Reno 7 and Reno 7 Pro are very similar. The Reno 7 is slightly more curved compared to the flat-edge design template of the 7 Pro. This is one of the most stylish phones under Rs 30K.

Binge-proof

The 6.4-inch FHD display (2400 x 1080 pixels/409 PPI) on the Oppo Reno 7 is a tad smaller than the 7 Pro’s 6.55-inch screen. It’s almost as immersive too, with a screen:body ratio of 90.8 percent and a 90Hz refresh rate that keeps things ultra-smooth. The only subtle difference that you’re unlikely to notice is the screen brightness that maxes out at 800 nits (when displaying HDR or HDR10+ content) for the Reno 7 vs the Reno 7 Pro’s 920 nits. Battery life (both feature a 4500mAh battery under the hood) is similar—both devices sail through a day comfortably. Just like the 7 Pro, this device gets Oppo’s Super VOOC charger that takes the device from 0 to 100 percent in just 31 minutes.

Hardware highlights

If you’re a frequent gamer or need more firepower, then you might have to shell out the extra Rs 11K for the 7 Pro. The Reno 7 is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 900 Processor and comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The device managed a score of 2144 in our Geekbench (multi-core) Benchmark test compared to a higher score of 2736 on the Reno 7 Pro that uses a zippier Mediatek Dimensity 1200 Max processor.

The Reno 7 Pro also has a clear edge in the camera department with better lowlight performance. I enjoyed shooting DSLR-style portraits on the Reno 7. You can delicately blur the background; the camera features 25 levels of adjustable aperture for the perfect pro-level portrait. The triple rear cam combines a 64MP primary cam, an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro shooter.

Wrap up

The Oppo Reno 7 comes with Android 11 and Oppo’s Color OS 12; we would have liked to see Android 12 out of the box. Just like the Reno 7 Pro there’s a whole bunch of pre-installed apps here. The Oppo Reno 7 is a good-looking device with a dependable camera, an immersive display and a robust battery. It ticks most of the key boxes for consumers looking for a phone under Rs 30,000. Put in the extra Rs 11,000 and go for the 7 Pro if you need the extra hardware firepower and better lowlight photography.

The Oppo Reno 7 costs Rs 28,999 and comes in Startrails Blue and Starlight Black shades.