It’s quite clear that the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom is the company’s most refined smartphone yet. In a world of gimmicky smartphone features, the OPPO 10X Reno balances between form and function. The OPPO Reno 10x Zoom is the first phone in OPPO’s new Reno series that not only features a new design language but also builds upon the great features its siblings have plus adds new improvements.
Front Design
The OPPO Reno 10x Zoom boasts of a 6.6 inch AMOLED FHD+(1080 by 2340) Display that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6. 6.6 inches of uninterrupted screen real estate, no punch holes, no notches that give the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom a screen-to-body ratio of 93.1%.
The OPPO Reno 10x Zoom features really minimal side and top bezels and a very small chin too.
Back Design
Going to the back, OPPO decided to go with a symmetrical design. The triple camera setup is the highlight as they are placed in the middle with vertical placement with regards to Reno’s focus on photography.
There are no camera bumps but to protect the lenses and the phone from surface marks, OPPO used a Protective O-dot, a ceramic bump right below the cameras that slightly lifts the phone.
Right below the camera setup is the new OPPO logo and a small ” Designed by OPPO” text.
The back is a sleek frosted glass finish to keep smudges away from the phone. The dual-glass protection design at the back is also reinforced by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
On its own, the phone can be used with one hand if you got big to medium hands but if you have smaller hands, it’s going to be a little uncomfortable.
All in all, the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom screams premium and actually feel premium to the hand. The back offers a firm grip and my medium-sized hands didn’t have any problems using the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom. For the Paranoid, there’s a case provided for added protection.
In terms of colours, the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom comes in glossy Jet Black and matte finish Ocean Green(our unit)
Cameras
At the back, the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom features a primary 48MP f/1.7 sensor, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide sensor and a 13MP f/3.0 periscopic telephoto lens. It is worth noting that both the primary and telephoto lens are optically optimized.
The telephoto lens uses a prism to remain thin and use 13% less space and hence the 6.76mm thickness of the camera module. This same lens gives the phone the 10X zoom. For clarity, this is hybrid zoom as you only get 5x optical zoom before switching to digital zoom.
To give that notch-less design, the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom uses an asymmetrical pop-up module that takes the shape of a shark fin that features the 16MP selfie camera, a front-facing light, an earpiece and LED flash at the back.
OPPO included fall detection that automatically closes the pop-up to protect the camera an the other components housed.
You can check out camera samples here while you wait for our in-depth camera review coming up in the next few days.
Well-placed Buttons
The OPPO Reno 10x Zoom is a big phone and OPPO took the liberty to place its buttons close to where your fingers normally reach for easy one-handed usage. The power button is placed just slightly above the middle of the side of the phone.
The volume rockers are in the same position such that you can change the volume using your middle finger if using your righthand.
Speakers
There’s a mono speaker at the bottom next to the power port and the Sim tray slot.
There’s also another tiny speaker housed at the top bezel.
To enhance the audio experience, OPPO included Dolby Atmos, Dolby AC 4 audio format and HI-res Audio support. If you’re an audiophile, you are sure going to love the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom when you’re watching movies, videos, playing games or just listening to music.
The two speakers deliver an immersive sound experience.
There’s no headphone jack but OPPO packs USB-C headphones inside the box with replacement ear tips. Listening on the go has never been better for me as the headphones bring fist-pumping musicality with their dynamic sound quality – smooth mids, detailed highs and relatively tight bass.
VOOC 3.0 Charging brick and a durable USB-C cable
While the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom features a glass back, it lacks wireless charging but fret not. You get OPPO’s proprietary VOOC 3.0 fast-charging brick and a sturdy USB-C cable. When you need to juice up, the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom gets you from 0 to 75% in 30 minutes and to 100% in an hour.
The gigantic 4065mAh battery once full can get you up to a full day of performance switching between medium and heavy tasks.
The USB-C cable is strengthened to increase its durability.
Speedy in-display fingerprint scanner and a fast face unlock
For biometrics, the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom has both face unlock and in-screen fingerprint scanner. Both are fast but I enjoyed the quick unlocking using the optical fingerprint scanner built in the lower display. 
The in-screen fingerprint scanner has a playful animation when you press on it. It comes alive without lighting up the display when the phone is off as soon as you pick your phone.
I was lucky to get this shot.
Summary
The new Reno line by OPPO is the company’s shift to a fresh design language and the maiden OPPO Reno 10x Zoom shows how OPPO has refined the phone to set standards for its future phones.
Besides the hardware discussed here, the OPPO Reno packs 8GB RAM, Snapdragon 855, 256GB of storage, a refreshingly minimal ColorOS 6 and HypeBoost 2.0 for gaming among other specs that rival its competing flagships.
Does it strike as a worthy purchase? It’s too early to say but so far it’s ticking most of the checkboxes we expect of a flagship phone and even surpassing them but stay tuned for our full review coming soon.
