The Oppo Reno 7 has been launched in India alongside the Reno 7 Pro and two new phones have had the success of the Reno 6 lineup since last year. We’ve reviewed the Reno 7 Pro and found it to be a really stylish device with an impressive camera. Now the Renault 7 that has been launched in India is basically a new wine in an old bottle when you compare it with the Renault 6. It has got a new design and camera stack while the Dimension 900 SoC is similar to Renault 6. We have 7 Reno 7 has been reviewed and tested. It has been taken through our usual set of tests.

Oppo Reno 7 Performance Test

The Oppo Reno 7 is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC which has an octa-core CPU and comes with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. It runs on Android 11 based ColorOS 12 which ensures a smooth experience. Although we liked Android 12, the phone will probably get an update soon.

When it comes to day-to-day performance, the phone showed no signs of stress and I didn’t feel any backlash. The phone has been pre-loaded with some bloatware but there have also been some changes in the design of ColorOS 12 which has made it more attractive than before.

On the synthetic benchmark, the Renault 7 shows better performance but since it uses the same chipset as the Renault 6, it gives the same performance results, sometimes better.

On the AnTuTu benchmark, the Renault 711i is ahead of phones like the Hypercharge (Dimension 920) and the Renault 6 but can’t get close enough to the performance offered by the Snapdragon 778G on the Galaxy M52.

Similarly, in the Geekbench test, the Reno 7 received a lower single-core score than the competition but in the multi-core test, it was able to toe-to-toe with the Dimension 920 but still could not catch Snapdragon. 778g.

Some of the PCMark tests that run work sessions, such as video editing, document editing, web browsing to mimic real-world usage, have the lowest scores among the Renault 7 11i Hypercharge, Galaxy M52 and Renault 6. This means that the Renault 7, like the system optimization dimension 920 and the Snapdragon 778G, allows these tasks to be performed smoothly.

We also conducted CPU throttling tests to see if the phone and SoC were limiting onboard performance. Here we find that the phone throttled 94% of its maximum performance which means it is capable of running at its full potential but due to ColorOS optimization, it can limit the performance to control the thermals.

In GPU testing, the Reno 7 got decent scores but there is nothing that makes us believe it can provide a sustainable gaming experience. And since it has Dimension 900 below the chassis, it has a score almost the same as Dimension 920 and has a solid lead with the Galaxy M52’s Adreno GPU.

We used the Gamebench metrics to evaluate Reno 7’s gaming performance in games like COD Mobile, BGMI, Asphalt 9 and many more. According to data recorded by Gamebench, our COD mobile session on the Renault 7 racked up to 59FPS consistent with 93% stability. The game runs smoothly but it has a Dimension 900 limitation that it can’t offer more than average graphic quality with high frame rate.

The Reno 7 runs Asphalt 9 at 30FPS with 93% stability and BGMI at 40 FPS with 99% stability. Both of these games run smoothly at BGMI with occasional breaks, but otherwise, the gaming performance is decent. While gaming is a priority, you may have to look elsewhere for a phone that doesn’t compromise on sustainable gaming performance.

Oppo Reno 7 Battery Life

The Reno 7 is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging. Oppo claims that the phone can be 100% fully charged in just 31 minutes. However, in my use, the Renault 7 takes about 37-40 minutes to fully charge from 1% -100% when the screen is on.

While the Renault 7’s battery life is nothing like writing at home, it does pay off for a day’s use on a single charge. However, if you regularly play games or watch videos in it, you may have to charge it in the evening. In our video loop test, the Reno 7 lasts about 17 hours on a single charge which is quite compatible with decent and competitive phones.

Oppo Reno 7 Camera Review

The Oppo Reno 7 has a triple camera on the back, a 64MP camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degree FOV and a 2MP fixed focus macro camera. On the front, we get a 32MP selfie camera. The rear camera can record up to 30FPS in 4K UHD and up to 60FPS in 1080p with EIS.

While we have good reason to believe that the Renault 7 uses the same camera stack as the Renault 6, this does not diminish the fact that the cameras are probably the only saving grace of the Renault 7. The main camera can create anything. Really handsome picture in daylight which has great clarity and dynamic range. The colors of the main camera are very close to natural and involve minimal processing. In low-light, the camera enhances brightness in night mode and creates decent images without the slightest noise.

The ultra-wide camera produces some usable wide frames but there is enough noise around the four corners and very little detail. The effect of barrel distortion is minimal although not all of this is noticeable until you zoom in for a closer look. The colors of the Ultra-Wide camera are also somewhat over-saturated and inconsistent with the color of the original camera.

With a fixed focus 2MP macro camera, you can do very little with it. It is a hit or miss affair to lock down the focus and as a result there is no detail, no sharpness in the picture and it is unpublished. A high-resolution sensor will probably work wonders but you can avoid the macro camera on the Renault 7.

Oppo offers many different modes for playing in the camera app, the most notable of which is the portrait mode which gives shallow depth of field effects in pictures and videos. You can manually change the bokeh effect to 25 levels from f / 0.95 to f / 16. Portrait mode has a bokeh effect on the image but is not able to accurately identify the edges and textures of the image. Moreover, the colors look much more saturated than usual. Looking at the regular and portrait versions of the same image, I prefer the natural bokeh over the artificial one offered by the portrait mode.

The 32MP front-facing camera makes some beautiful selfies in daylight. Oppo offers 8 beauty / retouching filters and can detect more than 193 facial features. In the video, Oppo’s algorithm can even identify a person’s gender and provide specific effects.

Oppo Reno 7 build and design

Oppo showed us the art design capability with the Reno 6 which has a flat-edge design. With the Reno 7, Oppo takes it to another level with the LDI (laser direct imaging) process used to engrave millions of micro-lines on the rear panel, giving it a brushed effect and a matte finish. We got Startrails Blue from Oppo which has a gradient finish on the back which changes color when light falls on different angles. Oppo claims that this effect is an imitation of Star Trails but like me, you may also think that if you see the real phone with your own eyes it is a bit remote.

Another colorway Oppo is offering is called Starry Black which has a black-blue gradient finish. Since the back of the phone has a matte finish, you don’t have to try to clean fingerprints and stains.

That said, the phone has a plastic build and an anti-glare glass on the back. The display is topped with Gorilla Glass 5 for extra protection against drops. The Reno 7 is comfortable to hold in hand because the 3D curved edges and textured back provide ample grip. It is fairly light in weight, weighs 173 grams and does not put pressure on your hands.

Overall, the Renault 7 has a solid build, but the design may not appeal to a larger audience because it doesn’t feel as premium as the Renault 6.

Oppo Reno 7 display

The Oppo Reno 7 has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display that offers full HD + resolution and supports up to 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. The 32MP selfie camera has a punch-hole notch cutout in the upper-left corner. The display is certified for HDR10 playback so you can be sure to enjoy Netflix and Prime videos in HD.

For most of my use, the Renault 7’s display gives a smooth experience but the phone has a slightly wider chin than I expected. Looking at its appearance, the lower bezel is a bit thicker than the previous generation. The Reno 7’s AMOLED panel is suitable for video viewing and offers great details and vibrant colors. However, if it fails to give a immersive experience, it is said that you want to see a movie in it because it does not have a stereo speaker setup, for which Reno 6 was also criticized.

Judgment

Not as much of an upgrade as the Oppo Reno 7, as it was at the time of the Reno 6 launch. Sure it got a shiny new finish and a slightly larger battery but in the 30k budget sub-rupee segment it’s all common. The Renault 7 offers decent performance in everyday life that you can count on and has a good set of cameras that will appeal to photography enthusiasts. Although I would have preferred the Snapdragon 778G version of the Renault 7 to launch in India, the Dimension 900 does a decent job. If you’re looking for a phone under 30 30,000, the Reno 7 is the newest kid on the block and should definitely be on your radar. The same goes for people who are good for money and valuable for the experience of mobile-photography. However, in terms of sustainable gaming performance, the Renault 7 may not be able to meet your expectations.

Also read: Oppo Reno 7 Pro 5G Review: Lots of style, but what about the material?