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Why the Oppo Reno2 Z fails to convince us in our review

Although the Reno2 Z is not a bad smartphone per se, the execution of the idea behind this Oppo phone lacks conviction
Although the Reno2 Z is not a bad smartphone per se, the execution of the idea behind this Oppo phone lacks conviction
Pretender ... in our review, the Oppo Reno2 Z shows some deficits. Our measurements reveal weaknesses in the slightly lower-end version of the Reno 2 that are not obvious from the specifications and should be kept in mind before a potential purchase of the Reno2 Z.

While in our review, the Oppo Reno2 Z has shown itself to be a visually pleasant mid-range phone, we are not quite convinced by Oppo's first attempt at conquering the European smartphone market. These reasons are as follows:

1. Quad-camera module = marketing ?

An 8 MP ultra-wide angle as well as two 2 MP telephoto optics for portrait shots complement the otherwise good 48 megapixel Sony IMX586 main camera. Here, the telephoto lenses collect depth information in order to create a three dimensional impression of the motif, however since there are no error messages or visual differences when blocking them with a finger, they do not appear to influence "normal" portrait shots. Thus, the two lower-resolution optics are only used for monochromatic or retro-style portraits, which - as with the 5 other portrait modes of the Reno2 Z - could have been achieved with a filter.

2. Build quality, a universal problem of the Reno2 Z?

Our test device also reveals flaws in terms of the build quality. The control elements for the volume and the on/off button are very wobbly and the SIM card slot is not flush with the frame.

3. Reno2 Z with flawed OLED panel

Due to the underlying technology, the black value and in turn the contrast of the Reno2 Z's OLED display are excellent. However, the maximum luminosity of 394 cd/m² when displaying an all white image is low. Further analysis with our spectrophotometer and the CalMAN software showed a fairly high average deltaE relative to the sRGB color space as well as a slightly raised color temperature of 7,193 K in our review. Additionally, the OLED panel exhibits a faint yellow veil when viewed at a steep angle and PWM, which is common for OLED panels, at a very low frequency.

4. Short runtimes due to MediaTek processor?

While the Helio P90 is definitely capable of handling daily workloads, the performance is significantly weaker than that of competitors - particularly in terms of the GPU. Similarly, the energy consumption of the Reno2 Z is not very efficient either, resulting in significatly shorter runtimes for the Oppo smartphone compared to Qualcomm SoC mid-range competitors despite the large 4,000 mAh battery.

For a more detailed impression of the Reno2 Z, we recommend a look at our in-depth review of the Oppo smartphone.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 03 > Why the Oppo Reno2 Z fails to convince us in our review
Marcus Herbrich, 2020-03-13 (Update: 2020-03-10)