Oppo Reno 13 Pro Review: Extravagant Looks, Extravagant Price

Oppo’s Reno series has always focused on delivering a premium design language, and the new “Butterfly Shadow Effect” on the back panel of the new Oppo Reno 13 Pro really does give the phone a unique aesthetic. This is complemented by the phone’s premium build quality, thanks to the glass back, aluminium frame, and IP69 rating.

But unfortunately enough, value proposition remains a weak point for the Reno 13 Pro. Priced at RM2,999, the mid-ranger approaches the price territory of higher-end phones that offer superior performance and user experience, making it difficult for the Oppo phone to stand out.

What It Is

Display	6.83-inch FHD+ AMOLED (2800 x 1272), 120Hz
Chipset	MediaTek Dimensity 8350 3.35GHz octa-core
GPU	Arm Mali-G615 MC6
RAM	12GB
Storage	512GB, non-expandable
Camera (rear)	50MP f/1.8, OIS 8MP f/2.2 (ultra-wide angle) 50MP f/2.8 (telephoto), OIS, 3.5x optical zoom
Camera (front)	50MP f/2.0
Battery	5,800mAh with 80W charging
Dimensions	162.73 x 76.55 x 7.55 mm
Weight	195g
OS	ColorOS 15 based on Android 15
Connectivity	5G LTE NFC Bluetooth 5.4 WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax USB Type-C
Price	RM2,999

On paper, the Reno 13 Pro is comfortably an upper mid-range smartphone. This is mostly down to the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 processor, which is actually quite capable. I’ll talk more about the overall performance of the chip further down the review.

Besides that, the Reno 13 Pro also comes with a very generous 5,800mAh battery while still keeping the phone relatively lightweight and thin. The triple camera system is quite versatile too with three different focal lengths. Even if it’s not the most sophisticated camera setup, it performs relatively well – let’s talk about that in the next section.

The Good Stuff

Naturally, the Reno 13 Pro’s 50MP primary camera can take some great-looking shots. Although the 8MP ultra-wide and 50MP telephoto lenses can’t quite match the image quality of the main camera, they can still take good-looking shots with some extra effort. Judge for yourself with these sample shots:

In the performance side of things, the Reno 13 Pro’s Dimensity 8350 chipset caught me by surprise. The SoC allows me to multitask with different apps seamlessly, and it can even run Zenless Zone Zero at maxed out graphics settings with reasonably smooth 60fps framerate, though there are some stuttering in busier gameplay sections. Nonetheless, I’m happy with the performance level of the Dimensity 8350.

Further enhancing the gaming experience of the Reno 13 Pro is the 6.83-inch 2800 x 1272 AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. Much like other AMOLED panels, it offers vibrant colours, true blacks, and wide viewing angles. It may not have a particularly sharp resolution, but to my eyes, it’s still a pleasant screen to look at.

When it comes to battery life, the Reno 13 Pro is excellent. Packed with a 5,800mAh battery, I can get about eight hours of screen on time with the phone. I played Zenless Zone Zero quite extensively to get this level of battery life too, so if you’re not a heavy smartphone user, I reckon you can get two days of use out of the phone.

Lastly, there’s the design and build quality of the Reno 13 Pro, which are really quite good. Not only do the flat sides of the aluminium frame feel great to hold, I really like the aforementioned Butterly Shadow Effect design on the back panel of the Plume Purple colourway too. Of course, if you want something more minimalist, there’s the Graphite Grey model.

It’s also worth noting that the Reno 13 Pro’s IP69 rating allows it to do underwater photography without the need of a waterproof case. Plus, not having to worry about water damage – provided you’re not exposing it to sea water – is a nice bonus.

The Bad Stuff

One shortcoming of the Reno 13 Pro is ColorOS 15, and it’s not because the software is bad; quite the contrary, actually. It feels lightweight, responsive, and intuitive to use, but there were so many pre-installed bloatware. It also doesn’t help that the Oppo App Market pushes notifications that seem…well, spammy.

And then there’s the value proposition of the Reno 13 Pro, which isn’t that great. At RM2,999, there are various higher-end phones that offer better value for money in the form of faster performance or software experience.

Is It Worth It?

Now, while there are other phones that offer better value proposition than the Oppo Reno 13 Pro, it still has its own appeals. If you really dig the looks of the phone, for example – and you don’t mind paying a premium for it – Oppo’s latest mid-ranger is not a bad purchase at all.

After all, the Reno 13 Pro has premium build quality complete with an IP69 rating, not to mention a reasonably capable, versatile triple camera setup; more than enough processing power to provide a pleasant user experience; and very respectable battery life. On top of that, while I’m not thrilled at the amount of bloatware pre-installed with ColorOS 15 on the Reno 13 Pro, I do appreciate the overall refinement of the software.