OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G review: flagship experience or marketing gimmick?

OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G loudly declares about itself on paper: space speed, a fantastic display, comprehensive AI integration, and powerful battery life that will outlast even your longest TV shows. We tested the gadget and found out whether it’s really a breakthrough or just another hype with a very high price tag.

Technical specifications of OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G

Screen	AMOLED, 6.83 inches, 1272 x 2800 pixels, 120 Hz refresh rate, 1200 nits maximum brightness, HDR10+, 450 ppi
Case materials	Aluminum edges, frosted glass back cover
Protection	IP69
Processor	8-core Dimensity 8350 (1×3.35 GHz Cortex-A715 & 3×3.20 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4×2.20 GHz Cortex-A510)
Graphics accelerator	Mali G615-MC6
Operating system	Android 15 with ColorOS firmware
Memory	12 GB / 256 GB
Cameras	Main camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, OIS; telephoto: 50 MP, f/2.8, 85mm; ultra-wide-angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 116˚
Front camera	50 megapixels, f/2.0 aperture, 21 mm sensor
Record video	4K@/30/60 frames per second, 1080p@/120 frames per second
Interfaces and communication	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, IR, GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC
Battery	5800 mAh, 80W fast wired charging, no wireless charging
Dimensions	162.8 × 76.6 × 7.6 mm
Weight	195 grams

Packaging and equipment

OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G comes in a minimalist but stylish box with a holographic butterfly, «devil’s dozen» model number, and AI Phone inscription. And here we must pay tribute to the marketers from China: now the mimicry of the guys and girls from Cupertino is traced not only in the visual style, but also in the monomic plane.

Nevertheless, inside, in addition to the smartphone, you will find only a USB-C cable, documentation, and a tool, aka «paper clip», to eject the SIM card. And that’s it.

The charger is not included in the package — this is a trend that is becoming more and more common among manufacturers, but still causes dissatisfaction among users. Given that the smartphone supports 80W fast charging, buying a separate adapter will be an additional expense. And this is at quite a flagship price. Oh, these eco-friendly trends.

There’s not even a transparent case or headphones, which looks like skimping on the little things for a high-end device. In this segment, competitors often offer a more complete set of accessories.

The screen has only the factory protective film on it. Thank you for that. Such are the times.

Design and ergonomics

OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G, unlike the of the previous iteration is not about South Korean manufacturers, but about «apple». We have a smartphone on review in the classic graphite gray color. There is a less masculine but elegant Plume Purple color. With a thickness of 7.8 mm and a weight of 190 g, the phone fits comfortably in your hand, and the flat edges allow you to make a normal grip.

At the top is the once regular guest and the highlight of the early 2000s program — the infrared port. It is paired with a speaker and a microphone.

But you don’t have to worry about «bathing», as the smartphone is IP69 certified. Dust and dirt are also not a problem. But even though Oppo advocates underwater shooting, the warranty does not cover the case of a drowning.

OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G display

The 6.83-inch OLED screen is one of Oppo’s trump cards. The brightness, even if not maximized, makes the content readable even in direct sunlight.

HDR10+ support guarantees deep colors and contrast when watching videos on streaming services like YouTube, Netflix, etc. The 120 Hz refresh rate (can be changed in the settings) adds to the smoothness of the interface and makes using the smartphone a pleasure. It’s also a plus in games.

However, the OLED display has the property of color oversaturation, which not all users may like. But you can adjust the color mode at any time. PWM hits the eyes in the evening and at night, the eyes do not hurt and do not get tired.

There is a night mode, you can turn on adaptive shades. True tone, hello! Always-on-display with the ability to customize.

For daily content viewing, this display is one of the top ones, and it’s simply worth praising.

Sound and vibration response

OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G is equipped with two stereo speakers that provide loud (very!) and clear sound with good detail. Dolby Atmos is not declared, but the sound is surround and rich, which makes watching movies or TV shows comfortable and enjoyable. There are separate presets for different usage scenarios: everyday, for streaming content, gaming sessions, etc.

However, the bass could be more expressive — at maximum volume, it lacks depth. In addition, minor distortion sometimes appears at high levels. This is not a sensational revelation, just a fact.

During a call or a regular call, you can use the Clear Voice feature, which filters out background noise from the street, etc. It’s hardly crystal clear — but it’s definitely not a useless option.

The vibration response of the model is accurate and pleasant, its intensity is set separately. There is an option to turn it off.

Cameras

OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G has three main cameras, and they really know how to take good photos. The 50-megapixel main module produces images with good detail, correct white balance and realistic colors.

During the day, the camera works well, but at night, AI improves the detail a bit, but doesn’t make day out of night, which is also a plus. The telephoto lens is also 50 megapixels and has optical zoom. When zoomed in, the quality is almost not lost — the detail remains at a high level, and the colors are natural.

The 8-megapixel wide-angle camera is a bit weaker than the other two modules, but it does its job. The viewing angle is large, so more space fits in the photo, and perspective distortion is minimal.

The 50 megapixel front camera will delight selfie lovers. But if there are a lot of objects in the background, the algorithms may sometimes not perfectly blur the background.

As for the video, the smartphone shoots in 4K@60 fps on all modules (except for the ultra-wide-angle module — 1080p@30 fps), and there is optical stabilization that makes the picture smoother while moving. But don’t expect miracles here.

In general, OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G cameras will not disappoint, especially for those who like to take a lot of photos and videos without digging into the settings. But it’s worth reminding you that this is not a flagship, so the quality is appropriate.

Productivity, software, and games

The MediaTek Dimensity 8350 processor delivers high performance even in the most demanding tasks, such as gaming, video, or AI. Thanks to 12 GB of RAM, applications remain in the background for a long time without the need to reboot. It is possible to double the amount of RAM by adding internal memory. The efficiency of this action is questionable.

The built-in 512 GB of storage will be enough for most users, but the lack of microSD expansion may be a limitation for those who actively shoot high quality video or store a lot of media content. Then only cloud services can help.

The smartphone also supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC. The full and even slightly higher IP69 protection adds confidence both in water and on land.

The optical finger scanner is conveniently located and I didn’t have any false positives during the two weeks of use. It works flawlessly. Other biometric authentication options are available: from a graphic key to face control. In the dark, the smartphone highlights your profile to make sure it’s you.

There is no way around AI nowadays, and marketers are the first to talk about it in beautiful presentations demonstrating interesting but almost useless features. For objective reasons and because of the language barrier. Gemini AI assistant still does not understand Ukrainian.

However, there are also some that will come in handy. For example, a magic eraser to remove unnecessary objects in your photos. It works correctly.

No problems in games: high-maximum settings and 60 fps — easy and simple. After an hour of playing PUBG, there is no trotting. The smartphone heats up, but not too much. An enlarged evaporation chamber accompanies the cooling.

The gadget runs on Android 15 with the proprietary ColorOS 15 shell.

Yes, there are a lot of unnecessary applications that you can simply not select when you first start your smartphone out of the box. There is even a browser with «killer» ads on websites. It’s ironic.

OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G battery life

The battery here is a solid 5800 mAh. It easily allows you to work from morning to night with active use. With a moderate load, the smartphone can easily last up to two days. At the same time, the energy efficiency could be better — in games and when shooting video, the battery drains faster.

In the PC Mark test, the hero of the review showed 12 hours and 25 minutes at 100% brightness and a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz. This is a very good result.

There is support for fast charging at 80 watts, which I remind you was not put in the box. Only a wire. So I arranged a charging session first with a 20W charger from Apple iPad Air 5.

Time	Charge
09:05	0%
09:35	25%
10:05	52%
10:35	74%
11:05	95%
11:18	100%

And then the Baseus Elf Digital 20000mAh 65W power bank helped me:

Time	Charge “cans”	Charge your smartphone
10:45	100%	0%
11:15	71%	72%
11:37	59%	100%

There is no wireless charging, and this may upset some people. But the analog of Sony’s Ultra Stamina mode will make you happy. It turns the gadget into an almost ordinary handset without any smartphone add-ons, but the battery life is growing literally before our eyes.

User experience

OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G makes a good first impression — it looks stylish, the screen is large and bright, and the body feels solid. The smartphone is comfortable in the hand and does not slip. In everyday use, the device is fast and smooth. Social networks, videos, games — everything works without slowdowns.

The screen is especially pleasing, making even ordinary scrolling a pleasure. The battery lasts for a day and a half of active use. The camera is also a plus.

But what I didn’t like was the ascetic, or in other words, poor equipment. It’s a bit of a slang term. Even the transparent silicone case is overboard. Economy should be frugal. Yes, it is.

AI apps are not in demand by 90% of users and simply appear in advertising slogans for gadgets. AI phone? No, a regular smartphone.

And a price tag that corners a potentially great product. The only hope is for a classic price drop after six months from the release date of 5-7 thousand hryvnias. Then it’s a different story, because competitors are not sleeping.

Price and competitors

By the way, about them. But first, let’s talk about our smartphone. It is for sale in Ukraine at a price of UAH 25,831. У official resellers The price is UAH 29,999 for one 12/512 GB version.

And now about the main rivals: these are «apple» Apple iPhone 15 and 16 with a price tag starting at UAH 37,440. Of course, Samsung Galaxy S24 (price from UAH 35,999). For witnesses «clean» Android — Google Pixel 9 (price from 26,499 UAH). And his Chinese brothers: the hero of our recent review Oneplus 13 (from UAH 26,345) and Xiaomi 14 (price from UAH 31,499).