Oppo launches the Reno 5 in SA, starting at R15,000

So you’ve been waiting for more from the Chinese smartphone brand Oppo, have you? You’re in luck, because the Oppo Reno 5 has just dropped in South Africa and we’ve got pricing for the handset (it’s now available from both MTN and Vodacom), starting at R15,000.

Meet the Oppo Reno 5

So what are you getting with Oppo’s first higher-end smartphone available in SA? It’s not quite a flagship (that role is reserved for Oppo’s Find X series of devices) but it’s mighty close. This particular handset features a 6.43in display running at 90Hz with a peak brightness of 700 nits (because that’s a thing you have to know now). It’s running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G, the same processor found in the Google Pixel 5, alongside either 8GB RAM/128GB storage or 12GB RAM/256GB storage.

Everyone loves smartphone cameras, for some totally explicable reason, and the Reno 5’s packing a mostly in-line quad array. There’s a main 64MP sensor to play with, backed by an 8MP ultrawide and two 2MP (one macro, one depth) sensors. The camera will shoot 4K video at 30fps, and it’ll do 1080p at up to 120fps. Plus, you know, take photos. Up front is a 32MP sensor that’ll do 1080p video at 30fps.

But that ain’t the Reno 5’s major selling point. No, that’s reserved for Oppo’s charging tech. If you’re forgetful about keeping your smartphone topped up, then this is the phone for you. Oppo’s 4,300mAh lithium-polymer battery goes from zero to 100% in a claimed 36 minutes, thanks to the company’s 65W Super-Vooc fast charging chops. We haven’t seen it do this, so it’s a marketing claim for now, but we’re yet to see it in action soon enough. You can bet we’ll test this claim.

Plus, if you know your processors, you’ll also be aware that this handset supports 5G. And if you don’t know your processors, it doesn’t matter because we just mentioned the 5G. Odds are, your next phone will support the network standard before your neighbourhood does. The Oppo Reno 5 lands in SA from today in two shades, Galactic Silver and Starry Black (both pictured here) and from R15k. We’ll have a test of the device up as soon as we’re able.