At a launch event held in Johannesburg this afternoon, Oppo debuted the Reno 13 Series in South Africa a couple of months ahead of schedule. Unlike last year, the Reno 13 Pro was missing from the launch line-up this year, paving the way for the Reno 13 5G and, eventually, the Reno 13 F 5G – both of which are set to join Oppo’s broader smartphone array in SA.
That doesn’t mean Oppo’s Reno 13 Pro won’t land locally eventually. Oppo might just have a couple of tricks up its sleeve to keep itself in the conversation as 2025 progresses. But, after seeing the prices of the two devices that are here, we’re not entirely hopeful it’ll retain that somewhat affordable price tag.
Oppo Reno 13 5G
Up first is the Reno 13 5G which leads the pack featuring MediaTek’s 4nm Dimensity 8350 SoC, 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and up to 512GB storage. Those all live inside the glassy 6.59in affair with aluminium lining its edges, featuring an AMOLED FHD+ display that’ll breeze to 120Hz when necessary. Oppo’s kept it simple with a familiar Android build, rocking the usual power and volume buttons with a USB-C port on its bottom.
“Designed to capture life’s most vibrant moments, even beneath the surface, the Reno13 series sets a new benchmark for smartphone imaging. It combines Oppo’s industry-leading AI enhancements with cutting-edge water-resistant technology,” the company said in a press release.
The battery is anything but stock. Inside lives a 5,600mAh battery – beating out even Samsung’s flagship efforts – that we can’t wait to get our hands on to put Oppo’s claims to the test. Even if it can’t quite live up to the bold promises, the 80W charging spec should more than offset a waning battery with time to spare.
The Reno 13 5G rear is home to a three-strong camera array, putting the 50MP shooter front and centre, backed up by an 8MP ultrawide and 2MP depth sensor. Embedded into the display is a 50MP selfie camera that appears to be far beyond the Reno 13 Series’ pay grade. It’s bolstered by all sorts of AI trickery – like an AI editor, something Oppo calls AI ‘livephoto’, and AI ‘LinkBoost 2.0’.
The Oppo Reno 13 5G is available and starts at R19,000 – stretching the definition of ‘mid-range affordable’ while it’s at it – and on contract, with pricing from R800/m over 36 months. The device can be had in the Plume White and Luminous Blue colourways.
Oppo Reno 13 F 5G
If that’s a little outside your price range, the Reno 13 F 5G might be more your speed. It dons a far less premium body that Oppo reckons can still withstand a barrage of threats thanks to the IP69 certification – the same as the regular Reno 13. The screen is larger, too, featuring a 6.67in FHD 120HZ-capable AMOLED display that’ll go as high as 2,100 nits.
That’s where the similarities end. The Reno 13 F 5G packs in the cheaper, less performant Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset which immediately explains the cheaper price. The battery, on the other hand, is a 5,800mAh monster coupled with 45W wired charging abilities. How it fares out in the real world, with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 at its back remains to be seen.
Finally, the Reno 13 F 5G redeems itself with a similar camera line-up to its sibling. A 50MP sensor leads the pack, while the 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro cameras round out the three-camera line-up. The 32MP sensor on the front is weaker than its counterpart but still excels beyond what we’ve come to expect from mid-rangers in this price range. AI hasn’t been left out of the picture here, with the Reno 13 F 5G repeating the features of its kin.
The Oppo Reno 13 F 5G will, however, only turn up in March 2025, despite the smartphone already appearing on Oppo’s South African website. When it does show up – no exact dates have been discussed yet – it will set you and your wallet back by R15,000 or R680/m over 36 months on contract.
