If it seemed like only yesterday that Oppo launched its last round of smartphones in South Africa, you wouldn’t be far off. The Oppo Reno 14, which officially launched last night, arrives just six months after the Reno 13 and 13 F landed in February. Not that we’re complaining, the more capably-specced premium mid-range devices on offer, the better.
Last night’s launch also doubled as a celebration to mark Oppo’s fifth anniversary in South Africa.
Oppo’s Reno 14 makes a flash
“The Reno14 5G reflects OPPO’s focus on relevance for South African consumers,” says Bradley Young, Head of Retail at OPPO. It delivers real improvements in low-light imaging, battery endurance, and fast charging features that matter in people’s daily lives. Positioned as the ultimate party phone, it’s also a device designed for every moment, from weekend celebrations to everyday productivity.”
One look at the Reno 14’s spec sheet should be enough for anyone to confirm that it’s gunning for the party folks, evident by the headline feature — AI Flash Photography. In hardware terms, it’s got a bright flash that aims to turn your low-light shots into sharp, detailed photos. It’s paired with a new 50MP telephoto sensor that offers 3.5x optical zoom.
The only other notable change we spotted was the upgraded battery. The Reno 14 ships with a sizeable 6,000mAh battery, over the 5,600mAh in the Reno 13. It also comes with a Supervooc 80W wired charger in the box. That should keep you going all day and into the night.
On the hardware front, beyond the camera sensor and upgraded battery, most of the other specs remain unchanged. Same MediaTek Dimensity 8350 SoC? Check. Same 6.59in 120Hz AMOLED display? Yup.
Should we count the added support for Wi-Fi 6E, or the single-degree-wider ultrawide lens? There’s probably at least one person who will notice.
As for software, the Reno 14 ships with ColorOS 15 (based on Android 15) and boasts the usual AI-laden features and gimmicks. A few of them actually seem useful if you’re the partying type, like AI Editor 2.0, AI Livephoto Export, or the dedicated underwater photography mode. But we’ll hold our final judgement until we’ve had the chance to test them ourselves.
The Oppo Reno 14 is already available for purchase for R20,000 or on contract starting at R850/m.
