Releasing it with Dimensity 7300 was surely a marketing move.
Just a few weeks ago, Oppo officially launched the Reno12 series in China… even though the Reno11 was just released globally. BBK is making things tight for the global audience that it doesn’t make sense upgrading to the next unless you like the next design. It is a good mentality to keep your current phone if it is not outdated yet. Most phones are designed to last for at least 2 years before you have the need to upgrade.
With that said, the global version has rolled out but it is inferior to its Chinese sibling. Instead of rocking the more powerful Dimensity 8200, Oppo instead opted for a Dimensity 7300, well Dimensity 7300-Energy that is. The “Energy” label being more of a gimmick and justification of Oppo to use an inferior chip, saying it’s for power efficiency reasons. Are they implying the Dimensity 8200 is not power efficient? They’re going to cause confusion here.
Because of that, expect that the Philippines version will also have this inferior chipset, which was only recently released. Aside from that, the device is practically the same from design down to the battery capacity.
The phone’s main highlights are its true dual camera setup. Being the “portrait expert”, Oppo has equipped the Reno12 Pro with a 50MP telephoto camera and main, though the sensors are different. Both the Reno12 and 12 Pro feature an 8MP ultrawide but the base variant misses out on the telephoto, instead using a crappy 2MP macro as a substitute. The front camera is upgraded by using the same sensor as the 50MP main, a Lytia LYT600 camera with OIS. Not with the base Reno12 however. That one uses the same tested 32MP selfie camera the brand has been using since the Reno8 series.
The display on both phones is a 6.7″ OLED with 120Hz refresh rate, so nothing changed from the Reno11 and 11 Pro. Now, the base variant uses the Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, the first one of its kind, while the 12 Pro uses the much stronger Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The main difference is that the Victus 2 is better at handling fall and scratch damage than the 7i.
Finally, the batteries. Both phones feature a 5000mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC fast charging, so our Nord 3’s charger should work well with it. Unfortunately, unlike previous models, you have to supply yourself a charger. Luckily, if you have a charger and cable that supports 80W of power, the effect is basically the same. USB Power Delivery of up to 55W is supported, thankfully.
Aside from the usual features (including the AI stuff), Oppo will introduce something that’s truly fascinating. This is BeaconLink. A technology that allows you to call for over 200m distance through the use of Bluetooth. This means, even if you don’t have cellular coverage, you can make your call. In a way, it makes the phones act like walkie-talkies!
It is available in Europe with a starting price tag of EUR 500 for the 12/256 model (~PHP 31.5K) of the Reno12, while the Pro will initially cost EUR 600 (12/512) (~PHP 37.8K). If we’re going by the Reno11 sold in the Philippines, the Reno12 should potentially cost around PHP 26-29K while the Reno12 Pro at PHP29-33K. This is how they’re priced anyway.
It is not available yet here in the Philippines. Color options include Astro Silver and Black Brown for the Reno12, and Nebula Black and Nebula Silver for the Reno12 Pro.