On April 10, 2019, after a press conference with a different tone than before, OPPO officially released its new smartphone product line Reno. As the pioneering work that placed high hopes on OPPO mobile phones in the "new decade", the Reno series at that time not only continued the excellent genes of OPPO mobile phones in terms of appearance and exquisite workmanship, but also proactively introduced a large number of evolutionary upgrades in performance and functionality. .
New HDR panoramic screen, 48-megapixel 10x optical zoom camera, the use of Snapdragon 855 and Snapdragon 710 main control, plus AI color reconstruction, OSIE ultra-clear visual effects, etc. Experience unique software features. When we reviewed OPPO Reno (standard version) two months ago, we evaluated it as a flagship product with improved quality but more solid positioning.
I have to say that at that time, we did not expect that OPPO would expand the Reno product line again in just a few dozen days. More importantly, this new Reno Z is extraordinary in both its technical "connotation" and its market significance.
As the latest and youngest model in the Reno series, Reno Z basically inherits the family design language and material use of the previous Reno. The most obvious difference is probably limited to the shape of the screen and the color of the body.
First of all, Reno Z replaces the panoramic screen and retractable front camera with a more traditional water drop screen design compared to the previous Reno and Reno 10x zoom versions. It is conceivable that geek players may feel that Reno Z has become so "extreme" since then. But on the other hand, for those who are concerned about the lifespan of telescopic lenses, the changes in Reno Z may make them satisfied.
Moreover, thanks to OPPO’s insistence on narrow bezel design, after adding a small “water drop”, Reno Z’s screen-to-body ratio can still be maintained at a high level of 92. At the same time, "advanced features" such as HDR10 high dynamic range and TV Rheinland low blue light eye protection certification are also retained on the Reno Z screen. At least in terms of display effect, Reno Z still maintains a leading position compared to most previous water drop screen models.
Of course, another more direct benefit of changing the front camera from a lift-type back to a water-drop design is that Reno Z can use a much larger and higher-spec phone. CMOS design. In fact, compared to the previous Reno's 16-megapixel front-facing camera, this time Reno Z directly uses the current most high-end 32-megapixel front-facing camera design, which is destined to be better in terms of photosensitivity, night shooting resolution, etc. Performance, it is not an exaggeration to call it a "counterattack".
Compared with the changes in the shape of the front screen, the "coral orange" color scheme launched by Reno Z this time in the series is believed to be less controversial. After all, whether it is an entire side of 3D curved glass, a unique dual-texture (frosted and highlighted on a piece of glass) process, or the special status of coral orange as this year’s Pantone color, all determine the OPPO Reno Z Coral Orange has a high return rate.
In addition, if you only look at the shape and craftsmanship of the back of the fuselage, you will actually find that Reno Z maintains the same high level as the previous Reno, and has not shrunk due to changes in positioning. .
At the end of February this year, we at Sanyi Life went to the MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Spain for several days of continuous reporting. At that time, we noticed three "ruthless characters" at MediaTek's booth. One was the M70 5G baseband with a measured bandwidth of more than 4Gbps. The other was the Internet of Vehicles chip that could still maintain signals even in a tunnel. The third is MediaTek’s latest Helio P90 mobile phone controller.
As the most advanced mobile phone SoC currently shipped by MediaTek, Helio P90 actually has no black spots this time. For example, its CPU part is composed of two Cortex-A75 large cores and six A55 small cores. In terms of basic architecture and design ideas, it is equal to the "Shen U" Snapdragon 710 next door, and even compared to the HiSilicon Kirin 710. Still a generation ahead. In terms of GPU specifications related to 3D game performance, Helio P90 uses the PowerVR GM9446 with a main frequency of up to 970Mhz. This is the latest generation of PowerVR mid-range GPU core, both in terms of performance specifications and support for advanced technologies. reached a qualified mid-to-high-end level.
As can be seen from the actual running scores, the CPU performance of Helio P90 far exceeds the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 with a similar architecture, and the overall peak performance is comparable to the Snapdragon 710 and Huawei Kirin 970. It has reached a fully qualified quasi-flagship level today. Not only that, from the PCMARK storage score, we can also see that Ren Z uses very good quality UFS 2.1 flash memory this time, which further confirms its positioning as a "quasi-flagship" product.
Of course, in addition to greatly improved computing performance, Helio P90 actually has a greater advantage in the mid-to-high-end market where it is located, that is, it has a self-developed second-generation AI processing unit (APU 2.0). In fact, Helio P90 not only overwhelms flagships such as Snapdragon 845 and Kirin 980 in terms of AI performance, it even has many mature AI acceleration instances available. From AI cameras to live broadcast real-time image quality optimization, from interactive voice assistants to intelligent beauty algorithms, they are all within the range of functions that Helio P90 can use AI acceleration to achieve "increasing speed and reducing consumption". And these, of course, are also reflected in the daily use experience of Reno Z.
When we reviewed the Reno (standard version) before, we praised OPPO for fully utilizing the Sony IMX586. Not only does it have excellent resolution, but its colorful mode function can provide better resolution than traditional HDR. The natural high dynamic effect is especially effective in improving the look and feel of the picture in rainy weather.
Compared with Reno (standard version), Reno Z’s rear camera has better CMOS specifications (IMX586 48 million main camera, 5 million secondary camera), lens optical parameters (f1.7 aperture, 6P lens, closed-loop focus motor) has not changed. However, the Helio P90 has a higher-performance three-core ISP than the Snapdragon 710, and its AI computing performance is also stronger. Does this mean that Reno Z is expected to bring a better shooting experience?
First of all, if you explore the camera interface of Reno Z, you will find that its functions are no different from Reno, including the AI ??scene mode that is turned on by default and the colorful functions that we have particularly praised before. There is no absence. So, obviously, all we can do next is the proofs.
In previous press conferences, OPPO has made it clear that it will develop its own image style and will not simply pursue "colorful" and "bright" - judging from the actual sample photos we took, the official I'm really not bragging: Reno Z shows a rather realistic image style, without the gaudy red and purple colors, but it can sufficiently convey the chilling atmosphere of the scene.
To be honest, we have tested many 48-megapixel smartphones so far. Whether it is IMX582, IMX586, or S5KGM1, their most common technical feature is that they all have "four-in-one" One" special pixel design brings extremely high photosensitivity. However, this high-sensitivity feature is actually a great test for the calibration level of mobile phone manufacturers. If you don't get it right, overexposed images will become a common occurrence.
In the process of preparing Reno Z proofs, we noticed that its imaging algorithm will have a certain automatic brightening operation in a darker environment, but it is obvious that OPPO engineers have considered it more thoughtfully.
When there is a strong light source in a dim environment, Reno Z can well avoid overexposure, which is rare and advanced.
Finally, it is the "city night scene" link that best reflects the algorithm tuning capabilities of each manufacturer. As a mid-range mobile phone priced at more than 2,000 yuan, Reno Z’s performance in this part can only be described as a surprise: especially the suppression of highlights, it even exceeds the level of some super first-tier flagships in our impression. On the one hand, this shows that technological progress is enough to transform consumer experience in just a few months, but it also shows that OPPO is trying its best to do better even on such a mid-range mobile phone. Of course, MediaTek Helio P90 is indispensable, and it’s time for us to change our view of this chip company.
When we first learned about the news about OPPO Reno Z, we must admit that we did have some misunderstandings: after all, whether it was the "Z" in the product name or the changes in its shape and configuration, It makes people mistakenly think that this is just another "youth version".
However, after finishing the review, we realized that except for the fact that "Z" refers to "Generation Z", we really underestimated the Reno Z phone. its product power. Different from the apparent price reduction, the basic performance of Reno Z has actually increased instead of falling, and the camera quality is also surprising. In addition, additional functions such as HDR, Dolby Atmos, and full-featured NFC make Reno Z not only highly competitive in its price range, but also able to compete head-to-head with more expensive flagships in many aspects. Don't fall behind.