OPPO Reno 12 Pro Review: An Affordable Midrange Smartphone With Fantastic AI Capabilities

Although AI-integrated smartphones have become much more common, especially in the flagship higher-end, mid-range smartphones such as the OPPO Reno 12 Pro are also beginning to buy into the hype.

We tested the phone and its range of AI features to see whether it is worth getting.

Design & build: futuristic yet minimalist

The OPPO Reno series has always been renowned for its unique and exciting design features, and this legacy has continued with the Reno 12 Pro. We got the one in “Nebula Silver,” which features a rippling effect on the rear panel that fades into more of a pinky-purple shade.

The handset boasts a distinctive dual-glass finish at the back. The top section, which covers most of the back, features a matte finish, while the lower part boasts a glossy look. The rear camera section is lowkey, with three camera sensors stacked vertically on a rectangular bump.

While the back of the phone looks and feels premium, thanks to the glass finish, the front truly catches the eye, featuring a quad-curved glass design over a flat display, creating a bezel-less appearance. According to OPPO, this curved glass enhances ergonomics while also helping to prevent accidental touches.

Furthermore, the phone has incorporated durability features such as an impact-resistant internal design and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to help boost the phone’s safety and resistance against drops and scratches.

Although I was too worried about dropping it on purpose to test this out, the phone seems sturdy enough to handle light accidental drops, plus the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front of the phone should hold up well against scrapes and scratches.

At a slender 7.4mm, the phone was comfortable to hold. Meanwhile, it comes with decent dust and water resistance, earning an IP65 rating to protect it from drink spills and rain showers.

Overall in terms of the design, the OPPO Reno 12 Pro boasts a sleek design and offers a comfortable grip for extended use. It is both light and stable in grip and handling and is sturdy enough to handle the everyday perils of life.

Display & sound: best of both worlds

The front of the phone not only looks premium, but it also sports a 6.7-inch fullHD+ flat display with quad-curved glass protection on top of it. According to OPPO, the curved screen is to please fans of both the curved-edge and normal-edged screen camps.

Based on our experience watching videos or playing games, the viewing experience was great as the panel maintained optimal colour accuracy and vibrancy.

Meanwhile, with its 120 Hz refresh rate and smooth animation effects, the smartphone delivers a premium experience that also ensures good visibility in outdoor conditions from all angles.

One feature we loved was OPPO’s Adaptive Tone, which automatically adjusts the screen colour temperature based on ambient lighting conditions. While this feature reduces sore eyes during long-term use, it affects the colour quality when consuming media.

Meanwhile, the OPPO Reno 12 Pro has dual stereo speakers positioned on the top and bottom of the device, which provides a nice stereo effect when held in landscape mode.

Performance: solid & reliable

A MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip powers the handset, paired with 12GB RAM and 512GB onboard storage, which provides a smooth and lag-free performance when handling daily tasks such as minor multitasking, web surfing, watching videos, and casual gaming.

The storage should be enough for most people. You can always pop in a Micro-SD card if you need more storage.

We didn’t encounter glitches while reviewing the phone and faced no delay issues or heating even during intense usage.

Camera: shines in the day

The Oppo Reno 12 Pro’s three-lens setup comprises a 50Mp 26mm equivalent primary camera, a 50Mp 2x telephoto, and an 8Mp 16mm equivalent ultrawide. On the front, there’s an impressive selfie camera with 50Mp resolution, a wide FOV, and autofocus.

Having used the phone to take pictures for events indoors and outdoors and both day and night, the images were impressive, especially in the daylight, where the primary lens photos look sharp and detailed, with vibrant colours.

Meanwhile, the front camera is equally impressive in the daytime, capturing sharp details and clear skin tones. Its wide FOV and autofocus also make it great for group photos and wefies.

Regarding video shooting, the Reno 12 Pro offers up to 4K 30fps capture on all cameras, excluding the ultrawide, which maxes out at 1080p 30fps. The video quality is good, with decent stabilisation that can be enhanced further by selecting ‘Ultra Steady Mode’ for those with shaky hands like me.

Software & features: a true AI smartphone

The OPPO Reno 12 Pro runs on ColorOS 14, based on Android 14, which is stable and smooth with improved animations and transitions.

One helpful feature of the phone is the File Dock, which offers more accessible access to most used apps and other functionalities; you can simply drag a photo or a file to the side to store it on the File Dock, which acts like a clipboard and allows sharing it on other apps.

Another handy feature is the Flexible Window option in settings that turns apps and notifications into floating window tiles for multitasking.

The Reno 12 Pro prides itself on being an AI phone, and its number of integrated AI features is unique and remarkable. There's AI software for everything from photo editing to text summarisation and voice transcription!

First up is the AI toolbox on the Smart Sidebar that automatically recognises the content being displayed and offers relevant AI-powered tools. An example would be when you access an article in the web browser, there will be options such as "AI Speak" and "AI Summary" to help you understand the content better.

OPPO has also integrated AI in the form of an AI Writer feature for writing assistance, which appears on the sidebar once you open a text field and in the native voice recorder app for audio transcription and text summarisation of voice recordings.

What’s even more remarkable is how AI was incorporated into the phone’s photo editing suite, including features like AI Eraser, AI Best Face, and AI Clear Face.

The AI Eraser effectively removes unwanted objects from pictures, filling the space using generative fill. The AI Clear Face feature clears out blurry faces in group shots, and the AI Best Face recognises human faces and expressions to improve images with AI's help.

Verdict

The Oppo Reno 12 Pro retails at RM2,599, making it priced appropriately with other mid-range smartphones. It boasts durable construction, premium design, vivid display, and, most importantly, a suite of artificial intelligence features for enhanced experience. However, the smartphone is not the best in imaging experience and performance.

Nevertheless, the OPPO Reno 12 Pro could be a good option for someone looking for a mid-range smartphone with mobile artificial intelligence features. If you’re not a fan of using AI or frankly don’t need it, there might be better options out there.

For more information, check out the OPPO Malaysia website.

---