Oppo Reno Ace review

Introduction

Oppo Renos come with a ton of varieties of alphanumeric soup attached as model monikers, but this newest one stands out - the Oppo Reno Ace. True to its name, the Ace packs top-end hardware, including a high refresh rate display, Qualcomm's latest Plus chip, and the fastest charging we've seen.

The Reno Ace shares a lot of its DNA with offers from sister brands - Realme X2 Pro and OnePlus 7T bits can be seen throughout the spec sheet. The display is one of them - a 6.5-inch notched AMOLED that runs at 90Hz and is simply a sight to behold.

The Snapdragon 855+ chip is also a common trait of these three, and an extra 'plus' more powerful than the one you could have in the spring on the Oppo Reno 10x zoom, so the Ace one-ups the previous beefiest Reno.

What the OP doesn't have, and the Realme only almost has, is Reno's super-fast charging capability. A SuperVOOC 2.0 power brick can pump up to 65W of power to the Reno Ace, making overnight charging a concept of the past.

The Ace also has the cameras to go with its name, sort of - a triple-cam setup in the usual configuration of regular wide, ultra-wide, and short telephoto. Thanks to Oppo applying some moderation, the Ace does get out-aced in a few areas, though - it doesn't have the Realme X2 Pro's 64MP unit, with the Reno getting the 48MP Quad Bayer instead, and then there's no periscope zoom like you'd find on the Reno 10x zoom.

Oppo Reno Ace specs

• Body: 161x75.7x8.7mm, 200g; Gorilla Glass 6 front, GG5 back, aluminum frame; Psychedelic Purple, Starry Blue color schemes.
• Screen: 6.5" AMOLED, FullHD+ 1080x2400px, 20:9 aspect, 405ppi, 90Hz, HDR.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, octa-core CPU (1x2.96 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485); Adreno 640 (700MHz) GPU.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.0 storage, no microSD slot.
• OS: Android 9 Pie, ColorOS 6.1.
• Cameras: Main: 48MP, 1/2.0" sensor size, 0.8µm pixel size; 26mm equivalent focal length, f/1.7 aperture, OIS, PDAF; Telephoto: 13MP, 1/3.4", 1.0µm, 52mm, f/2.4, 2x zoom; Ultra wide angle: 8MP, 1/3.2", 1.4µm, 13mm, f/2.2; Black and white: 2MP, 1/5", 1.75µm, f/2.4. Dual LED flash. Video recording: 2160p@60fps, 1080p@120fps.
• Selfie cam: 16MP, 1/3.1", 1.0µm, 26mm, f/2.0. 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4,000mAh; SuperVOOC 2.0 65W proprietary fast charging. Power Delivery and QuickCharge compatible.
• Connectivity: Dual SIM; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.0 + LE; NFC; FM radio; USB-C; 3.5mm jack.
• Misc: Under-display optical fingerprint scanner; stereo loudspeakers.

Mind you, there are no elevating mechanisms on the Reno Ace - not that all Renos had them, but six out of eight did, while the Ace opts out. It opts in on the stereo speakers, which only two Renos before it had - a most welcome choice. We're also loving the fact that Oppo is sticking with the 3.5mm jack on the Renos. Let's see if there's something to plug into it, coming out of the box.

Oppo Reno Ace unboxing

The Oppo Reno Ace comes in what's become the standard box for the company's Reno series - it's an unusually tall package. Inside it, there's the phone, under a paper sleeve full of paperwork. Underneath, you'll find a soft transparent silicone case - nowhere as nice as the leather ones we got with the Reno 10x zoom and the Reno2, more in line with the Reno Z's.

Move the case out of the way, and you'll get to the good stuff - the 65-watt SuperVOOC charging brick. Together with the bundled cable, it provides the Reno Ace's extraordinarily fast charging speeds.

There are no headphones in the package, however, which is another apparent cost-saving development - all the Renos we had at the office (10x zoom, Reno Z, and Reno2) had headsets bundled, be they USB-C or 3.5mm. Well, not the Ace. To be fair, the Oppo online store in China does offer a set of earbuds as a 'gift' - what, they didn't fit in the box?