Oppo Reno13 review

ColorOS 15 based on Android 15

The Reno13 launches with the latest Android 15 + ColorOS 15 combo out of the box and promises 3 major OS updates and 4 years of security patches, just like its predecessor.

The visual changes aren't as notable, at least compared to ColorOS 14. We see some subtle design changes in the quick settings menu and the iconography.

Most other upgrades are under the hood - the so-called Luminous Rendering Engine allegedly provides 800 redesigned animations across ColorOS 15 with 18% faster touch response and 40% better stability.

You can check out the Oppo Find X8's software section to learn more about the ColorOS 15.

Of course, the most notable additions are within the AI spectrum. An AI Toolbox is a set of utilities to help make your life easier - AI Summary will attempt to condense a text into a numbered list of key points, AI Speak will read a text out loud, and AI Writer will try and write a text for you. These are all accessible from the Smart Sidebar only when applicable, and you may not be able to find them directly with a search on the phone as standalone apps.

ColorOS 15

An AI Studio app is also present. It uses cloud-based generative AI to render photorealistic images in different styles based on a photo of yourself. It's a credit-based system as opposed to being unlimited, but you get a bunch of credits when you first sign up, and you can replenish them by being a regular on the app.

Settings and AI tools

Then there's a handful of AI-based photo editing tools in the gallery - some were already on previous Color OS versions. AI Eraser, AI Ultra Clarity, and AI Unblur are more or less self-explanatory. The AI Editor can also be set to automatically suggest one of its tools when it sees fit.

Benchmark performance

The Reno13 is the first device to step into the office with the Dimensity 8350 SoC on board. The chipset is almost identical to its predecessor - the Dimensity 8300. It has the same CPU and GPU configuration - an octa-core CPU with 1x3.35 GHz Cortex-A715 & 3x3.20 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4x2.20 GHz Cortex-A510 clusters, and a Mali G615-MC6 GPU. It's also based on the same 4nm manufacturing node.

Memory-wise, the Reno13 comes in plenty of variants. In some markets outside of India, the device offers 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB configurations, while in India, the handset skips the last two versions. In either case, you get UFS 3.1 storage chips.

Without further ado, here are the benchmark results and how the Reno13 stacks against the competition.

The Reno13 shows a performance improvement compared to its predecessor and offers just about average raw horsepower for its class. Still, we have significantly more powerful alternatives to the Dimensity 8350 in the same price bracket, like the Dimensity 9300+ in the Xiaomi 14T Pro and the Exynos 2400e in the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. Both devices offer far superior performance for roughly the same price.

Sustained performance

The CPU and GPU stress tests show decent sustained performance. The Dimensity 8350 SoC isn't very demanding to begin with, so the handset maintained roughly stable clock speeds and floated around 80% of the chip's theoretical performance.

CPU and GPU stress tests

The GPU struggled during the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme stress test, though. The GPU throttled down to 43% of its performance.