Oppo Reno Ace review

Competition

The Oppo Reno Ace is for sale only in China at this point with a retail price of CNY 3,199 for the base 8/128GB version or €410/$455 pre-tax. Factor in VAT to the tune of ~20% if you were to import one, and you're looking at some €500/$550, or €580/$650 for the top-spec 12GB/256GB version. While the base price does make it very good value, almost a bargain even, it's not without capable competitors at a similar price point.

The Realme X2 Pro is one of the most prominent alternatives, this one set to go for sale in Europe through official channels in the coming weeks, starting at €400 for a base 6GB/64GB configuration. You'd want to step up to an 8GB/128GB version to get the UFS 3.0 storage, thus matching the Reno Ace's base storage at €50 less. Going the Realme route, you'd gaining a larger and higher-res primary cam (64MP/16MP vs. 48MP/12MP). And that's about it - very closely related these two, and performing similarly.

Then there's another cousin of the two, the globally available OnePlus 7T. This one will run you €600/$600 for an 8GB/128GB trim level, so it's the most expensive if you're to get one in Europe, but also the only one you can buy in the States. Price and logistics aside, the OP7T will get you a better ultra wide-angle cam than the Ace and Android 10 with stockish-looking OxygenOS on top. The Ace counters with much faster charging (28mins vs. 76mins does make a difference).

Realme X2 Pro • OnePlus 7T

Of course, phones do exist outside of the BBK group of brands. For example, a Galaxy S10+ may be more expensive at full retail, but Galaxies do come with heavy carrier subsidies throughout the world, which you can't really say of the above three. An S10+ will give you a superior display in terms of color, brightness, and resolution (but no 90Hz, though), dust and water protection, and the overall Samsung experience. The Ace does deliver better battery life and faster charging, and, well, those 90Hz.

Then there's the Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro, which we haven't seen sadly but it appears to be a worthy alternative. Same Snapdragon as the Reno Ace, a 6.39-inch AMOLED (not 90Hz though), comprehensive camera system, 4,000mAh battery and Android 10 - the Mi 9 Pro ticks a lot of the right boxes.

Samsung Galaxy S10+ • Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro

Verdict

The Oppo Reno Ace is a really exciting phone that does most things right and does so at a reasonable price. Speaking on the merits only, it's easy to recommend thanks to a great screen, long battery life and all-around good cameras.

It's not widely available, however, and for all its goodness, it's hard to justify going through the trouble of acquiring one. Mainly when there are very similar alternatives coming from the factories next door, through official channels. The OnePlus 7T and Realme X2 Pro seem like more sensible choices if you're in the West - the money will be going to BBK anyway.

Pros

• Attractive design, high quality materials and build.
• 90Hz display is super smooth, and also plenty bright (not very accurate, though).
• Battery life is excellent and the 28 minutes to a full charge are unmatched.
• Loud and high-quality sound of the stereo speakers.
• Versatile triple camera, good image quality in good and low light.
• Very convincing portrait modes front and back.
• Superbly competent stabilization all the way to 4K60.

Cons

• Noisy stills and video when looking up close.
• Benchmark performance on the low end of the spectrum for the hardware.
• Limited regional availability.