Smart technology brand, OPPO, has launched the latest member of its Reno smartphone family in South Africa.

According to OPPO, the new device “offers professional imaging capabilities, powerful hardware for a high-performance user experience and OPPO’s SuperVOOC Charging technology in an ultra-slim design available in two unique colours.”

The device comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage as standard, but with OPPO-developed RAM Expansion Technology an additional 2GB, 3GB or 5GB of temporary RAM allocated from unused ROM can supplement storage space.

“This means that if the phone runs out of usable RAM space, users can choose to convert part of available ROM to virtual RAM by enabling the function,” the company added.

The device is about 7.81mm thick and weighs about 173g. It features a suite of AI-enabled features to enable DSLR-like photo and video content.

“On the phone’s front a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with 90 Hz refresh rate and 180 Hz touch sampling rate provides a more vivid, smoother viewing experience. The screen is also SGS Eye Care Display Certified as a low-blue light screen, which can help to reduce eye strain during extended use. The Reno7 5G is Netflix HD and Amazon Prime Video Certified, ensuring a more vivid and high quality streaming experience,” the company stated.

OPPO said a large 4,500mAh battery combines with 65W SUPERVOOCTM charging to allow a full charge in about 35 minutes, while just five minutes of charging will provide enough battery for two hours of gaming or four hours of streaming.

“OPPO’s Super Power Saving Mode and Super Night-time Standby help maximise that last bit of battery when you need it most, keeping you safe in the knowledge your battery should last until you find a place to charge,” the company added.

At the heart of Reno7 5G is an integrated MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G SoC chipset, which includes support for 5G and Wi-Fi 6, ensuring faster connectivity during mobile gaming.

Gaming is a Reno7 5G specialty and an upgraded HyperBoost suite of technologies allows a smoother, more immersive experience. 

"AI Frame Rate Stabiliser predicts the frame rate and temperature change of the device in advance and compensates accordingly to avoid unsteady frame rates for smoother gameplay, while Quick Startup identifies your most frequently played games and keeps them active in the background to be easily opened via the game home page with just one click."

With the help of an AI-enhanced Smart Sensor, Anti-peeping for Notifications helps protect user privacy when in public areas. With Anti-peeping Notifications enabled, detailed notification content will be hidden if the AI-enhanced Smart Sensor detects someone else looking at your phone when the message pops up.

Omoji is a 3D animated emoji feature introduced for the first time on ColorOS 12. Boosted by OPPO’s leading Face Capture algorithm, Omoji lets users express their style through personalised emoji avatars. There are more than 200 accessories and dynamic expressions available for customisation.

The device retails at R14 999.00 and OPPO said is available on both a 24 and 36 month contract at R749 p/m or R549 p/m respectively. 

Liam Faurie, Head of Operations & Go-to Markets of OPPO South Africa, told ITWeb Africa that since launching the brand into the South African market in September 2020 it has established a customer base of 300 000, and is among the top three brands in its immediate addressable market segments “and achieved double digit market share towards the end of 2021.”

“Since 2012, premium smartphone options have diversified, coupled with an increasing daily screen time by individuals, access to a smart device has become a necessity. With customers spoiled for choice, there are only so many key differentiators that etch one brand above another, and OPPO plans to play to its strengths across design, flash charging, photography and partnerships.”

While Faurie acknowledged the competitive smartphone market in South Africa and the rest of the continent, he said the company is focused on customer experience rather than competition.

“We do not focus on competitors but rather spend our time thinking about how we can better the experience for people using our smart devices. We do encourage competition as it offers more choice to customers, improves on service, and encourages innovation. Our difference is our innovation and price point as we continue to provide premium technology solutions at a cost that is easy on customer wallets. Our focus is on giving customers access to world-class technology without any compromise on function.

“Thus far, we have only a 0.3 percent return rate, proving the durability and quality of OPPO devices. As we continue to grow, we plan on further diversifying our offerings, and expand on our product range outside of just smartphones, routers and wearable devices. The Mobile World Congress was just the start of what is set to be our grandest yet for South Africa, as we look to bring global excellence to shores of home.”

The Reno7 5G is available from 01 April 2022, across participating retailers and operators including Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, and Telkom.