OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G Review: A mid-range marvel with flagship features TechTricks365

In Australia’s increasingly saturated smartphone market, discussions typically revolve around major brands like Samsung, Apple, and Google. However, OPPO has been consistently surprising the Australian market with its Reno series, bringing clever designs and innovative features. The recently released Reno13 Pro 5G is no exception. Launched in March 2025, this phone combines inspired features with a reasonable price tag, making it a worthy contender for consumers’ consideration.

The Reno13 Pro 5G boasts an impressive 6.83-inch AMOLED display with slightly curved edges, delivering a significant visual impact. On the hardware front, it’s equipped with the Dimensity 8350 chipset jointly developed by OPPO and MediaTek, OPPO’s exclusive SUPERVOOC flash charging, and a large 5,800mAh battery that won’t disappoint in either capacity or charging speed. This time, the Reno13 Pro 5G also introduces an “underwater photography” mode, allowing users and content creators to shoot videos underwater at depths of up to 2 metres for as long as 30 minutes without any additional waterproofing measures.

Whether you’re a street photographer, an outdoor vlogging enthusiast, or simply someone looking for a mid-to-high-end product that combines design and performance, the Reno13 Pro 5G is a strong competitor in the sub-$1,300 AUD market.

Unboxing

The Reno13 Pro comes in a minimalist paper box with OPPO’s signature brand logo and an image matching the device’s colour printed on the lid. Opening the box reveals the device itself, which immediately conveys a premium feel thanks to its excellent craftsmanship of glass and metal materials. The packaging also includes a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, an 80W SuperVOOC power adapter, and standard documentation including operation manuals and user guides.

From the moment I unpacked the OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G, I realised this wasn’t just another mid-range phone trying to punch above its weight—it has a thin, refined, and thoughtfully considered design. OPPO positions this device as a bridge between flagship performance and everyday usability. I must honestly say that the design of the phone’s back somewhat reminds me of the iPhone, especially the transition between the glossy finish around the camera and the rest of the body.

Specs and Design

While the OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G may not be breaking new ground in mid-range smartphone design, it undoubtedly perfects the formula through elegant and precise refinement.

Despite its large screen, the phone maintains a slim and lightweight profile, measuring just 162.8 x 76.6 x 7.6mm and weighing 195 grams. It has ultra-narrow bezels and a discreet punch-hole front camera, the phone feels surprisingly thin in hand, with the screen occupying the front almost without interruption.

Its slim body might make you wonder how OPPO managed to fit a USB-C port at the bottom, though, as expected, it doesn’t come with a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the right side, the power button and volume controls are cleverly positioned for easy one-handed operation, while the under-display fingerprint sensor is responsive and sensibly placed.

Flipping to the back, you’ll notice a prominent camera bump housing the three-lens combination and a conspicuous flash module. The camera protrusion is just right to prevent the phone from lying completely flat on a surface, something that might catch the attention of users who prefer minimal wobble.

A highlight is the Reno13 Pro 5G’s IP69 rating, offering top-tier protection against dust, water, and even high-pressure water jets and steam—durability typically reserved for industrial or medical equipment. While most users may never need such robust protection, it certainly provides extra peace of mind for those leading active, unpredictable lives.

Display

The OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G’s 6.83-inch screen left a deep impression on me. It occupies almost the entire front of the phone, with the excellently controlled distance between the screen and bezels. Despite its large size, it remains comfortable to hold, which surprised me.

This screen has a resolution of 1272 × 2800 pixels, which, while not particularly outstanding on paper, leaves nothing to be desired in practice. Whether reading articles or zooming in to examine photos, the screen preserves details admirably. When showing review photos to friends, they unanimously commented on how clear the images looked, almost feeling like they could sense every detail in the picture.

Nowadays, a 120Hz screen refresh rate has become almost standard. I still remember being amazed by a high refresh rate screen when I first used the OnePlus 7 Pro—even though it was only 90Hz, the impact was indescribable. The OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G automatically adjusts its refresh rate based on different usage scenarios—lowering it when reading static content to save battery, and increasing it when scrolling or gaming to ensure a smooth experience.

Another notable feature is the addition of HDR10+ support, which significantly enhances the quality of streaming content. I randomly found a few HDR videos on YouTube, and the actual effect felt very similar to my personal realme GT7 Pro. These two are very close in HDR parameters, with the latter supporting Dolby Vision and offering a superior P3 colour gamut.

Another feature I didn’t expect to use frequently but now adjust often is the customisable display settings. Three colour modes (Vivid, Natural, Pro) can adapt to different usage scenarios—I typically use Natural mode during the day and switch to Pro mode when editing photos. When I find myself preferring a slightly warmer tone in the evening, the colour temperature adjustment feature comes in handy.

For users concerned about blue light effects, the low blue light certification is also very effective. After extended browsing, I noticed significantly less eye fatigue compared to my GT7 Pro.

Whether watching movies, playing games, or checking emails, this screen delivers an immersive experience that far exceeds its price point. If you consider display quality an important factor when choosing a phone, the Reno13 Pro is definitely worth serious consideration.

Camera System

When I first got my hands on the OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G, I was deeply attracted by its camera system. As someone who enjoys documenting life’s moments with my phone, I’ve always had high standards for photography, and the Reno13 Pro’s performance in this area truly surprised me.

Its main camera uses a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 sensor with optical image stabilisation, capturing vibrant colours and rich details whether shooting landscapes in daylight or portraits at night. The clarity and depth rival many professional cameras.

What also impressed me was the equally powerful 50-megapixel telephoto lens. It supports 3.5x optical zoom and up to 120x digital zoom, making distant scenery, architecture, or even capturing fleeting moments of action both stable and clear. Even when shooting handheld, images rarely blur thanks to the crucial optical stabilisation.

When shooting landscapes or group photos, the 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens proves useful. The 115° wide-angle easily accommodates more content, eliminating the need to repeatedly step back to find the right angle for large scenes or group shots.

It’s evident that this phone’s front camera is also a priority, with the same 50-megapixel resolution and even support for 4K 60fps video recording! Compared to the performance-focused GT7 Pro, the OPPO Reno13 Pro clearly prioritises users’ everyday needs.

Of course, the Reno13 Pro 5G isn’t just hardware-strong; its AI photography features are also very practical. The AI clarity enhancer maintains detail in zoomed photos; AI deblurring and reflection removal help fix blurry photos or those taken through glass; and the AI eraser can easily “wipe away” unwanted people or objects from photos. Meanwhile, AI night portraits and AI motion capture excel in low-light and action scenes, rarely missing any spectacular moment.

Even more thoughtfully, it comes equipped with AI reconstruction and AI face clarity features, not only restoring old photos but also ensuring every face in group photos appears clear and attractive. It can even automatically select the best expression for each person, eliminating the need to repeatedly retake group photos.

In essence, the OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G doesn’t just take clear pictures—it takes smart ones. It feels like carrying around an intelligent assistant who understands photography, aesthetics, and photo editing. Whether you’re a professional content creator or simply want to capture life’s touching moments with your phone, this device helps you easily take satisfying photos and videos. Photography has become simpler and more fun.

Performance

If you’re looking for a phone with stable performance and a smooth experience without making your wallet “sweat,” the OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G is worth considering. Equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 processor, this phone performs very steadily in daily use, effortlessly handling switching between apps, watching videos, and chatting while listening to music.

Although the Reno13 Pro isn’t positioned as a high-performance product, it handles popular gaming demands very capably. After playing Wuthering Waves continuously for over 2 hours, I didn’t feel any uncomfortable heat—just normal warming. This indicates the phone can maintain stable operation even under intensive use. Combined with AI HyperBoost and an efficient cooling system, the overall user experience is very reliable. Of course, mid-to-high-end configured phones are unlikely to handle games at maximum graphics settings, so don’t be too naive by setting the quality to maximum, or you’ll likely be disappointed.

Worth mentioning is the impressive performance of its AI processor, NPU 780, particularly noticeable when taking photos and running multiple tasks. Additionally, OPPO’s proprietary SignalBoost X1 chip and AI LinkBoost 2.0 technology enhance network connection quality, maintaining stable connectivity even in “signal-challenged” scenarios like elevators or underground parking garages.

Speaking of networks, I noticed the Reno13 Pro offers comprehensive network band support. For 4G networks, it supports a total of 23 bands, including all Australian operator frequencies! It also has extensive coverage for 5G bands – up to 17 different bands! Unfortunately, the Reno13 Pro also doesn’t include mmWave support, although this frequency band has a very limited application range. In terms of band coverage, this phone definitely ranks near the top of the products I’ve supported.

The Reno13 Pro 5G may not be “number one” on performance rankings, but it’s like a reliable old friend, quietly doing everything well without errors or breakdowns. For users who value practicality and stability, this phone is indeed a thoughtful choice.

Battery

The Oppo Reno 13 Pro is equipped with a larger 5,800mAh battery compared to its predecessor, aligning with current market trends that make the previously standard 5,000mAh batteries seem somewhat “compact.” In my testing, the battery supports approximately a day and a half of use, or even up to two days with conservative usage.

For charging, the Reno 13 Pro maintains last year’s 80W fast charging, which is very quick but not so fast as to compromise battery health. There’s also a practical feature allowing you to charge other devices via USB, making it convenient to power up earphones or smartwatches while on the go.

The newly added 50W wireless fast charging is another highlight, extremely rare in mid-to-high-end phones—in fact, almost non-existent, especially at such high charging power. It’s worth noting that due to the camera bump, the phone cannot lie completely flat on a table, though this doesn’t affect wireless charging functionality.

ColorOS 15 with AI

The system experience left a good impression during my time with the OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G. The phone comes preinstalled with Android 15 and runs OPPO’s in-house ColorOS 15. While OPPO promises this phone will receive at least three years of system updates, frankly speaking, this timeframe is standard among Android phones. It’s sufficient to cover most users’ daily usage cycles. And remember, providing longer system update periods might sound advantageous, but in reality, after three years, your device may become “slow-running” after updates due to its inability to adapt to newly added system functions. iOS and iPadOS users should be deeply familiar with what I’m talking about here.

ColorOS 15 maintains a clean, refreshing appearance with clear operating logic that even non-OPPO users can quickly familiarise themselves with. Since my regular realme phone essentially uses the ColorOS system, I basically needed no adaptation period when using the Reno13 Pro.

This generation of ColorOS further strengthens AI functionality—you could say almost every corner “hides” an AI assistant. For instance, AI Summary helps you quickly extract key information from articles or reports, saving considerable reading time; AI Writer and AI Rewriter are very helpful when writing notes, sending emails, or editing copy—when your thoughts aren’t clear, they help you organise your language; AI Reply generates appropriate responses based on conversation context, making work communication less troublesome; and AI Assistant for Notes not only automatically organises notes but also reminds you of to-dos, which is very practical for daily task management.

The system also integrates Google’s Gemini and Circle to Search. The latter allows you to immediately search related information by circling images or text, making it both intuitive and efficient. Whether you need to quickly access information for work or temporarily look up a word or object in daily life, it responds promptly. These new features become indispensable once you try them.

However, ColorOS isn’t without flaws. Like many Android phones, the system comes preloaded with numerous third-party software, utility applications, and games on first boot, appearing somewhat cluttered. If you’re a user who pursues a clean desktop experience, you might need to spend some time clearing these “gifts.” Unfortunately, this “software stacking” practice has become commonplace among most Chinese brand phones. From my personal perspective, if it’s a mid-end product priced around three to four hundred dollars, such as the Moto G75, I can understand preinstalling some partner apps as it helps reduce costs, but for a phone priced above a thousand dollars, I see no reason for doing this.

Overall, ColorOS 15’s progress in intelligence is evident, with various AI tools not only adding value but substantially improving efficiency. If you’re seeking a phone with smooth operation, rich features, and intelligent experiences, the Reno13 Pro certainly won’t disappoint at the system level.

Pros and cons

Conclusion

After using the OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G for some time, I’m very satisfied with this phone’s performance. It not only boasts a powerful camera system and innovative AI photography and productivity tools but also features a refined design, excellent display, and flagship-level performance.

If you enjoy photography, the Oppo Reno 13 Pro 5G is definitely worth considering. Aside from the wide-angle lens, all other cameras perform exceptionally well, capturing stunning photos in various scenarios thanks to excellent (software-driven) photography technology. The telephoto lens, in particular, not only captures detailed distant views but also easily takes beautiful portraits.

Overall, the Oppo Reno 13 Pro 5G is perfect for those seeking a unique design without prioritising hardware performance. Reno 13 Pro 5G is currently on sale for only $999.00 at Oppo, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, and Kogan. The original asking price was fair, but now with $300.00 off? This is considered to be a bargain!