After launching its flagship Find X Series in India (after a gap of a few years), Oppo is back in 2025 with a bang. Yes, the company isn’t done with smartphone launches and we have a beauty in our hands. The Reno 13 Series is here and it's got an ace (read underwater photography) up its sleeve.
The Reno Series has always prioritised design and camera in the mid-range segment and the Reno 13 Pro is no different. It starts at Rs 49,999 and features a souped-up camera with many AI features to ignite the photographer in you.
Oppo knows that the mid-range segment is crowded (just look at the multitude of options in this range), so they aren’t leaving the heavy lifting to those cameras. The device has a bright display with popping colours, a battery that refuses to die, a design that stands out from many competitors and a sleek yet good-feeling in-hand feel to lend it that premium feel.
The last time I felt really good about a Reno series smartphone was when I had gotten my hands on the Reno 13 Pro+. That was in July of 2023. We’re now in January of 2025, and the entire game has changed. I was kind of heartbroken when Oppo discounted the Pro+ variant of the Reno series. The Reno 11 series and Reno 12 series didn’t really inspire any confidence (also, at that time, the Find X series wasn’t being launched outside of China).
But there’s just something about the Reno 13 Pro (despite it being expensive) that keeps me coming back for more. Let’s find out whether the Reno 13 Pro can stand on its own two feet or get pushed aside.
Design: Elegant
Sleek. Comfort. Stylish. Those are the words that come to mind upon unboxing the Reno 13 Pro. At 195 grams (despite housing a 5,800mAh battery) and a thickness of just 7.55mm, the Reno 13 Pro feels great in hand. The company is using an aerospace-grade aluminium frame, which is a step in the right direction.
The smartphone comes in two colourways - Mist Lavender and Graphite Grey. I got the Graphite Grey, and I personally prefer it to Mist Lavender. This is partly because you get a transparent case with lines and the Mist Lavender, whilst you get a premium black case with the Graphite Gray variant. Saying that, the Mist Lavender colourway, has this butterfly effect that does stand out.
The Reno 13 Pro features flat edges, a metallic frame and a micro-curved screen on the front. There’s far less of a protruding camera bump this time around. The downside, though, is that this phone is somewhat slippery. Just use a case and you’ll be fine.
Let’s give a shout-out to Oppo for going the extra mile with the Reno 13 Pro. Yes, the phone features an IP69 rating. That means if you’re dipping your toes in freshwater like a swimming pool, the Reno 13 Pro can take a dive inside with you and take some incredible while it's at it. The people surrounding you might be stunned briefly, so just consider that!
Display: The Colours are Popping
As I said above, the Reno 13 Pro features a vibrant display with pop colours. The Reno 13 Pro features a mesmerising 6.83-inch AMOLED panel (with a 120Hz refresh rate). It comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for extra protection. The colours on my Pro unit were true-to-life and weren’t oversaturated.
I’m going to ding Oppo about the peak brightness. The Reno 13 Pro features 1,200 peak brightness, which is lagging behind the competition. In fact, it wasn’t bright enough in Thailand's sunshine.
I have no complaints about the in-display fingerprint sensor, as it is fast and reliable. The handset comes with stereo speakers, which deliver crisp and clear audio up to an 80% volume level. You can raise the bar by a whopping 300%, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
While everyone was watching Squid Game 2, I streamed the Australia vs India Test match (ugh, we lost). The colours were bright and accurate, and the dynamic range was good.
Are the AI Features Useful?
The short answer is yes. I tried several of these features and was fairly impressed. Many of these AI features are cloud-based, so you’d need an active internet connection for them to work.
One of my favourite features to use was AI Summary. It summarises articles, documents and more, in clear and concise points, helping you save a chunk of your time, especially if the document is excessively long.
Many of the Find X series AI features have hopped over to the Reno series. AI Reflection Remover, AI Unblur, AI Clarity Enhancer and AI Eraser 2.0 are just some of them. While they are a hit or miss, you’d be amazed when they work. My favourite was AI Eraser 2.0. Removing people from the background was quite interesting and worked almost flawlessly.
There are new additions to AI Studio, like AI Reimage and AI Motion. I tried AI Reimage, and while it works as intended - changing your photo into something (like you as an astronaut) - that can be instantly shared on social media.
Shall We Talk About the Camera?
Again, I’ll give you just one word to summarise the cameras on the Reno 13 Pro. Reliable. There hasn’t been a massive improvement in the hardware, but you do get a new primary sensor (say hello to Sony IMX890), which is a welcome upgrade.
The Reno 13 Pro features a 50MP primary sensor (Sony IMX890 with f/1.8 aperture), a 50MP telephoto lens (JN5 sensor) and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle shooter. On the front, there is a 50MP selfie camera.
The photos generally came out sharp, detailed and with true-to-life colours. Daylight images were sharp and had good dynamic range. The primary sensor will do most of the heavy lifting, and we’re glad Oppo has changed it. No matter what subject you’re shooting, the photos are crisp, detailed and ready to be shared with the world within just a few seconds.
The telephoto lens surprised me the most. The 3.5x optical zoom (120x digital zoom) unlocks a whole new realm of possibilities with a Reno series smartphone. Image quality at 3.5x is excellent; even 10x gives decent shots. I could zoom in to text that my eyes couldn’t decipher, yet the Reno 13 Pro (with a sprinkle of AI) showed me a clear image with crisp text. Remember not to go over 15x zoom because that’s where the image quality falters.
Portraits are my favourite things to shoot and I was slightly disappointed here. The bokeh effect is nice and the skin tones are natural, but that’s about it. The edge detection struggled repeatedly, especially when the light wasn’t favourable. This was more pronounced when the light behind the subject was different. I managed to get some nice portraits, but that was after shooting multiple shots.
The 8MP ultra-wide lens performed above average. In good daylight conditions, landscape photography was a joy. The dynamic range was managed well, and the colours weren’t oversaturated. I wouldn’t use the ultra-wide lens often, as the colours weren’t as punchy as those of the primary sensor, but if you are outside and need to use it, it won’t disappoint.
With the primary sensor, I managed to get some crisp and detailed shots even in the nighttime light. However, the telephoto and wide-angle lenses struggled a bit in low-light scenarios.
Battery Life and Charging
Battery life has been one of the USPs of the Reno series. This time, the Reno 13 Pro comes with a larger 5,800mAh, compared to the 5,000mAh battery on the Reno 12 Pro. With this upgrade, the phone easily lasts two days with a medium-to-heavy usage pattern. If you’re out and about, clicking photos all day and binge-watching Netflix shows, you might be able to deplete the battery within a day.
When you need to recharge, just plug in the 80W fast charger (included in the box) and you’ll be ready to go with 100% battery in just 45 minutes.
Verdict: A Worthy Successor?
It’s time to sum up my thoughts about the Reno 13 Pro. I know I didn’t delve into the software much, but that’s because there’s nothing to write home about. It’s a fluid and fast software with some bloatware (as always!) attached to it. ColorOS 15 is an improvement, with many AI-powered features being added to it. But yeah, that bloatware is a disappointment. Oppo has promised 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security updates, which is just about fine.
Although I think the Reno 13 Pro is slightly overpriced, there are many reasons to buy it. Despite the larger 5,800mAh battery, the phone has a sleek, modern design and a slim profile. Its fantastic 6.83-inch AMOLED display (with a 120Hz refresh rate) features vibrant and punchy colours. The triple-camera setup is versatile, and the battery lasts over a day. ColorOS 15 is a welcome refinement over previous editions.
But, yes, there is one thing that could have been better. The chipset. The MediaTek Dimensity 8350 is a capable chipset and the phone runs smoothly, but it isn’t the fastest or most powerful chipset in this range. At Rs 49,999, there are many other options you could consider. Form the older Pixel 8 Pro (with a better camera) to the Nothing Phone 2(a). In fact, spend a little extra and get the OnePlus 13 Pro (with a faster processor and better optics).
Just wait and watch for a discount and then the Reno 13 Pro will be a much smarter purchase.
