The OPPO Reno 3 and Reno 3 Pro are now official for the local market, though the company has postponed the release of the phones in the Philippines in light of the coronavirus pandemic and strict quarantine measures in the Philippine capital and other parts of the country.

(Update, May 1: Our review is up! Read OPPO Reno 3 Pro review: Pro cameras in a midranger.)

Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward to the Reno 3’s local release, especially as the Reno 3 Pro is positioned to be the company’s next hit in the premium midrange segment. That said, here are the phone’s top five features you should know before it arrives in stores.

Quad rear cameras for high-quality day and night shots

The OPPO Reno 3 Pro boasts a quad-camera setup, headlined by a 64-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture lens and a 13-megapixel telephoto camera that offers up to 5x hybrid zoom and 20x digital zoom. Its ultra-wide-angle option is 8 megapixels with f/2.2 lens, while the mono camera is 2 megapixels.

Impressive. First picture taken with the OPPO Reno 3’s predecessor, the Reno2, in Ultra Dark Mode

Software-wise, the Reno 3 Pro is equipped with OPPO‘s Ultra Dark Mode for night shots and Ultra Steady Video 2.0 for stabilizing shots on the go without a tripod or gimbal. We’ve been impressed with the video quality of the Reno 2, so it would be interesting to see how the latest release performs in real life. We have high hopes and expectations going into our review.

Dual cameras with dedicated portrait lens

Moving to the front, the OPPO Reno 3 Pro has a dual-camera solution for selfies, with a dedicated depth camera for adding a bokeh effect to portrait shots. At 44 megapixels, the primary sensor is likewise impressive and offers more megapixels than what the average smartphone has on its back camera. The portrait camera allows for background blur in video mode to add a dramatic kick to your footage.

SEE ALSO: OPPO Reno 3 hands-on review: A new midrange contender and OPPO Reno 3 vs OPPO Reno 3 Pro (global): Specs comparison

The latest Reno even includes a night mode for selfies, allowing you to take bright pictures in low light — without the need for a built-in flash or LED light accessory. It works just like on any phone with a dedicated low-light shooting mode and combines multiple photos at different exposure levels into a single, better image.

A sample picture taken with the OPPO Reno 3 Pro. More photos in our upcoming review!

OPPO has come out with a dual-selfie camera phone before (think OPPO F3 and F3 Plus), but the Reno 3 Pro is the first to include a depth sensor. Will this be enough to give the phone a top score in the selfie department? Check back for our full review.

Long-lasting, fast charging

A 4,025mAh battery powers the OPPO Reno 3 Pro. That should be more than adequate for a day of medium to heavy use, which is acceptable for a moderately sized handset. As usual, the phone also comes with a few energy-saving features that should help extend the battery life, which include Smart Power Saver, Power Saving Mode, and an auto-brightness option that performs reliably.

READ ALSO: OPPO Find X2 Pro: PH price, preorder info, benchmark scores

More impressively, the new Reno is quick to charge, thanks to OPPO’s proprietary 30-watt VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 technology. This means the battery won’t take hours to juice up. Instead, as claimed by the company, it will take just 30 minutes to bring it to roughly 70% capacity, and you can expect that the phone will be fully charged in about an hour or less.

Best version of ColorOS yet!

The OPPO Reno 3 Pro boots ColorOS 7 based on the Android 10 operating system out of the box, and the latest software update even applies the March 2020 Android security patch to the system, enhancing its stability and security. On top of that, ColorOS 7 brings a number of visual upgrades to make the interface look more modern and easier to operate.

It introduces some new features, including the ability to customize icon styles and quickly share big files between compatible Realme, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices. ColorOS 7 also improves on the previous software with a system-wide Dark Mode that changes the look of the interface and OPPO’s first-party applications, and it switches several third-party apps to a dark color scheme as well.

ColorOS 7 introduces some new features, including the ability to quickly share big files between compatible Realme, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices

Another standout software feature is Hyper Boost, which OPPO says optimizes frame rate and touch response during gameplay by reallocating system resources and reducing unnecessary processes. The manufacturer claims Hyper Boost can yield a 38% FPS gain depending on what you’re playing.

Gorgeous Super AMOLED screen with extra-tall aspect ratio

OPPO has done a remarkable job on the screen front, fitting in the Reno 3 Pro with a Super AMOLED screen that features FHD+ resolution in an elongated 20:9 aspect ratio, which is closer to what you’ll find in a movie theater than your typical smartphone display.

Movies on Netflix (in HD, because the Reno 3 Pro has Widevine L1 certification) and YouTube videos are vibrant and have deep, inky blacks; 3D games look punchy and pleasingly sharp in full resolution; and even basic smartphone apps, such as Facebook and Instagram, look great.

The bezels around the display are also fairly thin, allowing the company to incorporate a 6.4-inch panel without the rest of the hardware feeling too big to use one-handed. And, like most smartphone AMOLEDs, the screen on the OPPO Reno 3 Pro supports always-on function, so can always check the time or see if there are any notifications without unlocking the device.

OPPO Reno 3 Pro specs

• 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, 2,400 x 1,080 resolution (20:9)
• Octa-core MediaTek Helio P95 processor
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB expandable storage
• Quad 64-megapixel, f/1.8 (main), 13-megapixel, f/2.4 (telephoto), 8-megapixel (ultra wide), 2-megapixel (mono) rear cameras
• 44-megapixel, f/2.4, 2-megapixel, f/2.4 (depth) front cameras
• Fingerprint reader (in-display)
• 4,025mAh battery with 30-watt USB-C fast charging via VOOC Flash Charge 4.0
• ColorOS 7 based on Android 10

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