- Outstanding battery life
- Good value
- Responsive for the price
- Lightweight, comfortable design
- Unreliable selfie camera
- Rear camera struggles at night
- Only three years of security updates
The OPPO Reno 11 F 5G is good for the price, but not all round. At $599, it teeters on the budget end of the market where the markers for success might be summed up as 'it doesn’t annoy me too much compared to something $300 more expensive' or 'there are no deal-breaking faults'. Unfortunately, that last point is only almost true for the Reno 11 F 5G, thanks to a truly disappointing selfie cam.
But, a lot of the time, it doesn’t feel like a cheap smartphone at all, which puts it above much of the competition.
Surprisingly comfy
If you haven’t used a lightweight phone in a while, this could be a breath of fresh air. At a mere 177g, the Reno 11 F 5G is noticeably lighter than some other budget phones, such as the 209g of the Samsung Galaxy A35.
Despite the lack of premium materials like tempered glass or brushed aluminium, it feels nice in the hand – in part because of the weight, but also the minimalist shape, thin bezels and slender 7.5mm profile.
There’s also IP65 splash resistance – so it’s safe from spills and a bit of rain, but it mightn’t survive a trip to the pool, if you know what I mean. This isn't a given in this price range, so it's nice to see here.
Colourful and crisp
At 6.7 inches, the display’s size is on par with the likes of the Pixel 8 Pro, so don’t fret about skimping on real estate. It’s also bright, smooth, colourful, sharp, and has the deep, inky blacks that only an OLED can deliver.
The only downside is the display’s glass is quite soft, as is the pre-fitted screen protector. Both suffered their fair share of surface scratches within a couple weeks' incidental use. They're not visible when the screen is active, but are hard to miss when it's off.
Like night and day
Let’s be clear, the bar is low for a $599 smartphone. The 64MP and 8MP wide-angle rear cameras on the Reno 11F 5G are totally fine for the price, but can't compare to a good mid-ranger.
Photos taken during the day or in good lighting come out well, if a little oversaturated. It continues to deliver acceptable shots into the evening with varied results, but night shots are plagued by blur and noise.
It also doesn’t always handle movement well, especially in dim lighting or if there are fine details like pet fur. If you’re hoping to start up an Insta for your darling doggo, you might need to invest a little more and go for something like the Pixel 8a.
In terms of responsiveness, some shots take a few seconds to fully render, while other times you can snap away in rapid succession. The same goes for opening the camera app or switching between camera modes – meaning you could miss the occasional photo opportunity.
Video is decent in daylight, but struggles indoors, even with decent lighting.
As for the selfie cam, it's a very different experience. There's an unusual amount of fishbowling, which is still visible at head-and-shoulders distance, resulting in some interesting facial proportions. This is sometimes fixed in post-processing, but not reliably. Most of the time, you're at the whim of the camera app's ability to de-warp your photo once you've taken it. Sometimes it works great, others it doesn't seem to try.
Holding the camera further from your face lets you get a decent shot, but this limits the types of photos or videos you can take, while also making it more awkward to use.
OPPO Reno 11 F 5G camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Reno 11 F 5G. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
Day-to-day use
The Reno 11 F 5G is pretty responsive for a budget phone, depending on what you use it for. For basic phone-y activities, you might forget you're not using a pricier device. More hardware-demanding tasks like minimising a full-screen video and some (not all) gaming can definitely introduce stuttering.
Speaking of games, if you stick to simple ones like puzzles or platformers, the Reno 11 F 5G should do just fine. But flashier titles like Marvel Snap aren't so smooth. The animations and graphics of the menus alone cause considerable stuttering and lag (in-match performance is fine, however).
Games that require a lot of on-screen elements, like Brotato, do pretty well... until they very suddenly don’t. But this is only once things get pretty hectic in the later stages of endless mode.
Ultimately, this phone isn't a workhorse, but it does pretty well for what you pay.
It just keeps going and going
Despite its small size and lightweight, the Reno 11 F 5G can go a couple of days between charges if you keep away from high-demand activities like gaming and HD video streaming. As for burning through the charge within a single day, good luck with that. Even if you throw hours of hardware-intensive gaming at it, your thumbs will probably wear out before the phone does.
The battery charges fully within around 30 minutes if you use the included wall charger (a novelty by itself), but its power adapter is a chonky boy that blocks additional standard-spaced power sockets either side of it.
ColorOS and support
For the most part, OPPO's ColorOS is a decent Android launcher. It doesn’t deviate too far from standard Android, but its few changes can be annoying at times.
In particular, the app tray is stacked with bloatware you never needed or intended to download, the drop-down home screen menu is cluttered, and OPPO is only planning two major OS updates and quarterly security updates for three years. After that, you'll need to shop around for a new phone or risk using a device with out-of-date security features.
Caco-phoney
A phone’s speaker is hardly an exciting feature, so it's usually not worth a mention. But the Reno 11 F 5G’s is so awful it can’t be ignored.
It’s loud, but this only serves to strengthen the ear-piercing tinniness and sibilance. It could honestly be a deal-breaker for anyone who even occasionally listens to music or podcasts out loud. And if you’re the kind of sadist who uses their phone speaker on public transport, you need to eke every bit of enjoyment out of your dirty habit before you ultimately settle into your special place in hell.
OPPO Reno 11 F 5G – Final Thoughts
At $599, the OPPO Reno 11 F 5G has a lot to like, but isn't without its flaws. It’s lightweight, comfortable to hold, has a decent rear camera, amazing battery life, and its day-to-day performance is smooth for a phone in this price bracket.
But the selfie camera is nothing short of disappointing at most distances and will send most TikTokers screaming for the hills – or perhaps merely into the arms of the Nothing Phone 2a. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how important a reliable front-facing camera is to your happiness and your wallet.
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