After trying it for a few minutes it is difficult to express yourself openly, but it is easy to identify the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom as one of the major candidates for the title of best smartphone of the first half of 2019.

Over the past few years Oppo made big strides in expanding both its presence to new markets and its portfolio to the higher echelons and the Reno 10x zoom is another step in that direction.

Brilliant design, Excellent AMOLED screen, large and notch-free, Intriguing sharp fin notch, Class-leading battery life, VOOC fast charging, Cutting-edge performance, Overall excellent photo and video quality

Oppo's latest phone, the OPPO Reno, comes with a crazy shark fin-looking selfie camera and a 10x hybrid zoom sensor....

...and a worse screen

Great, versatile camera, Speedy performance, Strong battery life

Screen is only good, not great, Big and heavy, Zoom camera struggles in low light

Let’s talk about price. The Reno 10x Zoom has already launched in the Philippines for PHP 45,990 (8GB + 256GB). With that in mind, the OnePlus 7 Pro of the same configuration is cheaper by PHP 3,000, and you might want to get that instead if you don’t need that periscopic telephoto lens.

We give our #FTARecommended seal of approval to the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom edition for its stunning design, great battery life and versatile camera system. We love how smooth ColorOS is. It is also a head turner with its elegant design especially that rear camera system being so flushed at the back.

OPPO has been working its butt off to try and get to the same level as their competitors when it comes to flagship phones, and despite their missteps with the Find X, it looks like the company finally has a solid flagship in the form of the Reno 10x Zoom.

OPPO nails the premium experience with the Reno 10X Zoom, giving it a potent weapon in a phone race that’s suddenly become more wide open in the wake of Huawei’s woes.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about the Oppo Reno isn’t the 5G connectivity, the pop-up camera or 10-times zoom, it’s how weighty it feels.

The Oppo Reno breaks far more new ground than most flagships do and while it’s not cheap, by the standards of 5G phones, it strikes out as close to a bargain as these things come.

No notch; Improved software; Versatile camera kit;

5G experience is inconsistent; Hefty design; No headphone jack;