Oppo Reno 10x Zoom vs. Huawei P30 Pro: which is better?

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has finally revealed its new Reno line-up, a trio of mid-range handsets that aim to give the market’s biggest players a run for their money.

The range consists of the sub-£500 Reno mobile and the range-topping Reno 5G, which is capable of connecting to ultra-fast 5G networks when they become available across the world later this year.

But arguably the most signifiant model of the Android-powered range is the Reno 10x Zoom. As the name suggests, the device comes with an impressive 10x telephoto lossless lens, as well as an impressive edge-to-edge display.

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However, the phone faces stiff competition from Oppo’s Chinese smartphone rival Huawei. The company launched its P30 Pro smartphone last month with a similarly complex camera system and a bezel-free display.

With the Reno 10x Zoom due to hit the shops soon, here’s how the two phones compare:

Price and release

The Reno 10x Zoom is expected to be released in June, although the company hasn’t yet announced a specific date for the phone’s launch, says TechRadar.

Prices start at €799 (£690), which makes the Reno 10x Zoom around £100 cheaper than the P30 Pro. An official UK price for the Oppo has yet to be confirmed, so the gap between the two phones may shrink.

Cameras

Huawei stole headlines last month when it announced that its new P30 Pro was equipped with a 5x lossless zoom, a sensor that doesn’t compress images, making it one of the most powerful cameras on a smartphone to date.

But Oppo has taken things a step further with its new handset. One of the phone’s three rear-facing cameras comes with a 10x lossless telephoto lens.

Much like its rival, the Oppo features a “periscope-style” camera system, where the 13-megapixel telephoto lens is mounted “transversely” at the rear of the phone, says Trusted Reviews. The design allows the phone maker to equip the “unprecedented” zoom without the need for a motorised lens akin to the portable cameras of yesteryear.

Joining the 10x lens is a Sony-developed 48-megapixel lens and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens with a 120-degree field of view, the tech site says.

While the P30 Pro’s lossless zoom lens has to settle for second place, the handset does sport a 50x digital telephoto camera and a 20-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. It also comes with a time-of-flight sensor, which directs a beam of infrared light to improve depth of field effects.

Both handsets shoot 4K video at 60fps and have optical image stabilisation.

Screen and security

At first glance, it appears that Oppo omitted a front-facing camera from the Reno 10x Zoom.

The display doesn’t feature the traditional “notch” - a small indent at the top of the screen that houses the phone’s cameras - as seen on the majority of today’s smartphones. Nor does it have a Samsung Galaxy S10-style system, where the display wraps around the front-facing lens.

However, the smartphone maker has hidden the front-facing lens inside the device itself. When users want to take selfie, the camera pops out from the top of the device in 0.8 seconds, Pocket-Lint reports. Once the camera app has been closed, the lens retracts back into the body.

This has allowed Oppo to install a 6.4in AMOLED display with a 93.1% screen-to-body ratio and a resolution of 2,340x1,080 pixels.

Huawei sticks with a conventional, yet slim, notch design for its front-facing camera, which sits at the top of the phone’s 2,340x1,080 resolution 6.47in OLED display.

Along with its notch-free display, the Reno 10x Zoom also offers a fingerprint reader built into the front panel and face-scanning technology - matching the security features found on the P30 Pro.

Verdict

“The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom is a fine new entrant to the market, but it’s clear that Huawei is a little ahead with the P30 Pro in terms of basic specs,” says Pocket-Lint. For example, the P30 Pro has better “wireless charging support” and a more complex camera system.

What brings the Reno 10x Zoom into play, though, is that it’s notably cheaper than its rival, the website says. The handset’s “fantastic zoom” and pop-up camera make it a compelling option for buyers looking for “something a little different”.

However, TechRadar argues that the Reno 10x Zoom “doesn’t necessarily feel high-end”, as its near £700 price tag suggests. While the display is impressive, the front panel “isn't necessarily the most important part of the phone”.

But the tech site says it will wait until closer to the phone’s release date to offer a definitive verdict on Oppo’s new handset.