The OPPO Reno 10x is getting a lot of attention due to the inclusion of a supposed 10x optical telescoping lens which uses a prism and a series of stabilized lens elements to create the first built in telephoto option on a camera phone.  In testing, this turns out to be about a real 5x optical lens with very clever processing to generate even higher software magnification.  However, you will be sad to know that the 10X version of the phone does not shoot Super Slow Motion.

The Regular OPPO Reno which is cheaper and lacks the 10X camera does shoot up to 1080p 240fps which is not class leading and there are as of this time no samples to speak of. We believe this phone uses slow motion as an after-thought spec and focuses more on the stills and 4k 60p video mode only on the 10x version which are a higher selling point.  We still believe the OPPO Reno is a worthy phone for anyone wanting cutting edge optics on a phone but not as a slow motion contender.

OPPO Reno Series (Non 10x Zoom) Camera Specs:

OPPO Reno 10X Camera Specs:

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom Hands On: Peek-a-boo by Pocketnow:

OPPO Reno Slow Motion More High Frame Rate Innovation needed:

The trend so far in phones that shoot slow motion makes it hard to be optimistic in 2019 about what we will see when we look for the feature in new phones. All these new multi-sensor/Multi-Lens cameras have trade-offs which are dependant on their intended focal lengths. The fact that the slow motion feature is absent from the zoom and wide lenses means that the high frame rate trend might be put to the wayside in future phones as a gimmick.

If sensors and lens systems evolve to use a unified sensor with interchangeable internal lens elements we have a better chance of having the slow motion feature be consistent in camera selection. We, however, do not see this happening anytime soon.   How cool would it be to have a 10x zoom or super wide slow motion phone feature?  We will have to wait a long time to see this unless manufacturers take the feature as seriously as they did in 2017 and 2018.  We have some hope from Apple and OnePlus that their solutions could include slow motion in more than one sensor.

Oppo Reno vs 5G vs 10x Zoom | Series comparison by Tech Spurt:

Oppo made an interesting phone in the Reno and their swing out selfie camera frees the screen from notches and punch holes which is very nice. Of course, weather sealing will suffer from this. The 10X lens is innovative and a first of many to come for making the phone the all in one camera solution we have been expecting.

Some experts say that in 10 years time we will have indistinguishable quality from large sensor dedicated cameras and phones in most circumstances. The Google Pixel 2 and 3 with their computational photography power shows us what is possible. However large cameras will also have to evolve to incorporate that technology. One thing is for sure, that camera in your phone will probably capture more of your life and vision than that large and bulky professional solution you hardly carry day to day.  -HSC