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Oppo Reno 13 Professional two-minute evaluation
Earlier than even selecting up the check unit for this Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation, I used to be able to draft a headline evaluating it to the latest Google Pixel 9a – in any case, I spent a lot of my Reno 12 Pro review evaluating that cellphone to the Pixel 8a, as their related launch window and value makes them pure Android rivals.
Final yr, the victory simply went to Oppo, however in a shock and doubtlessly appeal-ruining blunder, the corporate has shot itself within the foot with the Reno 13 Professional.
First, some context: the Reno collection of smartphones is the mid-range providing from Chinese language producer Oppo, and the 13 Professional is 2025’s top-end member of the household. It arrives alongside a non-Professional mannequin, the Oppo Reno 13, and an excellent cheaper equal within the type of the Oppo Reno 13F. For all of the flashy options of Oppo’s costly Find X8 Pro or folding Find N5, I’ve lengthy most popular its Reno fashions, given how typically they’ve shaken up the mid-range Android market.
Sadly, that desire streak ends right here: the Oppo Reno 13 Professional has seen a shocking enhance in value over its predecessor – I’m not speaking mere pennies, however a whopping £150 within the UK and AU$300 in Australia. Oppo sells full-blown telephones in its A collection that price lower than that value hike!
It’s laborious, then, to match the Reno 13 Professional to the Google Pixel 9a (which hasn’t seen the same value hike this yr), provided that the Oppo machine is considerably dearer. This yr’s victory goes to Google, it appears.
As a butchered Spider-Man quote goes, with nice monetary price comes nice expectations, and among the funds trappings of the Reno household really feel weird in a cellphone that’s now solely a spitting distance from the Samsung Galaxy S25 when it comes to value.
As an example, Reno telephones are nearly all the time filled with pre-installed bloatware, undesirable third-party apps, and video games at first boot-up. That’s nonetheless the case within the 13 Professional, regardless of its shiny new price ticket. Equally, the dearth of a microSD card is a notable omission for a cellphone that you could be feasibly count on to make use of for skilled work.
A lot of my points with the Reno 13 Professional stem from this price-related disappointment, however in most departments, it is a fantastic cellphone – it’d simply be a Google Pixel-killer if it had been cheaper.
Within the digital camera division, for example, the Reno 13 Professional has maybe the most effective zoom capabilities of any mid-range cellphone, boasting 3.5mm optical zoom and three 50MP snappers (plus one 8MP ugly duckling). It brings some helpful modes and options, too, together with the novel underwater pictures mode. In case you like going swimming along with your cellphone – and in the event you do, why? – this will likely be an fascinating machine for you.
The Reno 13 Professional can also be actually highly effective, quick to cost (it boasts wi-fi charging), has a giant and high-res show, and advantages from among the finest water resistance of any cellular available on the market (as you’d hope, given the underwater pictures characteristic).
There’s little doubt about it – it is a good smartphone. Nonetheless, it may have been a fantastic one if it wasn’t for the meaty value hike. I can see that prime quantity placing some consumers off, and in the event you’re one among them, I do not blame you. Fortunately, the Reno 12 Professional remains to be being offered in most locations.
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: value and availability
- Sells for £649 / $1,299 (round $830)
- Huge value hike over Reno 12 Professional
- Accessible UK and AU, not US
Like most Oppo telephones, the Reno 13 Professional rolled out slowly internationally, with this mannequin first arriving in late 2024. Within the UK and Australia, it went on sale in April 2025, however it hasn’t been launched within the US but – and based mostly on precedent, it doubtless by no means will.
You possibly can decide up the cellphone for £649 / $1,299 (round $830), so it’s on the higher finish of the mid-range Android cellphone market. The non-Professional mannequin prices £499 / AU$899 (round $640), whereas the Reno 12 Professional went for £499 / AU$999 (round $640), so there’s a severe value leap between generations.
That value hike is sort of a shock, and it ruins the Oppo’s capability to truthfully rival the Google Pixel 9a, which begins at $499 / £499 / AU$849. Lengthy have the Reno Professional mobiles trounced their Pixel a-series contemporaries by providing higher specs at the same value, however that streak ends with the Reno 13 collection, because it’s now not comparable when it comes to value.
And earlier than you ask: the usual Reno 13 misses out on among the finest options of the Professional, like its zoom digital camera, large show, and wi-fi charging, so it’s not a viable Pixel rival.
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: specs
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Header Cell – Column 1 |
|---|---|
|
Dimensions: |
162.8 x 76.6 x 7.6mm |
|
Weight: |
195g |
|
Display screen: |
6.83-inch FHD (1272 x 2800) 120Hz AMOLED |
|
Chipset: |
Mediatek Dimensity 8350 |
|
RAM: |
12GB |
|
Storage: |
512GB |
|
OS: |
Android 15, ColorOS 15 |
|
Main digital camera: |
50MP, f/1.8 |
|
Extremely-wide digital camera: |
8MP f/2.2 116-degree |
|
Telephoto digital camera: |
50MP, f/2.8 3.5x optical |
|
Entrance digital camera: |
50MP, f/2.0 |
|
Audio: |
Stereo audio system |
|
Battery: |
5,800mAh |
|
Charging: |
80W wired, 50W wi-fi |
|
Colours: |
Black, lilac |
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: design
- Skinny and light-weight Android cellphone
- Is available in lilac or black
- IP69 safety
Whereas the Oppo Reno 13 Professional doesn’t redefine the mid-range Android look that each producer appears to trot out on autopilot today, it does good it to a tee.
This can be a skinny and light-weight machine: its dimensions are 162.8 x 76.6 x 7.6mm, and it weighs simply 195g, so it feels slender regardless of its large display screen. The bezel is tiny, as is the front-facing digital camera cut-out, so the display screen feels prefer it takes over the whole entrance of the machine.
The again of my lilac mannequin has a gently textured shine which blossoms in gentle (I didn’t check the opposite model, a black mannequin). I just like the look, even when most individuals will disguise it in a case immediately.
The cellphone is so skinny that you just’d be forgiven for being shocked that it even has house for a USB-C charging port on the underside – and there was apparently no room for a 3.5mm headphone jack or wherever to place a microSD card.
On the suitable fringe of the Reno 13 Professional, you’ve bought an influence button and quantity rocker. Each had been simply inside attain for me, as was the in-screen fingerprint scanner, which labored reliably. The again of the cellphone has a digital camera bump for the three lenses and a pretty big flash module. It stands out sufficient that the cellphone has no hope of staying flat on a desk.
A fairly uncommon spec that Oppo has utilized within the Reno 13 Professional is IP69 safety. This normal has the identical whole mud safety that telephones with the extra frequent IP68 score have, and in addition the identical capability to outlive being immersed in water for half an hour, however it has a further assurance towards high-pressure water jets and steam. Most units which have an IP69 score are meant for use alongside medical or meals preparation, and so few individuals will want it of their smartphone, however it’s actually a pleasant layer of safety to have.
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: show
- 6.83 inches, 1272 x 2800 decision
- Gorilla Glass 7i gives safety
- 120Hz refresh, excessive max brightness
The Oppo Reno 13 Professional has a 6.83-inch display screen. That’s large, even by mid-range Android requirements, and it’s one of many largest shows you’ll discover on a cellphone with out transferring into Extremely or Professional Max territory.
The decision is 1272 x 2800 or FHD+, which is fairly normal on smartphones today. The refresh charge goes as much as 120Hz, although by default it’s on an computerized mode that modifications it based mostly in your use, and I’d suggest sticking to this for battery life causes.
Like its predecessor, the Reno 13 Professional has an AMOLED show with a pleasant, excessive 1,200 nits max brightness, assist for HDR10+, and a colour gamut of over a billion colours. These are essential specs for video games and TV exhibits to look good on a cellular, for certain, and this machine ticks all of the packing containers in that division.
Persevering with the ‘safety’ theme from the Design part, the glass of the display screen is Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. The distinctive promoting level of this panel is that it’s extra sturdy and scratch- and drop-proof, one thing which I (by chance) examined fairly a bit in the course of the evaluation interval.
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: software program
- Android 15 with Oppo’s ColorOS 15 excessive
- Bloatware drawback
- Acquainted interface to Android customers
As with most of its modern Android telephones, the Oppo Reno 13 Professional comes with Android 15 pre-installed. Oppo has promised that the cellphone will get no less than 3 years of updates, a restrained quantity within the ‘Android updates arms race’, however it’s higher than nothing.
Layered excessive is Oppo’s Android fork, ColorOS, or ColorOS 15 to present it the complete identify. This model’s distinctive options embrace a plethora of pre-installed instruments with the suffix ‘AI’ slapped on the finish, like a picture readability upscaler and deblurring, plus a couple of different options you’ve seen earlier than, like AI summaries, AI textual content replies, and text-to-speak from internet pages. The final of that quantity is, no less than, a helpful accessibility characteristic.
Largely, although, that is an Android fork that’ll really feel acquainted in the event you use another producers’ equal – I don’t use an Oppo as my day-to-day machine, however the Reno 13 Professional’s software program nonetheless felt straightforward to leap straight into; I knew the place all of the options, customizations, and settings had been.
Often within the software program part of Oppo opinions, I begin by complaining concerning the bloatware; the truth that I wished to range my construction up doesn’t imply that it’s not an enormous drawback right here. Whenever you boot up the cellphone, you’re confronted with an ungodly variety of pre-installed Oppo apps, third-party providers, and random video games. Cue ten minutes of frantic deleting if you’d like your new smartphone to really feel yours.
Bloatware is an infuriating however stalwart side of low-cost and mid-range mobiles, however while you’re paying a premium value for a cellphone, you’re allowed to count on higher.
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: cameras
- 50MP primary, 50MP telephoto and 8MP ultra-wide cameras, 50MP for selfies
- Iffy AI options
- Small however appreciated enhancements over predecessor
The controversy about whether or not the Reno 13 Professional nonetheless counts as a mid-range cellphone however, Oppo has constantly dominated the marketplace for cheap digital camera telephones, and it’s continued its lead with this new mannequin.
Specs-wise, the Reno 13 Professional is generally the identical as its predecessor: you’ve bought a 50MP primary digital camera, an 8MP ultra-wide digital camera, a 50MP telephoto digital camera, and a 50MP selfie digital camera. The principle enchancment is in that second snapper: it now has a 3.5x lens, and given how uncommon any type of zoom lens is on a funds cellphone, that’s an achievement.
Zoom lenses are primarily used to shut the gap from a far topic with out counting on digital zoom, which merely crops a picture and loses decision rapidly. However they’re additionally in style for photographers because of the depth-of-field they create on nearer topics, and the Reno 13 Professional is nice for pictures like that in consequence.
Smaller however noticeable variations abound within the Reno 13 Professional: photos are simply as brilliant and daring as you’ve come to count on from a Reno, however there’s somewhat extra element in darkness, rather less grain in low-light areas, and somewhat extra dynamic vary to distinguish related colours. The presence of one thing referred to as a ‘colour spectrum sensor’ might assist on this space, or it may very well be higher optimization and post-processing.
A number of tough edges have an effect on picture high quality barely, and the extra I used the Oppo, the extra it grew to become evident that this wasn’t fairly a Samsung Galaxy or iPhone rival. The autofocus was fairly unreliable, whereas Portrait mode returned combined ends in the bokeh division and zoomed-in photos may typically lack high quality.
I’m all the time excited to see the brand new pictures modes launched in digital camera telephones, and the Oppo Reno 13 Professional didn’t let me down. It has an underwater mode which helps you to make the most of the cellular’s water safety for photographs within the sea or a swimming pool (or in another physique of liquid, I suppose). It deactivates the on-screen button, so it’s a must to use the quantity rocker to take images or movies, and while you’re executed, it vibrates the cellphone to take away moisture. It’s a novel characteristic, and whereas it’s terrifying to dunk your cellphone into any type of liquid, it did appear to do the job once I caught my evaluation pattern in a container of water.
Past that, there’s the usual assortment of picture modes: normal, Portrait, evening, and panorama. Video recording goes as much as 4K/60fps and video modes embrace slow-mo, time-lapse, and dual-view.
The cellphone’s Images app brings a couple of AI modes to assist take away background individuals, take away reflections, and improve readability. The principle one is clearly AI eraser, a solution to Google’s equal characteristic, however I wasn’t impressed by the ends in the Oppo – it typically did not take away individuals, and when it succeeded, it did so by creating an clearly synthetic background that seemed worse than the offending photobombers.
Oppo Reno 13 Professional digital camera samples
Picture 1 of 8
Oppo Reno 13 Professional: efficiency and audio
- Mid-range Dimensity 8350 chipset
- 12GB RAM, 512GB Storage
- No headphone jack, Bluetooth 5.4 and stereo audio system
The Oppo Reno 13 Professional comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset, a pleasant strong mid-range chipset that marks a pronounced enchancment over its already-decent predecessor.
Multi-core benchmark assessments for the brand new Reno on Geekbench returned a median rating of 4042, which is over twice as excessive because the scores achieved by the 12 Professional’s Dimensity 7300 Power – that’s much less an iterative replace and extra a a lot better chipset.
In consequence, the Reno 13 Professional is a dab hand at gaming and dealing with picture enhancing apps. It’s not essentially the most highly effective cellphone available on the market, with some funds gaming telephones getting scores within the 6000s, however it’ll do all the pieces you want it to with aplomb.
The model of the Reno 13 Professional on sale within the UK and Australia has 12GB RAM and 512GB storage; in some areas, you can too get 16GB and something between 256GB and 1TB storage, however not within the areas we cowl.
Briefly mentioning audio: there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, however the Reno 13 Professional helps Bluetooth 5.4. The on-board stereo audio system aren’t wonderful, however they’re par for the course for cellphone audio system.
- Efficiency rating: 3.5 / 5
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: battery life
- Huge 5,800mAh battery
- Lasts for about two days of use
- 80W wired charging, 50W wi-fi
The Oppo Reno 13 Professional boasts an even bigger battery than its predecessor, consistent with market shifts which are making the 5,000mAh energy packs of yesteryear look svelte. As a substitute, the 13 Professional has a 5,800mAh energy pack, which roughly lasted for a day and a half throughout my testing, or two days if I used the cellphone sparingly.
The cellphone’s charging pace is identical as final yr’s mannequin, at 80W, which is good and quick with out being too quick (and by that I imply, speedy sufficient that you just invariably harm your battery well being by utilizing it). Additionally again on the Reno 13 Professional is the power to cost different devices by plugging them into your cellphone utilizing a USB cable – that is actually helpful for individuals who must cost their earbuds or smartwatch on the go.
New on the Reno 13 Professional is a surprisingly quick 50W wi-fi charging functionality. That’s a premium characteristic that you just don’t typically see in mid-range mobiles, particularly at such a excessive pace. Nonetheless, a phrase of warning: the digital camera bump means you possibly can’t put the cellphone completely flat on surfaces, which meant I may wirelessly energy up the machine on my charger.
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: worth
With the Oppo Reno 13 Professional, you’re mainly getting what you pay for: first rate specs at a mid-range value.
I’m unhappy to have to jot down that, although, as a result of Oppo Reno telephones normally knock it out of the park within the worth part. As a substitute, the Reno 13 Professional will get a passing grade and nothing extra.
You may get almost-as-good telephones for a lot much less, together with the Reno 12 Professional. And provided that bona fide flagship smartphones solely price a small quantity much less today, individuals who aren’t on a decent funds don’t must pay that rather more to get higher.
Do you have to purchase the Oppo Reno 13 Professional?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Ranking |
|---|---|---|
|
Worth |
Oppo hasn’t priced the Reno 13 Professional as competitively as one would count on. |
3 / 5 |
|
Design |
The Reno does not change the sport, however it’s pretty light-weight and appears good. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Show |
It is a large show that appears good on your movies or video games. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Software program |
There’s a great deal of bloatware, and solely a restricted variety of updates are assured. |
3 / 5 |
|
Digital camera |
Its enhancements put the Reno 13 Professional leagues forward of rivals. |
4 / 5 |
|
Efficiency |
You get a fairly strong processor, with a number of storage and RAM. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Battery |
The Reno has a giant battery and good, quick charging speeds. |
4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Oppo Reno 13 Professional evaluation: Additionally contemplate
If the Oppo Reno 13 Professional’s value hike has given you trigger for concern, listed here are another handsets you possibly can contemplate.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Oppo Reno 13 Professional |
Oppo Reno 12 Professional |
Google Pixel 9a |
Samsung Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Beginning value (at launch): |
£649 / $1,299 (round $830) |
£499 / AU$999 (roughly $640) |
$499 / £499 / AU$849 |
$799 / £799 / AU $1,399 |
|
Dimensions: |
162.8 x 76.6 x 7.6mm |
161.5 x 74.8 x 7.4mm |
154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm |
146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2mm |
|
Weight: |
195g |
180g |
186g |
162g |
|
OS (at launch): |
Android 15, ColorOS 15 |
Android 14, ColorOS 14.1 |
Android 15 |
Android 15, One UI 7 |
|
Display screen Dimension: |
6.83-inch |
6.7-inch |
6.3-inch |
6.2-inch |
|
Decision: |
1272 x 2800 |
1080 x 2412 |
1080 x 2424 |
1080 x 2340 |
|
CPU: |
Mediatek Dimensity 8350 |
Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Power |
Google Tensor G4 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
|
RAM: |
12GB |
12GB |
8GB |
12GB |
|
Storage (from): |
512GB |
512GB |
128GB / 256GB |
128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
|
Battery: |
5,800mAh |
5,000mAh |
5,100mAh |
4,000mAh |
|
Rear Cameras: |
50MP primary, 50MP telephoto. 8MP ultra-wide |
50MP primary, 50MP telephoto, 8MP ultra-wide |
48MP primary, 13MP ultra-wide |
50MP primary, 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultra-wide |
|
Entrance digital camera: |
50MP |
50MP |
13MP |
12MP |
How I examined the Oppo Reno 13 Professional
- Evaluation check interval = 2 weeks
- Testing included = On a regular basis utilization, together with internet looking, social media, pictures, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
- Instruments used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats
I used the Oppo Reno 13 Professional for about two weeks earlier than I began scripting this evaluation.
To check it, I used it as my regular cellphone. Which means I performed video games, took images, texted, and streamed a number of music with it, whereas seeing how nicely the battery carried out as I did so.
I additionally tried some ‘lab’ assessments, which included benchmarking, charging testing, and dunking the cellphone in a jug of water to see if it will take images, or instantly get wrecked.
I come to this evaluation having spent over six years writing and testing tech for TechRadar, with loads of Oppo telephones (together with the first-gen Reno) among the many units I’ve reviewed.
First reviewed April 2025