Oppo Reno 12 Pro review: portrait specialist with affordable AI [Video]

Introduction

AI might be the phone world’s favourite buzzword right now, but it’s really only made a dent at the flagship end. Mid-range smartphones with machine learning are a lot less common, at least for now. The Oppo Reno 12 Pro is looking to change that.

This affordable offering launched in China in May 2024, and was finally cleared for a global launch a few months later – albeit with a few changes, including a less potent processor. There’s still a top-tier screen, portrait-friendly camera setup and a burly battery here, along with a few features that are on the endangered species list at other phone brands.

A £499 launch price put the Reno 12 Pro directly up against Google’s entry-grade AI phone, the Pixel 8a – and makes it considerably more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy …