Oppo Reno 16F Review: Good Cameras, Tough Price

Oppo has recently introduced two new phones in Nepal, the Reno 16 and Reno 16F. After spending quite some time with the regular Reno 16, I was curious to see what its slightly (here, do stress on sligghhhttlly…) more affordable sibling had to offer. And if you are thinking, why the stress to "slightly"—I mean Rs. 20,000 cheaper —the Reno 16F still costs a whopping Rs. 89,999! Yeah, it has not crossed the lakh mark, but the amount is still hefty.

At this price, I was expecting a good overall experience, especially in terms of cameras, performance, and battery life. But seeing the Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset on the specification sheet honestly made me a little doubtful.

Well, after unboxing the phone, taking it outdoors for camera testing, checking its gaming performance, and everything else, I have somewhat mixed feelings about it. The cameras were surprisingly good, the display was lovely, and the battery looked promising. But performance? That's where things get a little disappointing. So, here's what I feel about the Oppo Reno 16F during my hands-on testing. 

Oppo Reno 16F Specifications:

• Design, build: 158.16 x 74.93 x 8.58 mm (Pop White)/ 8.44mm (other two), IP68/IP69/IP69K rating
• Display: 6.57-inch AMOLED, FHD+ (2372 x 1080 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate, 1400 nits (HBM), 100% DCI-P3
• Chipset: MediaTek DImensity 7300 Energy (4nm)
• Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage
• Software & UI: ColorOS 16 based on Android 16
• Rear Camera: Triple (50MP Main, 50MP Telephoto, 8MP Ultrawide)
• Front Camera: 50MP sensor (hole-punch)
• Security: Fingerprint sensor (Under-display, Optical)
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 6 (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C, 5G
• Battery: 7000mAh with 80W wired fast charging, 55W PPS, reverse wired charging

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Oppo Reno 16F Review

Design and Build

• 158.16 x 74.93 x 8.44mm (Twilight Violet), 195 gm
• Approximately 195 grams
• IP68, IP69 and IP69K dust and water resistance
• Crystal Guard display protection

Looks like the Reno 16, but not without little quirks..

Okay, like always, let's start with the design. The Reno 16F looks verrrryyyy similar to the more expensive Reno 16 (review). Oppo has kept the same overall design language, and at first glance, you might even have trouble telling them apart.

I had the Twilight Violet color option in my hand, which is a rather nice, dark purple color. It looks quite clean and understated. There is also a Pop White option with Oppo's 3D Pop Planet design in Nepal, which has a more noticeable pattern on the back. 

Now, the difference comes down to its size: the Reno 16F is noticeably bigger than the regular Reno 16. And since I have relatively small hands, I generally prefer compact phones—you know, navigating with small hands can be really annoying sometimes. But surprisingly, I didn't find this one uncomfortable to hold. Its boxy shape gives it a pretty secure grip, and despite weighing around 195 grams, it feels manageable in the hand.

As for the build, the back and frame feel sturdy, although the materials don't have quite the same premium appeal that I would ideally want at this price.

One thing I didn't particularly like about my violet unit is how easily it attracts fingerprints and smudges. The marks become quite visible on the darker back panel, so I would definitely recommend using a case. Thankfully, Oppo includes a fairly good hard case inside the box.

For protection, there's Oppo's Crystal Guard glass on the front. I can't really comment on its long-term scratch resistance just yet, so using a screen protector wouldn't be a bad idea either.

But something I really appreciate is the IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings. These provide additional protection against dust, water immersion, and more. So, getting caught in the rain shouldn't be something to worry too much about. Of course, that doesn't mean the phone is completely waterproof or immune to damage.

Overall, I quite like the design and the way the Reno 16F feels in my hand. I just wish the back didn't attract fingerprints so easily.

Display

• 6.57-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 10-bit colour depth, 100% DCI-P3 coverage
• 1,400 nits high-brightness mode

A really nice display for everyday entertainment

Here, display is the one area where I don't have much to complain about. The Reno 16F comes with a 6.57-inch AMOLED panel, which is slightly larger than the one on the regular Reno 16. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, so scrolling through the interface feels smooth and responsive.

What I also like is how Oppo has managed to keep the bezels quite slim. Combined with the AMOLED panel, it makes watching videos and movies a pretty enjoyable experience.

As for the colours, the phone supports 10-bit color depth and full DCI-P3 coverage. In actual use, the display looks vibrant, with nice contrast and good-looking colours. I also checked HDR content on YouTube, and it looked good.

Brightness is decent too. Oppo advertises up to 1,400 nits in high-brightness mode, and during my outdoor testing, I didn't really struggle to see the screen. So, using the phone outdoors shouldn't be much of an issue.

You also get an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. I found it fast and accurate, although its placement is a little lower than I would have preferred. With my small hands, reaching it wasn't always the most comfortable thing initially. But it's something I could get used to.

Audio

• Stereo speaker setup
• USB-C audio support
• No dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack

Good enough, but not the most balanced

Now that I am talking about media consumption, I can't miss out on its audio. The Reno 16F also comes with stereo speakers. Initially, I thought the sound was also similar to the regular Reno 16, so I compared them directly. (Yeah, curious me.)

Interestingly, the Reno 16 sounded louder. The Reno 16F wasn't bad, though. It can get reasonably loud, and I found the speakers sufficient for watching YouTube videos, movies, and listening to music.

But I wasn't completely satisfied with the sound balance. It didn't sound quite as well-balanced as I would have liked, especially when I turned the volume all the way up. Still, for regular multimedia use, I wouldn't consider it a major problem. The display and speakers together provide a pretty good entertainment experience.

Performance

• MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset
• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 256GB UFS 3.1 storage

The disappointing factor…

Hmmm, this is probably my biggest complaint with the Reno 16F.

I mean, really, for a phone that costs almost Rs. 90,000, Oppo has gone with the Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset. As we've already seen this class of processor in phones that cost significantly less. 

Now, I'm not saying the Reno 16F is a slow phone. During my testing, usual everyday tasks worked perfectly fine. The interface felt smooth, opening apps wasn't a problem, and multitasking also worked well.

But there's a difference between a phone that runs everyday applications smoothly and one that actually delivers strong performance for its price. And the Reno 16F definitely falls into the first category.

Likewise, gaming isn't its strong point

We also ran a gaming test to see how the chipset performs under load. Interestingly, the game offered an Extreme+ setting indicating up to 90fps support. But the actual gameplay was really different than how the phone is presented on paper.

During our test, the frame rate mostly stayed around 50fps, with a recorded minimum of 44fps and a maximum of just 51fps. The gyroscope response was smooth enough, and the gameplay wasn't completely terrible. But it did feel slightly laggy at times, and the overall experience was nowhere near what I would expect from a performance-focused phone at this price.

As for temperatures, we recorded readings of around 39°C, with the front and back reaching approximately 39.2°C and 39.4°C, respectively. So, at least during this gaming session, the phone didn't get excessively hot.

But the problem isn't really heating. It's the limited performance you're getting for the money. My take—for casual games, the Reno 16F should be fine. However, if you play competitive games regularly or want the best possible gaming experience, I honestly wouldn't recommend this phone.

Software and UI

• Android 16 with ColorOS 16
• Gallery AI tools, including AI Portrait Glow
• AI Remix Collage and customisable AI Snap Key

ColorOS makes the experience much better

Thankfully, the software experience is a different story.

The Reno 16F runs Android 16 with ColorOS 16, and I feel Oppo has improved its software quite a bit over the years. Even with the relatively modest chipset, the interface feels snappy, animations are smooth, and moving between applications feels responsive. I didn't face any noticeable issues with general navigation or multitasking during my time with it.

This is something I appreciate because good software optimisation can make a big difference in how a phone feels to use, even when its hardware isn't particularly powerful.

And as always, there are plenty of AI features, similar to what we get on the regular Reno 16.

One of my favourites is AI Portrait Glow in the Gallery app. I also like the creative collage features, which let you play around with your photos and create something a little more interesting for social media. The Reno 16F also has a customisable AI Snap Key, which can provide shortcuts for things like screen recording, voice memos, and Oppo's AI Mind Space.

Of course, these features aren't going to make up for the lack of processing power. But for everyday use, I think ColorOS 16 does a pretty good job of making the Reno 16F feel smooth and enjoyable.

Cameras

• Triple camera setup (50MP main with OIS, 50MP telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom and OIS, 8MP ultrawide)
• 50MP selfie camera

Honestly, the camera surprised me.

Alright, here's the interesting part.

Before testing the cameras, I wasn't expecting too much from the Reno 16F. Partly because of its chipset, and partly because I thought Oppo might have made some noticeable compromises compared to the regular Reno 16. However, after taking the phone outdoors and capturing different scenes, I was genuinely surprised by how good some of the photos looked.

The Reno 16F has a 50MP main camera, a 50MP telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom, and an 8MP ultrawide camera.

The regular Reno 16 has a much better-specced 50MP ultrawide camera, so that's one obvious compromise. But thankfully, the main and telephoto cameras on the 16F are quite capable.

Main camera: Sharp photos with natural colours

I started by taking some pictures outdoors, including a dog, a temple, and whatever I find nice. And looking at the results, the main camera was surprisingly good.

The picture of the dog, for example, came out quite sharp, with plenty of detail. I also liked how the camera handled the brighter areas of the scene without making everything look overexposed.

The photos of the temple were similarly good. Details were nicely preserved, and the dynamic range was impressive for this camera. I also took a picture of a bell, and again, the fine details looked quite good.

Well, the thing I particularly appreciated is the colour processing. Oppo hasn't gone overboard with saturation. You can look in the samples I took, and most of the colors looked relatively natural.

For a phone with this chipset, I honestly wasn't expecting the image processing to be this good.

Portraits: Probably my favourite part

And the portrait performance impressed me even more.

I took a few portraits of my colleague, and the results were really nice. Edge detection was good, the background looked lively, and most importantly, the skin tones looked natural.

I mean, you may think I am repeating myself, but I really liked that the images didn't appear overly processed. That's something I always appreciate in portrait photography because aggressive skin smoothing can sometimes make faces look a little artificial.

The 3.5x telephoto camera is also quite useful for portraits.

I really liked the way the subject stood out from the background. Even in scenes with brighter backgrounds, the camera managed to retain a good amount of detail. The telephoto also lets you capture close-up subjects. There's no dedicated macro mode that I used, but I was still able to get some nice close-up shots with it.

And I even managed to get a pretty sharp picture of a moving dog, which was a pleasant surprise. So yeah, I would say portraits are one of the Reno 16F's strongest camera features, especially in good lighting.

Ultrawide: Clearly the weaker camera

Unfortunately, the same praise doesn't apply to the ultrawide camera.

The Reno 16F uses an 8MP sensor here, and the difference in quality is quite noticeable compared to its main camera.

The photos don't have nearly as much detail, and the overall image quality feels much closer to what I would expect from a regular midrange phone. This is also where the regular Reno 16 has a significant advantage, thanks to its 50MP ultrawide camera.

Overall, if you enjoy taking wide landscape pictures or frequently use the ultrawide lens, this is something worth considering.

Selfies and video: Good selfies, average rear video

Moving on to selfies, the Reno 16F has a 50MP front camera with a wide 100-degree field of view.

I really like having a wider selfie camera because it makes taking group selfies or recording videos with more background in the frame much easier.

I also recorded a selfie video at 4K 30fps, and I liked the results. The skin tone looked good, and the wider framing was genuinely useful.

As for the rear camera, you can also record up to 4K 30fps. I tested it outdoors, and while the overall video quality wasn't bad, I felt that the footage wasn't as fluid as I would have liked. You can also zoom in while recording, but the details become less impressive at higher zoom levels.

Another limitation is that you cannot use the ultrawide camera in 4K recording. To access the 0.6x option, you have to switch to 1080p.

And in my testing with ultrawide video, the quality was quite average. The details and overall output were noticeably weaker than those from the main camera.

So, while I was quite impressed with the Reno 16F's photography, particularly the portraits, I can't say the same about its overall video capabilities.

Still, if I had to give the camera system a score based on my experience, I would give it around 8 out of 10. The main and telephoto cameras are really good in daylight, but the ultrawide camera and video performance hold it back.

Battery and Charging

• 7,000mAh battery
• 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging
• 80W charger included in the box

A big battery that looks promising

Finally, let's talk about the battery. The Reno 16F packs a massive 7,000mAh battery, which is one of the more attractive things about this phone. And why I say so is because Oppo has managed to fit such a large battery without making the phone feel unnecessarily bulky.

Now, since I have spent relatively little time with the phone—for now, I haven't tested the battery over several days of my regular routine.

But here's what I noticed.

After starting with a full charge, unboxing the phone, taking plenty of photos and videos outdoors, and running our gaming test, the battery still had around 50% remaining. That's pretty promising, considering the kind of tasks we were doing.

Based on this initial experience, I would expect the Reno 16F to comfortably last a full day, and potentially around one and a half days for a normal user. Of course, that will depend on how heavily you use it, especially for gaming, camera recording, and mobile data.

Charging is quite good too.

The phone supports 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging, and thankfully, you get the compatible charger inside the box.

In our charging test, it took approximately one hour to go from 0 to 100%, which is a good result considering the battery capacity. All in all, although I would still want to test the battery over a longer period before making a final endurance claim, my initial impression is quite positive.

OPPO Reno 16F Review: Conclusion

So, if I really think about how I feel about the Oppo Reno 16F? Well, I have mixed feelings about this phone.

On one hand, there are quite a few things I genuinely liked. The design looks good, the display is excellent, ColorOS 16 feels smooth, and the large battery is certainly appealing.

And the most surprising part was the camera performance. As I really wasn't expecting the main and telephoto cameras to be this good, especially when it comes to portraits. The natural-looking skin tones, good dynamic range, and sharp daylight pictures were definitely highlights of my testing.

On the other hand, I just can't ignore the performance.

At its Rs. 89,999 price tag, the Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset feels underwhelming. It's perfectly fine for normal tasks, but if you're spending this much money on a phone, I think it's reasonable to expect something more powerful.

And that's where the Reno 16F becomes a difficult recommendation.

If gaming and performance are your priorities, I would rather look at alternatives like the POCO X8 Pro (review) series or Xiaomi 17T. The Xiaomi 17T (review) also makes sense if you want a better balance between performance and cameras.

Likewise, phones such as the Nothing Phone 4a Pro and Vivo V70 (review) are also worth considering if you care more about cameras, software, and the overall experience.

That said, it doesn't mean the Reno 16F is a bad phone.

If you mainly use your phone for social media, watching videos, taking pictures, and everyday tasks, and you specifically want good portrait cameras and a large battery, then the Reno 16F can still be a pretty enjoyable phone to use.

I just think Oppo could have made it a much more attractive package with a better chipset or a lower price.

For me, the Reno 16F is a good camera-focused phone that simply struggles to justify its asking price.

Oppo Reno 16F review: Pros and Cons