OPPO Reno 7 series brings new light tricks with a familiar iPhone design

The rear camera housing has a breathing LED that doubles as a notification light.

What you need to know

• OPPO announced the Reno 7 series in China.
• The Reno 7, 7 Pro, and 7 SE share some common features in terms of screen refresh rate and battery capacity.
• The phones will be available to purchase in China on December 17.

OPPO has introduced its Reno 6 successors in China: the Reno 7, Reno 7 Pro, and Reno 7 SE. The Pro and regular variants all have the same appearance, which mimics the boxy design of the iPhone 13, but the three phones differ in many ways (via Android Police).

Among the three models, the Reno 7 Pro has the most features and the beefiest specs. It comes with a 6.55-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90Hz and HDR10+ support. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1200-Max SoC, along with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage.

The Pro model has a triple rear camera setup that includes a 50MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 2MP macro sensor. A 32MP cat-eye selfie camera with a Sony IMX709 sensor is located on the front.

With its boxy design, the Reno 7 Pro resembles the iPhone 13, but its standout feature is the breathing LED around the camera island, which also serves as a notification light.

The Reno 7 is obviously the regular model. It shares the same design as the Pro model, but it sports a smaller 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Unlike its Pro sibling, it's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC, paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage. It has a triple camera on the back comprising a 64MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide snapper, and a 2MP macro sensor.

The Reno 7 SE is, of course, the cheapest variant. It sports the same 6.43-inch display as the regular variant and is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset. The processor is paired with 8GB of RAM and either 128 or 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage.

It has a 48MP main sensor, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP portrait sensor on the back. A 16MP selfie camera is located on the front of the device.

OPPO's new mid-range phones all have an in-display fingerprint reader and a 4,500mAh battery. However, they differ in terms of fast charging capabilities: the Pro model supports 65W fast charging, whereas the regular and SE models support 60W and 33W fast charging, respectively.

The Reno 7 series ships with ColorOS 12, which is based on Android 11. OPPO's challenger to this year's best budget Android phones will be available for purchase in China on December 17, with no word on when they will be available elsewhere.

The Pro model starts at CNY 3,999 (approximately $625), the regular model at CNY 2,699 (roughly $422), and the SE variant at CNY 2,199 (approximately $344).