Oppo Reno 11F 5G Review
A decent phone at an affordable price
Verdict
The Oppo Reno 11F 5G offers a great display, good cameras, long battery life and speedy charging at an affordable price. It’s a decent phone, but it struggles to stand out against the competition, and its middling performance holds it back from being a top choice.
Pros
- Great main and selfie cameras
- Expandable storage with microSD
- Large, bright and flat display
Cons
- Weak auxiliary lenses
- Performance isn’t too impressive
- Lots of bloatware
Key Features
- Lovely displayThe Oppo Reno 11F has a large, bright and vibrant display that’s fully flat. It’s an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and it always looks smooth and sharp
- Two very good camerasThe ultrawide and macro cameras aren’t too impressive, but if you stick to the main and selfie cameras, the Reno 11F can capture some lovely shots
- Unique designAvailable in some truly unique finishes, depending on your region, and even the most subtle Palm Green colourway has a fairly striking look
Introduction
Oppo’s Reno series of phones has a reputation for delivering excellent specifications at affordable prices, and it seems that’s a trend that’s set to continue.
The latest model is called the Oppo Reno 11F 5G, and I’m not sure what the ‘F’ actually stands for, but my best guess is “fairly cheap.” It’ll set you back just £349 in the UK, making it £50 cheaper than the last Reno phone to hit our shores, the Reno 10 5G.
It loses out on the 2x telephoto camera that we saw last year (you’ll need the non ‘F’ model for that) but it adds an IP65 rating as well as a unique low-temperature charging feature that could appeal to adventurous buyers.
In this price bracket, though, there’s plenty of stiff competition. Does the Oppo Reno 11F do enough to stand out from the crowd? I was keen to find out, and after stuffing it in my pocket for a week, here’s what I learned.
Design
- A fairly large phone for the price
- Panda Glass screen, plastic rear
- Palm Green and Ocean Blue colour options
The Oppo Reno 11F is a fairly large phone, with a screen size rivalling plenty of flagship and “Ultra” phones, despite coming in at a fraction of the cost. It has a boxy design with a flat front and rear, as well as flat sides with chamfered edges. This gives the phone a bit of an iPhone look and makes it feel fairly large in the hand.
However, in contrast to the iPhones of the world, this phone is very lightweight, tipping the scales at just 177 grams. That’s because, aside from the screen, the phone is almost entirely constructed from plastic. It definitely feels less premium than the aluminium and glass construction of pricier phones, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing overall.
I already mentioned how light it is, but it’s also extremely grippy and should withstand bumps and scrapes a lot better than aluminium-edged devices. The screen is protected by Panda Glass, which is very much like Gorilla Glass, but developed by a competing manufacturer. So that should withstand some abuse, too.
I was so confident about this phone’s durability, that I didn’t feel the need to use the included transparent TPU case. You wouldn’t catch me doing that with a glass-backed device, I’ve learned my lesson far too many times already.
I have the Ocean Blue model in for testing, and it’s a pretty bold design. The rear panel has a glittering ripple design across the entire thing and the waves shift slightly as the light hits them. To be honest, I’m not too into the look, as I think it looks a little bit like a kids’ toy. However, style is subjective, and you might love it. At the very least, it doesn’t smudge up with fingerprints easily, and I’m a fan of that.
The Palm Green option would probably be my pick of the bunch, it’s a little more subtle, less sparkly and a lot darker. It just so happens that Palm Green is the only option coming to the UK market, so no complaints here.
The Oppo Reno 11F is IP65 rated, which means it’s fully dust-proof and can withstand low-pressure water jets from all angles. So, it’s basically ready for all weather conditions, just don’t go dropping it in a swimming pool.
Screen
- 6.7-inch AMOLED screen
- Features a 120Hz refresh rate
- 1100 nits peak brightness
The Oppo Reno 11F 5G screen is nothing short of impressive for a phone in this price range. It’s big, vibrant, and fully flat. I prefer a flat display, as it reduces unwanted reflections and the colour-shifting you tend to see towards the edges of curved displays, so it’s nice to see one used here.
It’s an AMOLED panel, which means you get deep dark blacks, and a 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and swiping around look wonderfully smooth. An 1100-nit output might not sound like a lot, with flagships boasting ever-increasing brightness figures, but in use, it’s more than bright enough to compete with sunlight – and that’s all you really need.
The panel has an FHD+ resolution, and at this size, I can see the reduction in pixel density compared to top-of-the-line flagship phones, but it still looks good, and I can’t grumble considering the price difference.
The Oppo Reno 11F supports HDR10+ playback, however, at the time of writing, it doesn’t have the correct DRM certification to play Netflix in HDR. Hopefully, this can be addressed in future updates, but for the time being, YouTube works in HDR, and it looks excellent. The highlights pop while the dark areas are deep and inky.
Cameras
- Main 64MP camera takes some great shots
- 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro are poor by comparison
- Selfie beautification filters are on by default
The Oppo Reno 11F comes with two very capable cameras, the 64MP main camera, and the 32MP selfie camera.
The other lenses are very poor by comparison. I’d recommend avoiding the 2MP macro most of the time, as it’s just too low-resolution to be of much use. The 8MP ultrawide is a little better, but the images don’t hold up to much scrutiny and lack detail. You might find they’re okay for a quick Instagram post, but if you view them on a larger display, it’s obvious that the quality isn’t there.
Thankfully, the other two cameras are a completely different story. The main camera takes some great shots, especially in daylight, with plenty of detail and vibrant colours.
When it gets darker, it still does a decent job, but it’s prone to motion blur and images can look slightly grainy. Unfortunately, it lacks optical image stabilisation, and that’s a shame, as it would definitely help to keep that motion blur at bay.
The 32MP selfie camera captures tons of detail and has extremely comprehensive beautification filters, if you like to use those.
These filters are on by default, and I was a little alarmed to see my eyes enlarged and face slimmed, but you can turn it off with a tap. There are lots of colour filters available as well, and it’s easy to get a flattering self-portrait with this phone.
The portrait mode works very well, too. I found the cutouts to be very reliable and the bokeh effect looks quite good. It has a tendency to overdo the blur, in my opinion, so I’d turn it down a few notches for the best results.
When it comes to video shooting, you can shoot at up to 4K 30fps on the main and selfie cameras, while the ultrawide is limited to 1080p. Stabilisation suffers a little at 4K resolution, so I’d stick to 1080p for the smoothest-looking footage.
Performance
- Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7050
- Features 8GB RAM and 256GB storage
- Mono speaker, microSD card slot
The Oppo Reno 11F is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7050, the same chip found in last year’s Reno 10, and my test unit is paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. However, it does have a microSD card slot, so you can expand this storage by up to 2TB should you need to.
With a midrange chip like this, the Reno 11F won’t be near the top of any benchmark charts, but it handles day-to-day tasks without issue. I did notice the occasional animation stutter when multitasking heavily, but it never fully froze, and it was easy to live with.
You can game on this phone, but it doesn’t have enough grunt to be a good choice for mobile gaming connoisseurs. It still managed to run Genshin Impact in low settings at 30 fps, and I only witnessed a slight stutter when the action got intense.
More impressively, though, the phone barely got warm while running this graphically intensive title, and it was the same case with benchmarks and stress tests. So, it might not be the most powerful phone around, but it’s certainly efficient.
The Reno 11F has a single mono speaker, so you won’t be getting any stereo effects when watching content on this phone, but it sounds decent and it’s positioned well. You’ll rarely muffle it with your palm.
The speaker can also get incredibly loud. Oppo has a feature called Ultra Volume, and if you keep pressing the volume up key, it’ll boost to “300%” volume. It could be useful, on occasion, but it distorts pretty badly, so I preferred to listen at tamer volume levels.
Software
- Runs ColorOS 14
- Based on Android 14
- Lots of bloatware
The Oppo Reno 11F runs ColorOS 14, based on Android 14, and on the whole, I had a pretty positive experience with it. It’s not overly stylised, but there are boatloads of customisation options if you’d like to switch up the look. I really like the “Live Wallpapers” which are animated and shift slightly as you swipe around the home screen.
It’s less of a departure from stock Android than previous generations. The Google Discover page is still there if you swipe left on the home screen, for instance. It ran very smoothly for the majority of my testing, and I didn’t run into any bugs, just an occasional animation stutter when the phone was working hard.
One feature I really enjoyed using was Smart Image Matting. This is essentially a clone of Apple’s sticker-creating feature, you just long press a subject in the image gallery and the software will cut it out, and then let you use it as a sticker in apps like Messenger and WhatsApp. It’s great fun and seems to work very consistently.
That said, I wasn’t too pleased with the amount of bloatware that comes pre-installed. Even if you decline the many app offers during set-up, you’ll still end up with effectively two pages of junk to deal with. This includes everything from Oppo’s own app store and browser to folders full of random games and social media services like Facebook and TikTok. You can uninstall most of it, and it’s par for the course with most phones in this price range, but it’s still annoying to deal with.
When it comes to long-term support, Oppo promises three major OS updates and four years of security patches for the Reno 11 series. It’s not quite matching the likes of Google and Samsung, but it’s far from the worst and should mean that this phone stays relevant for years to come.
Battery life
- 5000 mAh battery pack
- 67W wired charging
- Charger sometimes included (but not in EU)
The Oppo Reno 11F has a beefy 5000 mAh battery pack, and combined with its efficient processor, this results in exceptional battery life. It never failed to see me through the day, and if used sparingly, I could likely squeeze two full days out of a single charge.
When it eventually dies, you’ll be up and running again in no time, as this device supports up to 67W charging speeds. By my count, it took just 52 minutes to go from completely flat to 100% charged.
My review unit came with the charger included, but unfortunately, that won’t be the case for European retail versions. So, if you’re in Europe, and you want to take advantage of these nippy charging speeds, then you’ll need to factor in the cost of a powerful enough charger.
There’s no wireless charging here, but that’s no surprise at this price. What’s more unusual is the inclusion of an ultra-low temperature charging mode.
Apparently, if you try to charge in extremely cold conditions, your phone may refuse to charge, or charge very slowly to prevent battery damage. It’s not something I’ve personally had an issue with, but if you’re out all day on ski patrol, then you might be more familiar.
The Reno 11F’s ultra-low temperature charging feature eliminates this issue by creating an artificial load on the CPU to warm the device up, then charging at full speed to give you the juice you need as quickly as possible. For a niche subset of users, it could be a huge deal.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You want an affordable phone with a solid camera and a lovely display
The Oppo Reno 11F is capable of taking some brilliant photos, so long as you stick to the main sensor and selfie camera, and the large, bright and flat display is superb for watching videos.
You’re a gamer looking for top-tier performance
The Oppo Reno 11F is capable of gaming, but you’ll need to stick to low graphics presets, keen gamers will find better performance elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
The Oppo Reno 11F is a good phone, and I’ve enjoyed using it. For a reasonable sum, you can expect a lovely display, excellent battery life, capable cameras and speedy charging. The problem comes from the competition.
Oppo is selling the Reno 11F at a special introductory pre-order price of just £259, but the promotion only runs for 7 days, starting on April 8, 2024 over on Oppo’s website, then the Reno 11F will jump up to its usual selling price of £349.
At the promotional price, this phone is a steal. You’d have a very hard time matching the quality and specifications without spending significantly more. However, at full price, I think there are more compelling options, and the Reno 11F doesn’t do enough to stand out from the crowd.
For example, the Honor Magic 6 Lite is cheaper, has a longer-lasting battery, and comparable specs elsewhere. The Poco X6 Pro, meanwhile, is a gigantic leap forward in performance and only costs a little extra. We’ve seen plenty of Pixel 7a deals that reduce it to around this price too.
If you see a good deal, you won’t be disappointed with the Oppo Reno 11F. It’s a great mid-ranger, but at full price, the competition offers more for your money.
How we test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as a main phone for over a week
Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions
Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data
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FAQs
No, the Reno 11F is IP65 rated, which means it can withstand being sprayed with water but not full submersion.
Oppo promises three major OS updates and four years of security patches for the Reno 11 series.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
