Oppo Reno 8 Z is a RM1,799 déjà vu trip of a smartphone

Oppo has completed the Reno 8 series of phones in Malaysia with the launch of the Reno 8 Z today. This new offering brings the starting price of the lineup below the RM2,000 mark, but eagle-eyed readers may notice a lot of similarities with another smartphone – and it’s neither of its siblings.

Oppo Reno 8 Z Malaysia pricing and availability

First, pricing. The Reno 8 Z is available in just one variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, priced at RM1,799. That’s a good RM600 cheaper than the standard Reno 8. The phone will go on sale tomorrow, with early birds getting free wireless earbuds worth RM109 and My Oppo Members’ Privileges worth RM888.

Oppo is also holding a Portrait Carnival roadshow from today until August 31, and purchases made there will net you the wireless earbuds, a hotel voucher worth RM250 and a powerbank worth RM79. Additional free gifts can be earned by participating in the roadshow’s challenges.

Oppo Reno 8 Z specs and features

Underneath the rejigged design the Reno 8 Z is practically identical to the Reno 7 Z. While it’s no surprise that they have plenty in common, given that the latter was only launched in March, it is a surprise how much they share.

It uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, plus a 4,500mAh battery and support for 33W charging. Oppo says it takes 63 minutes to fill the battery to full.

Up front sits a 6.43-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display that looks to be the same panel found on the Reno 7 Z, right down to the chin underneath. As before, it has a brightness of 430 nits, a peak brightness of 600 nits, a 60Hz refresh rate and a 180Hz touch sampling rate.

Even the cameras are the same. The Reno 8 Z uses a 64MP main camera with an f/1.7 lens, along with a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro shooter; a hole-punch 16MP f/2.4 selfie camera sits on the top left corner of the display. The phone gets AI portrait retouching, a portrait mode and dual-view video recording, all lifted from its predecessor.

Other features include 5G connectivity, Bluetooth 5.1, an in-display fingerprint sensor, facial recognition for unlocking and NFC, although there’s no WiFi 6 like on the pricier Reno 8 models. The Reno 8 Z also ships with Android 12, skinned with ColorOS 12.1. One difference between this and the Reno 7 Z is that the IPX4 splash resistance rating looks to have disappeared.

On the outside, the Reno 8 Z shares the Reno 8 design language, with the camera section expanded to the edges of the device. As per the Reno 7 Z, you get “dual orbit” lighting that uses RGB LEDs to illuminate the two camera rings. Two colours are being offered in Malaysia – Dawnlight Gold and Starlight Black.

We were told that the Reno 7 Z will continue to be sold alongside the 8 Z, priced RM110 lower at RM1,689. The newer model, however, has the benefit of having double the storage (256GB vs 128GB) for the slight extra outlay.

Oppo has also launched the Enco Buds 2, which come with larger 10mm drivers, AI deep noise cancellation for calls and a larger case battery that provides a claimed 28 hours of total listening time. They’re available in either white or black and are priced at RM129, RM50 more than the original Enco Buds.