Oppo Reno 14 5G Review: Is This The Best Camera Phone Under ₹40,000?

The Oppo Reno 14 5G made its India debut last week with a starting price of Rs. 37,999. As the successor to the Reno 13 5G, it introduces upgrades to the camera and battery while keeping the same display and processor. Key features include a 50-megapixel main camera with 3.5x optical zoom, a 50-megapixel selfie camera, and a sizable 6,000mAh battery. The phone also features a ‘Velvet Glass’ back panel, offering a glossy finish that looks premium without compromising grip.

We spent a few days using the Reno 14 5G in various everyday scenarios. Here's how it performed in real-world use.

Design

The Oppo Reno 14 5G maintains a familiar look, closely resembling its predecessor with a square-shaped rear camera layout and a hole-punch front display surrounded by slim bezels. The frame is made from aerospace-grade aluminium and includes what Oppo calls “Sponge Bionic Cushioning” for added structural integrity. The rear panel features a Velvet Glass finish that gives the phone a polished appearance while also ensuring it doesn’t feel too slippery in hand.

Button and port placement is practical: the power and volume buttons are positioned on the right, the IR blaster and earpiece are located on the top, while the USB Type-C port, speaker grille, and dual-SIM slot are placed at the bottom. The in-display optical fingerprint sensor works well and keeps the design uninterrupted. At under 190 grams and just 7.42mm thick, the phone strikes a balance between portability and durability, offering a clean, understated design that's both functional and easy to handle.

Display

The Oppo Reno 14 5G features a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1256x2760 pixels and a pixel density of 460ppi. It supports HDR10 and is capable of rendering over a billion colours, making it suitable for both media consumption and general use. The display delivers good brightness levels, sharp details, and vibrant colour output, with strong contrast and wide viewing angles.

Its 120Hz adaptive refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and improved responsiveness across the interface. Video playback, including 4K at 60fps on platforms like YouTube, runs without issues. Outdoor visibility remains adequate, even under direct sunlight, helped by a peak brightness of 1200 nits. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, adding durability without compromising clarity.

Camera

The Oppo Reno 14 5G places a strong emphasis on camera performance, offering a versatile setup that includes a triple rear camera system and a high-resolution front camera. The rear module comprises a 50-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture, 79° field of view, 5P lens, autofocus, and 2-axis OIS; a 50-megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.8 aperture, 30° FOV, 4P lens, autofocus, and 2-axis OIS; and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, 116° FOV, 5P lens, and autofocus.

On the front, the Oppo Reno 14 5G features a 50-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture, 90° FOV, and autofocus. It performs reliably across conditions, especially in portrait mode, where it captures sharp images with accurate colours and facial detail. We were very impressed with the selfies produced on the phone.

The camera app includes multiple modes such as Pro Mode, Night, Portrait, Hi-Res, Panorama, Slow Motion, Time-lapse, Dual-view video, and Underwater mode. The 3.5x optical zoom from the periscope-style telephoto lens delivers clear results, with usable sharpness extending up to 7x zoom. Digital zoom goes as high as 120x for distant subjects, although quality drops at extreme zoom levels.

Oppo has also integrated AI-based editing tools, available over Wi-Fi, including features like AI Unblur, AI Eraser, Reflection Remover, Enhance Clarity, and AI Recompose. These tools help fine-tune photos by removing glare, sharpening subjects, or adjusting composition with minimal effort.

All three main cameras—primary, telephoto, and front—support 4K 60fps HDR video recording, offering stable, well-balanced footage in a range of lighting conditions. While the ultra-wide camera is more modest at 8-megapixel, it performs reasonably well for landscape and group shots. Overall, the Reno 14 5G delivers capable photography and videography across a range of everyday and creative use cases.

Software and UI

The Oppo Reno 14 5G runs ColorOS 15, built on Android 15, bringing a number of refinements to the overall user experience. Navigation feels smooth and responsive, with improved haptic feedback when opening and closing apps. The interface design borrows some elements from iOS, particularly the separation of the notification shade from the control centre and the layout of the recent apps screen — a familiar approach that works well in day-to-day use.

Menus are easy to access, animations are fluid, and multitasking is handled efficiently without noticeable lag. However, the experience is not entirely free of clutter. On first boot, users may notice pre-installed widgets promoting “hot apps” and “hot games,” which can be distracting. Additionally, the Oppo App Market frequently prompts users to download apps, which may not be necessary for everyone.

Despite these minor issues, ColorOS 15 offers a stable and polished interface that performs reliably across tasks, with thoughtful design choices and improved responsiveness.

Performance

The Oppo Reno 14 5G is powered by the 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. This hardware combination delivers solid performance across everyday tasks, multitasking, and gaming. Graphics are handled by the Mali-G615 GPU, and with AI HyperBoost 2.0 support, games like BGMI run smoothly with consistent frame rates, even over extended play sessions.

To manage thermals, the phone includes a Nano Dual-Drive Cooling system along with AI Adaptive Temperature Control. During testing, the device remained cool even after an hour of continuous gaming, indicating efficient thermal performance.

In benchmark testing, the Reno 14 5G scored 1318 in single-core and 3995 in multi-core on Geekbench 6.4.0, positioning it firmly in the upper mid-range segment. In the Geekbench 6 GPU benchmark, the Oppo Reno 14 5G scored 7513 in the OpenCL test.These figures translate into reliable performance for productivity and entertainment, as well as AI-assisted features.

The phone comes with IP66, IP68, and IP69 certifications for water and dust resistance—an uncommon addition in this segment. However, it lacks NFC support in the Indian variant and retains UFS 3.1 storage rather than moving to the newer UFS 4.0 standard.

Battery Life

The Oppo Reno 14 5G is equipped with a 6000mAh battery, which consistently delivers all-day usage under moderate conditions, including browsing, video playback, and light gaming on Wi-Fi. During testing, the phone offered over six hours of screen-on time without the need for a midday charge.

Charging is handled by Oppo’s 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging, which takes the battery from zero to full in under 50 minutes. A brief 15-minute charge is typically enough to get the device through several hours of basic use.

Inside the box, Oppo has included the information leaflet, the protective rubber case, the 80W SuperVOOC adapter, the charging cable, and the Oppo Reno 14 5G smartphone.

Conclusion

The Oppo Reno14 5G offers a refined update to its predecessor, the Reno 13, bringing modest improvements that still make it a compelling mid-range option. The real standouts here are the 3.5x telephoto lens, which delivers sharp results even at 7x zoom, and 4K 60fps HDR video recording, both of which elevate the phone’s camera experience well above its class. The velvet glass back panel and build quality is also a strong point, with IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings ensuring top-level dust and water resistance. Its form factor hits a sweet spot—neither too large nor too small—making it comfortable to hold and use daily.

The absence of NFC in the Indian variant feels like a step back. The phone also comes with a bit too much pre-installed bloatware, and while UFS 3.1 storage is fast, it’s not the latest available. However, these are minor drawbacks that can be overlooked, and overall, the phone remains a strong contender in its price segment. For those considering alternatives, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and Poco F7 5G can be considered.

Published on: Saturday, July 12, 2025, 10:00 AM IST