We subjected the Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G to our rigorous SBMARK Audio test suite to measure its performance both when recording sound using its built-in microphones, and when playing audio through its speakers.
In this review, we’ll break down how it fared across a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- Two upper speakers, one front and one side, one bottom and side.
- No audio jack output
- Noise reduction
- Dirac sound enhancement technology
Reproduction
Pros
- Fair overall dynamic performance, especially bass accuracy at nominal volume and beyond.
- Nice mid-range color, although it could be warmer.
- Satisfactory presence of high bass.
- Fair spatial qualities, with satisfactory amplitude and good localizability.
versus
- Tonal balance is a bit too focused on the mid-high range.
- The low end doesn’t reach deep enough.
- Easy to accidentally block the right speaker with your fingers
- Too quiet at minimum volume.
Registration
Pros
- Good performance when using the memo app.
- Discreet wind noise management.
- Good dynamic performance.
versus
- Tonal balance is overall muted and lacks clarity.
- Spatial performance is unsatisfactory in the main camera video and selfie video.
The Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G offers overall decent performance for its class. In playback it is equally suitable for listening to music, watching movies and gaming, thanks to decent dynamics with good bass accuracy at nominal and higher volume, good midrange and good upper bass presence. The speakers also make a sound stage quite wide and allow you to locate specific sound sources in that scene. On the downside, the tonal balance focuses a little too much on the high-mids, while slightly neglecting the lows. Our testers also found that the right speaker freezes very easily, so be careful where you put your finger when holding your phone.
In the recording department the Oppo performs on a similar but slightly higher level. It is ideal for recording meetings and voice reminders, but it can also be a useful tool when capturing concerts or family events, thanks to good wind noise management and dynamics. Tonal balance seems a bit muted, however, in both selfie video recordings and the main camera, the breadth and localizability of sound sources in the stereo scene may be better.
Test summary
Learn about SBMARK audio tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone audio reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual assessment under controlled laboratory conditions.
(For more details on our reproduction protocol, click here; for more details on our registration protocol, click here.)
The following section collects the key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyzes performed in SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
How the audio playback score is composed
SBMARK engineers test playback through smartphone speakers, whose performance is evaluated in our labs and under real-life conditions, using apps and default settings.
The Reno 8 Pro 5G is overall a decent device for playing music and other sounds. It offers a good tone overall, although the tonal balance is a bit too focused on the upper midrange and lacks a little high end and low midrange extension. The latter is especially noticeable during games. The loss of bass and treble becomes more noticeable at lower volumes but at the other end of the volume spectrum the tonal balance remains decent up to the maximum setting.
The Reno also performs well for dynamics, thanks to the overall decent attack, bass accuracy and punch. That said, both attack and bass accuracy suffer at maximum volume. The width of the Oppo allows the rendering of an average stereo scene considering that the dimensions of the device and the elements can be located quite precisely.
Our testers found the volume performance to be fairly average, with a satisfying volume pitch consistency. At its maximum volume, the Reno 8 Pro is not a particularly loud device and its minimum volume level is too low. Like most other attributes, artifact performance is average. Our testers notice a slight overall distortion of the maximum volume and it is quite easy to completely occlude the right speaker with your fingers when holding the phone.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Recordings of smartphones that play some of our music at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment from 2 microphones in AB configuration, at 30 cm
Here’s how the Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G fares in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
Playback of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone reproduces sound across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble, tonal balance and volume dependence. It is the most important attribute for reproduction.
Music playback frequency response
A 1/12 octave frequency response graph, which measures the volume of each frequency emitted by the smartphone when playing a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as the precision with which a bass note or the impact sound of drums is played.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include identifying the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude.
The volume score represents the overall volume of a smartphone and how the volume gradually increases and decreases based on user input.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPLs) measured when playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| Hip-Hop | Classic | |
| Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G | 72.5 dBA | 72.1 dBA |
| Xiaomi 12 Pro | 69.1 dB | 65.9 dB |
| Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro | 76.4 dB | 73.4 dB |
The graph below shows the gradual changes in volume from minimum to maximum. We expect these changes to be consistent across the range, so that all volume levels match user expectations:
Music volume texture
This line graph shows the relative playback volume versus the user-selected volume step, measured at different volume levels with correlated pink noise in an anechoic box recorded on axis at 0.20 meters.
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which sound is affected by various types of distortion. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortion can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
Total harmonic distortion reproduction (maximum volume)
This graph shows the total harmonic distortion and noise in the audible frequency range.
It represents the distortion and noise of the device reproducing our test signal (0 dB Fs, Sweep Sine in an anechoic box at 40 cm) at the maximum volume of the device.
How the score of the audio recording is composed
SBMARK engineers test the recording by evaluating recorded files on reference audio equipment. These recordings are performed in our labs and in real-life conditions, using apps and predefined settings.
The Reno 8 Pro 5G works slightly better as a recording device than for playback. It particularly shines when using the memo app, thanks to a balanced tone with a decent high-end and mid-high range that offers clarity and brightness. Unfortunately tonal balance tends to be more muted and lacking in clarity when recording main camera video or selfies.
The recording dynamics are good overall, despite some background noises in selfie videos and in the use of memos. The envelope is precise, allowing for good intelligibility but the attack could be sharper. The device offers overall good spatial performance, recording a fairly wide sound stage with the main camera video. It’s more limited with selfie videos, however, and it’s a bit difficult to pinpoint voices accurately in the stereo field. The rumors appear even further away than they actually are. Things get better when using the memo app, with better localizability of sound elements and actually impressive amplitude, making the Oppo a good option for recording meetings, memos or the like.
The recording volume is correct in all the apps used and the Reno 8 Pro 5G is almost free of artifacts in its recordings, even at high sound pressure levels. The phone is also quite good at handling unwanted wind noise. Wind noise can be quite loud in the recording, but the voices are still easy enough to understand. However, you should keep in mind that using audio zoom will likely introduce some unwanted effects, such as volume drops or pumping.
It’s also worth noting that using the audio zoom feature impairs tonal balance, resulting in a more inconsistent midrange. Audio zoom also alters the background which may sound slightly unnatural before being properly reduced. On the plus side, the audio zoom function overall does a decent job of blocking out background noise, allowing you to focus on a particular sound source.
Here’s how the Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G fares in use case recording compared to its competitors:
Record of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone captures sounds across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble and tonal balance. It is the most important attribute for registration.
Life video frequency response
A 1 / 12th octave frequency response graph, which measures the volume of each frequency captured by the smartphone when recording a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately the explosives of a voice (p, tek, for example) are reproduced. The score also considers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), such as how loud the main voice is compared to the background noise.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include locating the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude on recorded audio files.
Directivity of registration
Smartphone directivity graph when recording test signals using the camera app, with the main camera. It represents the acoustic energy (in dB) on the angle of incidence of the sound source. (Normalized to the 0 ° angle, in front of the device.)
The volume score represents the normalization level of the audio on the recorded files and how the device handles noisy environments, such as electronic concerts, during recording.
Here are the sound levels recorded in the audio and video files, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); as a reference, we expect loudness levels to be higher than -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Match | Life video | Selfie video | Memo | |
| Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G | -23.2 LUFS | -21.8 LUFS | -18.9 LUFS | -17.8 LUFS |
| Xiaomi 12 Pro | -25.8 LUFS | -23.1 LUFS | -20.4 LUFS | -20.2 LUFS |
| Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro | -33.6 LUFS | -25 LUFS | -20.5 LUFS | -28.1 LUFS |
The Artifacts Score measures the extent to which recorded sounds are affected by various types of distortions. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortions can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the microphones, as well as user handling, such as the way the phone is held.
In this audio comparison, you can hear how this smartphone handles wind noise compared to its competitors:
Recordings of a voice sample with light background noise, facing a turbulent wind of 5 m / s
Background evaluates how naturally the various sounds around a voice blend into the video recording file. For example, when recording a speech at an event, the background should not interfere with the main voice, but should provide context for the surrounding environment.
Start a new Thread