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The first thing that caught my attention when I first held the OPPO Reno12 5G in my hand was how lightweight and handy it is. I am a lover of lightweight and handy smartphones, so it is only natural that I notice such things.
Checking the specs sheet, it says this phone weighs just 177g and is only 7.6mm thin. Many phones in this price range weigh much closer to 200g (and above) and are often over 8mm in width.
The Reno12’s slim profile and lightweight are impressive considering that it has a 5000mAh battery. The frame and back panel being plastic help with that, of course. But it makes it all the more compressive, considering that it is IP65 dust and splash proof. That’s assuring should you need to use it in a drizzle or should it get splashed with water.
The Reno12 has an infrared port (and I am glad, because that is making a big comeback in smartphones). Seeing it up with our home LG TV was a breeze and it works without issues.
The OPPO Reno12 5G has a pair of stereo speakers and they impressed me. I tried out my favourite tracks on the phone and compared the output with output from three other mid-rangers lying around here at MobilityArena, and the Reno12’s stereo speakers topped them all, in terms of quality. Both bass and treble sounds came out more accurately. The audio really sounds impressive.
AI Recording Summary
The AI Recording Summary feature works really well. It flawlessly summarised an audio recording of a short talk that I gave.
AI Eraser 2.0
The Reno12’s camera and Photos album come with the new AI Eraser 2.0 feature. As the name suggests, it is an AI tool that helps you remove specific people or objects from any photo you take. It offers three ways to go about it – you can circle the person or object, you can paint or brush over the person or object, and you can use the Remove people option to automatically identify, highlight and remove unwanted people.
I gave it a spin with a few photos that I took and got good results. AI Eraser works like Magic Eraser in Google Photos, but it is more versatile and, from my experience with it, it can get you better results.
Splash Touch
Have you ever had your hands wet and so were unable to use your phone at the time? Splash Touch is OPPO ‘s answer to that problem. Thanks to this feature built I to the screen, I was able to scroll and tap and use the screen normally even with wet hands. Speaking of which, the 6.7-inch screen is also protected with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i. This means it should be harder to scratch or break the Reno12’s screen.
It is an AMOLED display and it is sharp, clear, and rich. On the whole, the display is a joy to use in every condition we put it through.
Performance
How well does the OPPO Reno12 5G perform in day-to-day use? It runs smoothly for every task we threw at it. If you are interested in performance benchmarks, I put it through Geekbench 6 and it came out with the following results:
- Single-core: 517
- Multi-core: 2032
Charging the OPPO Reno12 5G
The Reno12 5G is equipped with 80W fast charging which is advertised as capable of charging the phone from zero to 47% in 18 minutes, and from zero to 100% in 46 minutes. We ran our charging test to see if the Reno12 lives up to the claim. It came very close.
In our charging test, we ran down the battery to 1% and then plugged the phone to a wall socket using the supplied 80W SuperVOOC charger. The battery went from 1% to 46% in 20 minutes, and didn’t fill up completely until the timer clocked 51 minutes. Not bad at all. Those are impressive figures.
The phone did not warm up during charging, but the charger developed some warmth. Nothing out of place; fast chargers tend to warm up a little when in use.
Software Updates
OPPO Reno12 5G hit the market with ColorOS 14 based on Android 14. If you are concerned about software updates, you can expect two years of major Android OS updated and three years of security patches.
Verdict
The Reno12 5G is a solid mid-range smartphone that offers a range of interesting and useful features for those looking to get creative with photos and communications. It is also a well-built device that we enjoy holding and using. I heartily recommend it to those looking to buy an all-round mid-ranger.
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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Every now and then in every industry, something truly groundbreaking shows up. In the EV industry, Samsung’s new oxide solid-state battery fits that description. it offers faster charging times and longer driving range on a single charge.
Samsung has developed a new, oxide solid-state EV battery that charges fully in just 9 minutes and can power a vehicle for 620 miles. That is roughly 998 kilometers. The current maximum range of EVs on a single charge is about 515 miles and the record holder is the Lucid Air Grand Touring, a super-premium EV that costs $139,650. A jump in range from 515 to 620 miles is significant.
However, more regular electric vehicles have much shorter ranges than this. Your average EV – the affordable models that most EV car owners drive – do between 200 and 450 miles on a single battery charge.
The new oxide solid-state battery technology delivers outstanding energy density of 500 Wh/kg, which is almost double the 270 Wh/kg density of current EV battery technology. This is the secret behind its ability to deliver much longer driving range over other types of EV batteries already in use.
Samsung says it has completed its manufacturing facility to mass produce the new battery and it will start rolling out in 2027. Because the new battery is pricey, it will be seen only in the super premium EV category, for starters. As economies of scale kicks in over time, we will see a drop in price and the new battery will trickle down to lower priced models.
But the company is developing other types of more affordable EV batteries for lower priced segments of the market. It is developing high-nickel NCS EV batteries for the premium segment. And for even more affordable models, it is also developing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and cobalt-free batteries, both of which cost much less to produce. Samsung is definitely not playing around and intends to be a major supplier of batteries for electric vehicles of all classes and prices.
What is a solid-state battery?
A solid-state battery is a type of battery that uses solid electrolytes instead of the liquid or gel electrolytes found in traditional lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries. This solid electrolyte can be made from a variety of materials, including ceramics and sulfides.
Advantages of Solid-State Batteries
- Higher Energy Density : Solid-state batteries can store more energy in the same amount of space compared to traditional batteries. This means longer driving ranges for electric vehicles (EVs) and more power for other applications.
- Improved Safety : The solid electrolytes are less likely to catch fire or explode compared to liquid electrolytes, which are flammable and can be unstable at high temperatures.
- Faster Charging Times : Solid-state batteries can be charged more quickly than traditional batteries. Some prototypes have shown the ability to charge up to 80% in just a few minutes.
- Longer Lifespan : These batteries tend to have a longer cycle life, meaning they can be charged and discharged more times before they start to degrade.
- Reduced Weight and Size : Due to their higher energy density and the nature of solid electrolytes, solid-state batteries can be smaller and lighter, which is particularly beneficial for EVs and portable electronics.
Samsung is not the only company betting on solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. Toyota is developing on it, as well. And so is LG, one of Samsung’s key competitors.
LG, which is one of the major suppliers of EV batteries to Tesla, is developing solid-state batteries and plans to introduce them to the market by 2030. That is three years after Samsung’s battery is expected to go on sale. LG’s solid-state products will also be used in super premium EVs.
Toyota’s solid-state battery is expected in the market within a few years and the Japanese carmakers claims it will charge fully in 10 minutes and have a range of 750 miles (about) 1,200 kilometers. That is ambitious and will leave Samsung’s new battery in the dust, if actualized. And that will be a good thing, again, for the industry. Afterall, what we all want are electric vehicles with faster charging and longer driving range.
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
