The Reno series is a lineup of lifestyle smartphones from Oppo. Introduced in the first half of 2019, the series is currently in the ninth generation with the launch of the Oppo Reno 9 series.

Products are known to get better with every iteration. It was the case with the Reno lineup for a while as well.

However, that has changed recently. The newly introduced Oppo Reno 9 brings little to no upgrades over its predecessors.

The Pro and Pro Plus models do come with important features. On the other hand, the Pro model is basically the same as the older models.

The only major change on the vanilla model is a 32MP selfie camera with autofocus and a curved display. Unfortunately, we cannot term the screen as an upgrade as it is a preferential feature. Some users may like it, while others may despise it.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at all the major reasons why we think that Reno 9 is the most boring Reno series smartphone.

Oppo Reno 9
Oppo Reno 9 (All Things Red) | Source: Oppo

Here’s Why Oppo Reno 9 is a Boring Smartphone

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1. Old Chipset

The Oppo Reno 9 comes powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chip. It is a downgrade over the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 present inside the Oppo Reno 8 from earlier this year.

That’s not all, the Snapdragon 778G had already been used by a Reno series handset last year. The phone we are talking about is none other than Oppo Reno 7.

Hence, performance-wise, the Reno 9 is the same as the year-old Reno 7. Whereas, the few months old Reno 8 is more powerful.

2. Downgraded Rear Camera System

The Reno series is known for its design and cameras. Though the vanilla Reno models have never offered stellar camera performance, they do come with capable cameras.

But unfortunately, the latest Oppo Reno 9 doesn’t even come with an ultra-wide camera. It has become the only base Reno series model other than the original Reno to not feature an ultra-wide camera.

As a result, users are limited to a single field of view. The secondary camera on the rear is nothing but a useless 2MP monochrome sensor.

The phone uses an unnamed 64MP primary camera without OIS and MariSilicon X NPU. Multiple Reno handsets have used 64MP cameras in the past but the sensor suppliers have been different.

3. Lack of Dual Stereo Speakers

Almost all smartphones now house dual stereo speakers. Despite being over 3 years, the vanilla Reno models are yet to get this feature.

The Reno 9, just like the previous base Reno models, lack dual stereo speakers. People consume content on phones more than ever before and surround speakers are known to elevate the experience.

Perhaps, the 10th-gen Reno 10 standard variant may finally bring stereo speakers. 

4. Slower Charging

For some reason, Oppo has downgraded the charging speed on the Reno 9. The device only supports 67W wired charging, while the Reno 8 can charge at the rate of 80W (wired).

As per Oppo, charging from 1%-100% on the Reno 9 takes 44 minutes. On the other hand, the few months old Reno 8 can achieve the same in only 28 minutes.

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