The Oppo Reno series has long played the role of a well-judged compromise. Sitting just below the company’s flagship Find range, it typically borrows premium ideas while keeping prices in check with a less ambitious processor and camera setup.
With the Reno 15 Pro Max, Oppo appears to have landed closer than usual to the sweet spot between price and performance.
At first glance, you can easily mistake the Reno 15 Pro Max for the Find X9 Pro. Both phones share a rear design that leans heavily towards the familiar iPhone-inspired look, though the resemblance feels stronger here thanks to the three large, exposed camera lenses.
This imaging array houses a 200-megapixel main camera, supported by a 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 50-megapixel telephoto. Up front, a 50-megapixel selfie camera offers a wide field of view that works well for group shots.
Unlike the Find X9 Pro, the Reno 15 Pro Max uses a 200-megapixel 1/1.56-inch sensor on its main camera, complete with optical stabilisation.
This proves to be a capable setup for close to mid-distance shooting. In daylight, photos show plenty of fine detail in buildings, foliage and fabric, and moderate cropping is possible before image quality starts to fall apart.
Dynamic range is generally handled well, with highlights and shadows kept under control in most scenes. That said, high-contrast situations can still catch the processing off guard. Using night mode even in bright conditions can help lift shadows and recover extra detail.
Where the Reno differs most clearly from the Find X9 Pro is in its colour treatment. Images lean warmer, with skin tones tending slightly towards pink and colours appearing more saturated.
Purists may find this less accurate, but those who enjoy punchier, more share-ready photos, particularly of food, will likely appreciate the look. Switching to a flatter colour profile and disabling beautification makes little visible difference, though.
Image quality does take a hit under harsh lighting. Shooting under the intense Penang sun, I found lens flares pretty easy to provoke. This suggests limited anti-reflective coatings. So, care is needed to shield the lens or adjust angles. There is also slight shutter lag in low light, which can affect spontaneous shots.
Portrait photography is where the Oppo Reno 15 Pro Max performs most convincingly. Subject separation has improved, with fewer obvious AI errors around hair and edges but there is still room to improve.
Using the 3.5x optical zoom delivers the most natural-looking background blur without relying too heavily on software tricks and having less errors. As with most smartphones, pushing to the extreme end of the zoom range introduces a watercolour-like softness and smudging that is best avoided.
In the hand, the 205g phone feels familiar but solid. The matte glass back provides reasonable grip and does a good job of hiding fingerprints, while the frame feels sturdy without making the device unnecessarily heavy. The camera bump is noticeable but does not protrude excessively, so the phone does not rock too much when placed on a table.
With IP66, IP68 and IP69 ratings, the Reno 15 Pro Max is better protected than many phones in its class, making it more resilient to Singapore sudden downpours or accidental splashes. The Splash Touch feature also helps maintain screen responsiveness when fingers are wet.
The 6.78-inch AMOLED display is bright, sharp and smooth, thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate. Text and images look crisp, and brightness is sufficient to keep the camera viewfinder usable even under a strong midday sun.
Powering the phone is the MediaTek Dimensity 8450 chip (carried over from the Reno 14 Pro) paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Performance is adequate for imaging-heavy use and everyday multitasking, but it is hard to ignore the disappointment of seeing an older chipset reused in a new model.
The 4nm chip paired with a sizeable 6,500mAh battery comfortably lasts a full day of heavy use, including photography, short video clips, messaging and navigation. With a 100W GaN charger, quick top-ups are easy before heading out in the evening, and wireless charging support adds convenience.
At S$1,049, the Reno 15 Pro Max is a premium-feeling phone that sits clearly above typical mid-range models such as the Vivo V60, without straying into the much higher prices of ultra-flagships like the Oppo Find X9 Pro or Vivo X300 Pro.
Stretch the budget for the Reno 15 Pro Max slightly and you’d find phones like the Vivo X300 or Find X9, both at S$1,299 in range. They offer stronger processors in the Dimensity 9500 and better imaging, though they fall short of their Pro siblings.
On the whole, the Reno 15 Pro Max, as a balanced all-rounder with a strong focus on imaging, still holds its own. So, do check it out – if you are not too picky.
