The OPPO Reno14 5G gives you every excuse to ditch your iPhone

The new OPPO Reno14 Series is making its global debut. Following months of anticipation, the trio of stylish, feature-packed smartphones is coming to several markets across Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America this month. Leading the lineup is the OPPO Reno14 5G — a device that blends premium hardware and advanced AI software into a package that costs noticeably less than flagship products.

With its slim aluminum design, large 120Hz OLED display, and a camera setup that includes a periscope telephoto lens — something even the iPhone 16 doesn’t offer — the Reno14 5G is built to stand out. It’s also one of the first OPPO phones to feature deep integration with Google Gemini, putting a wide range of AI tools at users’ fingertips.

With flagship-level specs at mid-range pricing, the likes of Apple and Samsung are about to get a serious challenger.

Practical AI from day one

Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the most essential features in modern smartphones, and the Reno14 5G doesn’t just include it — it puts it front and center. Backed by OPPO’s own AI platform and deep integration with Google Gemini, the phone offers a wide range of features that are fully functional right out of the box.

That stands in contrast to the iPhone 16, where many of the Apple Intelligence features are still scheduled to arrive in future software updates. While Apple has teased some powerful tools, the Reno14 5G brings its full AI suite to users right out of the box, with no special configuration or waiting period.

Gemini plays a key role here, not just acting as a voice assistant but also integrating with apps like OPPO Notes and YouTube. Users can, for instance, extract steps from a video tutorial and instantly organize them into a checklist — something that would currently require more manual effort on other platforms.

The Reno14 5G also debuts AI VoiceScribe, which can transcribe, translate, and summarize conversations across popular messaging apps and video platforms. Whether it’s a call on WhatsApp or a video conference on Google Meet, the tool supports real-time processing and multilingual support. iPhone users will likely need to rely on third-party apps or future updates for similar capabilities.

Photo editing is another area where the Reno14 5G takes full advantage of AI. In addition to tools like AI Eraser, it includes AI Recompose, AI Unblur, AI Clarity Enhancer, AI Style Transfer, and more. These allow users to reframe shots, remove reflections, sharpen blurry images, and recreate unique styles with just a few taps. By comparison, the iPhone 16 currently includes Apple’s Clean Up tool, which is limited to object removal and offers fewer creative or corrective options.

The Reno14 5G brings a unique camera configuration to its class, combining high-resolution sensors with hardware not typically seen in mid-range devices. Most notable is its 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom — a feature that even the iPhone 16 can’t match. This allows for crisp portrait photography and distant zoom shots with a level of detail not usually available without stepping up to a premium flagship.

That’s backed up by a 50MP autofocus front camera, offering significantly more resolution than the 12MP front camera on the iPhone 16 for sharper selfies and clearer video calls. The main rear camera is also 50MP with optical image stabilization. Rounding out the array, the ultrawide lens comes in at 8MP with autofocus.

Zoom is one area where the difference really shines through on the OPPO device. While the iPhone 16’s digital zoom tops out at 10x by cropping from the main sensor, the Reno14 5G offers up to 120x digital zoom, powered by a combination of its periscope hardware and OPPO’s AI zoom algorithms. Under bright conditions, this allows for zoom shots of distant buildings or landmarks that retain substantial detail, going far beyond what’s typically expected at its price point.

Also unique to the Reno14 5G is its triple-flash system. This includes dual flash modules for the main and ultrawide cameras, plus a dedicated telephoto flash, which is an industry-first addition that significantly improves lighting for zoom photography. OPPO claims it delivers ten times the brightness of its predecessor at two-meter distances, helping illuminate faraway subjects without blowing out skin tones or overexposing the frame.

The phone also supports Livephoto, capturing short video clips around each shot. While this feature has long existed on iPhones, OPPO extends it with more flexibility, allowing users to export individual frames as stills or convert three-second 4K video clips into Livephotos. This preserves quality and makes it easier to repurpose moments across different formats. Livephoto sharing is also supported between the Reno14 Series and Apple devices via O+ Connect, with Instagram sharing support coming via a future software update.

The OPPO Reno14 5G is built for long days and unpredictable conditions. It features a massive 6,000mAh battery — a capacity more commonly found in rugged or gaming phones — while still maintaining a slim 7.42mm frame. By contrast, the iPhone 16 has a battery capacity of just 3,500mAh. At a time when top smartphone brands are often accused of focusing on the wrong priorities, OPPO has acknowledged that many average users would trade in some of the niche additions for the two-day battery life of the Reno14 5G.

To complement its high capacity, the Reno14 5G supports 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging, which can deliver hours of use from just a few minutes plugged in. OPPO estimates that a ten-minute charge is sufficient for 12.8 hours of talk time, 13.1 hours of Spotify playback, or 6.5 hours of YouTube streaming. That kind of speed can be a game-changer for users who are regularly on the go and don’t have time for a full top-up.

Compare that with the iPhone 16, which supports wired charging at around 30W. It’s enough for a reasonable refill over time, but not in the same league as the new OPPO handset when it comes to quick turnaround. Apple’s inclusion of MagSafe wireless charging is one point of difference here, but wireless support at 50W is found on the larger sibling in the OPPO series: the Reno14 Pro 5G.

Beyond power, the Reno14 5G also improves how the phone stays connected. It features OPPO’s AI LinkBoost 3.0, an upgraded network system combining improved antenna hardware with adaptive algorithms. The aim is to provide faster reconnection and a stronger signal in common problem spots like underground garages, elevators, or basements, where phones often struggle.

Internal testing by OPPO found that during Mobile Legends: Bang Bang gameplay, the Reno14 5G delivered 12% lower latency than its predecessor and 20% lower than the iPhone 16 in those challenging environments. In app-based tests measuring upload and download speeds using services like WhatsApp and Instagram, the Reno14 5G reportedly delivered up to 31% better performance than the iPhone 16.

Put all this together, and the Reno14 5G is designed to perform consistently in real-world conditions when other phones start to lag behind.

Raw benchmark scores often favor flagship chips, and the iPhone 16’s A18 processor delivers strong results in that regard. But day-to-day performance is about more than just incremental speed increases, especially when it comes to gaming. The Reno14 5G pairs the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset with OPPO’s custom optimizations and cooling systems, prioritizing consistency and comfort over raw power tests.

The device uses what OPPO calls the AI Nano Dual-Drive Cooling System, which includes a vapor chamber designed to disperse heat more effectively during extended usage. This pays off noticeably in gaming scenarios. In tests conducted while running Mobile Legends: Bang Bang at 60fps with HD graphics enabled, both the Reno14 5G and iPhone 16 held stable frame rates, but the Reno14 5G recorded lower peak temperatures throughout.

Under standard room temperature, the Reno14 5G reached a maximum of 35.5°C, compared to 39.3°C on the iPhone 16. When ambient temperatures were raised to 35°C to simulate summer conditions, the iPhone 16’s thermals rose further to 42.7°C, while the Reno14 5G remained cooler at 39.1°C. That difference can be especially evident for players holding the device for long sessions or using a case that traps heat.

It’s a meaningful distinction for users who care about mobile gaming or frequently push their phones with demanding apps. By staying cooler and more consistent, the Reno14 5G helps avoid the thermal throttling and hand discomfort that can come with long periods of high-performance use.

The Reno14 5G takes a familiar design formula and adds its own distinctive flair. Like the iPhone 16, it features flat glass on the front and back, a contoured aluminum frame, and a rear camera layout tucked into the top-left corner. The similarities give it a premium feel, but OPPO’s own design touches make it stand out. The Iridescent Mermaid Design finish, created using a twelve-layer patterned coating, shifts color and texture depending on the light.

Despite packing in a much larger battery, the Reno14 5G is also slimmer than the iPhone 16, measuring 7.42mm thick compared to Apple’s 7.8mm. The sculpted back panel is made from a single piece of glass, integrating the camera housing into the rear cover for a cleaner look and more comfortable grip.

On the front, the Reno14 5G sports a 6.59-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s a clear upgrade over the 60Hz panel on the iPhone 16, offering smoother animations and more fluid interactions in daily use. It also includes thin, visually symmetrical bezels and reaches up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness — suitable for outdoor visibility, though slightly below the peak output of the iPhone 16’s screen.

OPPO has also taken steps to reduce eye strain with 3,840Hz PWM dimming, significantly higher than the 480Hz dimming used on the iPhone 16. This can help minimize flicker in low-light environments, which some users find more comfortable during extended screen time.

Durability is another area where the OPPO Reno14 5G pushes beyond typical mid-range expectations. It carries IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings, protecting it against dust, water jets, and full submersion. The iPhone 16 also has IP68 certification, but the Reno14 5G’s IP69 rating offers extra resistance to high-pressure, high-temperature spray, such as steam cleaning or heavy rain.

Maximizing this potential, the phone even includes a dedicated underwater photography mode, accessible directly through the native camera app. This allows users to take photos and videos up to 4K resolution while submerged, without needing a waterproof case. Apple is unlikely to recommend the same extreme use for the iPhone 16. Please note that, like other water-resistant phones, including the iPhone 16, the Reno14 5G is protected against fresh water but not saltwater.

With the Reno14 5G, OPPO has delivered a phone that doesn’t just compete with flagship devices — it rethinks what users should expect from a mid-range one. Between its high-end camera features, useful AI tools, long battery life, and premium design, it brings together a feature set that feels anything but compromised. And when placed alongside more expensive alternatives like the iPhone 16, the differences become clear in all the right places.

The fact that a significantly larger battery can be housed in a slimmer form factor than the Apple device without compromising on specs elsewhere speaks volumes. This is just one example of the engineering feat that OPPO has achieved.

For anyone looking to upgrade without overpaying, the Reno14 5G makes a compelling case for itself. It demonstrates that smart choices don’t have to come with flagship price tags.