The Oppo Reno16 Pro's 3D rear panel made me say 'wow,' and it's design game-changer

Very few new phones make me say ‘wow’ when I get them out of the box, but the Oppo Reno16 Pro did, and it’s all down to a really effective 3D design on the rear panel.

Oppo says it’s the first of its kind, but how does the rest of the phone hold up?

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By  Andy Boxall

Holographic planet design

You barely believe your eyes

The Oppo Reno16 series is made up of the Reno16, Reno16 Pro, and Reno16 F, and the Pop White model showcases a rear panel design called HoloVerse 3D Technology.

In the company’s own words, the 3D Pop Planet design creates a, ‘floating, nebula-inspired virtual effect that shifts with light and movement.’

Marketing nonsense? No, for once, the reality lives up to the fluffy language, as the HoloVerse rear panel looks amazing. You're going to have to take my word for it a little, as it proved very hard to show it in photos.

The design is quite simple, featuring a monochrome planet-like motif surrounded by swirling lines, stars, and sparkly particles, which genuinely appears to leap off the back of the Reno16 Pro.

I had to do a double-take, because it barely looks real. When you move the phone around, the 3D effect deepens, the particles catch the light, and the swirls fall off the edge of the phone like they really have lifted away from the back.

It’s not over the top either. It’s quite a subtle thing, particularly against the stark white of the single glass rear panel. It’s different, fun, striking, and unlike any other phone I’ve seen.

What about the Reno16 Pro’s spec?

Impressive mid-range hardware

The Oppo Reno16 Pro is a compact phone with a great specification. It has a 6.32-inch, 144Hz screen, wrapped in an aluminum chassis which is just 8.36mm thick, and 188 grams.

It’s easily managed in one hand, and reminds me of both the Apple iPhone 17 and the recent Honor 600. They all have quite a similar overall look, but the Reno16 Pro’s 3D Pop Planet design avoids it being just another iPhone clone.

Inside is a MediaTek Dimensity 8550 Super processor with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage space, and it’s all powered by a big 6,700mAh battery with Oppo’s 80W SuperVOOC proprietary wired charging.

On the back is a 200-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 50MP wide-angle camera, and a 50MP telephoto camera with a 3.5x optical zoom. This sees it take on the Nothing Phone 4a Pro’s camera, and elevates it above the Samsung Galaxy A57’s camera system.

Other notable features include an IP68/IP69/IP69K dust and water resistance ratings, a 50MP selfie camera, and a physical AI Snap Key on the side of the phone to access Oppo’s AI Mind Space feature.

Meet the other Reno16 phones

Small changes between them

The Oppo Reno16 Pro is joined by the Oppo Reno16, which comes in an additional Dream Purple color which also features the 3D Pop Planet design, if the white is too subtle for you.

It uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor with 8GB of RAM and a choice of 256GB or 512GB of internal storage space. The screen is the same 6.32-inch panel but with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The main camera is swapped out for a 50MP camera with OIS, but the 50MP wide-angle ad 50MP telephoto are still onboard.

The Reno16 also has the same durability, battery capacity, charging speed, and AI Snap Key as the Pro model.

The Reno16 F has a larger 6.57-inch screen, the same camera system as the Reno16, and a bigger 7,000mAh camera.

Oppo Reno16 series availability

Oppo does not sell its smartphones in the US, so once again, it will miss out on an interesting, visually striking new mid-range device.

Oppo will launch the Reno16 series elsewhere, and it’s entirely possible at least one of the models will make it to the UK and Europe too.

The price and final availability had not been announced at the time of writing.