Gimmicky, but great

SINGAPORE (Jan 31): There are those who believe that phones, smart or otherwise, should be just phones, at the heart of it. They believe phones should eschew the gimmicks – perhaps so, for those of us old enough to remember the ill-conceived and poorly reviewed Nokia N-Gage, which was the Finnish company’s attempt to capture the mobile gaming segment. On the other end of the spectrum, however, are those who love all the bells and whistles a smartphone can offer. The latest trend now is for phones to be more camera-focused than anything else, boasting multitudes of megapixels and even including hardware gimmicks.

The Oppo Reno 2 is no different. Its front-facing ‘selfie’ camera pops up from the top at an angle, like a little shark’s fin. It makes taking a selfie a little more difficult, as the angle means one would have to tilt or move one’s head just so, or risk appearing as if looking off into a distance. It also pops open with a soft ‘schnick’, which, while satisfying, felt a bit plasticky. However, the selfie-camera is my only major gripe about the phone. This mid-range offering from Chinese phone maker Oppo is snappy, looks great, and boasts some serious hardware for its price range, which starts from $899.