I can't believe how far OPPO has come in the few short years its been marketing phones in New Zealand.

The first devices I experienced had amazing cameras for the money, but were limited in other areas.

These days, it's getting hard to find any limits at all. In fact, now OPPO's innovation isn't even limited to phones...

Let's start with a phone though; the OPPO A9 2020.

What would you expect from a $499 handset? Smallish screen? Bad battery? Probably still charges via microUSB. Definitely no NFC. Terrible storage. Substandard speakers. Average cameras.

Right?

Usually, a five-hundred dollar phone is the one you look at then use its limitations to justify buying the six or seven-hundred dollar phone.

The A9 2020 might make you take a second look.

 

First, it's massive. The screen is a full 6.5 inches which means plenty of room for video viewing, with just the smallest of notches for the front-facing camera. Unfortunately, the display does sit up above the sides of the phone slightly, adding thickness and a slightly clumsy feel to the edges. But that bulkiness might be worth it if you're after screen real estate.

The stereo speaker setup took me completely by surprise. Firstly, the fact that it has one is crazy in this price bracket - there are plenty of so-called "flagships" out there that don't play out of both the downward-firing and ear-piece speakers. What's more, it sounds fantastic. Loud, clear and powerful, great for YouTubing or listening to podcasts. There's also still a headphone jack, which I know some of you care passionately about, so that's nice for you wired-up weirdos.

Battery life has been pretty standout on the last several OPPO handsets I've tried out and the A9 2020 is no exception. It sports a huge 5000mAh battery, which again, doesn't help with that weighty, bulky feel of the phone but it does mean a full charge will probably get you through two whole days. Sadly, there's no fast charging option here though - that's the compromise.

Not much compromise in terms of camera quality. In fact, there are four sensors on the back, including a 119 degree wide angle lens. Remember, this phone is only $499. You even have the option of Night Mode, which is not particularly quick but does produce some amazingly bright shots in dark conditions. Selfies are great - but that pretty much goes without saying on any OPPO phone these days. Any photographic limitations I've run into with the A9 2020 are mostly due to a lack of processing power and nothing to do with the camera functionality available. You can't argue with five cameras!

The other big surprise was being able to tap and pay with the A9 2020. NFC is often the first feature to be left out of an entry level device but not this time, yay. Now, if I could just get my local dairy to accept PayWave!

I almost forgot to mention the storage situation; 128GB internal, with a microSD slot - and that's additional to a slot for a second sim. The high-end features just keep coming.

The A9 2020 isn't perfect and it may not be the most elegant-looking phone around, but it definitely packs a punch for the price.

The OPPO Reno2 Z isn't perfect either. But it comes pretty close.

 

Whether you choose Sky White or Luminous Black, the Reno2 Z is pretty in all the places the A9 2020 sticks out - it's lightness and air and curves and smoothness and sleek and... and that's a lot of "ands."

 

The original Reno hit the kiwi market earlier in the year and promptly sold out. Great phones will do that. The Reno2 Z is just a little bit greater, now also featuring a quad-cam rear sensor but here incorporating telephoto and mono lenses into the mix to provide more photo options than you'll know what to do with. Well, more than I knew what to do with, anyway.

Like the last few premium OPPO devices, the Reno2 Z features a pop-up selfie cam to maximise the screen-to-body ratio. Unlike the original "shark fin" pop-up on the Reno 10x Zoom, this one is quite small and emerges from the centre of the top edge when required. I've reviewed quite a few handsets with pop-up cameras now, but this is the first one I feel truly confident about, build-wise. There's a solidity to the mechanism I haven't seen till now and the coloured LEDs on each side are a nice touch too. Just remember, like all pop-ups, there's still a mechanical noise when it goes up or down, so I'd avoid the face-unlock in the middle of the night if you're not the only one in the room!

There's an in-display fingerprint sensor too. OPPO was one of the first manufacturers to introduce this technology so it's no surprise this is the best one I've used yet - for the first time we've got an in-screen sensor that seems to be as fast and as reliable as the physical ones we used to have on the back.

Not only is the Reno2 Z so much lighter and sexier than the A9 2020, it has a much gruntier processor, again placing it squarely among the ranks of other flagship devices in terms of performance. Although on paper the MediaTek Helio P90 doesn't quite match up with its rival Snapdragon 855, in practical use I haven't noticed much of a downside.

That's before you get to OPPO's VOOC 3.0 flash charging, making the Reno2 Z one of the fastest charging handsets around.

Neither of these phones charge wirelessly and neither carry an IP water/dust proof rating. Also, I still have serious issues with OPPO's ColorOS 6.1 operating system, probably one of my least favourite Android-based O.S.'s but in terms of bang for buck, both devices represent incredible value for money.

But as I said at the top, OPPO is no longer just about phones and cameras.

 

The OPPO Enco Q1 was a first for me. I'd seen this form factor was around but I'd never used one till now. Similar to earbuds that connect behind the neck, the Enco Q1 goes a step further, with a more solid yoke containing microphone, controls and rechargeable power supply. The buds themselves are connected by very thin cables. At first, it seems like a pretty cumbersome setup - especially compared to the total freedom of other "True-Wireless" earbuds.

However, I soon learned there are many advantages, the first and most obvious being superior battery life. Stand-alone true-wireless buds have to carry their charge around in a very small package so typically if you get 4 hours or so out of them you're doing pretty well. The Enco Q1 has plenty of room for a larger battery and that means more playback time - a lot more; around 15 hours with Active Noise Cancelling on.

Oh yeah, that's the other thing... the Enco Q1 includes ANC, something offered by only a handful of in-ear headsets at the present time. Admittedly, it's nowhere near as effective as the noise reduction you'll find on those premium brand, over-ear headphones but you'll be paying several hundreds more for those and I certainly wouldn't want to go running in them.

On the other hand, going running was one of the first things I did with the Enco Q1 and it ended up being quite a test. Firstly, it was windy. This is usually fairly challenging for earbuds connected by any kind of cable as they tend to get blown out of place pretty easily. However, due to the main guts of this device being housed in the neck ring, the buds themselves are very light and fit snugly and comfortably. I was very impressed with the tight seal and to be honest, could hardly feel them at all once in place.

Then it rained.

Then it hailed.

I'm not even joking. Although this made the rest of my run far from enjoyable, the Enco Q1 never missed a beat. It's IPX4 rated which means "splash resistant" - another feature not always found on other, pricier earbuds. I wish I was IPX4 rated. I was wet through by the time I got home.

 

Of course, sound quality has to be a major consideration when choosing any headset and I'm not going to try and claim the Enco Q1 is setting any new standards in high fidelity. They do get nice and loud though and there's plenty of bass punch to keep most punters happy. A double press of the multifunction button toggles between Music, Movie and Gaming modes, but that's about the extent of your EQ options.

The neck ring obviously takes some getting used to - but not as much as I would have thought. Yes, it bounces around a little while running but it quickly seems to recentre itself and the sweat-proof material it's made from is very comfy against the skin.

 

Because it rests securely over your neck, there's no chance of your earbuds falling to the ground, even if they come out of your ears. What's more, the buds clasp together magnetically when not in use, so there's not much chance of getting them tangled up and zero chance of losing them.

Another big advantage of this form factor is having the controls easily accessible on the left end of the neck ring. This makes adjusting volume, playing, pausing, skipping and swapping between the three preset playback modes super easy - even on the move.

I have to admit, I would never have considered this form factor for a second, if I hadn't been reviewing the Enco Q1. Now I've tried it though, I can appreciate its many good points and I honestly recommend you give it a go next time you're choosing some new ear wear.

Click here for more information on the OPPO Reno2 Z.

Click here for more information on the OPPO A9 2020.

Click here for more information on the OPPO Enco Q1.