This week Oppo’s 5G Reno phone went on sale in Australia.
I’ve been playing with it and while a full review is still aways off, there is one thing I must share immediately: I am obsessed with its nub.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/05/oppo-reno-5g-australian-price-specs-release-date/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/oppo-reno-resized-410×231.jpg” title=”Oppo’s Crazy Pop-Up 5G Phone Just Landed In Australia” excerpt=”You didn’t think the 5G news was over for the week, did you? Oppo just announced its new flagship for Australia, the Reno 5G (as well as a non 5G version). You may remember us freaking out over its angled pop up camera a little while back, and now it’s arriving here. Here are all the details.”]
I tried to think of a less dirty way of writing that, but it’s not possible, probably.
Yes, the Oppo Reno has a nub. A bump. A raised knobbly bit that sticks out from the back of the device. It is small, round and noticeably protrudes.
But let’s dial but the filth wizardry for a moment. Because to be fair there is an incredibly practical purpose for this little bumpy lad to exist.
It’s raison d’etre is to raise the phone ever so slightly in order to protect the camera lenses from scratches when placed on hard surfaces.
Considering the device costs $1,499, I applaud the logic.
However, this has not been its primary use case for me. Oh no.
Taking the Reno out for a jaunt over the long weekend, I noticed myself rubbing the back of it with alarming frequency. More so than the other four phones I was packing.
(I was grabbing camera samples, please don’t rob me.)
I found that there was something pleasant about unconsciously caressing the Oppo. Soothing, even. It actually took me awhile to register that I was rubbing my finger specifically against the nub.
As I walked around the city, repeating the same motion over and over and over and over and over… I realised that this was one of my favourite features of the phone, albeit a bloody weird one.
That statement is also by no means a sledge. The shark fin camera pop-up camera continues to delight me and I love me that 4,065mAh battery.
But as a fidgeter by nature, having something to mess with on the back of a device that I use in high frequency is relaxing. And the fact that doing so isn’t detrimental to any of the external phone features is just a bonus.
So if you’re looking for a 5G phone and are a repetitive fidgeter like yours truly, the Reno may inadvertently have a unique selling point.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/05/every-telstra-plan-for-oppo-reno-5-pop-up-5g-phone-p-s-they-come-with-free-bose-quiet-comfort-35s/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/oppo-reno-resized-410×231.jpg” title=”Every Telstra Plan For Oppo’s Pop-Up 5G Phone” excerpt=”On Friday Oppo became the second manufacturer to release a 5G phone in Australia. The Oppo Reno is a super unique device with a wild pop-up ‘shark fin’ selfie cam. Like Samsung’s 5G S10, the Reno 5G will be available on the Telstra network first. But the plans for it are cheaper. Much cheaper. Also, we actually know how much it is to buy outright. Here are all of the details.”]