The OPPO Reno11 A Made Me Think “Maybe Last Year’s Phone Is Enough”
Phones have gotten expensive, haven’t they?
With the weak yen and everything, phones over ¥100,000 aren’t unusual anymore. Meanwhile, the phone I still use every day is the OPPO Reno11 A, released in 2024.
Official site: https://www.oppo.com/jp/smartphones/series-reno/reno11-a/
Where to buy: See on Amazon Japan
It’s been out for over two years. In phone years, it’s fair to call it “last-gen.”
But after using it this long, my honest reaction is: “What exactly is the problem?”
If anything, the Reno11 A made me think a phone doesn’t have to be the latest model.
Not the “cheap Android” of the old days
If you still think of Android as “cheap but slow,” try a recent OPPO.
The Reno11 A has a Dimensity 7050, 8GB of RAM, and a roughly 6.7-inch OLED display that runs at up to 120Hz. For everyday stuff — social media, web, video, email, maps, mobile payments — it’s still super smooth.
What really impresses me is how responsive it is. Even after more than two years, it barely feels like I’m using an old phone.
About 177 g — and you feel that every day
The thing that always surprises me with OPPO is how light they are.
The Reno11 A is about 177 g. With so many phones over 200 g these days, you can clearly feel the difference when you switch.
The first time I held one of OPPO’s high-end models, it was so light I thought, “Is this a dummy unit?”
You hold your phone every day, for hours. I’ve come to think being light is a real feature in itself — maybe more than camera specs or benchmark scores.
Great battery, and it has pretty much everything you need
The Reno11 A has a 5,000mAh battery and supports 67W fast charging. For how I use it, I still don’t have any real complaints about battery life.
It also supports Osaifu-Keitai (Japan’s tap-to-pay system) and IP65 dust and water resistance.
What I’ve learned from long-term use is that how happy you are with a phone mostly comes down to the basics: light, long battery, smooth performance.
The Reno11 A nails that balance.
Going with 128GB — slight regret
If I had one complaint, it’s storage.
I have the 128GB model, and after two-plus years, photos, videos, and apps add up. If I could choose again, I’d go for 256GB.
That said, the Reno11 A supports microSD cards up to 2TB, so you can move photos and videos off.
Put another way, storage was about the only thing that really bugged me after all this time. That says a lot about how solid the basic design is.
Could be a great first phone for kids
Using it this long, I also thought it might be a great first phone for a kid.
It’s light, the battery lasts, and it has pretty much everything you need day to day.
On Android, parents can use Google’s Family Link to manage screen time, apps, content, and more.
Handing a kid a brand-new ¥100,000+ phone right away feels like a lot… but giving them a slow budget phone feels unfair too.
In that case, picking a well-made model from a generation or two back makes a lot of sense.
Choosing “last-gen” on purpose is a real option
Of course, if you care most about the latest camera, gaming performance, or long-term OS updates, a newer model has its advantages.
Honestly, I’ve been eyeing OPPO’s high-end models lately — especially the Hasselblad collabs. As someone who shoots with Hasselblad cameras, seeing models with that color rendering, and even the orange shutter button, gets me excited.
Still, the Reno11 A is going strong.
If phones keep getting pricier, maybe using a well-made phone from a few generations back for a long time should become a much more normal choice.
Not “cheap because it’s old,” but “good enough to choose even though it’s old.”
Two-plus years with the Reno11 A changed how I pick phones a little.
As an Amazon Associate, Hidenori Kimura earns from qualifying purchases.
This story was originally published (in Japanese) on Yahoo! News Japan Expert.
