Wishing there was a OnePlus 10? We might get one – but not from OnePlus

OnePlus 10 Pro
(Image credit: Future)

The OnePlus 10 Pro may be a good phone, but lots of people are disappointed because the company has confirmed that there won't be a more affordable 'standard' OnePlus 10. However, we might be getting the next-best thing – but from another brand.

Reliable leaker Digital Chat Station has posted a leaked image and specs of the Oppo Reno 8, an upcoming entry into Oppo's mid-range family of phones, on Chinese social media network Weibo – and the similarities are noteworthy.

Take this with a pinch of salt for now, because it's not official, but this particular leaker's track record is very good.

The similarities are mainly in the camera bump, because the Oppo Reno 8 appears to use the same design as the OnePlus. That means it has a large square camera bump with three lenses and a ring flash – even the curved edges of the bump are the same.

The only apparent difference based on the leaked image is the lack of branding – there's no Hasselblad logo like OnePlus has, and no camera specs printed on the bump (although we'd be surprised if many people bought the OnePlus 10 Pro for the words stamped on it).

The phones aren't identical – the edges of the Reno 8's screen look flat, while the OnePlus had a curved-edge display. But Reno phones are budget mobiles, so that's to be expected.

Digital Chat Station provided some specs for the phone too: they claim it'll have a 6.55-inch FHD+ screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, and that the main camera is Sony's powerful IMX 766, a 50MP sensor, which has become popular with budget camera phone fans for its strong performance in low-light conditions.


Analysis: why the phones look similar

If the Oppo Reno 8 does look like the OnePlus 10 Pro, it won't be because Oppo is plagiarizing OnePlus. The two brands are owned by the same parent company and have now effectively merged, and for some years now the brands have produced similar-looking phones.

The OnePlus 10 Pro has incredibly similar specs to the Oppo Find X5 Pro, launched just a month before. We're used to seeing the two brands put out phones with lots in common, and this likely enables the company to pool manufacturing processes to on production costs.

And in the case of the Oppo Reno 8 it may also give people who wanted a 'standard' OnePlus 10, or at least a more affordable version of the OnePlus 10 Pro, a tempting alternative – those leaked specs sound impressive if the phone is a similar price to the Reno 6 or 7.

There is a catch though – Oppo tends to be inconsistent with its Reno release patterns. While the company doesn't sell any phones in the US, it brings some Reno lines to Europe and not others. In the UK, the original Reno, Reno 2 and Reno 4 lines launched, while other Reno phones were released as part of the company's Find series of flagships.

So we can't be sure that the Oppo Reno 8 will launch in all the regions the OnePlus 10 Pro did. We'll let you know if it does, and in the meantime keep our fingers crossed.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.