Competition
While an excellent phone, the Oppo Reno16 Pro’s price hike won’t go unnoticed, especially in regions like Europe, where the handset is asking roughly €300 more than its predecessor. The 12GB/512GB version, which is the only one available in Europe, has an eye-watering price tag of €1,099. An early bird promotion until the end of July brings it down to €800-900, depending on the market within Europe. But what happens after that?
Well, at €1,099, it will be hard for the Reno16 Pro to compete with true flagship phones. In fact, the more premium Oppo Find X9 Pro is about the same price.
Looking ahead, we doubt the phone will remain above the €1,000 mark for long. We expect it to go against devices ranging between €600 and €900. And given that there aren’t many compact phones like the Reno16 Pro to begin with, our search for potential competitors narrows it down to only a few. And that’s what Oppo was probably betting on – the premium and compact feel.
Samsung Galaxy S26 • Google Pixel 10 Pro
The Samsung Galaxy S26 and the Pixel 10 Pro are two of the few direct competitors to the Reno16 Pro. Interestingly enough, the Reno maintains pace when it comes to camera experience, display and build quality. It also outperforms both in our battery endurance tests quite convincingly, but fails to beat the Galaxy S26 in the charging category.
Also, keep in mind that the Reno16 Pro doesn’t offer that flagship-level performance and long software support.
Europeans are likely better off getting the Reno15 Pro before it disappears from the shelves. It’s currently about €200 cheaper, even after factoring in the Reno16 Pro’s early bird pricing, and it has a slightly bigger battery in Europe. Weird, right?
Honor 600 Pro • Xiaomi 17T Pro • Oppo Reno15 Pro
The European Reno16 Pro will only give you a marginally better chipset and an additional hardware key. It doesn’t seem like the extra few hundred bucks are worth it.
In case you are not strictly looking for a very compact smartphone, then also consider the Xiaomi 17T Pro and the Honor 600 Pro, which are still pocketable but both offer a more premium camera experience and true flagship chipsets. They are in the same price bracket as the discounted Reno16 Pro, too.
Verdict
Sure, the Oppo Reno16 Pro feels like a premium phone and offers a bunch of premium features, too. It checks almost all boxes, especially for compact smartphone fans. It has an impeccable build, impressive battery endurance for the size, a complete and potent camera hardware and a solid display. The handset also adds a useful remappable hardware key.
However, the price increase, along with the downgraded battery for the European consumers, makes the Reno16 Pro a hard sell. Not to mention the chipset doesn’t hold up that well in this price bracket, and the fast charging on the 6,700 mAh model isn’t as competitive as it used to be. When you take into account all of the above, the older Reno15 Pro starts to make a whole lot more sense at a considerably lower price point.
Pros
Impeccable build, compact dimensions, IP66/IP68/IP69/IP69K certifications.
Bright OLED screen, HDR10+.
Impressive battery life (as reviewed with 6,700 mAh).
Flagship-grade photos and videos from all four cameras, AF on the ultrawide too.
Convenient new hardware button, objectively useful AI features.
Cons
Throttles heavily under heavy load.
We’ve seen more powerful chipsets at the same price.
The European model gets a smaller battery than before.
Charging speed has been effectively downgraded (as reviewed with 6,700 mAh).
Too expensive at launch.