If you’re looking for a high-end mid-range device the perfect spot to scout for such phones is the Ksh 35k to 45k range. In this spot, Oppo Reno 3 (review) and Samsung Galaxy A71 are some of the most recent phones selling in Kenya.

Oppo Reno 3 is selling at Ksh 40,000 while the Galaxy A71 at around Ksh 41,000 on Jumia. So, which one should you go for? Oppo Reno 3 or Samsung Galaxy A71? Here’s a quick comparison to help you figure that out.

Design

Oppo’s recently announced Reno 3 and Samsung’s Galaxy A71 have a modern smartphone design with minimal bezels and the bottom chin. Both have a display interruption – a teardrop notch for Reno 3 and a hole punch for the Galaxy A71.

On the back, both phones have four different camera sensors suitable for different purposes. Besides both phones are made of glossy polycarbonate on the back and sides and a glass screen. The bottom is occupied by a downward-facing speaker, a USB Type C port, and a headphone jack across the two phones.

Display

• Oppo Reno 3: 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display (~84.2% screen-to-body ratio) 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution, 20:9 ratio (~411 ppi density)
• Samsung Galaxy A71: 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio) 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~393 ppi density), Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection

On the display front, there is a subtle difference between the two. Samsung Galaxy A71 has Gorilla Grass 3 protection on top which lacks in Reno 3. Samsung also offers a slightly bigger display but Reno 3’s 6.4-inch is no small display as well.

Camera

• Oppo Reno 3: 48 MP, f/1.8 (wide), PDAF + 13 MP, f/2.4(telephoto), 2x optical zoom, PDAF + 8 MP, f/2.2 (ultrawide) + 2 MP B/W, f/2.4 ; Selfie 44 MP, f/2.4(wide)
• Samsung Galaxy A71: 64 MP, f/1.8 (wide), PDAF + 12 MP, f/2.2(ultrawide) + 5 MP, f/2.4(macro) + 5 MP, f/2.2, (depth); Selfie 32 MP, f/2.2(wide)

Oppo Reno 3 and Samsung Galaxy A71 have four different camera lenses each at the back. However, both have lenses for snapping wide and ultrawide shots. Samsung lacks a dedicated telephoto lens which often proves handy for snapping portraits but the main 12MP lens can still get the job done. Main camera features across both devices include LED flash, panorama, and HDR. Night photography is also part of the mix.

Both phones can shoot 4K videos @30fps.

Hardware and Software

Hardware Features

Software Features

• Oppo Reno 3 – Android 10.0 with ColorOS 7 UI
• Galaxy A71 – Android 10 with One UI 2

Price

Oppo Reno 3(8GB/128GB) costs Ksh 40,000 while Samsung Galaxy A71 (6GB/128GB)costs Ksh 42,300.

Conclusion

In terms of getting the best bang for your bucks, both phones have pretty decent offerings under the hood from the fast charging technology, memory, internal storage space, relatively large AMOLED panels, and latest USB Type C connector interface. In the camera department is where we see some outliers with the A71 lacking a telephoto lens. But it has a quite capable ultra-wide camera.

Oppo Reno 3 (Watch our unboxing video here) has a dedicated 13 MP, f/2.4 telephoto lens capable of 2x optical zoom.

The Oppo Reno 3 falls short under the hood by using a 12nm Octa-core MTK processor which doesn’t compare to the A71’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 midrange powerhouse. In effect, that makes up for the 6GB/128GB configuration. Consequently, Oppo Reno 3 offers more memory to compensate for MediaTek’s 12nm SoC.

Factoring all of these, choosing between the Samsung Galaxy A71 and Oppo Reno 3 we would go with the A71. That is not to say the Oppo Reno 3 is weaker in the equation. You won’t lose a whole lot by going with the Oppo Reno 3.

We haven’t been able to get a review unit for the Galaxy A71 yet.

Follow us on Telegram, Twitter, Facebook or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates.