Oppo Reno4 Z 5G

Swing and a miss! – After having had a cheap Oppo A1601 for over 5 years, that was durable and did everything well, I was more than impressed with the brand. Finally upgraded to this model in order to capitalise on 5G in my area, hoping that it would be a massive jump in capabilities. Barely 12 months on, and 3 times the price of my original Oppo, I can honestly say they are chalk and cheese.

My Oppo Reno4 Z 5g has disappointed with: - I have never had it connect to 5G, even in a number of areas throughout the country where 5G is present. - Not that it matters, as even when it's connected to 4G, it's bitrate is horribly inconsistent. 9km from a capital city, in a LDR-HDR neighbourhood, with services a few hundred metres away, and the speed is terrible. (This could be the provider, but on this phone only(Yes! I tested), the speed commonly dropped to within the 10kb/S range). - Battery life lasted well for 3 months. After that, expect to charge it every 6-8 hours. This is with nothing huge demanding of it, bit of social media, email, SMS, and a few phone calls. Start streaming or using it as personal hotspot, and you may as well just plug it into the charger as you use it. - Expect to restart the phone often. It's as if it runs out of RAM, and then you can't get it back. A restart will fix it(but should you really have to do this?) Slow data, and slow apps, fun times!

And last but not least, the phone got wet(not submerged) but water onto and in it. Not the phones fault, clearly mine. After 48 hours in rice, removed it, it turned on and then lines started to appear through the screen. Less than hour later, nothing. Took it to numerous outlets near me to repair, and... 1) $370 repair, 2-3 week wait, no warranty or guarantee. You pay regardless. 2) We do not fix Oppos. 3) It will need to be sent interstate to repair. Will arrange quote. 2-3 weeks. Still haven't heard. 4) Oppo specialists. Does not have parts for this model. Will need to source. Still haven't heard. 5) Can repair. But will need to be sent to China. I'd probably repair it, if I was in love with it, but in all honesty I'm definitely not.

So...where to from here? I don't know yet. Safe to say it won't be anywhere near a high end Oppo.