Oppo Reno Ace 2 looks like the ultimate Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra killer

Oppo Reno Ace 2
The original Oppo Reno Ace. (Image credit: Oppo)

Oppo's Reno Ace2 is another tricked-out Android phone looking to take down the Samsung Galaxy S20. And it just might have a decent shot at doing so.

Thanks to specs posted on Chinese electronics regulator TENAA (via XDA Developers), we can see what specs the Reno Ace2 is working with, as well as some images of the phone from various angles.

Oppo's Reno Ace2

(Image credit: TENAA)

We can see from the attached images that the Reno Ace2 adopts a punch-hole display, ditching the signature "shark-fin" pop-up camera mechanism for a lighter total weight of 6.5 ounces (down from 7 ounces). 

The display itself is a FHD 6.5-inch model, likely featuring at least a 90Hz refresh rate like the first Reno Ace did. On the back is a center-aligned circular camera bump much like that of the OnePlus 7T or Huawei Mate 30 Pro. This camera array packs a combination of 48MP, 8MP, 2MP and 2MP cameras, with the front camera using a 16MP sensor.

On the inside, the Reno Ace2 will likely use the ubiquitous Snapdragon 865 chip that's running almost every high-end Android phone this year. There's no specific mention of the Snapdragon CPU in the listing, but its performance stats and Reno's history of using the latest Snapdragon chip make it a pretty safe bet. That CPU spec could explain why the Reno Ace2 is marked as 5G compatible in the listing. The phone will also sport either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of storage.

Oppo Reno Ace2

(Image credit: TENAA)

The listed battery capacity of 1955mAh looks tiny at first glance, but there's a good reason for this. The Reno Ace series uses 65W fast charging, far more powerful than any other fast charger available on the market. To make the best use of this, Oppo uses two battery cells in the Reno Ace, but for some reason the TENAA page only lists one of them.

Unsurprisingly, there looks to be several parallels between the Reno Ace2 and what's rumored for the upcoming OnePlus 8 series, since they're part of the same parent company. This means that the 65W charging and dual battery system could eventually find itself on a future OnePlus handset, assuming Oppo doesn't mind sharing.

Oppo Reno Ace 2

(Image credit: TENAA)

So how does this compare to the Samsung Galaxy S20 series? The Reno Ace2 should in theory perform much better in the charging department than even the S20 Ultra, which sports 45W charging. 

The cameras are roughly comparable to those of the S20 Plus, but only the Reno Ace2's 48MP one main sensor beats the S20 Plus when it comes to resolution. The higher-end set of Reno specs — 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, with a Snapdragon 865 CPU — matches the S20 Ultra, although you can get a 512GB version of the Samsung phone if you spend extra.

Oppo VP Brian Shen announced via social network Weibo that the company was indeed working on the Reno Ace2, so hopefully it won't be too long before we see the phone in the flesh. However, the original was never sold outside China, so we hope for a more global release for the new model. 

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.