Realme recently launched its latest addition to its numbered series, Realme 9. The 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM version of the phone is currently available in Bangladesh for Tk26,990.
Firstly, the price may seem a little high considering the fact that the phone is equipped with a Snapdragon 680 chipset. However, it has much more to offer other than the chipset.
Aesthetic
The 8 mm thin Realme 9 is surely an eye-catcher. Especially its bright yellowish Sunburst Gold version. The phone is also available in two other colours — Meteor Black and Stargaze White.
To be fairly honest, the Sunburst Gold version kind of gave me Oppo’s F21 Pro vibe. Then again, the material used in the back part of F21 Pro gives a matte touch while the back of Realme 9 is on a shinier part.
Also Read - Oppo F21 Pro: Unique design, but is it worth the price?
The phone, with 178 grams weight, does give a good grip and in-hand experience. The under-display fingerprint sensor is quick and it also functions as a heart rate sensor, which seemed like a nice touch.
Performance
With the Snapdragon 680 chipset inside, there’s not really much to expect in gaming.
We have said it over and over again, 680 is not a gaming chipset. However, it performs extraordinary well while dealing with regular tasks such as browsing or scrolling through Facebook or Instagram newsfeed.
Even though it's not a gaming phone, the smartphone will be a good choice for occasional gamers who like to play less graphics-intensive games.
I kind of felt like Realme could have gone for a MediaTek G96 chipset or a slightly better Snapdragon chipset for this phone. Those would have been better in many ways. Meanwhile, a price cut of Tk2000 while keeping the Snapdragon 680 would have also put it in a sweet spot.
Display
There is nothing to complain about when it comes to the display of Realme 9. The display is really good.
The 6.4 inches Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate gives an amazing and smooth performance during the day to day usage. In addition, the 1,000 nits peak brightness makes sure that you face absolutely no problem using the phone under direct sunlight.
I almost forgot to mention that the display is also protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. So, accidental drops may not harm as much as they used to do. I would still recommend using a case and a glass protector in case things go Southway.
Software
With the buggy software and lack of optimisations in many UIs nowadays. I felt like adding this section to Realme 9’s review.
Realme 9 is run in Realme UI 3.0 and it is good. Running on Android 12, the UI is heavily optimized for the phone and packed with customizations and other features.
Also Read - Why are budget smartphones getting more expensive?
Realme UI 2.0, which lasted for a long time was also good. But it also had some RAM management issues. The good news is that Realme fixed it in their latest UI.
People who are using Oppo with ColorOS might be able to connect a lot with the Realme UI. But it surely is making a place of its own eventually.
Camera
Realme 9 has a 108MP ProLight Camera with Samsung's HM6 sensor as its main camera. The triple camera setup on the back also includes an 8MP 120 degrees ultrawide sensor and a 2MP macro lens, which won’t be that much help anyway.
In front, the phone has a 16MP selfie camera, which also happens to be wide, providing more room for those group selfies.
The performance of the main 108MP ProLight Camera is outstanding. Let it be day or night, the camera captures beautiful images. The camera performs better than its competitors within a similar price range.
The portraits captured with Realme 9 were also very good. There’s a nice edge detection and the overall images turned out to be nice.
Battery
With a 5,000mAh battery inside, the phone provides around 8 hours of screen on time. Then again, it will mostly depend on the usage scenario.
If someone’s playing games the whole time or does anything that requires lots of CPU and GPU, the screen on time will shorten. However, for daily average usage, the phone should last for a day and a half.
Also Read - Realme C35: Good looking smartphone, but what about the specs?
The phone also comes with a 33 Watts charger. Now, I expected Realme to provide a faster charger (like 50 or 65 Watts) considering that one of the perks of Realme phones is that they charge faster.
But there’s not much to complain about here, to be honest. 33 Watts is quick enough for a phone that costs Tk26,990. It’s just that the phone would have stood up compared to other devices if it came with a 65 Watts charger.
Final verdict
The phone will not look much if you only look at the chipset used. But a smartphone is much more than just a chipset. The camera of the phone stood out really well and it also offers a decent battery and display. The Sunburst Gold colour of Realme 9 is stunning.
Snapdragon 680 got loads of popularity lately and we sort of accepted that we will be seeing the same chipset in many more phones to come.
That being said, I will definitely recommend people to go for this device. Realme provides an overall balanced package with the device.
The only exception where I will not be able to recommend the phone is if you are a hardcore mobile gamer and gaming is your first and foremost priority.
