The True Successor To Realme X2 Pro


Realme’s first X-series phone, the Realme X, made its official debut back in July 2019 and it was an instant hit. And then they went on to launch another winner 5 months later—the Realme X2 Pro. But since then, the company hasn’t really enjoyed much success in this lineup, with the likes of X3 SuperZoom and even the X50 Pro. And recently, Realme added 2 new X-series of phones in India, the Realme X7 and the X7 Pro. Here, I’ll be talking about the Realme X7 Pro at length in this full review.

Realme X7 Pro Specifications:

  • Body: 6.33 x 2.96 x 0.33 inches, 184 gm
  • Display: 6.55-inches Super AMOLED, 402PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, 100% DCI-P3, 103% NTSC, 1200 nits brightness (peak), 91.6% screen-to-body ratio
  • Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
  • Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ (7nm Mobile Platform)
  • CPU: Octa-core (4×2.6 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
  • Memory: 8GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128GB UFS 2.1 storage (expandable)
  • Software & UI: Realme UI 1.0 on top of Android 10
  • Rear Camera: Quad-camera;
    – 64MP, f/1.8 Sony IMX686 primary lens
    – 8MP, f/2.25 ultra wide-angle sensor, 119° FOV
    – 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor
    – 2MP, f/2.4 macro sensor, 4CM focus
    – LED flash
  • Front Camera: 32MP, f/2.45 lens (punch-hole)
  • Audio: Stereo speakers, No headphone jack
  • Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Galileo / Beidou / QZSS, NFC, USB Type-C, 4G LTE, 5G (sub-6GHz)
  • Sensors: Magnetic induction, Light, Proximity, Gyro-meter, Acceleration
  • Battery: 4500mAh with 65W SuperDart Charge
  • Color options: Fantasy, Mystic Black
  • Price in Nepal: N/A (not launched yet)

Realme X7 Pro Review:

I have been using both Realme X7 and X7 Pro for almost 2 weeks now. Realme X7… well, it isn’t that interesting a phone, is it? It is similar to the Realme 7 Pro and is easily outperformed by its competitors, but the X7 Pro… is something!

Yes, it is expectedly expensive at 30,000 Indian Rupees. But here, you are not getting your basic mid-range stuff as it boasts a top-tier MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset and a 120Hz Super AMOLED screen along with a few other high-end stuff.

Realme X7 Pro - Design 2

This makes the X7 Pro better than your average mid-range device, but at the same time, doesn’t compare to a flagship. So, let me share my experience with the phone and tell you whether the Realme X7 Pro is worth paying extra say over other mid-range devices like the Xiaomi Mi 10i or Samsung Galaxy F62 in this review.

Unboxing the device, the phone comes in an elongated box just like OnePlus devices. First off, you have the phone itself. I got the Mystic Black color for myself. Keeping the phone aside for a moment, you get the 65-watt charger and USB Type-C Cable, and basically, that’s all!

Design & Build

  • Glass front/back, polycarbonate mid-frame
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Design-wise, the phone feels really good on the hands. Its form factor is pretty similar to the OnePlus 8T with a familiar-looking camera module. The Mystic Black isn’t the most appealing of color options though. I did like the Fantasy color variant of the phone, but the bold “Dare to Leap” marking was just too much for me to digest.

The phone is rocking Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and the back, which is not bad. But for what it’s worth, I think at least, if not the Victus, Gorilla Glass 6 protection would certainly have been better. Similarly, it lacks any degree of IP rating as well.

Display

  • 6.55-inches FHD+ Super AMOLED screen
  • 120Hz refresh, 240Hz touch sampling rate

On the front too, the X7 Pro borrows OnePlus 8T’s display panel. Or is it the other way around, considering Realme X7 Pro launched a month earlier than the OnePlus 8T in the Chinese market? Anyway, it’s the familiar 6.55-inch Super AMOLED screen, which is impressive because the OnePlus 8T costs a lot more than the X7 Pro.

By the way, it’s a Samsung-made panel, so you might guess how good it is. The touch response is superb because of the 240Hz touch sampling rate. Likewise, the display is color accurate with excellent contrast levels.

Realme X7 Pro - Display

Thanks to 1200 nits of peak brightness, outdoor visibility isn’t an issue either. Another good thing about this display is, it can get really dim. As a result, I haven’t experienced any eye-strain while using the phone in pitch dark too.

In-display fingerprint sensor

You also get an optical in-display fingerprint sensor embedded inside the screen that works fast and accurately like other Realme phones in the past. Add the 120Hz refresh rate into the mix, then you’re looking at a pretty darn smooth display.

Performance

  • Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC (7nm)
  • 8GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB UFS 2.1 storage (expandable)

I was a little skeptical at first if the Dimensity 1000+ could handle this fluidity to perfection, but Realme has optimized its performance well. So, working around with the UI or scrolling through web pages is a very satisfying experience on this thing.

Realme going all-in on the Dimensity 1000+ was kind of a bold move, but I think it paid off after all. Normal tasks, multitasking, everything is a piece of cake for the X7 Pro. It’s still on Android 10 with Realme UI Version 1, and Version 2 based on Android 11 should bring visual change and even better optimization.

Gaming Experience

Gaming has been a delight on this phone too. I played a few demanding titles such as PUBG, COD, and Genshin impact, all of which ran very well on the X7 Pro. Setting the graphics to Smooth and frame rates to Extreme in PUBG mobile, I could get a stable 60 FPS with no lags or stutters whatsoever. Notably, the FPS stability was 100% while I played the game, which is very impressive.

Realme X7 Pro - Gaming

Call of Duty, on the X7 Pro, ran in the highest of settings and gave a stable 60FPS too, while I noticed a few hiccups when playing Genshin Impact in high graphics. Nonetheless, the FPS hovered around the 47 mark, which I consider to be quite good.

Sadly, some of the games that should run at 120Hz like Injustice 2 and Shadow Gun War Games could only hit 30 fps. So, it would be great to see Realme collaborating with the game developers to bring higher refresh rate support, like how we saw OnePlus partner with Fortnite and PUBG Mobile to enable 90Hz refresh rate gameplay in its select phones last year.

All in all, I have enjoyed the performance of X7 Pro. It is definitely better than any Snapdragon 700 series phone and even outperforms the Snapdragon 855+. Also, even when gaming for a long time, this MediaTek chipset did not overheat. And that’s a big plus.

Battery & Audio

  • 4500mAh battery with 65W SuperDart Charge
  • Stereo speaker setup, No 3.5mm headphone jack

Realme X7 Pro - Charger

Moving on to power, you get a modest 4,500mAh battery like the OnePlus 8T, which is enough to get you through your day while setting the display to auto-refresh rate. I wouldn’t say that the phone has an excellent battery life, but it’s reliable enough to not run out before you go to bed. Even if it does, you can take it from 0 to 100% in a matter of minutes with its 65W charger.

Likewise, Realme X7 Pro has also impressed me with its audio quality. The audio from its dual speaker can get plenty loud and is near-flagship quality.

Cameras

  • Quad-camera setup at the back
  • (64MP primary, 8MP wideangle, 2MP portrait, 2MP macro)
  • 32MP selfie camera inside the punch-hole cutout

So far so good. However, as you go into the semi-flagship price territory, buyers want more in the camera department, which I think this phone falls short of. First off, you get a gimmicky quad-camera setup at the back, comprising of a 2MP macro and depth sensor.

By this time, I genuinely feel that customers are well aware of how these 2 lenses are a pure gimmick and nothing more than a marketing stunt. So, I think it’s a big… big…miss for Realme not to include a telephoto lens here. For this review, I compared the cameras on Realme X7 Pro against Samsung’s Galaxy F62.

Normal Images

Even the photos from the 64MP primary lens aren’t extra-ordinary per se.

They look good enough, but I personally think that the color science could have been better. Aspects like details, sharpness is sufficient though – thanks to the 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor.

Bringing the cheaper Galaxy F62 with its Sony IMX682 sensor to comparison, you can see how Samsung’s optimization brings out superior colors in pictures.

Here, in this image, it’s evident how Realme is not able to process the shadows and colors, and hence, the background looks like it’s merging with the cat while the Galaxy F62 can distinguish the two properly.

Wideangle Images

And it’s not just the primary images.

Even the 8MP ultra-wide images from the phone suffer from a similar problem where it is not able to process colors and shadows as well as the F62.

Portrait Images

Even portraits look better on the Galaxy F62 with good skin tone, subject focus, and livelier background.

Not that the pictures from X7 Pro are bad or anything, but comparing them side by side, it’s obvious that Samsung does it better.

Nighttime Images

During night time too, Samsung is a step ahead with better exposure and noise control than the X7 Pro.

The difference becomes crystal clear when you turn to the wide-angle images.

Here, X7 Pro suffers from noise, grains, and lack of details in the pictures rather spectacularly.

Selfie Images

In terms of selfies, as you can see, X7 Pro tries to sharpen the images just a little bit more than necessary.

On the other hand, Galaxy F62 produces a bit more pleasing photos. The background looks equally good on both the phones though.

Videography

For videos, although the X7 Pro misses out on Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) like we generally see on semi-flagship phones, Realme has tried to compensate that with Gyro EIS and upto 4k 60 fps mode. You can also shoot ultra-wide videos but the phone restricts you to the 1080p/30fps option only.

Others

Moving on, there are 2 more things about the Realme X7 Pro that might disappoint you. First, it lacks a headphone jack. And second, it’s void of a micro SD card slot as well.

Realme X7 Pro - Design 1

Personally, micro SD card slot… I haven’t used it on a smartphone for years and 128GB should be more than sufficient for many. But the omission of a 3.5mm headphone jack might be a dealbreaker for gamers, as they’ve now got to spend a little more on a wireless gaming headphone. That too will more than likely fail to deliver a zero-latency performance.

Conclusion

Anyways, this brings us to the conclusion of our review of Realme X7 Pro. As you’d imagine, I’ve really enjoyed my time with this phone. It’s got a flagship-grade display and is one of the best performing phones at this price. And there’s nothing to complain about its battery life or the software either.

However, the one key area where Realme needs to improve is camera optimization. Because even though the company has included a capable sensor, its actual performance is not even as good as cheaper mid-range phones.

So, instead of rebranding and creating more series, I feel like it’s crucial for Realme as a company to put more effort and R&D in the camera department if they’re looking to expand their horizon to even more premium offerings.

Realme X7 Pro Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Attractive and ergonomic design
  • Bright, color-rich AMOLED display
  • Smooth 120Hz refresh rate
  • Flagship-grade performance
  • Excellent gaming possibility
  • 65W charging is game-changing

Cons:

  • Still stuck on Android 10
  • Under-performing cameras
  • Gimmicky quad-camera setup
  • No headphone jack, SD card slot

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Rabins Sharma Lamichhane

Rabins Sharma Lamichhane is senior ICT professional who talks about #it, #cloud, #servers, #software, and #innovation. Rabins is also the first initiator of Digital Nepal. Facebook: rabinsxp Instagram: rabinsxp

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