Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Dependable 5G Midranger

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Design

The design of the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G seems to be inspired by the Realme 9 Pro+ 5G, and it is not a bad thing. The smartphone has a plastic build, which also makes it light, and the device just weighs 181grams despite having a 5,000 mAh battery.

I have been testing the Hyper Blue variant of the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G, and I like how the phone looks with a gradient matte finish along with a glossy camera module. The smartphone has a 3.5mm headphone jack along with two nano-SIM card slots. There is no microSD card, and the company should have offered at least a hybrid SD card slot if not a dedicated one.

While the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G isn't the lightest or slimmest smartphone, the device tends to strike a balance between practicality and compactness. Overall, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is a well-designed mid-range 5G smartphone.

 

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Display

The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The display is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and the display offers up to 360Hz of the touch sampling rate. With a screen-to-body ratio of 90.8 percent, there is a bit of a chin at the bottom just like almost every smartphone under Rs. 25,000.

Considering the screen size of 6.4-inch, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G can be considered a mid-sized smartphone. The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G does have the Widevine L1 support and can stream 1080p content on platforms like Netflix and Prime Video. Not just that, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G can also stream HDR content on YouTube.

Just like the design, the display of the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G seems to offer almost everything that a user expects from a smartphone of this price range. The device has a good AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, an in-display fingerprint sensor, a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Cameras

The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G has a triple camera setup at the back with a 48MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 4cm macro lens. At the front, there is a 16MP selfie camera with support for 1080p video recording.

Like most of the mid-range 5G smartphones, the triple camera setup is mostly here for marketing as the primary camera does most of the job. The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is using a 48MP Samsung/S5KGM1ST 1/2-inch sensor with an f/1.79 aperture, and this primary sensor delivers best-in-class photos in most lighting situations.

Here are some of the camera samples from the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G taken in various lighting conditions.

The photos taken on the primary camera offer a lot of details and they are also slightly on the vibrant side. Although the phone shoots much wider pictures with the dedicated 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, the images look a bit dull, and they also lack detailing when compared to the pictures taken on the primary camera.

This is a macro shot taken using the 4cm macro lens on the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G, which gives us a unique perspective and a much closer look at things. Yes, you guessed it right, this is the shot of a Dog's tail that we have featured in the first camera sample.

This is one of my favorite photos which has come out of the Realme Narzo 50 Pro's primary camera, the camera has done a good job of separating the subject from the background and has offered a good depth of field with a natural-looking bokeh.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Primary Camera

This photo is again taken using the primary sensor in a challenging and harsh lighting condition. Again, the picture still has a lot of details.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Ultra-wide angle Camera

This picture is shot using the 8MP ultra-wide angle lens. Unlike the previous picture, this one lacks details due to the lower resolution sensor.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Selfie Camera

This picture is shot using the selfie camera in portrait mode. The phone has done a good job of retaining the details on my face. However, when it comes to edge detection (around the hairs) it still needs some improvement.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Camera Performance

Another interesting aspect of the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G's camera is the fact that the phone supports native 4K video recording at 30fps. The phone also supports 1080p video recording with up to 60fps and 720p video recording with up to 60fps. Overall, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G has a similar camera setup as most smartphones in this price range.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Performance

The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 920 5G SoC, which is one of the best processors that you can get in this price range. The processor is paired with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. Here are the benchmark numbers from the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G.

On the AnTuTu benchmark, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G posted around 4,80,000 points, outperforming devices like the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G. Similarly, on Geekbench 5, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G posted 812 points on the single-core CPU test and 2325 points on the multi-core CPU test.

Coming to the actual performance, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is definitely one of the best smartphones under Rs. 25,000 for gaming. You can easily play games like COD: Mobile, BGMI, and even the recently launched Apex Legends Mobile, albeit, at lower graphics settings.

For regular usage, the smartphone can easily handle web and social media browsing with ease. In fact, the phone felt much snappier than the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G during normal day-to-day usage. Overall, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is the best performer in this segment.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Software And Connectivity

The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G offers Android 12 OS out-of-the-box with a custom Realme UI 3.0 skin on top. When compared to phones like the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G has slightly more bloatware. However, most of it can be uninstalled or disabled.

The phone ran smoothly without any issue with smooth animations across the apps. A noteworthy feature of the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is the haptic feedback, and the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G definitely has the best haptic response at this price, and it works like charm.

The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G has dual nano-SIM card slots with support for four 5G bands, and the smartphone also supports dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2. Interestingly, the device also supports various wireless audio standards like SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, aptX_TWS+, and LHDC.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Battery Life

The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G has a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. The phone takes slightly over 60 minutes to fully charge, while it takes around 30 minutes to charge 50 percent of the battery, and the fast-charging adapter is included in the retail package.

For regular users, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G should easily last for an entire day without any issue. In my usage, the device offers over six hours of screen-on-time with continuous usage. Overall, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G's battery life is on par with the competition.

Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Review: Verdict

In a nutshell, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is a well-balanced mid-range smartphone with an emphasis on performance. Features like the stereo speakers and 90Hz AMOLED display makes this device a lot more enticing when compared to devices like the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G and the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G has a slightly better display and camera setup when compared to the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G. As a whole package, the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G outshines the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G. The Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is definitely one of the most balanced 5G smartphones that costs less than Rs. 25,000.