Realme X: The Pros, Cons, and The X Factor

16MP Pop-up selfie camera

Let's start with the X factor of the new Realme X handset. Originally started as a sub brand of OPPO, the company's new handset takes design cues from the OPPO F11 Pro and features a pop-up selfie camera. The 16MP sensor is integrated on a retractable camera module placed at the top edge of the handset, just like the selfie camera on OPPO F11 Pro. Camera pops out in a jiffy (0.74 seconds) and the phone also support face-unlock. The 16MP selfie camera works on f/2.0 aperture.

Selfie camera image quality

The 16MP selfie camera clicks impressive selfies. The images show accurate colors and rich details. You can also capture software-driven portrait shots that also look really good. Bokeh effect created by Realme X's software algorithms seems very natural. You can also shoot 1080p videos from the front-facing pop-up selfie camera.

In-screen fingerprint scanner

Besides the pop-up selfie camera, Realme X also brings an in-screen camera on board. The smartphone flaunts a Super AMOLED display, first on a Realme handset. During our brief testing, we found the in-screen fingerprint scanner to be at par in speed with OPPO and Vivo handsets. The sensor did not fail to recognize the thumb print for even once.

The Good

48MP rear camera with Sony IMX sensor

Realme X features a 48MP rear camera paired with a 5MP depth sensor. The good part, the 48MP primary camera works on the Sony IMX586 sensor and not on the Samsung's GM1 sensor which is inferior in terms of image quality and color output. The camera output is quite impressive on this mid-range handset and can even give some premium handset a run for their money. Images are crisp and show good detailing. Contrast seems on point and 1080p video output is very much usable for social media platforms and even for YouTube. We were able to capture some really good shots with Realme X in daylight and in low-light with the help of Nightsight mode.

Most premium-looking Realme smartphone

Realme X is by far the company's most good-looking looking smartphone to date. The White color variant of Realme X looks and feels really premium in hands. However the phone is quite prone to smudges due to polycarbonate rear panel that has been given a glossy finish. The phone fits comfortably in the palm due to curved back panel and rounded edges. The volume rockers are placed on the left edge whereas the power button and SIM card slot is positioned on the right edge.

6.53-inch FHD+ AMOLED display

Realme X flaunts an edge-to-edge panel with Corning Gorilla glass 5th generation protection. The 6.53-inch AMOLED screen is vibrant and offers impressive 91.2% screen-to-body ratio. The AMOLED panel makes video gameplay and video viewing experience quite immersive.

Snapdragon 710, Color OS 6.0, 20W charger in box with VOOC 3.0 support

Like the Realme 3 Pro, the new smartphone is also backed by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset. The octa-core CPU is quite powerful and efficient. We have tested the CPU performance and gaming response on Realme 3 Pro and the handset did not disappoint us at all during everyday and strenuous tasks. The company has launched Realme in three RAM-ROM variants, i.e. 4GB+64GB, 6GB+64GB and 8GB+128G respectively. We expect to see all three variants in the Indian market by next month.

Realme X also runs the latest ColorOS 6.0 based on Android Pie, which was offered on Realme 3 Pro. Realme is shipping a 20W VOOC 3.0 charger in the box that claims to offer 2 hours of talk-time with just 5 minutes of charging time. We will soon test the company's claims in our comprehensive review of the smartphone.

Special Edition Realme X

Realme also showcased and even unveiled the special edition Realme X smartphones. The special edition Realme X handsets are designed by Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa. Naoto informed that the design of special edition Realme X has been inspired by onions and garlic, which seems like an odd choice but as we all know, anything is possible in China. The inspiration from Onion and Garlic is very much visible on the back panels of the special edition Realme X handsets. We are not very sure if the bran will unveil the special edition Realme X in the Indian market.

The Bad

Unlike the big 4,045 mAh battery unit that powers the Realme 3 Pro, the Realme X draws power from a smaller 3,765 mAh battery unit. However, charging speeds won't disappoint you much as the phone ships with a 20W fast charger in the box that supports VOOC 3.0 fast charging.

No microSD card support

Interestingly, there's no microSD card slot on the handset. Even the hybrid SIM card slot only takes in two active SIM cards and no memory card. This is definitely going to disappoint price-conscious smartphone users in India who are fond of expanding internal memory of the device to store gigabytes of media files and apps on their handsets.

Verdict

Realme has once again raised the stakes with the new smartphone and this is definitely going to create problems for other smartphone manufacturers in the Indian market. Especially for Xiaomi who is the direct competitor of Realme smartphones in sub 10K and sub 20K price segment. Realme X offers a good set of camera hardware and the latest mobile technologies such as in-screen fingerprint scanner and Pop-up selfie camera. However the decision to remove the microSD card slot seems like a bad move. There are chances of brand offering a hybrid SIM card for the Indian market. Let's see how the smartphone enthusiasts will respond to new smartphone. We will soon give you a comprehensive review of the Realme X on Gizbot.com. Stay tuned.