Realme X first impressions: Promising design, camera and could compete with Redmi Note 7 Pro

The Realme brand, which had originally started off as an India-centric smartphone company, is slowly spreading its roots in the global markets. The **Realme X smartphone,** which was announced today, is the first by the company that has been unveiled in China. The India launch date and prices have not been revealed yet, but Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth tells me that the device is coming to India “very soon”. I got to spend some time with the device and here are my first impressions. I must also tell you that these impressions are of the Chinese variant of the device. [caption id=“attachment_6637071” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] The Realme X will be brought to India though Realme hasn’t revealed a date yet. Image: tech2/ Kshitij Pujari[/caption]

Build, Design and Display

The Realme X smartphone has taken a lot of inspiration from its parent company’s smartphone, ie., the **Oppo F11 Pro (review)** . It has the same dual-tone finish with a mixture of Purple and Blue along with the same polycarbonate back. It also has the same dual-camera setup aligned centrally with the Realme branding. There is the same pop-up selfie camera which is again centred at the top. [caption id=“attachment_6637061” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] The back of the Realme X. Image: tech2/ Kshitij Pujari[/caption] The bottom of the phone is also the same with a single firing speaker unit and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. However, Realme has decided to go with a type-C port rather than a standard micro-USB that is present both in the Oppo F11 Pro and **Realme 3 Pro (review)** . The device feels quite light and also premium in the hand. Considering the device will be costing about Rs 15,000 (China price starts at CNY 1,499 which is approx. Rs 15,000) this appears to be a great phone in terms of build quality. There is no fingerprint scanner at the back since Realme has adopted an in-display optical fingerprint sensor. The phone has 6.5-inch AMOLED FHD+ display which appears quite massive thanks to the lack of bezels. Oppo says that the device has a screen-to-body ratio of about 91.2 percent which is quite impressive again for a phone at this price. More about the display in the full review. [caption id=“attachment_6638311” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The pop-up selfie camera on the Realme X is reminiscent of the Oppo F11 Pro. Image: tech2/ Kshitij Pujari[/caption]

Chipset, Storage and Software

The Realme X and Realme 3 Pro are virtually identical in the processing department. Both are powered by the same Snapdragon 710 chipset and have UFS 2.1 storage with variants starting from 64 GB. RAM options also include 4 GB and 6 GB. However, the Realme X also has an 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant which I have received. [caption id=“attachment_6638371” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The Realme X features curved sides for better grip. Image: tech2/ Kshitij Pujari[/caption] In terms of software, the Realme X runs on ColorOS 6.0 based on Android 9.0 Pie. Realme has been one of the first to launch Android Pie updates for its devices and we can expect the company to deliver like this in the future as well. It was also one of the companies Google has partnered with to release the Android Q beta on.

Camera and Battery

The Realme X employs a 48 MP Sony IMX 586 sensor as its primary camera which is something that was seen on the Redmi Note 7 Pro as well. There is also a secondary depth sensor. Clicking photos with Realme X showed quite an impressive depth and colour reproduction. The camera app was swift and easy to use, as was the pop-out camera which is said to open in 0.76 seconds. I shall explain the camera in further detail in my review. [caption id=“attachment_6638351” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The rear-facing dual-camera setup on the Realme X. Image: tech2/ Kshitij Pujari[/caption] The battery of the Realme X is a 4,050 mAh capacity one with VOOC 3.0 charging support. This is the same as the Realme 3 Pro which I have explained in my review as a battery-efficient device. Considering the similarity on this front, I have no doubt that the Realme X will also give similar battery life performance as the Realme 3 Pro. The company says that the device can go from 0-50 percent in 30 minutes but we shall reserve that claim till we are done reviewing the Realme X. [caption id=“attachment_6638281” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Realme X has been launched in China in two colours. Image: tech2/ Kshitij Pujari[/caption] Conclusion The Realme X happens to be a smartphone which appears exactly like the Realme 3 Pro but has a few key differences such as big bezel-less display, pop-out camera, in-display fingerprint sensor, 48 MP primary camera and an 8 GB RAM variant. Will the device be a more attractive option than the Redmi Note 7 Pro or perhaps the Oppo F11 Pro? That is something I will only be able to say confidently after my full review. Disclaimer: The correspondent was invited to China for the launch by Realme India. All boarding and travel arrangements were taken care of by Realme India