Realme 8 Pro is here as a direct competitor to the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (review). The USP of this device is its 108MP primary camera. But is it enough? When compared to the Redmi offering, what I miss the most on this phone is a high refresh rate. It sports an AMOLED display but is stuck at 60Hz. While the competitor offers a recent chipset, the Realme counterpart comes with a processor that can be found on its predecessor.
The intro might give you an impression that there is not much going on for the Realme 8 Pro, but that’s not the case. It supports 50W fast charging and an in-hand feel that could shame some humongous flagships. Here are more details in our Realme 8 Pro preview.
120Hz is dearly missed
The Realme 8 Pro features a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution and an in-display fingerprint scanner. The display doesn’t offer a 120Hz refresh rate like the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, and isn’t the brightest out there but gets the job done. The colors are vibrant but you are likely to experience some stutters in the UI. I enjoyed watching YouTube videos, and it is perfectly fine for content consumption.
One of the most comfortable devices to hold in the segment
The power and volume buttons are located on the right side, while the SIM tray with two Nano-SIM slots and a dedicated microSD card slot lies on the left. Further, the buttons are easy to reach and clickable like you’d expect from a device priced at INR 17,999. Plus, it comes with a 3.5mm audio jack that lies at the bottom alongside the primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and speaker at the bottom, while the top only has the secondary microphone.
On the back lies a quad camera setup that lies in a square camera module. It sports a textured finish with “Dare to Leap” tag line plastered across the back in glossy finish. You might or might not like the tagline imprint but it does give the smartphone a unique look that distinguishes it from other devices. The Realme 8 Pro is one of the most comfortable one-hand smartphones in the segment. Plus, the textured back helps keep fingerprints at bay. This is one of the phones that I can recommend using without a case – even when it is supplied with the device in the box.
The smartphone packs a 4,500mAh battery that supports 50W fast charging. I like the presence of faster-than-usual fast charging that helps in a quick top-up. I’ve been using it for four days and it lasts me a day with my use case – mostly social media browsing. While some brands are excluding chargers from the box, Realme is providing a 65W charger for a device that supports 65W fast charging.
Coming to the USP of the smartphone, you get a 108MP primary camera that captures detailed images in bright daylight. The dynamic range is satisfactory as well. You also get an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera that captures colors that are slightly different from the ones captured on the primary camera. Then there is a 2MP macro camera, which captures vibrant images but lacks details, especially when compared to the 5MP camera sensor on the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, which I called “the best in the segment” in the review. There is also a 2MP back and white sensor. You can check out the samples below:
The Realme 8 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 720G SoC, which seems dated in 2021. While the daily life performance is fine, you do come across some stutters in the UI. Further, it comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM options with 128GB of storage. The smartphone runs Realme UI 2.0 with Android 11. It is clean and simple to use. I like the usability on offer here.
To conclude, the Realme 8 Pro isn’t a bad device but the competition is too damn hard. It sports a 108MP primary sensor, the fast charging on offer is great, plus, it is comfortable to hold. But is it enough to compete? Time will tell.
What do you think of the smartphone? And, what would you like to see in our full Realme 8 Pro review? Let us know in the comments below.
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