The Realme 9 5G series is expanding rapidly, with the latest additions being the Realme 9 5G and the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition. While the company’s busy release schedule might seem confusing at first glance, with so many options to choose from, it allows the Realme 9 Series to cater to a broader range of budgets and needs. This review delves into the vanilla Realme 9 5G, examining its strengths and weaknesses in relation to other devices in the same price bracket.
Realme 9 5G Price in India
The Realme 9 5G in India starts at Rs. 14,999 for the base variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The higher variant, offering 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, comes in at Rs. 17,499. You can choose from Stargaze White and Meteor Black color options. This review was conducted using the Stargaze White model.
Realme 9 5G Design
The Realme 9 5G boasts a familiar design that echoes other Realme phones. The sizable display features a camera punch-hole in the top-left corner, slim borders on the top and sides, and a slightly larger chin, which, while noticeable, remains acceptable for a smartphone at this price point. The phone’s frame and back are crafted from plastic, contributing to its lightweight design, weighing in at 188g.
The power button on the right side houses an integrated fingerprint scanner, while the volume buttons are positioned on the opposite side. All buttons are conveniently located near the center of the frame, making them easily accessible for one-handed use. The phone’s thin profile, measuring 8.55mm thick, adds to its comfort.
The back panel is flat with curved edges, contributing to a comfortable grip. It features a rectangular camera module housing three lenses, which protrudes slightly, causing the phone to wobble on flat surfaces.
The Stargaze White finish incorporates patterns on the back that shift in color under light. While the back panel does pick up fingerprints, they are not easily noticeable. The box includes a clear protective case.
Realme 9 5G Specifications and Software
The Realme 9 5G is equipped with a 6.5-inch LCD display, boasting a full-HD+ resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 90Hz. Powering the device is the MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G octa-core SoC. The phone houses a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging and comes bundled with a compatible charger. The tray accommodates two nano-SIM slots and a microSD card slot for expandable storage. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.1, dual-band Wi-Fi, and six satellite navigation systems.
Software-wise, the Realme 9 5G runs Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11, featuring the latest March 2022 Android security patch. The UI’s straightforward design and easy navigation make it suitable for both seasoned and first-time Realme users. You can toggle between the classic three-button layout and swipe gestures for navigation.
The phone also incorporates a smart sidebar, serving as a floating carousel offering shortcuts to your favorite apps and actions.
Realme UI 2.0 offers extensive personalization options, enabling you to modify the icon style, colour scheme, fonts, and icon layout. The Realme Lab section within the settings app houses experimental features, such as Sleep Capsule, which helps you prioritize sleep by preventing app usage after a designated time.
While the user interface offers a welcome level of customization, the phone comes pre-installed with a substantial amount of bloatware. Some apps, such as FinShell Pay and Theme Store, tend to send spam notifications, which can be annoying. The upside is that third-party apps can be uninstalled to reclaim storage space.
Realme 9 5G Performance and Battery Life
The Realme 9 5G delivers solid performance, with no noticeable slowdowns during everyday use. The display seamlessly switches between 60Hz and 90Hz refresh rates, depending on the activity. You can manually lock it to 90Hz for a buttery smooth scrolling experience.
The display offers Vivid and Gentle color modes, allowing users to choose their preferred color preference.
While video playback is enjoyable, the single speaker lacks the engagement of a stereo setup. The Realme 9 5G’s performance in this area falls behind its direct competitor, the Redmi Note 11, which offers an AMOLED display and dual speakers.
The side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the Realme 9 5G is quick and responsive, consistently unlocking the phone with a single touch. Face recognition is equally speedy.
This review unit, featuring 6GB of RAM, allows users to expand RAM by up to 5GB using storage space for seamless multitasking and fast app loading times. Switching between multiple apps was a breeze, with no need to reload background apps.
The phone performed admirably in synthetic benchmarks, scoring 372,099 points in AnTuTu. In Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core tests, it achieved 609 and 1,830 points, respectively. 3DMark’s Sling Shot test resulted in a score of 3,475 points.
Casual gaming proved effortless, with smooth performance across the board. Even demanding games like Call Of Duty: Mobile ran at ‘Medium’ graphics and ‘Medium’ frame rate settings without any noticeable stuttering. A 15-minute gaming session resulted in a minimal four percent battery drop, and the phone remained comfortably warm to the touch.
The Realme 9 5G boasts exceptional battery life, easily lasting a day and a half on a full charge. The phone’s performance in the HD video loop test was impressive, enduring for 16 hours and 38 minutes. The included 18W charger can boost the battery to 27 percent in 30 minutes and 52 percent in an hour. A complete charge takes slightly over two hours.
Realme 9 5G Cameras
The Realme 9 5G features a 48-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture. By default, it uses pixel-binning to produce 12-megapixel photos. One significant drawback is the absence of an ultra-wide-angle camera, which limits versatility. The remaining two cameras are a black and white portrait camera and a macro camera. For selfies, it sports a 16-megapixel camera.
The camera app is packed with features and shooting modes, including quick toggles for HDR and AI scene recognition. The app introduces a new Street Mode filter that applies a high-contrast, high-saturation look to captured photos.
Daylight camera performance was decent. The phone accurately metered light and enabled HDR automatically in bright environments. However, the AI’s aggressive handling of greens led to artificial-looking plants and trees. While the primary camera produced acceptable output when viewed directly, closer inspection revealed a noticeable lack of detail. The absence of an ultra-wide-angle camera further compromises its capabilities.
Close-up photos were impressive, capturing crisp shots when at appropriate distances. The phone also managed decent background blur. Portrait shots were sharp, boasting excellent edge detection and adequate background blur, which can be adjusted before taking the picture. Macro photos fell short, with average quality and a limited 2-megapixel resolution.
Low-light camera performance in the standard ‘Photo’ mode was merely average. Photos appeared soft, and distant objects exhibited a watercolor-like effect. The Night mode didn’t make a significant difference to the output, delivering slightly better detail in darker areas of a scene. However, the output displayed a yellowish tint, mimicking the application of a filter. The phone lacked stabilization, making shakes detrimental to image clarity.
Selfie photos fared well in both daylight and low-light conditions. In low-light scenarios, the Realme 9 utilized a screen flash, contributing to improved results. Portrait selfies were satisfactory, though the phone applied a beautification filter by default.
Video recording capabilities are capped at 1080p resolution for both the primary and selfie cameras. The Realme 9 5G lacks stabilization by default. The phone does offer an ‘Ultra Steady’ mode that crops the frame slightly to enhance video stabilization, resulting in an improvement in footage quality. Low-light video footage displayed slight grain.
In summary, the Realme 9 5G’s camera capabilities were good in daylight, but struggled in low-light environments.
Verdict
Realme’s recent aggressive release cycle of smartphones under Rs. 20,000 has created a situation where models and series overlap, making it difficult for consumers to make informed decisions. While the Realme 9 5G boasts a straightforward design and decent specifications, it’s unlikely to be a crowd-pleaser.
The Realme 9 5G shares a number of hardware components with the Realme 8S 5G, but some upgrades have been downgraded to achieve a lower price point. The 6GB RAM variant of the Realme 9 5G is priced at Rs. 17,499, while an equally spec’d version of the Realme 8s 5G costs just Rs. 500 more. The latter offers better value due to its higher-resolution 64-megapixel camera and 33W fast charging.
The base variant of the Realme 9 5G, priced at Rs. 14,999, represents better value compared to the 6GB RAM variant reviewed here. If you are a casual user, this variant could be an option, but we recommend considering the Redmi Note 11, which features an AMOLED display, stereo speakers, and 33W charging. The Redmi Note 11’s lack of 5G might seem like a drawback, but as none of the network providers in India offer 5G services yet, this might not be a deal-breaker.
