The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition: Is the Extra Power Worth the Premium?
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition, as its name suggests, is a more powerful version of the standard Realme 9 5G. While these smartphones might look similar at first glance, there are subtle design differences and some major changes in their hardware. This upgrade comes with a higher price tag, naturally. So, the question is: is the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition worth the premium? Should you shell out extra for this speedier version, or would you be better off with an alternative at a similar price point? To answer these questions, I put the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition to the test.
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition Price in India
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition, or SE for short, starts at Rs. 19,999 in India for the base variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The higher variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is priced at Rs. 22,999. The Realme 9 5G SE is available in Starry Glow and Azure Glow colours, and I had the Starry Glow colour for this review.
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition Design
The Realme 9 5G SE looks remarkably similar to the Realme 9 5G. The only way to tell them apart is by looking at the back, where the camera modules are different. The Realme 9 5G SE features a rectangular triple-camera module that protrudes slightly. Just like the Realme 9 5G, this phone is made of plastic and has the power button on the right side while the volume buttons are on the left. Realme has incorporated a fingerprint scanner into the power button making it easy to unlock the phone.
The Starry Glow finish of the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition does a great job at hiding fingerprints.
The display of the Realme 9 5G SE measures 6.6 inches and has a camera hole in the top-left corner. It boasts thin bezels on the top and sides, with a slightly larger chin. The Realme 9 5G SE is marginally taller and wider than the Realme 9 5G and weighs 199g, a difference you can feel in your hand.
On the bottom, the Realme 9 5G SE houses a 3.5mm headphone jack, the primary microphone, a USB Type-C port, and the speaker. The top of the frame only features the secondary microphone. Realme has curved the frame and the edges of the back panel, making this phone comfortable to grip. The back panel of the Starry Glow variant exhibits a colour-shifting pattern in hues of orange, yellow, and purple when viewed under light. This design effectively hides fingerprints.
Realme 9 5G SE Specifications and Software
The Realme 9 5G SE boasts completely different internals compared to the Realme 9 5G. First off, the larger 6.6-inch display sports a full-HD+ resolution, a 144Hz peak refresh rate, and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. The adaptive refresh rate can scale between 30Hz and 144Hz depending on the device’s usage. The panel offers a peak brightness of 600 nits, sufficient for outdoor use under sunlight.
Powering the Realme 9 5G SE is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC. This 5G-enabled SoC delivers impressive performance and can also be found in the Motorola Edge 20. The Realme 9 5G SE features a 5,000mAh battery and supports 30W fast charging. Realme also generously includes a 30W charger in the box.
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition’s display has a hole for the selfie camera.
Other connectivity options on the Realme 9 5G SE include Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi, five satellite navigation systems, and support for 5G. It also offers dual-4G VoLTE. The Realme 9 5G SE has two Nano-SIM slots and a dedicated microSD slot for storage expansion that accepts cards of up to 1TB.
You get Realme UI 2.0 running on top of Android 11, along with the March 2022 Android security patch. The user interface (UI) is easy to navigate, and the options you need in the Settings app are just a quick search away. Most other software features mirror those found on the Realme 9 5G.
Unfortunately, the Realme 9 5G SE suffers from the same bloatware situation as its sibling. My review unit had close to fifteen preinstalled apps, in addition to the usual ones from Google. Some of the Realme apps pushed notifications frequently, feeling spammy. You can uninstall most of these apps to declutter your phone.
Realme UI also includes Game Space, which groups all your installed games in one place, and a Game Assistant that can automatically mute incoming calls and notifications while you’re gaming. You can fine-tune touch and swipe sensitivity for each game. I’ll cover performance in the next section.
Realme 9 5G SE Performance and Battery Life
The Realme 9 5G SE delivers excellent performance for everyday use. My review unit had 8GB of RAM, making multitasking a breeze. Realme also offers a RAM expansion feature, and 3GB of storage is allocated as virtual RAM by default. This can be extended up to 5GB on this variant, but I didn’t experiment with it. The Snapdragon 778G ensures even heavy games load acceptably quickly, a feature that will keep gamers happy.
You get Realme UI 2.0 on top of Android 11.
The Realme 9 5G SE display has decent viewing angles and the colour profile defaults to Vivid. I was able to adjust the colour temperature of the panel to my liking. Colours weren’t as punchy as you’d get from an AMOLED panel, but the high 144Hz refresh rate helps this phone stand out in a crowded market. The refresh rate defaults to ‘Auto Select’, switching between different values based on the content you’re viewing. It was 90Hz when simply browsing through the phone’s UI, but in certain apps such as Photos, the refresh rate jumped to 144Hz. Alternatively, you can lock it at 144Hz, but it will come at the expense of battery life. The Realme 9 5G SE has a single bottom-firing speaker, which is adequately loud, but a stereo setup would have been a welcome addition.
I found the side-mounted fingerprint scanner very responsive and it never failed at authentication during the review period. Face recognition was also quick at unlocking the device.
The Realme 9 5G SE performed well in our benchmark tests. In AnTuTu, it achieved 541,547 points, while scoring 12,115 points in PCMark Work 3.0. In the GFXBench T-Rex and Car Chase graphics tests, it scored 115fps and 28fps respectively. These scores are similar to those of the Motorola Edge 20, which uses the same SoC.
You can run most popular games on the Realme 9 5G SE without any issues. I played Call of Duty: Mobile, which defaulted to ‘Very High’ graphics and ‘High’ frame rate settings. I bumped up the frame rate setting to ‘Very High’ and could still play without any issues. I played for about 23 minutes, which resulted in an eight percent drop in the battery level, which is slightly high. The phone wasn’t too warm after that period. Those looking for a smartphone for gaming can consider the Realme 9 5G SE.
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition sports a triple camera setup at the back.
Moving on to battery life, the 5,000mAh unit lasted for about a day and a half with my usage. Casual users might be able to go longer before needing to recharge this phone. In our HD video loop test, the Realme 9 5G SE managed to run for 21 hours and 51 minutes. Realme supplies a 30W charger in the box, which was capable of charging the phone to 47 percent in 30 minutes and up to 85 percent in an hour.
Realme 9 5G SE Cameras
The Realme 9 5G SE carries a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 48-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a B&W portrait camera, and a macro camera. For selfies, it features a 16-megapixel front-facing shooter. These specifications are similar to those found on the Realme 9 5G. One notable omission, however, is the absence of an ultra-wide angle camera, which could have made this device more versatile.
Daytime camera performance was decent, and the phone managed to capture good dynamic range. Objects at a distance lacked detail, which was noticeable upon magnifying photos. The AI toggle boosts the contrast in photos, which looks good on the phone’s display but is overdone when examined closely.
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition Daylight Camera Sample Without and With AI Enhancements (Tap for Full-Size Images)
Close-up shots were detailed, and the edges of objects were well defined. Colours were accurate, as was the background blur, as long as I maintained a suitable distance from the object. Portrait shots had good edge detection, and this phone managed good separation from the background. I could also set the level of blur before taking a shot. The macro camera didn’t offer very good quality.
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition Closeup, Portrait, and Macro Camera Samples (Tap for Full-Size Images)
Low-light photos had good colours but lacked detail in darker areas. Upon closer examination, I observed some artefacting. Using Night mode made a noticeable difference, and images came out brighter with better detail in the shadows. It takes a couple of seconds to finish taking a shot, during which you need to be perfectly still to avoid blurring.
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition Low-Light and Night Mode Camera Samples (Tap for Full-Size Images)
Selfies taken with the Realme 9 5G SE were good in both daylight and low-light conditions. These were saved at the full 16-megapixel resolution and had good detail. Portrait selfies offered decent edge detection.
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition Daylight and Low-Light Selfie Camera Sample (Tap for Full-Size Images)
Video recording maxes out at 4K for the primary camera and 1080p for the selfie camera. The camera app does its best to stabilise footage, resulting in some warping in parts of clips when walking around. Panning while staying still is smooth. Low-light footage is strictly average.
Verdict
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition is undeniably more appealing than the standard Realme 9 5G, but there’s a considerable price difference. This model packs a powerful SoC, a very high refresh rate display, and a large 5,000mAh battery. It also supports 30W fast charging, which is convenient.
In my opinion, the base variant of the Realme 9 5G SE, priced at Rs. 19,999, is the one to go for. This variant lacks direct competitors and offers the best bang for your buck if you’re looking for good performance.
If you’re considering the higher variant for the additional RAM, the iQoo Z5 would be a better option. It uses the same Snapdragon 778G SoC but also boasts stereo speakers and faster 44W charging, at only a slight increase in cost. On the other hand, if camera performance is a priority, you could consider spending a little extra for the Realme 9 Pro+ 5G.
