Realme 2 Pro review: Impressive design, capable hardware at midrange price

The Realme 2 Pro is capable to play graphic intensive games, has modern outlook and satisfactory battery life that makes it a value-for-money proposition in midrange segment

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme is not even a year old, yet it has built a niche for itself as a value-for-money brand in the price conscious India’s smartphone market. Although the company continues to cater in the budget segment, its recent Realme 2 Pro smartphone is in a different league altogether. Price at Rs 13,990 for the base model, it would not be fair to call it a budget smartphone. However, considering the phone’s specifications and features, it undercuts other value-for-money proposition by a huge margin.

The Realme 2 Pro is what a modern day premium budget device should be. It takes a design cue from premium midrange flagships and clubs it with capable hardware prowess that results in a refreshing offering that does not look or work like any other budget or midrange device. Let’s take a look into the detailed review to know more:

Design and display

The phone is big for one hand operations, but the rounded polycarbonate chassis has a good grip to it that makes it easy to hold and operate. The phone has glass-metal-glass design. The back side of the phone is made of multiple laminated layers that give it glass-like outlook and makes it heat and scratch resistant, according to company’s claim. The back side is prone to smudges and is a fingerprint magnet, therefore requires regular cleaning to keep the glass intact.

The front is dominated by a 6.3-inch fullHD+ screen with a tiny notch on top and a thick bezel on the bottom. Due to the new format screen, the front looks refreshing compared to other notch-based screen smartphones. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. It might not be the best display, especially for multimedia content, but has ample brightness to stay legible in sunny outdoors, good contrast levels and satisfactory colour rendition.

Performance

Powering the smartphone is a capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 mobile platform. The phone comes in three RAM and storage configurations – 4GB/64GB, 6GB/64GB and 8GB/128GB – giving multiple options to choose from. The phone boots Android 8.1 Oreo covered under the Colour OS 5.2 user interface, which is similar to the user interface seen in Oppo-branded smartphones.

 

Specifications aside, the phone is a powerhouse and works seamlessly all across. It shows no lag or any sign of weakness even with graphic intensive game titles like PUBG and Asphalt 9 Legends. The phone also keeps thermals under control. It does warm up a bit after extensive gaming sessions, but not to a point where it becomes uncomfortable to use. While everything works in favour of the device, the user interface is tricky and takes time to get used to. Speaking of downsides, the phone does not support near-field communication (NFC) and lacks FM radio chip too.

The phone supports face unlock mechanism, which is fairly accurate and fast. The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is also one of the fastest in its segment. The addition of gesture to control the user interface is a welcome addition too.

Camera

The Realme 2 Pro has a dual camera module on the back, featuring a 16-megapixel primary lens of f/1.7 aperture size mated with a 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots and bokeh effects. There is a 16MP sensor of f/2.0 aperture size on the front for selfies. Megapixels aside, the camera manages to take detailed shots in daylight, be it portrait or landscape shots. In low light, however, the output is nothing extraordinary. Although the primary camera has a bright aperture, it does not have a quick shutter that results in overexposed shots at times. However, the Realme 2 imaging prowess is satisfactory in its price segment, if not class leading.

Battery

The phone is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery that lasts for around a day. Though a lower capacity battery, compared to previous Realme devices, the on-battery time is good and the phone sails through a day and some more when used for regular day to day operations, including videos streaming, internet browsing and gaming. The phone comes bundled with a 5V/2A charger, which takes around two hours to charge battery from zero to 100 per cent.

Verdict

Priced at Rs 13,990 for the base model, the Realme 2 is a capable device with strengths in all area. The phone is capable to play graphic intensive games, has modern outlook and satisfactory battery life that makes it a value-for-money proposition in midrange segment. However, the phone’s user interface and the video recording capabilities could have been better.