Realme 8 Pro Review - This is what the realme mid-range smartphone can do

Design, workmanship and delivery

Groovy color names and extravagant backs play a major role in smartphones. This is also the case with the realme 8 Pro, which comes in the colors Infinite Blue, Infinite Black and Punk Black. My test device in Infinite Black also has another special feature. The brand's slogan - "DARE TO LEAP", is emblazoned in large letters on the plastic back, which is literally three-dimensional and reflective.

The fine microstructure of the back gives the smartphone, which measures 160.6 x 73.9 x 8.1 mm and is comparatively light at 176 g, with a good grip. The framed quad camera system protrudes visibly from the rear. The slightly curved edges of the back also ensure a pleasant feel and a smooth transition to the housing frame.

On the right hand side of the frame are the easily accessible power button and the volume rocker, both with a crisp pressure point. Realme has placed the triple SIM slot on the opposite side, which can be equipped with two nano SIM cards and a microSD memory card. There is no protection against water, which is also noticeable in the lack of sealing rings in the SIM slot. The top of the frame only adorns the opening of one of the two microphones. The bottom is more spectacular, where the USB-C socket, the loudspeaker, another microphone and even a 3.5 mm headphone jack are located.

The front is adorned with the 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display. The front camera has been integrated into the display in the punch-hole style at the top left. The in-display fingerprint scanner, which should unlock the smartphone reliably and quickly, is hidden in the lower section of the display. The emphasis here is on should, because the fingerprint scanner did not always unlock the smartphone straight away in the test.

The width of the display bezels is on a good mid-range level. Not particularly narrow, but not too wide either. Finally, above the display, we would have the narrow and inconspicuous receiver. There is no notification LED. Instead, realme relies on an always-on display (AOD). More on that later.

The processing is not objectionable. In addition to the smartphone, the scope of delivery includes a silicone protective cover, a 65 watt SuperDart fast charger, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, a SIM needle and a quick guide.

Display

Realme installs a 8 inch Super AMOLED display with FHD + (6.4 x 2400 pixels) resolution in the realme 1080 Pro. The maximum display brightness of 1000 cd / m² is sufficient to ensure that the display remains legible even in the sunshine. AMOLED colors are typically displayed particularly vividly. The contrast is almost infinite.

Realme compromises when it comes to the refresh rate. Instead of 90 or even 120 Hz, the realme 8 Pro's panel only achieves 60 individual images per second. This means that content is not displayed as smoothly as it is the case with mostly much more expensive smartphones with 90 Hz + display. Fast response times of the touch screen are guaranteed by a sampling rate of 180 Hz. I was able to understand that in the test. The touchscreen reacts precisely and quickly.

The existing Widevine L1 certification is an advantage, so that you can enjoy content from streaming providers such as Netflix, Prime Video or Disney + in full resolution. The always-on function of the display replaces the notification LED. Notifications, date and time received on the smartphone are shown on the display even when the smartphone is idle. Due to the economical AMOLED display, the battery consumption is not significantly increased.

Performance and user interface

The realme 8 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G system-on-chip. The chip, manufactured using the 8 nm process, consists of two fast Cortex-A76 cores (2,3 GHz) and six economical Cortex-A55 cores (1,8 GHz). The GPU is an Adreno 618 that can also cope with demanding mobile games. As far as the memory is concerned, the smartphone is equipped with either 6GB or 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS2.1 data storage. The data memory can be expanded with a microSD memory card.

Everyday performance is good. The realme UI 11, based on Android 2.0, can be operated smoothly and is stable. The system is kept narrow and is largely based on Stock Android. Annoying third-party apps are not preinstalled apart from Facebook.

Multitasking is no problem for the realme 8 Pro because of the ample memory. Mobile gamers have to compromise on the display, but high refresh rates in demanding mobile games are also in vain in this price range. To play a little bit, the performance is completely sufficient. Thermal throttling doesn't bother the smartphone. From a performance point of view, the realme 8 Pro delivers exactly what one can expect in the price range. 

Camera

Let's dedicate ourselves to THE key feature of the realme 8 Pro, namely the camera. Particular attention is paid to the 108 megapixel main sensor of the quad camera setup. None other than the promising Samsung ISOCELL HM2 is installed. The image sensor was announced in autumn 2020 and will replace the ISOCELL HM1, which was used in the Samsung S20 Ultra, among other things.

In addition to Xiaomi, realme is another manufacturer who installs the high-resolution sensor in a mid-range smartphone.

Samsung ISOCELL HM2

Watch out, it's getting a little technical now. The ISOCELL HM2 is not necessarily better than its predecessor ISOCELL HM1. With a sensor size of 1 / 1.52 ″ and a pixel size of 0.7 μm, the Samsung ISOCELL HM2 is more compact than its predecessor (1 / 1.33 ″, 0.8 μm). This initially speaks for a slightly lower light output, which Samsung would like to compensate for with its Nanocell technology (9-in-1 pixel binning).

Merging 3 x 3 pixels creates pixels of 2,1 micrometers. The photo resolution is reduced from 108 megapixels to only 12 megapixels, but the merging benefits the photo quality in poor lighting conditions. The formation of larger pixel blocks results in a higher sensitivity to light, which at the same time improves the signal-to-noise ratio.

field test

Much more important, however, is how the camera setup of the realme 8 Pro performs in everyday life. Let's start with the 108 megapixel main camera (aperture f / 1.88).

 108 Megapixel main camera 

In normal photo mode, pixel binning is active and photos are saved in 4000 x 3000 pixels, i.e. 12 megapixels. What is remarkable is the continuity of the level of detail and the almost non-existent image noise, even in poor lighting conditions. The main camera copes well with high-contrast scenes even without HDR mode. The automatic HDR rarely has to help.

The color rendering is powerful and can be described as realistic. The camera AI usually recognizes motifs reliably and adjusts the color and brightness to the scene again. One point of criticism is slight distortion at the corners of the photos. However, these are only noticeable if you look closely.

The realme camera app has its own 108 MP mode for 108 megapixel recordings. In contrast to normal photo mode, there is no HDR support and no color filters. Only the camera AI is available as an image enhancer.

The differences between the normal photo mode and the 108 MP mode can be seen on closer inspection. In the enlarged image section, the 108 megapixel images show a higher level of detail.

In everyday life, the normal recording mode is completely sufficient. As already mentioned, the differences only become visible when a section of the image is enlarged. At the same time, the file size grows many times over, which complicates the use of the photos. The in-sensor zoom, which delivers the same result, is better.

 In-sensor zoom 

When it comes to camera zoom, realme relies on a digital “in-sensor zoom”. The enlarged image section is reduced to 12 megapixels, recorded eight times and combined using an algorithm. According to realme, this enables faster and sharper zoom recordings that even surpass smartphone cameras with a dedicated telephoto lens.

In practice, hands-free zooming actually works surprisingly well and does not suggest a purely digital zoom. Even beyond 5x magnification, usable images are still possible.

 Ultra wide angle camera 

There is a need for optimization with the 8 megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera (119 ° wide-angle, f / 2.25 aperture). Photos taken in wide-angle mode are rusty and show slight distortions at the edges of the image. In addition, there is an increased noise component, a susceptibility to chromatic aberrations and a slightly reduced dynamic range.

 Portrait mode 

The realme 8 Pro implements bokeh recordings very well. For the most part, people and objects are extracted reliably and cleanly from the background. The degree of sharpness can be adjusted using a slider.

 Macro mode 

The macro mode is a nice gimmick to look at the beer foam up close. Getting the subject in the 4 cm focus range is not necessarily easy. You can see in the following picture what a macro shot with the realme 8 Pro looks like.

 Nachtaufnahmen 

The main camera of the realme 8 Pro is convincing in low-light situations or at night. The noise component is low, colors are reproduced almost accurately and a lot is also recorded in terms of the level of detail (if there is some light).

A well-implemented night mode is available, but this also reaches its limits in complete darkness.

 video mode 

The realme 8 Pro records videos in 4K at a maximum of 30 frames per second. If you activate the “ultra image stabilizer”, the resolution is automatically reduced to 1080p. Movements are then smoothed out with the help of electronic image stabilization (EIS). Other resolutions are 1080p @ 30/60 and 720p @ 30/60. In the following video you can take a look at the 4K video quality of the realme 8 Pro.

Video recording via the wide-angle camera is not supported. Zooming is possible with up to 5x magnification in video mode. Image enhancers in the form of camera AI, filters and blur effects are integrated into the video mode. The sound is recorded in stereo and in good quality.

connectivity

The realme 8 Pro works with the 4G mobile frequencies and bands that are common in this country. VoLTE and VoWiFi are supported. The voice quality can be described as good overall. This also applies to the audio output via the mono speaker, which does not deliver a voluminous sound, but does not distort it. The smartphone is wirelessly equipped with dual AC WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0. The range and data throughput are high and the connection is stable.

 Fortunately, NFC is available so that the realme 8 Pro can also be used for mobile payments. The position is determined using GPS, Galileo, Glonass and Beidou. The position is tracked quickly and with constant stability.

Battery

Finally, a few words about the battery, which is also a key feature of the realme 8 Pro. The special feature is the 50 watt SuperDart charging technology, which charges the 4500 mAh battery from 47 to 0 percent in just 100 minutes. The realme 8 Pro is extremely economical in consumption. With normal use, you only have to charge the smartphone every 2-3 days. Frequent users load approximately every 1 1/2 days.