First things first. One of the best features of the Realme1, Oppo’s online-only sub-brand, is being able to manage the phone remotely. If you have a good WiFi connection, just key in the FTP address (URL) and connect your phone as a guest — viola, you can manage the whole phone wirelessly, faster, smoother and more efficiently than traditional methods. This seemingly simple, but useful faculty, arguably signals that Realme has put in some thought and innovation into its debut phone, which was launched this month without much fanfare.

Given its price, Realme1 will compete with budget king Redmi (Note 5) and and Zenfone (Max Pro). It also targets Honor (7C for one), and the first impression is that Realme means business, considering the design, specs and performance. The phone has a flat, rectangular form and a strong, glossy diamond-pattern back that resembles the Oppo F7. In many ways, Realme1 resembles Oppo, yet it makes a strong impression of its own in many ways.

It isn’t too heavy and one-handed operation is comfortable. The body is not slippery and feels firm in hand despite the size. The front glass is reportedly fragile, but the gadget comes with a screen guard and a silicone back cover. The curved edges look nice and polished and give the phone a premium look. Realme1 comes in three storage and RAM variants — 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB and 3/4/6 GB RAM. This review unit is the 128 GB/6 GB version.

The smartphone has a six-inch screen and an average display; and the colour rendering is strikingly different from Oppo phones. When you stream videos, especially HD videos on YouTube or Netflix, the difference is palpable. It isn’t very bad, considering the price, but could have been made better. The device supports full HD display with a 1080x2160p resolution with 403 pixel density.

Realme1 gets charged reasonably fast and the 3,410 mAh battery holds for a full day, even after hours of video-viewing and browsing. It doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner, but the face-unlock feature works like a charm. Even in dim/low light situations, it succeeds in identifying the user and unlocks apps and system functions quickly. But whether this impressive performance can be sustained over a long use remains to be seen. Traditionally, most handsets eventually lose this edge.

Realme1 has good cameras on the front (8 MP) and the back (13 MP). The rear camera is as good as or even better than most budget phones. It focusses fast enough and captures details really well. The super vivid mode and the Ultra HD mode work nicely, capturing crisp, detailed images that can be keepsakes. The selfie camera is a notch better than Oppo’s budget phoness. It understands lights and shade efficiently and adjusts images accordingly to produce well-toned, beautified photos. The rear camera records HD videos. The device does not heat up even during marathon video recording, which is a plus.

Realme1’s audio department needs improvement. When you play full HD visuals, the audio really struggles but when connected to a bluetooth device, it works just fine. The device is powered by a Mediatek Helio P60 Processor and performance has no lags or delays. Realme1 can easily be billed an efficient multi-taskter as it handles multiple jobs such as browsing, video playback, streaming, image editing and photography without any glitches. It supports WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 4G LTE (dual sim) and runs on Android 8.1 Oreo-based on ColorOS 5.0.

Verdict

Considering the price tag, Realme 1 is rich in specs and the performance is above average. The 6 GB/128 GB variant can easily give its rivals a run for their money. If you are looking for an affordable phone with a good camera, good looks and good storage, Realme1 is an option.

Price: Starts from ₹8,990 (32 GB/3 GB)

Pros: Hassle-free performance, good rear and front camera, elegant looks

Cons: Breakable front, poor audio, no finger-print scanner

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