Realme’s hit budget mid-range offering gets an upgrade

Realme is stepping up its game to another level with the Realme 5 Pro. With the bang-for-the-buck smartphone getting new exterior and interior upgrades (which includes a snazzy diamond cut back and quad rear cameras) the Realme 5 Pro looks to be another hit for the young brand.

Unboxing and contents

You get a white box with the Realme 5 Pro, where you have a photo of the device in front highlighting its key features. Inside the box, you get the usual contents: documentation, silicone case, SIM ejector tool, the phone itself, VOOC charger, and USB-C cable.

A familiar finish makes a comeback

While the Realme 3 Pro went for gradient colors or a plain black back panel, the Realme 5 Pro sports a diamond-cut back that makes the colors pop out further in either Crystal Green or Sparkling Blue. The polycarbonate back panel has a glossy finish though, making it a fingerprint and smudge magnet. It’s a good thing Realme bundles a clear case with the Realme 5 Pro so that you can still flaunt that diamond cut back without worrying about scratches or smudges.

The Realme 5 Pro shares the same button and port layout with the Realme 3 Pro except for one thing: instead of a MicroUSB port, you get USB-C with the Realme 5 Pro.

You also get the same 6.3-inch Full HD+ IPS display with the Realme 5 Pro, along with a dewdrop notch. The said area houses a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 camera, which is the same selfie camera found on the OnePlus 7 and OPPO F11.

That’s one long camera module

While it has the same camera module location, the Realme 5 Pro has a rather long camera module to house all four cameras. The Realme 5 Pro’s quad-camera setup comprises of a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 main camera, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel portrait camera, and 2-megapixel macro camera.

The portrait camera is most likely used for capturing depth information for better bokeh shots, while the macro camera is meant for capturing close-up shots.

Realme updated its Nightscape feature to work for both the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras, though we have to test it out if the feature performs as advertised using the ultra-wide-angle camera. As for videos, the Realme 5 Pro can shoot Full HD at 60FPS and 4K.

Meaner and better internals

Beating inside the Realme 5 Pro is a Snapdragon 712 processor paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The Snapdragon 712 is a slight upgrade over the Snapdragon 710 used on the Realme 3 Pro, though we have to see if the processor upgrade and the added RAM translate to significant performance gains. If the 128GB internal storage is not enough, you can add more space through its MicroSD card slot.

You get ColorOS 6 with the Realme 5 Pro, along with Android Pie. It is scheduled to receive Android 10, which is a plus for people who want a phone that’s s up-to-date. The ColorOS iteration used on the Realme 5 Pro has less bloatware this time around, so you get the most out of its already-generous internal storage.

You get a slightly smaller 4035mAh battery and the same 20w VOOC 3.0 charging on the Realme 5 Pro, though charging is done via USB-C—at last, Realme is shifting to this modern and versatile port.

The Realme 5 Pro comes with significant upgrades compared to its predecessor, making it a very strong contender in the budget mid-range segment. Based on its price in India, the Realme 5 Pro might have a sub-Php 14k price, making it go against the likes of the vivo S1, OPPO A9 (2020), and Xiaomi Mi 9T.

Realme 5 Pro Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 octa-core processor
• Adreno 616 GPU
• 8GB RAM
• 6.3-inch Full HD+ LTPS IPS Dewdrop display, Gorilla Glass 5 protection
• 128GB of expandable storage
• Quad rear cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.79 Sony IMX 586 main camera; 8-megapixel f/2.25 ultra-wide-angle camera; 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera; 2-megapixel f/2.4 portrait camera; with LED flash, Dual Pixel Autofocus, EIS, Chroma Boost, Ultra HD mode, 960FPS slow-motion video, Speed Shot, Nightscape, and 4K video recording
• 16-megapixel f/2.0 Sony IMX 471 front camera with AI beautification, Smart Groufie
• Dual SIM
• 3G, LTE
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
• Fingerprint scanner, AI Face Unlock, Smart Audio Amplifier, Dust and splash resistant
• 4035mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 20w fast charging
• Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6.1