realme 6i Review
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- Pros
- Fast Gaming-oriented Processor
- Longer Battery life
- Decent Display
- Great Design and Handling
- USB Type C
- Cons
- Loudspeaker needs improvement
- Single band WiFi
From the looks of it, the realme 6i will give the competition a run for its money. And if you're here, you've put the smartphone in the mix of choices for your next phone. So is the realme 6i the best choice for the sub Php 10K price point? Join us in this realme 6i review and find out.
Key Specifications:
- 164.4 x 75.4 x 9 mm at 199g
- 6.5-inch IPS LCD HD+ Display (Waterdrop Notch)
- MediaTek Helio G80 (12nm)
- Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
- Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
- 3GB/4GB RAM + 128GB storage, expandable
- Quad rear cameras: 48MP main + 8MP ultrawide + 2MP Macro + 2MP Depth
- 16MP f/2.0 front camera
- 4G LTE, Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB Type-C 2.0
- Rear-mounted fingerprint reader
- 3.5-mm audio jack
- Android 10 with realme UI
- 5000 mAh, 18W fast charging
- Php 7,990: 3/64GB, Php 9,990 4/128GB
WATCH: realme 6i Unboxing Video
Design
realme keeps on impressing us in its every release in terms of design. We have enjoyed the "sunrays" backing in the last two releases. Now, realme is taking some cues from its realme X line, bringing the master class design of parallel light beams to its more affordable phones. The overall build is still plastic, but I tell you this plastic got some style.
I got the White Milk variant for our review which I really love since I like everything simple and clean. So there's a milky white backing which gives a mix of matte, silky, and sandy texture. When I say sandy, I mean it's a very fine and sandy feeling. I love the ingenious layering technology the company did to achieve this, it is quite refreshing. Handling the phone with one hands comes with ease too.
The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor has an off-white hue though, this took away the continuity of the milky-white tone. Moving on to the sides, the frame is completely in a different color with its silvery appearance. For the Green Tea version, I think we can see a seamless transition of the frame to the backing since both have similar green tone. But if I am to pick, I would still get the White Milk variant.
The ports and buttons are in their no-nonsense position as we have described in our realme 6i unboxing. It's worth-noting that the handset now comes with USB Type C to support the 18-watt fast charging; and yes, the 3.5-mm audio jack is still there. I am worried that realme would leave this to the cutting room since it's now offering its own Buds Air in its ecosystem. But great job to realme on retaining the old audio jack. The overall design is pretty solid.
Display
The front panel is defined by the 6.5-inch HD+ IPS LCD panel. It packs a 270 ppi pixel density with 720 x 1600 pixel resolution. On paper, it may look underwhelming since most of its peers are now sporting FHD+ resolution; but in real life usage, I was surprised by the quality of the display. First thing I noticed is that it has great contrast. Colors are also balanced with the screen registering bright and sharp pictures. Viewing angles are also very welcoming. For it's class, I think this is good enough.
The waterdrop notch houses the 16MP selfie camera; crammed above it is the receiver. There's no other sensors in this area, not even an LED notification indicator. We've seen this orientation before. And I think this works pretty well with realme's smartphones. Underneath the factory-applied screen protector, there's a Gorilla Glass 3 treatment which is very handy if ever you decide to uninstall the former which, in my experience, is a scratch magnet.
Text and pictures are sharp with minimal to no pixelation. Playing games with the display is also a worthwhile experience. Moreover, the screen is well suited for video streaming in YouTube or other popular streaming apps. Compared to other realme smartphones with HD+ resolution, realme 6i's display is better.
Performance
So here's the thing, the realme 6i crams the MediaTek Helio G80 SoC inside its body. This chipset is designed in 12nm process and is intended for budget gaming-friendly-market. There are two high perfomance cores, Cortex-A75, at 2GHz speed and six Cortex-A55 energy efficient cores ticking at 1.8GHz.
Graphics-wise, the Mali G52 MC2 GPU works pretty well in rendering with the 720p display. We have the 4GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration (there's also a 3GB RAM / 64GB storage offering). Our review unit scored 202,097 in Antutu Benchmark. Our favorite gaming titles, Mobile Legends and Call of Duty, run smoothly in our gaming test. Though you can still game in High Graphics settings, I advise you settle for Medium graphics to avoid small hiccups while in game. But overall, the Helio G80 can definitely chew everything thrown at it...well, except for the heavy ones. I have not experienced heating issues that keep me from staying longer in the game.
For multimedia consumption, we've said before that the display is good enough for video streaming purposes. However, its single firing speaker lacks some bass. But this problem is solved when you use headphones or external speakers.
Calls are quite clear. Internet connectivity is also fast. WiFi only uses 2.4GHz band; so if you have dual channel routers, you can't use the 5GHz one.
Camera
The realme 6i employs a rear quad-camera module which highlights the 48MP f/1.8 unit with Quad Bayer filter. The handset also employs an 8MP ultra-wide sensor with 119-degree angle and f/2.3 aperture. Using this camera drops the quality of photos as in many other phones which use ultra-wide lens. The 2MP Portrait Camera is a depth sensing unit which gives Bokeh effects in photos. Lastly, there's another 2MP Macro Camera with fixed focus distance of 4mm when used in Ultra Macro mode.
The camera app is also straightforward to use with familiar menus on the main interface - Night, Video, Photo, Portrait, and 48M. There are also additional options in the "More" tab for Timelapse, Ultra Macro, Slo-Mo, Expert, and Pano. You can also adjust your Bokeh Percentage right on the spot in Portrait mode. Plus, more filters are included upfront together with the Chroma Boost toggle on the upper middle interface. Of course, the AI Scene recognition is also snappier than ever.
Now for the image quality, the main camera's output saves in 12MP by default. You have to choose the 48M mode to push it all the way to 48MP. Images look fantastic with great details. Contrast is also on point as well as the color accuracy. In good lighting condition, dynamic range is good enough. I rarely toggle the HDR option at all.
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| Ultra Macro |
Turning on the Chroma Boost gives a slight pop in colors but not to the extent that it over-saturates them. The photos from the ultra-wide camera is somewhat great for its class. Images have wide dynamic range with great contrast and color saturation. Details are not that impressive though but still, it's a good addition to this camera module. Check sample photos below comparing regular shots (left side) with their respective Chroma Boost shots (right side).
The front-facing camera is a 16MP affair with f/2.0 aperture. Selfies taken from the front camera are quite good for social media posting. It comes with good color reproduction and contrast. The camera software allows you to apply beautification on your photos like skin smoothing, face thinning, eyes enlarging, nose fixing, etc. Portraits also come with good separation of subject from the background.
As for video recording, 1080p video offers good color accuracy and detail. It also has a convincing dynamic range. Videos are only limited up to 1080p at 30fps for both main and ultra-wide cameras.
Software
The realme 6i boots with the latest realme UI based on Android 10. This new skin is tad cleaner and more simple compared to the previous ColorOS skin from previous releases.
The new interface is straightforward to use with Notification Shade and control toggles, now in their cleanest state ever. Task Switcher is also very intuitive. You can also opt to use swipe down gesture to activate system-wide search or simply have access to the Notification shade.
You'll get a Homescreen with circular icons with the Google Search bar placed at the bottom by default. realme UI also has icon packs you can choose from if you don't like the default option. You'll have the choice of using an app drawer or stick to the simplest mode wherein installed apps are placed directly in the Homescreen.
Navigation buttons have simple icons. But if you're like me who loves gesture-based navigation, you can opt to use Swipe Gestures in the Settings' navigation mode. Of course, you can still find a number of bloatwares. Some of them you can uninstall.
Battery
The realme 6i packs a juicy 5000 mAh battery. The combination of an HD+ display, bigger battery capacity, and power-efficient Helio MediaTek G80 chipset make the smartphone one of the best in terms of battery efficiency. I am averaging 6.5 hours of screen time using the handset which simply amazes me. For fair to moderate usage, the battery can last more than a day, even two days.
The battery is supported by 18-watts fast charging. Based on our charging test, the handset can store 35% of battery in 30 minutes. For one hour of charging, the battery level is around 65%. It's not that fast enough but it's a welcome improvement.
Should You Buy The realme 6i?
The realme 6i is giving the new realme series a good head-start. Without objection, I could say that the realme 6i is a great entry-level smartphone. It has the right muscle for gaming, frames bigger screen real estate, and longer battery life.
The realme 6i's main competition is probably the realme C3 which is basically a similar phone with less powerful chipset, no ultra-wide camera sensor, trimmed down selfie camera but in a cheaper price compared to realme 6i. If you think you don't need those, you might as well settle for the C3.
But don't get me wrong, the realme 6i is a straight-up great phone. If you are in the market for an affordable gaming phone that you need RIGHT NOW, then the realme 6i is one of the best options.
