After the simultaneous release from its entry-level and flagship line-ups, fastest rising smartphone brand realme is updating its number series' portfolio with the realme 7 family. The hero device of the series, realme 7, brings significant update from the last model it is replacing. Now, we are having a bump in processor, new camera stack, juicier battery, and more. On paper, this specs bump looks very promising.
realme 7 Review
We took the realme 7 out for a spin; and there are plenty of questions that need to be answered. Is this a worthy upgrade from realme 6? How good is the new processor? Let's find out in this realme 7 review.
Review Summary:
Pros
- Solid gaming smartphone for a sub Php 15K price
- Reliable battery, 30W fast charging
- High display refresh rate
- Simple design
Cons
- Slightly on the thick side
- Small upgrade from realme 6
The realme 7 will be the first smartphone that features the MediaTek Helio G95 chipset; it is defined as a SoC just like the other G-series chips before it. Our Mist White review unit comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There's a 2nd-generation 64MP camera sensor; realme also claims that the handset is the world's first smartphone with TUV Rheinland Quality Certification for smartphone quality.
Design
In every generation of smartphones the company has released, realme always sees to it that the design makes a different statement compared to its past releases. The same story goes out to the realme 7. The new design comes with a split backing divided by a single vertical stripe running from the top to the bottom of the back. Compared to the previous iteration, the realme 7 comes off as a minimalist smartphone in terms of design philosophy. It's not as flashy as the realme 6 series smartphones but it's still solidly built. Though the phone looks premium, I honestly think that the company has toned down a bit in terms of build and design. And yes, I prefer the realme 6 design over this new update. But hey, that's just me.
Of course, the back is still a polycarbonate material. This also means that it's plastic but it does not look cheap at all. In fact, the back comes with a matte finish that adds another layer of premium in the design; and it's definitely not a fingerprint magnet. Another thing that can be noticed right off the bat is the redesigned camera module.
Gone are the vertically stacked cameras in favor of the more rectangular module. This makes the realme 7’s design looks a bit more 2020-ish. This is a welcome redesign for me. You can still see the power button on the right while the volume keys are on the left side. Just like the realme X3 SuperZoom, the fingerprint sensor is embedded on the power button.
At the bottom side, we have the USB type C, 3.5-mm audio jack, and the speaker grill. The handset is on the thick side with its 9.4-mm breadth, and it also weighs 197 grams.
Display
The realme 7 still got the same 6.5-inch display just like almost all smartphones released before it. This makes sense since sticking with the same screen size will give the company a ton of savings in the manufacturing point of view.
We all love the 90 Hz display refresh rate in the realme 6, and we are elated that the realme 7 continues to feature the said refresh rate. There's also a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating for additional layer of protection for the screen. The same punch hole is provisioned for the selfie camera which gives the realme 7 an 83.4 screen-to-body ratio.
The LCD display is quite good. In fact, it offers decent color accuracy and saturation. The panel is also vibrant and crisp in details. Brightness seems decent but it left us wanting more. However, the display is usable outdoors, even under direct sunlight.
The 90Hz refresh rate is definitely one of its main turf. This kicks in using supported apps like Settings app or running your device's native interface like the Notification Shade, the App Drawer, and more. On top of that, there are also third party apps that support this refresh rate but unfortunately, they're in small numbers as of this writing. You can still set the refresh rate to automatic or force it to either 90Hz or 60Hz.
The display is quite solid despite the fact that we only have an LCD panel. realme had this reputation of having clear LCD displays, and the realme 7 is no exception.
Performance
The realme 7 is quite fast in our initial usage. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 processor which is an upgraded chip of realme 6's Helio G90T. The handset is also the first-ever smartphone to rock the said chipset (kudos to realme for this feat). We were impressed with realme 6's chip, and the Helio G95 took us at the edge of our seats. GPU performance of the Helio G95 got some serious bump which is also noticeable in running gaming apps.
Everything runs smoothly with the realme 7, be it running multiple apps, gaming, social media, music and video playback - everything seems right. However, there are times that I experienced some hiccups but the 8GB RAM patches things up in a heartbeat.
Gaming, Audio, Call Reception
The realme 7 is a winner when we talk about gaming. The Helio G95 is pegged to be a great gaming chipset at this price standpoint, and we think MediaTek is quite accurate at this front. Our favorite games, most of them are graphics-hungry, run smoothly with the handset. Marvel Future Fight and Asphalt 9, both graphics-intensive games, run seamlessly on realme 7. On top of that, I am quite surprised that the device doesn't heat up fast. This is due to the smartphone's Fibre Cooling System. For me, this is a great improvement from its predecessor. In the sub Php 15,000 segment, I could say that the realme 7 is the best gaming-oriented smartphone, yet.
There's nothing special about the loudspeaker. It's a down firing mono speaker which is pretty basic with decent quality. Good thing, there's still a headphone jack which could support countless accessories apart from that of realme's own AIoT devices.
Cell reception and network coverage is quite good for calls and surfing the internet. There's also a dual-SIM slot with a dedicated slot for the microSD expansion.
Software
The realme 7 boots with realme UI based on Android 10. This skin is close to stock Android which we definitely love. Icons are flat and rounded by default, but you can customize them using the Theme Store according to your preferences.
You can set your Homescreen to be in Drawer Mode wherein you can swipe from the bottom of the screen to access your apps, or you can also opt to choose the Standard Mode wherein installed apps are displayed straight to the Homescreen. Additionally, there's a Simple Mode which offers simple screen layout and larger icons.
Of course, you can still find some first-party apps which you can uninstall right away. The realme UI still offers some jewel features like the Dark Mode, Eye Comfort, Adaptive Sleep, and Screen Color Temperature toggles. On top of that, the realme 7 supports the OSIE visual effect which makes your display looks more vibrant and pushes your blacks into deeper tone. And my all time favorite - swipe gesture navigations.
In biometric detection, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor is quite zippy. It can unlock the phone in just simple touches. The fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button which now has soft edges unlike the X3 SuperZoom.
Read also: Realme 6 Unboxing, First Impressions: 90Hz Display, Helio G90T
Camera
The realme 7 is shipped with a second-generation 64MP AI quad-camera. The primary sensor is now upgraded to a Sony IMX682 with f/1.8 aperture. Based on specs, this sensor is better than the Samsung GW1 that the company has been using for more than a year now. In our real-time usage, we could see the improvement but it's not a big leap from the previous sensor.
Shots offer great details and color accuracy. Contrast is also on-point; as well as the dynamic range. Colors pop when HDR and Chromaboost are toggled on; this also results in better dynamic range. Images in low-light come with brighter results.
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| Wide Angle Sample Shot |
realme 7 excels in Night Mode shots. The sensor can score details in areas covered with shadows; and it does that without exposing the highlights. We can still see some noise building up on the image, but it's manageable. The realme 7 also ships with Starry Night mode which was introduced in the X3 SuperZoom. Moreover, selfies are exceptional as always.
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| Low-light Indoor |
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| Low-light Indoor |
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| Low-light Outdoor |
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| Macro Sample Shot |
We are pleased with the 5000 mAh battery. The handset is definitely hard to drain in one day; and of course, the 30-watt fast-charging capability helps a lot. On my day to day use, I'm averaging about a day and a half of moderate use which is quite impressive in this segment.
Charging the phone from zero to a hundred could take more than an hour. To be specific, we have recorded an 82-minute charging time which is quite expected since we have a 5000 mAh battery.
Verdict: Should You Buy the realme 7?
The realme 7 is definitely a beefed up version of the realme 6. It ticks some boxes that we may have missed in the previous release - better battery management, advanced hardware cooling tech, and updated primary camera. With these improvements, we honestly think that realme crafted the best gaming smartphone in this price segment.
And though we think that the processor is one of the fastest in the mid-range category, I don't think that you need to upgrade if you already owned a realme 6. However, if you're coming from realme 5 or other released phones before that, then this will be a fitting choice.
realme 7 Specs:
- 6.5-inch IPS LCD FHD+ Display, 405 ppi density
- 90Hz Smooth Display (90Hz Refresh Rate), 1080 x 2400p, 480 nits
- Gorilla Glass 3
- MediaTek Helio G95
- Mali-G76 MC4 GPU
- Up to 8GB RAM
- 128GB storage, expandable via microSD card
- Rear: 2nd-Gen 64MP Quad Camera (Sony IMX682, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP Macro, 2MP Depth
- Up to 4K@30fps video recording, Gyro-EIS
- Front: 16MP f/2.0 aperture
- Up to 1080p@30fps
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth 5.0 LE
- GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BDS
- USB Type C 2.0, OTG
- 3.5-mm audio jack
- Android 10 with Realme UI
- 4G LTE; Dual SIM; Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB Type-C 2.0
- Side-mounted fingerprint reader
- Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass
- 5000 mAh Battery, 30W Dart Charging
- Mist White, Mist Blue
- Php 14,990 8GB + 128GB
