The realme 8 series has been making waves these past few weeks; and coming from the heels of the standard models, the company drops a new variant called the realme 8 5G. Its namesake suggests that it comes with 5G connectivity and is set to take advantage of the latest and greatest mobile data speeds.
realme 8 5G Review
On paper, the realme 8 5G may have dropped a few higher end specs in the cutting room just to give way to the Dimensity 700 chip. But with a solid price point, it is clear that the company is positioning the phone below the regular realme 8.
5G phones are rolling out but most of us are still apprehensive in joining the bandwagon; will this phone persuade you to upgrade? Maybe, this review of the realme 8 5G will help you decide.
Design
The realme 8 5G continues the company's reputation in making well-built smartphones with a unique take in design philosophy. We are rocking the Supersonic Black variant which is made up of high-grade plastic backing. The rails are also made of plastic but they have textured matte finish in contrast to the shiny back panel. One look on the device, you'll see that there's an intricate painting technology involved. The backing is a mixture of simplicity and intricacy framed in a tiny slab.
The smartphone's 8.5-mm depth and 185-gram weight make it an ideal footprint combination for ease of use and ergonomics. You'll see the ports and buttons where they should be as we have described in our realme 8 5G unboxing.
One particular standout is the embedded fingerprint sensor on the power button, on the right side of the phone. I have no qualms on how fast it unlocks the handset, I just think that it could easily pick up accidental touches. Personally, I turned this feature off as I rely on the zippy face recognition and traditional pattern to unlock the phone.
We have a triple card slot on the left side where you can insert two 5G SIMs on either of the two SIM compartments. Yes, both slots are 5G-enabled which is quite a convenient feature. The other slot is dedicated for microSD card.
Display
- 90Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio
- 180 sampling rate
- 600 nits peak brightness
realme opted for an LCD panel for the realme 8 5G. For me, this is a good thing since this could conserve battery. And with a 5G chip thrown in the mix, settling for an LCD panel could be a balancing act.
But still, the 6.5-inch screen is one of the brightest panels in this segment. realme used a hole-punch design to give provision for the front camera. We have a 2400 x 1080p FHD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate. The latter offers smoother experience when scrolling on the phone's interface.
The panel exudes sharp and crisp images. Colors are vibrant enough without the need to activate the OSIE visual effect. It's pretty responsive with 180Hz sampling rate; and it could tend to be very bright which can peak at 600 nits.
Watching content in your favorite apps will be a great idea with this phone. On top of that, you can also take advantage of the display-centric tweaks in the settings app like the Eye Comfort, Screen Color Temperature, and more.
Performance, 5G connectivity
The realme 8 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. It's a 7nm SoC with 5G capability. In our PC Mark Work 3.0 benchmark test, the smartphone scored 11425 which is quite high among its peers. The phone also supports 5GB of extended RAM to further amp your processing power.
In our realtime usage, the realme 8 5G works smoothly with no obvious stuttering or lags. It can chew anything thrown at it with ease, except for the usual graphics-demanding apps. Multitasking or jumping from one app to another is also a breeze. I find the realme 8 5G a joy to use especially if you're a moderate user.
Gaming apps like Mobile Legends and Legends of Runeterra run on the realme 8 5G without skipping a beat. We tested high graphic settings with the former and everything went well. The smartphone also handles heat dissipation very well.
The main reason that you'll buy this smartphone is its 5G connectivity. It's a good decision to make knowing that the country's telco players are in a fast pace in deploying 5G networks. We have tested the 5G connectivity in Mall of Asia complex, and we got a good download speed of almost 200Mbps.
With that being said, we also think that 5G is yet to peak in terms of coverage, there are multiple 5G sites in NCR; however, it's still a challenge to find 5G network in most areas outside NCR.
The single firing loudspeaker is also decent enough for voice calls and multimedia consumption. Calls are clear even when taken in closed spaces.
Camera
The realme 8 5G features a triple camera setup at the back top billed by the 48MP sensor. The module also comes with a 2MP macro camera and another 2MP depth-sensing camera. We have no ultra-wide lens here. On the front panel, we have the 16MP selfie camera.
The 48MP main camera captures stunning photos with sharp tones and good dynamic range. Images come with enough detail and color accuracy, especially under a good lighting condition. It's also worth-noting that the camera focuses instantly which is kind of a great thing at this price.
The realme 8 5G's macro shots are also good enough. Likewise, in portrait mode, the smartphone delivers great separation of the subject from the background. The overall photo quality is great for social media use.
In low-light, the realme 8 5G produces photos with decent amount of details using the Night Mode option. Though we love our night shots, you can still expect noise in the photo. Just like the normal Photo mode, you can also take advantage of up to 5x zoom in Night Mode.
Check out our sample photos below.
The camera also supports the Google Lens feature that is integrated with Google Search. This means you can send query in Google using captured image. It can also translate texts based on the image. Other camera modes include Slo-Mo, time-Lapse, Pro/Expert Mode, Pano, Text Scanner, and Ultra Macro.
The smartphone is a winner when it comes to selfies. If you're a fan of AI Beautification, the camera app got you covered with many toggles for improving skin tone, eyes, nose, face, and more. You can also record videos up to 1080p at 30fps.
Software
The realme 8 5G boots with the latest realme UI 2.0 out of the box. The custom OS is based on Android 11. The realme UI is one of the good-looking Android skins I've used. Icons for apps and functions are clean and minimalist. The notification shade is integrated with frequently used toggles.
Aside from Themes and Wallpapers, users can also personalize phone's icon styles, app layout, colors, font/display size, and notification drawer. You'll also have quick access to your Google cards.
The overall feel of the realme UI 2.0 is buttery smooth. We could give credit to its 90Hz refresh rate. However, if you wanted to conserve battery, you can set it to Auto Select or force it to go down to 60Hz in the Settings app. The software also supports Dark Mode and other customized gestures.
Battery
The realme 8 5G is powered by a 5000 mAh battery which does a great job in terms of extending the smartphone's juice, even when the 5G connectivity is always activated. In our PCMark battery test, the handset scored 18h and 37 mins. This is quite an impressive feat for a 5G-capable phone.
It's easy to last more than a day of juice with the realme 8 5G. It could extend up to two days if you're a moderate user. realme has made a great job in scoring a satisfactory battery life despite the use of 5G. The realme 8 5G also supports 18-watt fast charging which is a welcome feature for filling up enough juice in minutes.
The Wrap
If you want a future-proof smartphone, the realme 8 5G would be a great option. For its PHP 11,990 price, it promises a great value for your money. It ticks most of the features users need for a daily driver - good display, simple yet elegant design, dependable camera, and blazing fast internet connectivity.
Moreover, if you're looking for an affordable 5G phone that won't die out on you for an ample amount of time, look no further.
Pros and Cons:
- Future-proofed with 5G connectivity
- Long lasting battery life
- Simple yet elegant design
- Very affordable price
realme 8 5G Specs:
6.5-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display
1080 x 2400 pixels
MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC
2.2GHz Octa-core CPU:
2.2GHz x 2 ARM Cortex-A76 + 2GHz x 6 ARM Cortex-A55
Mali-G57 MC2 GPU
8GB RAM (with +5GB Extended RAM)
128GB Storage
realme UI v2.0 based on Android 11
48MP Rear Camera + 2MP Macro + 2MP Depth
16MP Front Camera
Up to 1080p at 30fps videos
Dual-SIM (Nano)
5G, 4G, 3G, 2G
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth v5.1
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS
NFC
USB Type-C 2.0, USB OTG
Fingerprint (side-mounted), Face unlock
162.5 x 74.8 x 8.5 mm, 185 grams
5000 mAh battery, with 18W fast charging
Supersonic Blue, Supersonic Black
PHP 11,990 (In Shopee)
