5G wireless technology is upon us, and as expected, smartphone brands are expanding their lineup to offer devices that cater to this innovation. The initial months of commercial 5G rollout worldwide saw only high-end and expensive 5G-ready smartphones, but now, consumers also have various budget-friendly 5G-enabled devices to choose from. Let us take a closer look at one of them -- the realme 8 5G.
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| realme 8 5G Review; 5G and Beyond |
Get yours now via Lazada at https://bit.ly/realmeofficialstoreph. or Shopee at https://bit.ly/realmephofficialstore.
PHYSICAL:
Unlike its siblings, the realme 8 and the realme 8 Pro, the realme 8 5G lacks the bold design detail at the back – the “Dare To Leap” markings. We’re not complaining, though, since we appreciate the clean rear slate of realme 8 5G more. What can be found at its back part instead are its protruding camera module and the realme branding. This smartphone’s back cover has a beautiful pattern, and a glossy finish, meaning the realme 8 5G is a magnet to fingerprints and smudges. It’s advisable to use a smartphone case, especially the type with extra protection at the camera part, to avoid unwanted scratches.
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| Supersonic Blue |
There’s nothing unique about the overall look and feel of the realme 8 5G. Its design is simple, and we liked how easy it feels in the hands. On the left side of the device, you have the volume rockers and a SIM card tray for two nano-SIM cards and a microSD card for storage expansion up to 1TB. On its opposite cheek, you’ll find the power button-slash fingerprint scanner. At the bottom part of the realme 8, 5G is where its 3.5 headphone jack, USB-C port, loudspeaker, and primary microphone are located. The realme 8 5G buttons are clicky enough, and its fingerprint sensor does a pretty good job unlocking the smartphone within seconds.
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| 6.5-inch IPS FHD+ 90Hz Display |
The realme 8 5G flaunts a 6.5-inch IPS screen in Full HD+ (2400 x 1080) resolution for its display. Its bezels aren’t that thin, especially on its chin, but they don’t hinder the entire viewing experience on the device. We also liked that the realme 8 5G has a punch-hole front camera instead of the dated dewdrop notch. The realme 8 5G’s screen is decent but compared to the realme 8 and the realme 8 Pro, it’s a downgrade in that it doesn’t have a Super AMOLED display. However, the realme 8 5G has a 90Hz refresh rate, something that’s not present in other models under the realme 8 series.
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| Retail Package |
The display quality of the realme 8 5G is impressive. It’s also a plus that the device has display enhancement options like Color Modes, which allows you to switch the color intensity of the screen according to your liking. The OSIE Vision Effect, meanwhile, utilizes AI to improve color saturation and display sharpness. Despite the relatively affordable pricing of the realme 8 5G, the device doesn’t look and feel cheap. However, it’s important to note that you have to take extra precautions when using smartphones, especially outdoors. The realme 8 5G doesn’t have IP rating protection against accidental water spills and dust.
realme 8 Pro Review; Familiar, But Better
SOFTWARE and PERFORMANCE:
If you’re looking for a powerful but affordable 5G-ready smartphone for casual use, the realme 8 5G is a great choice. This device runs on a competent set of internals, including MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 5G chip, Mali-G57 GPU, 8GB RAM, and 128GB expandable onboard storage.
The realme 8 5G performed well in the usual day-to-day activities one would do with their smartphone. Switching between apps for messaging and social media, productivity, streaming, and gaming is like a walk in the park with the realme 8 5G.
Do take note, though, that the realme 8 5G is not a gaming smartphone. So playing games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile in high settings will give you stutters now and then. On the other hand, it’s ideal for playing in mid settings for graphics and audio with the realme 8 5G.
The realme 8 5G comes with the realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11 out of the box. With the realme UI among the smartly designed UIs out there, we didn’t have any problem having this in the realme 8 5G, save for one thing: bloatware. There are around 20 pre-installed apps in the realme 8 5G, and while it’s easy to have them uninstalled, it’s still a bummer to have this amount of pre-loaded apps in a smartphone. What concerned us about the bloatware the realme 8 5G has is the invasive privacy policies of the pre-installed apps.
Here are the benchmark test results we got with the realme 8 5G.
- Antutu - 363,463
- Geekbench Single-Core - 572
- Geekbench Multi-Core - 1,760
- Geekbench Compute - 1,510
- PC Mark Work Performance 3.0 - 10,436
- PC Mark Work Storage 2.0 - 22,550
- 3D Mark Wild Life - 1,106
- 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test - 1,108
- 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme - 323
- 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test - 323
BATTERY:
If you’re a power user, meaning you like a smartphone that can last you more than a day of usage, then the realme 8 5G can be your match. This smartphone comes with a whopping 5,000mAh battery. Although we used the realme 8 5G as our main driver for a few weeks, it’s pretty impressive how this smartphone always had a remaining 20% battery life (on average) at the end of our busy days.
The realme 8 5G supports fast charging with its 18W power adapter. However, it took us around 3 hours and 15 minutes to have the device fully charged.
What’s also worth mentioning about the realme 8 5G battery is its 5G power-saving feature, automatically switching the phone’s network from 5G to 4G depending on the network strength.
CAMERA:
One reason why realme gained a solid following in the Philippines is how good the cameras on its smartphones are. While there are better-performing smartphones in the camera department than the realme 8 5G, it can be one of the best options in its price segment for camera-centric users.
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| 48MP Triple Camera |
Its triple camera setup comprises a 48-megapixel primary shooter, a 2-megapixel macro sensor, and a 2-megapixel depth camera to bring decent shots – those that no longer need retouching before you post them on social media.
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| 16MP Front Camera |
For selfies and groufies, the realme 8 5G has a 16-megapixel front camera that takes natural-looking portraits.
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| Day, Pool, Normal |
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| Day, Pool, 2x Zoom |
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| Day, Mini Bridge |
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| Night, Pool |
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| Night, Slide |
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| Night, Playground |
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| Flower, Normal |
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| Flower, Macro |
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| Selfie |
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| Portrait Selfie |
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| Night, Selfie |
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| Night, Portrait Selfie |
Above are some camera samples we took using the different shooting modes of the realme 8 5G. You be the judge.
See Also: Five Top Features of the realme 8 5G
FINAL WORDS:
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| realme 8 5G |
So, should you buy the realme 8 5G? The answer is a solid yes if you’re looking to have a taste of 5G without hurting your pockets. The realme 8 5G is priced at Php11,990 in the Philippines.
How much is the realme 8 5G price in the Philippines?
- The realme 8 5G price in the Philippines is Php11,990.
- Get yours now via Lazada at https://bit.ly/realmeofficialstoreph. or Shopee at https://bit.ly/realmephofficialstore.
When will be the realme 8 5G available in the Philippines?
- The realme 8 5G is now available in the Philippines.
Realme 8 Pro Specs Philippines:
- Dual SIM, dual standby, supports 5G connectivity.
- 6.5-inch IPS LCD FHD+ (2400 x 1080) 90Hz refresh rate
- Dimensions: 162.5mm x 74.8mm x 8.5mm
- Weight: 185 grams
- Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11
- Octa-core (2x2.2GHz Cortex-A76 + 6x2.0GHz Cortex-A55), Mali-G57 MC2, MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G 7nm chipset
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage, expandable up to 256GB via MicroSD card, uses dedicated slot
- 48MP PDAF f/1.8 main + 2MP f/2.4 macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth triple rear cameras with LED flash, 1080p video recording at 30fps
- 16MP f/2.1 front camera, 1080p video recording at 30fps
- Multimedia player
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Hi-Res Audio
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
- Bluetooth v5.1
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS
- USB 2.0 Type-C with OTG function
- Sensors: fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, light, proximity, gyroscope
- Battery: 5,000mAh lithium-ion polymer, non-removable, 18W fast charging
- Colors: Supersonic Blue, Supersonic Black
- Price: Php11,990