Realme Philippines is set to launch the Realme 5 series locally in the coming days. But before that, the company already has provided us review samples to check out.
As we’re still working on our review — and waiting for their official prices — we want to share with your our initial thoughts with the Realme 5, the toned-down version of the two. We also have a hands-on review of the Realme 5 Pro if you want to check that out.
Obviously, the Realme 5 is the successor to the Realme 3 from earlier this year. You can check out the difference between the two by reading our specs comparison article.
But what we haven’t emphasize in that comparison is their difference in design and build. The Realme 5 has a new crystal design on the back, that’s emphasized by its color gradient design. That one that we have here is the Crystal Blue model, while a Crystal Purple option is also available.
Update: Realme 5 Review
Upon picking up the device, you’d instantly notice how bigger and more substantial it is than the Realme 3, or any other smartphone in this category.
That’s because Realme made the screen larger at 6.5-inches (versus 6.2-inch on the Realme 3), and the battery now larger at 5,000mAh (versus 4,230).
There’s some noticeable weight to it (198g), but that’s forgivable since we’re getting a taller screen and bigger battery along with it. Also, the Realme 5 has an 89% screen-to-body ratio, so it’s as sleek as it could be.
Going back, the Realme 5 now has a bigger battery. In our full review of the Realme 3, we already know that a 4,230mAh battery can last you for an entire day. But with the 5,000mAh capacity on the newer model, we expect it to perform even more. We shall see how it stacks up in our full review.
Another upgrade that the Realme 5 has is in the processor department. This thing runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 octa-core processor, with the unit that we have here sporting 4GB of RAM and a whopping 128GB of storage. More affordable options such as 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB shall also be available.
So far, the performance has been smooth. The setup process was seamless since the entire interface was relatively fast and responsive thanks to the chipset. We shall see how it holds up in other heavier tasks, especially in gaming, in our full review. For the meantime, you can check out the initial benchmark test scores below.
Realme 5 Benchmark tests:
Another new feature that we’re excited to check out is the device’s cameras. This one now comes with a quad-camera setup, a step up from the dual-camera configuration that the older model has.
The Realme 5 has a 12-megapixel primary shooter, with a bright aperture of f/1.8 and PDAF. Next stop there’s finally an 8-megapixel ultra-wide shooter. Lastly, there are two 2-megapixel sensors for depth-sensing and macro shots, respectively.
Clearly, the Realme 5 now gives you more flexibility for whatever subject you want to shoot. But how good the actual camera quality is? That’s what we’ll have to test extensively for our full review that’s coming out very soon.
Well, that’s it for now. Make sure you stay tuned as we’ll be providing you with the full pricing and availability details once they become available. The Realme 5 and 5 Pro will make their debut in the Philippines on October 3, 2019.