Midrange phones have become so powerful that there’s almost no point to go with a more expensive high-end device. Even the below-Php15,000 smartphones in the market have become real capable and today, we’ll be comparing two of your best option for the price.

First, we have the Realme 7. Its official SRP in PH is yet to be announced (we’ll be updating this article once it does), but we expect it to pass the budget you’re after — just like its predecessor.

Update 10/03/20: Updated the article to reflect Realme 7 series price in the Philippines and the Redmi Note 9 series’ recent price drop.

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And considering what we already know when it came out in India earlier this month, it should offer a couple of interesting value for the price.

But is it really the device you should go with? To answer that, we’ll be comparing it with the Redmi Note 9 Pro — one of the best options in this category that came out back in May.

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Here in our Realme 7 and Redmi Note 9 Pro specifications and features comparison, we’ll see if Realme’s latest can beat Xiaomi’s midranger. Ultimately, we’ll help you decide which one you should get. Let’s begin.

Realme 7Redmi Note 9 Pro
(Global)
Operating SystemAndroid 10
Realme UI
Android 10
MIUI 11
SIMDual SIM
Dual Standby
Dual SIM
Dual standby
Display6.5-inch FHD+ IPS
2400 x 1080 pixel resolution
405ppi
90Hz refresh rate
TÜV Rheinland certified
6.67-inch FHD+ IPS
2400 x 1080 pixel resolution
~394ppi
TÜV Rheinland certified
Processor2.05GHz MediaTek Helio G95 octa-core
Superb Carbon Fiber Cooling System
2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core
RAM8GB6GB
GPUMali-G76 MC4Adreno 618
Storage128GB
UFS 2.1
expandable via microSD
64GB/128GB
UFS 2.1
expandable via microSD up to 512GB
Front Camera16-megapixel
Punch-hole
120fps slow-mo selfie
16-megapixel
Punch-hole
120fps slow-mo selfie
Rear Camera64-megapixel (IMX682, f/1.8, PDAF)
8-megapixel (ultra-wide, f/2.3)
2-megapixel (mono)
2-megapixel (macro)
AI Scene Detection
4K video recording
Night Mode
240fps
64-megapixel (IMX686, f/1.9)
8-megapixel (ultra-wide, f/2.2)
5-megapixel (macro)
2-megapixel (depth sensor)
PDAF
LED flash
AI Scene Detection
4K video recording
Ultra Nightscape mode
960fps@720p slow-mo
AudioHeadphone jack
Single speakers
Headphone jack
Single Ultra-linear speaker
SecuritySide-mounted fingerprint scanner
Face unlock
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Face unlock
ConnectivityHSPA+, 4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS
USB Type-C
4G LTE, VoLTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, 2×2 MIMO
Bluetooth 5.1
GPS, A-GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BDS, NavIC
NFC
IR blaster
USB Type-C
Dimensions162.3 x 75.4 x 9.4mm165.75 x 76.68 x 8.8mm
Weight196.5g209g
BodyFront: Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Back: Frosted AG
Frame: Plastic
Splash-proof
Front: Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Back: Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Frame: Plastic
P2i splash proof
ColorsMist Blue
Mist White
Tropical Green
Glacier White
Interstellar Black
Battery5,000mAh
30W SuperDart Charge
5,020mAh
30W fast charging support
33W fast charger included
PricePhp14,9906GB/64GB: Php11,990
(from Php12,490)
6GB/128GB: Php12,990
(from Php13,990)

Design and Build Quality

As usual, Realme has come up with a brand new design for the Realme 7 series. This time, they are much cleaner and straightforward. It has a split design, with light reflections in this AG frosted glass.

Mist Blue | Mist White

Available in Mist Blue and Mist White, there’s a vertical strip is in the left corner of the screen that transcends the vertical camera glass on the back and the Realme logo on the bottom. While on the front, we have an almost bezel-less screen with a punch-hole on the top left.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro also has a clean design — with a middle punch-hole on front and 2×2 camera layout on the back — but shares its looks with a couple of other Xiaomi devices like the Redmi Note 9S. Unlike the split design of the former, this has a uniform, paint job that’s available in more color options: Interstellar Grey, and Glacier White, with the exemption of the Tropical Green option.

Redmi-Note-9-Pro-Philippines-NoypiGeeks-5720
Glacier White | Interstellar Grey | Tropical Green

What makes it stand out is the build. It’s sandwiched with Gorilla Glass 5, while the Realme 7 has an inferior Gorilla Glass 3 on the screen and an unbranded Frosted AG on the back. On the upside, both are splash-proof and comes with a free protective case for extra peace of mind.

Display and Sound Quality

Both devices use an FHD+ IPS panel, a standard choice for a device this price. However, the Redmi Note 9 Pro is marginally bigger at 6.67-inches, vs 6.5-inches. Albeit, the difference might be, again, marginal and unnoticeable.

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However, the Realme 7 obviously wins this round. As you can see, it has a 90hz refresh rate, which will make games and browsing the interface smoother and more responsive.

To compensate, the Redmi Note 9 Pro has an ultra-linear speaker, while the former has a standard bottom-firing speaker. It would be nice to see a stereo speaker setup on both devices, but plugging in a pair of earphones via the 3.5mm port should be enough. By the way, neither comes one, so you might want to get it separately.

Performance and Hardware

The Realme 7 is powered by the latest MediaTek Helio G95 processor, while the Redmi Note 9 Pro relies on Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G.

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As per the last AnTuTu top list, last-gen’s Helio G90T is still more powerful than the Snapdragon 720G. And considering that the Helio G95 is an overclocked version of the G90T, it should have faster performance in most tasks, especially in games.

It may fall behind benchmarks, but the Snapdragon 720G should offer better battery efficiency and compatibility with most apps.

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The Redmi Note 9 Pro also has better connectivity features like the newer Bluetooth 5.1 standard, NFC, and the Xiaomi standard-issue IR blaster.

Related

Cameras

Both the Realme 7 and Redmi Note 9 Pro have similar 64-megapixel main cameras and 8-megapixel ultra-wide. They also share the same 16-megapixel front-facing cameras, with a cool 120fps slow-mo selfie recording that’s fun to play with.

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But, we gotta hand the win to the Xiaomi device on this one.

As you can see, it has a better IMX686 main sensor and a sharper 5-megapixel macro camera. It also has an impressive 960fps slow-mo video recording, which we only saw on high-end smartphones before.

Battery

The Redmi Note 9 Pro wins by a margin on this category. As you can see, it has a 5,020mAh battery, which is an inch larger than the 5,000mAh on the latter.

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Both devices also have 30W fast charging support. But with the Redmi device, you’re getting a faster 33W charger in the box for extra headspace.

Conclusion

The Redmi Note 9 Pro recently got a price drop and now starts at Php11,990 for the 6GB/64GB model, while the 128GB is at Php12,990 — no 8GB option. On the other hand, the Realme 7 costs Php2,000 more for Php14,990.

Realme-C17-NoypiGeeks

So, which one should you get? As you can see, they do share a lot of similarities. However, the 90Hz screen, bigger RAM capacity, and supposedly better performance of the Realme 7 make it a more viable option for heavy gamers.

But if you want a balance between battery efficiency and performance — and if the camera and build quality is a top priority — then going with the Redmi Note 9 Pro might be a better idea. You’d also be saving money along with it.

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