Give yourself a high five

Flagships specs get even more affordable with Realme 5 Pro

Realme marked its 'leap' into the UAE market by offering three smartphones that would address all price points. A few weeks earlier, we found out that it can go toe-to-toe with the best with its self-dubbed 'flagship killer', the X2 Pro.
Going down a tier doesn't mean they're compromising on quality. And that's they seek to prove with the Realme 5 Pro, a mid-ranger whose looks and specs will make you think it should be up there on a higher level.
We have here a simply designed device, with the power button on the right, the volume rocker directly opposite it and USB-C and 3.5mm audio ports below. Realme also wants you to have that true full-screen experience so it put a teardrop front camera on its 6.3-inch LCD display, which is relaxing to the eyes.
Go behind and you'll see a more sophisticated take as its rear comes with some holographic crystal design. Also, you'll find a fingerprint scanner on the upper part, perfectly positioned for your index finger. Both this and its face unlock gets the phone going in a snap. It's also splash-proof, although Realme didn't offer an official IP rating for it, so we'll leave it at that.
Despite being a mid-range device, it has an upper-tier camera setup, with four lenses at your disposal. Its main sensor, a 48MP Sony IMX 586, does generally well, though I get the feeling shots come out underexposed in not-so-bright conditions. The ultra-wide lens also works well, but it does get a tad darker compared to a general shot since it has a higher aperture.
The depth lens, meanwhile, results in good blurred-background shots. The last lens, a super-macro one, gives some pretty neat close-up shots, but Realme's listed 4cm range means you'll have to be within that zone to deliver optimum, clarity-filled photos. As for the front camera, I just noticed that too much light would result into somewhat overexposed pictures.
Nightscape mode, meanwhile, does a pretty decent job of capturing stuff when the lights go down - but you'll have to be a bit patient to get the desired results: As soon as you snap, it'll take a couple of seconds and then a few more to finish up your shot. Take your focus away too soon and you'll end up with a blurry image.
Battery life is good. In our standard one-hour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, the 5 Pro lost a decent 12 per cent - but that's at par with its flagship, the X2 Pro. Both devices  have VOOC charging, but the 5 Pro isn't anywhere near what the X2 Pro offers. Realme says the 5 Pro can reach full capacity in about 80 minutes; in our test, that number was just about 75 minutes, which isn't surprising given that our X2 Pro test showed it can reach max capacity without hitting the advertised figure. I also didn't have a problem with all-day use.

AND SO.
The Realme 5 Pro is proof that flagship specs are readily available in not-so-flagship prices. Its cameras hold up nicely in any condition - though you'll have to note down what you need to observe in certain modes to produce the desired results - while its battery is good enough and can be charged fairly fast. I'm also concerned with its plastic build, which would make it more vulnerable to scratches. It's a good option if you don't want to spend too much.

THE LOWDOWN
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 712, octa-core up to 2.3GHz
Platform: Android 9.0 Pie, ColorOS 6.0
RAM: 4/6GB
Storage: 128GB, expandable
Display: 6.3" LCD, 2340 x 1080, 90.6% ratio, 409ppi
Main camera: Quad: 48MP Sony IMX586 (f/1.8) + 8MP wide (f/2.25) + 2MP portrait (f/2.4) + 2MP  macro (f/2.4)
Front camera: 16MP Sony IMX 471
Battery: 4035mAh, VOOC charging
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
I/O: USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Biometrics: Fingerprint, face unlock
Durability: Splash-proof
Price: Dh799/899
Pros: Good camera setup, good battery life, budget-friendly
Cons: Charging could've been faster, plastic build, nightscape shots take too long
Author's rating: 4/5
alvin@khaleejtimes.com

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