Realme X review: A worthy Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy M40 rival

Realme X is a big step forward for Realme which has so far focused on India's lower tier of mid-range and budget categories. From a pop-up selfie camera, in-screen fingerprint sensor to the 48-megapixel rear camera, Realme X is a massive upgrade over Realme 3 Pro. Priced at ₹16,999 (starting), Realme X betters Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 in terms of specifications and features. It's also cheaper than Xiaomi's Redmi K20 which starts at ₹21,999.

Design & Display

Realme X is a rare non-Samsung smartphone under ₹20,000 to offer an AMOLED display. The full HD+ screen is bright and colourful. At no point, it feels it like you're using a mid-range smartphone screen. A notch-free design is a welcome move. It's quite big at 6.53-inch but if you prefer watching videos or games on your phone, you would not mind the bigger screen. Realme X is also one of the cheapest phones to offer an in-screen fingerprint scanner. The sensor is fast and accurate, thanks to Goodix module. As far as design goes, Realme X comes with 3D glass back panel. The phone feels much superior to Realme 3 Pro. Despite a big size, Realme X feels light and offers a comfortable grip.

Camera

Realme X brings Realme's A game in the camera department. Not only it matches Redmi Note 7 Pro on some occasions, Realme X is now among the best camera phones in this price category. The phone comes with a dual-rear camera which consists of 48-megapixel and 5-megapixel sensors. Note that the primary sensor is Sony's IMX586 which is available on phones like OnePlus 7 Pro and Redmi Note 7 Pro. Daylight shots from Realme X are above expectations with a great deal of colour balance and details.

Lowlight shots are also much better than a lot of phones in this price range. The built-in modes such as HDR and Chroma Boost can be useful if you want to enhance certain aspects of an image. The dedicated night mode has also become better. The 16-megapixel pop-up selfie camera is fast and takes decent selfies.

Performance

Realme X is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 710AIE processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The base model features 4GB of RAM. As expected, Realme X handles graphics-intensive apps with ease. Don't expect the phone to run like a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855-powered device. But SD710 is a reliable chip and brings a range of optimisations for mid-range phones. Realme X makes most of these optimisations. You can also play games such as PUBG Mobile on the phone without any worry. Realme X is powered by a 3,765mAh battery which is good enough to last a day on heavy usage. The Vooc Flash Charge 3.0 (20W) comes handy when the battery hits the critical 15 or 20% mark.

Verdict

Realme X is the latest value-for-money smartphone in India. Realme X's biggest strengths are the camera and design. There are some unique features such as in-screen fingerprint sensor and pop-up selfie camera as well. At a starting price of ₹16,999, Realme X makes the cut. Some other top under ₹20,000 phones in India are Samsung Galaxy M40, Redmi Note 7 Pro and last year's Poco F1.