Realme X7 Max 5G review: Reliable performance, but not an all-rounder
The Realme X7 Max 5G offers solid performance in this price segment, but it faces stiff competition from rivals in this price segment.
- Great overall performance
- Clear and bright display
- 120Hz refresh rate
- stereo speakers
- Fast 50W charging
- Light weight
- Battery life
- Camera performance
- Only IPX4 rated
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6.43-inch FHD Super AMOLED (120Hz)
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6nm MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset
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12GB RAM
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256GB UFS 3.1
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Realme UI 2.0 (Android 11)
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4500mAh @ 50W charging
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64MP + 8MP + 2MP rear cameras, 16MP selfie shooter
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Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, 3.5mm audio, NFC
Realme has been launching a wide range of 5G smartphones in the Indian market over the past year, from the affordable budget segment to the flagship category. The Realme X7 series which includes the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 powered Realme X7 Max 5G. competes with the company's own Realme GT series that comes with Snapdragon processors. The company's smartphones also face a lot of competition from other devices in this price range, including companies like Xiaomi and Poco. How does the Realme X7 Max 5G fare against these competitors? We've spent some time with the device, and here are our thoughts.
Design and display
The Realme X7 Max 5G is a lightweight phone at 179 grams, thanks in part to the polycarbonate back. It has a slim profile and comes with a nice textured finish on the back that ensures the phone doesn't slip out of your hands. While the company finally did something with the large Dare to Leap branding at the back of its previous phones, like the Realme X7 5G. The branding is still here, albeit in a much smaller size on the Realme X7 Max 5G on a left-aligned glossy strip that runs from the top to the bottom. While some might like this design, we found that it attracted a lot of fingerprints and smudges and seems like it could have been skipped completely.
mobile to buy?
The phone sports a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a punch hole for the selfie camera and small bezels. The screen is bright and clear, and looks good even in bright sunlight. The touchscreen is also very responsive and there are no ghost touches or other issues. The screen also houses an optical fingerprint sensor, which is located at the bottom of the screen and it is easy to reach even while using the phone with one hand. The phone comes
with a plastic screen protector, and the device is IPX4 rated, so it should survive a few splashes of water. There's a dual SIM tray on the left side, while the bottom features a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The device also has stereo speakers, and they sound great.
Performance and battery life
The Realme X7 Max 5G is equipped with the 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset, which is one of the most powerful smartphone chipsets available today. The chipset offers performance that ranges somewhere between the Snapdragon 888 and the Snapdragon 870, and the Realme X7 Max 5G is one of the most powerful devices you can buy under the Rs 30,000 mark in the country. The device comes with support for seven 5G bands. That's a lower number than other manufacturers are providing on cheaper devices -- for example, Samsung's Galaxy M32 5G smartphone costs Rs 18,999 but offers 12 5G bands, something to think about if you travel to other countries.
The processor isn't the only fast performer on the device -- the 12Gb of RAM and 256GB UFS 2.1 storage made sure the device could handle anything we threw at it. The Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11 is snappy and smooth, and the 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through content, apps, websites, and settings a breeze. Months after this phone was launched, it feels just as smooth as it did when launched, in spite of additional apps and content on the storage, which cannot be expanded.
We ran a couple of benchmarks on the Realme X7 Max 5G and the device scored 966 in the single-core test and 3299 in the multi-core test on Geekbench 5. Meanwhile, on 3DMark, the Realme X7 Max 5G got 4,197 in the Wild Life test, with an average frame rate of 25.10 FPS. On PCMark, the Realme X7 Max 5G reported a score of 12,398 in the Work 3.0 benchmark for Android 11.
In real-world usage, the Realme X7 Max 5G never once suffered from any lag, stutter or freeze. The device can handle any resource-intensive task you throw at it with ease. The device doesn't throttle easily, and we were able to confirm this through extended sessions of playing Fortnite, Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9. Encoding videos and copying files to and from the device was also very quick, during our tests.
The Realme X7 Max 5G comes with a 4,500mAh battery, that charges at 50W with the in-box charger. When going from 0 to 100 percent, the phone needs to be charged for around 50 minutes, and the battery life is more than satisfactory, if we did not game too heavily. For instance, with a mix of gaming, plus browsing social media, and calls, the Realme X7 Max 5G had around 20 percent of battery (on average) at the end of the day.
Cameras
The polycarbonate back on the Realme X7 Max 5G is not the only place where the company appears to have cut some corners. The Realme X7 Max 5G has a 64MP primary camera which has a 26mm wide-angle lens. With ample lighting, this camera is able to take decent images. However, even after zooming in, there's not a lot of detail and the camera has issues with exposure and saturation. The Realme X7 Max 5G also comes with an 8MP ultrawide angle lens that takes soft-looking images, and zooming in shows a watercolour like effect. It lacks the detail and colour accuracy of the primary camera, but thankfully, there is minimal distortion around the edges.
The macro camera on the Realme X7 Max 5G is a 2MP camera sensor that takes above-average photos. Clicking a photo with this camera required multiple attempts, tapping the screen to try and get the camera to focus. Video captured by the rear camera is acceptable when there is enough natural light. Meanwhile, on the front of the device is a 16MP camera sensor which has a 26, wide-angle lens. Turning off the built-in Beautify mode is a must for clear selfies, though, which is something to keep in mind.
Final thoughts
The Realme X7 Max 5G comes with the Dimensity 1200 chipset, which means that it is one of the most powerful devices you can buy at the under Rs 30,000 mark. The device can handle any task you throw at it, and we did not come across any hardware or software glitches while using the device. However, if you're looking for an all-rounder device with good build quality and better cameras, users should look elsewhere. This is because the smartphone currently faces stiff competition from a large number of devices including the Xiaomi Mi 11X and the Poco F3 GT, which are both also designed to offer powerful performance.
The macro camera on the Realme X7 Max 5G is a 2MP camera sensor that takes above-average photos. Clicking a photo with this camera required multiple attempts, tapping the screen to try and get the camera to focus. Video captured by the rear camera is acceptable when there is enough natural light. Meanwhile, on the front of the device is a 16MP camera sensor which has a 26, wide-angle lens. Turning off the built-in Beautify mode is a must for clear selfies, though, which is something to keep in mind.
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