Realme 2 first impressions: A good looking phone but will that be enough?

Realme 2 is a beautiful budget smartphone. Featuring a notch display, dual cameras and larger battery, Realme 2 takes on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and other top phones.

Realme 2 features a 6.2-inch Full HD display with an aspect ratio of 19:9. (HT Photo)

Not often budget smartphones are talked about their design. In India, the sub- ₹15,000 segment is mostly about specifications and price. But things are changing. Realme, which now operates independently of Oppo, earlier this year introduced Realme 1, a gorgeous budget smartphone that doesn't compromise on performance. The company is now building on the success of Realme 1, with a successor, conveniently called Realme 2.

Realme 2 will be available in two options -- 3GB RAM with 32GB storage and 4GB storage with 64GB storage -- priced at ₹8,990 and ₹10,990 respectively. The smartphone will go on sale in India on September 4 exclusively via Flipkart.

So, what's new with Realme 2? Not much. But there enough upgrades under the hood that is definitely worth talking about. For instance, the battery size has increased to 4,230mAh and now is powered by a Qualcomm processor. Unfortunately, it's not the best Qualcomm chipset in the mid-range segment, but nonetheless does get the job done.

Running on Snapdragon 450 processor with 4GB of RAM, Realme 2 faces a strong competition from the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro which run on Snapdragon 625 and Snapdragon 636 processors. The camera has been improved to a dual-camera setup featuring 16-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors. On the front, it has an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

What's really going for Realme has been the design. Realme doesn't tamper it much in the new version as it continues to have the graphic-style glossy back panel. We liked the format on Realme 1 as the plastic panel with glass touch makes it look premium and more importantly unique. The graphics reflects light in different ways depending upon the angle you look from. The "diamond" finish brings a bit of style and the good thing is that it's not expensive at all.

Realme 2 features a fingerprint sensor which isn't available on Realme 1. (HT Photo)

Realme 2 features a fingerprint sensor which isn't available on Realme 1. (HT Photo)

During our brief usage, the panel turned out to be a fingerprint magnet and suffered smudges within a few minutes. While that's the case with most of the glass back panel phones but in the case of Realme 2, smudges won't go away even after being wiped. We are also not very convinced with the sturdiness of the panel and it seems prone to scratches.

But it's not all that bad. The rear camera panel with a silver rim around and slightly slanted fingerprint sensor on the back looks unique. The slanted fingerprint sensor is also very smart thing to have as we mostly use don't use the rear fingerprint sensor with fingers in 90-degree angle. The front has also undergone a minor change and now has a notch on the front. It's wider than usual and houses the front camera sensor and speaker. The notch trotting Realme 2 comes with a 6.2-inch full HD+ display with a taller aspect ratio of 19:9. The display quality seems pretty decent if not extraordinary.

 WATCH: REALME 2 UNBOXING, FIRST IMPRESSIONS