Realme 7i Review

Raju Shaik
Nov 13, 2020
3 min read

Realme 7i Unboxing

Handset
18W fast charger
USB Type-C Cable
Protect Case
Protect Film
SIM Card Tool
Important Info Booklet with Warranty Card

Design and Display

Realme has outfitted the 7i with a split-tone design. This time, the rear smirks a glossy mirror finish. I prefer the frosted back of the 7 over this. But, my brother was wooed by its charm. So, it’s a matter of taste really.

The phone gets smeared easily. You can slap on the bundled case to cover against drops and dirt. Even with the case, the phone sits well in the palm. At 188 grams, it is comfortably handy.

The case evens out the (64MP quad) camera bump, leaves a cutout for the fingerprint reader, and doesn’t affect the tactility of the right side buttons. Also, the capacitive scanner is within reach and works well. To the left, there’s the 2 SIMs + 1 micro-SD slot. The bottom has a USB-C dock, 3.5mm jack, and the phone’s single speaker vent.

Coming to the front, the 6.5-inch display looks the same as on a 7, albeit with a tad thicker chin. It has got the same 90Hz goodness, but it loses out in the pixel density (270 PPI) due to a low-res 720p panel. The whites are warmer, but tweakable from the display settings.

There are more such settings to toggle and software functions to savor. So let’s get to that then.

Performance and Software Experience

Realme UI (based on Android 10) bags a kitchen sink of features. Here are some things I like:
Clone Phone app for quick migration of setup from the previous phone.
Super Power Saving mode that gives extra life to the phone when the battery is about to die.
Smart sidebar for instant access to frequently used apps and shortcuts.
An advanced dark mode that can darken even apps that don’t support it natively. I use it for Twitter Lite.
App lock, Private Safe, DocVault, etc warrants privacy and security.
Game Space is highly useful thanks to the built-in FPS counter, screen recording, quick access to messaging apps, performance optimizations, notification management, etc.
Experimental functionalities like Dual Mode Audio and Super Nighttime Standby are also convenient to have.

At the same time, there are still things about the Realme skin that I’m not a fan of. The company has got to lean down the bloat situation. Then there are the annoying ads infesting the interface, albeit avoidable by disabling the “Get Recommendations” setting.

As for this phone, in particular, you’d feel the frailty of its hardware in way of lags and jitters while juggling multiple apps, whilst loading animations, etc. I tried games like Among Us, Asphalt 9, and Call of Duty. The combination of Snapdragon 662, Adreno 610, and 4gigs of RAM ensures the games are playable at low to mid settings. But, don’t greed beyond. I did and COD froze at max graphics.

Camera Review

Realme 7i is kitted out with a 16MP shooter on the front and a 64MP quad array by the back. The camera app is clearly arranged and simple to use. You get options to shoot portraits, night mode, full-64MP, and videos right from the main screen. Further treats like macro mode, Google Lens, slow-mo, time-lapse, and pro mode are nestled in a separate screen.

Macro mode lets you zoom closer to objects but the quality, as you see, isn’t encouraging.

The night mode hardly made any impact. Sure, it switches up the exposure a bit, but the overall difference isn’t very apparent. Likewise, the night mode for selfies isn’t worth writing home about.

Audio, Battery, and Connectivity

Thanks to a 5000mAh battery, a 720p display and power efficiency of 11nm-based SD662, you could expect the phone to run long. In our PCMark test (with full brightness), 7i scored 10 hrs 37 mins (with 20% remaining). The supplied 18W adapter crosses 3 hour mark to fill the tank.

For connectivity, you are getting USB-C port, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS. When it comes to calls, the earpice and mic duo works alright.

Verdict

What you get with the 7i is mostly par for the course, including the good, the bad, and the meh.

It sports a flashy design, big battery, feature-filled software, and reliable connectivity. The display wins a point for 90Hz smoothness but loses a point for its weaker HD resolution. At a starting price of Rs. 11,999, it jostles against the FHD wielders like Poco M2 and Redmi Note 9 (which have 60Hz display).

So, here we are again, a different month and a different Realme phone upgraded to the latest trends. Realme 7i offers good value but it’s upon you to weigh the pros and cons and decide whether it fits your bill.

Pros