Realme 6 Pro Review - Android

Realme stepped up their game and rearranged its midrange line. To explain briefly, the Realme 6i is now the successor to the Realme 5, the Realme 6 to the Realme 5 Pro, and the one we have here, the Realme 6 Pro, has been promoted to replace the sub-Php16k smartphone of last-gen’s Realme XT.

But enough introduction, here in our Realme 6 Pro review, we’ll see what this device has in store for us and how much big of an improvement it is to the 5 Pro for Realme to promote its status.

Realme 6 Pro Specs

• Android 10, Realme UI
• Dual SIM, Dual Standby
• 6.6-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~398ppi
• 90Hz refresh rate, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core processor
• 6GB/8GB RAM
• Adreno 618 GPU
• 64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage, expandable via microSD
• 16-megapixel (~f/2.0 + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide, f/2.2) dual front cameras
• 64-megapixel (f/1.8) + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide, f/2.3) + 12-megapixel (2x tele, 20x zoom) + 2-megapixel (macro) quad rear cameras, LED flash
• Ultra-wide video, 120fps slow-mo Nightscape 3.0, Real-time bokeh
• Headphone jack
• Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio
• 4G LTE
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
• Bluetooth 5.1
• Dual-frequency GPS, NAVIC
• USB Type-C
• Dimensions: 163.8 x 75.8 x 8.9mm
• Weight: 202g
• Colors: Lightning Blue, Lightning Orange, Lightning Red
• 4,300mAh battery, 30W fast charging

Design and Build Quality

With their underdog status, Realme is really making a statement by coming up with new designs in their releases — despite being only months apart. As you can see, the Realme 6 Pro has a more imaginative design than its predecessors. The rear Corning Gorilla Glass 5 panel has a lightning-like reflection that’s animated as it reflects light.

The review unit we have is the later-released Lightning Red color variant. A Lightning Blue option is also available locally, but no word about the Lightning Orange’s arrival because it’s said to be India exclusive.

This flashy colorway on the back is wrapped in glass. The back panel is slightly curved that makes it really comfortable in the hands. Although, it’s a bit bulky when compared to other devices.

Its height and weight is forgivable since we’re getting a large 6.6-inch screen and 4,300mAh battery out of it. A Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with a pre-applied screen protector shields the screen, while a three-layer waterproofing build allows it to withstand water splashes and accidental drops on water. But no official IP rating. You can strap the free clear case for extra protection.

The 90.6% screen-to-body ratio allowed the Realme 6 Pro’s screen to fully maximize the device’s large size. That’s thanks to its ultra-thin bezels, and the exemption of notches with the use of a punch-hole on the top left for the dual selfie cameras.

Since the screen is really large, the wide notch is almost unnoticeable and not distracting. Other than the cameras and the thin earpiece on the top, the screen fills up the front of the device.

The back panel might have a new design, but the quad cameras are still on the same location on the top left. They are in a vertical orientation inside a tolerable camera bump. Next to it is the LED flash with the AI Quad Camera tag. The Realme is also on the bottom left.

The top is clean and only houses the noise-canceling microphone. On the bottom, we have the loudspeakers, USB Type-C port, primary microphone, and, thankfully, a headphone jack.

On the left side we have the SIM tray that can house two nano SIM cards and a microSD card. Below that is the volume controls, adjacent to the lock/power button on the right side that doubles as the fingerprint scanner.

The volume controls are a bit flimsy but do provide a clicky sound when pressed. On the other hand, the lock/power button is flat, whic is not the most ergonomic thing to press. Although, we prefer having a more reliable physical fingerprint scanner instead of an in-display one.

Overall, we’re really liking the design of the Realme 6 Pro. It may be a bit bulky, but it does have an attractive look that doesn’t compromise the features.

Display and Sound Quality

One of the main highlights of the Realme 6 Pro is the display. Despite its large 20:9 6.6-inch size, it’s one of the cheapest smartphones to come with a fast 90Hz refresh rate. For a perspective, regular phones only has 60Hz. We expect more smartphones to come with fast refresh rates in the future.

90Hz is fast and smooth enough, but the difference from the standard 60Hz is not that noticeable when compared to the 120Hz panel that devices like the Galaxy S20 Ultra have. Nevertheless, the entire interface, as well as compatible games and videos look really smooth on this one.

Moving on, the color quality and contrast is fine for an IPS panel. The display panel could be brighter, but still bright enough to be useable outdoors. Sharpness is also decent with its FHD+ 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution at ~399ppi.

The lack of stereo speakers on the Realme 6 Pro is forgivable considering how good the single bottom-firing loudspeaker is. It has loud volume, with audible bass that provides a full and rich sound. It’s great for listening to music, watching videos on YouTube, and even films on Netflix.

For private listening, you can plug in a pair of earphones. The Realme 6 Pro also has Dolby Atmos support for those who need it.

Hardware and Performance

The Realme 6 Pro is powered by the controversial Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor. It’s ironically inferior in terms of gaming and CPU performance than the MediaTek Helio G90T processor of the more affordable Realme 6.

However, the Snapdragon 720G actually has better efficiency thanks to its smaller 8nm built (vs 12nm), connectivity features like Bluetooth 5.1 (vs 5.0), and other relevant features.

Realme 6 Pro Benchmark scores

Benchmark scores of the Realme 6 Pro shows that the Snapdragon 720G and its Adreno 618 GPU are indeed slower than the Helio G90T. Still, in our real-world tests, it provided a reliable performance.

The review unit that we have here is the 8GB/128GB RAM and storage configuration. No word yet if the 6GB/64GB variant will make it here.

Doing menial tasks like browsing the interface, taking pictures, browsing social media, and more feels really seamless on this thing. Speed was even improved by the fast 90Hz refresh rate.

Gaming was also great. Mobile Legends was playable at the highest graphics settings with the High Frame Rate (HFR) mode enabled. Call of Duty Mobile and NBA 2K20 also ran with no fuss at high graphics settings.

Asphalt 9 and all of its intense action also ran smoothly at default graphics but the smoothness was gone in High Quality mode.

Overheating shouldn’t be a big issue, either. But I did notice it starting to warm up after about 10 minutes of playing.

Software and User Interface

Just like most of Realme’s newer releases, the Realme 6 Pro runs on the latest Android 10 operating system with Realme UI on top. It’s a departure from the ColorOS UI that Realme smartphones used to share with OPPO.

It goes without saying that the Realme UI is cleaner and more straightforward. The Google Search tab is below the home screen for easy access. On top of it your easy-access apps.

You can swipe middle-down to summon the local search tab. While swiping from top-down reveals the control center and the notifications tab. You can swipe further down to access more controls.

The app drawer is easily accessible by swiping bottom-up. The task switcher is also pretty intuitive and lets you close all running apps via a single button.

Navigation buttons are set on default. For a more modern exp