Smartphones these days come with many amazing specifications where a new mid-ranger is nearly on par with an old flagship but there are only a handful of decently priced mid-range phones available in the market that performs very well. Lately, we have seen plenty mid-range phones come with exciting features and realme is clearly one of the fastest-growing value smartphone brands around.
Many realme smartphones are often a great pick that offers a great value-for-money proposition. What about the long-awaited realme 5 Pro which is priced at RM1099? Now, let's test it to find out.
Design – Sharp and appealing
The realme 5 Pro looks relatively more captivating than the realme 3 Pro with its diamond-cut design brewed with purple and blue gradient rear panel. On the front, the realme 5 Pro comes with Gorilla Glass 3 protection while the back panel is made of plastic with a glossy finish. It sports a 6.3-inch full-HD+（1080 x 2340 pixels）dewdrop display and promises good brightness that delivers an enriched viewing experience. It also features slim bezels, palm-friendly size and lightweight design. Thanks to the glossy finish, the back panel looks like glass which makes the device rather aesthetically appealing.
Plastic sides
Stylish crystal design with realme logo
Vertical quad camera setup
VOOC 3.0 supports and Dual SIM + MicroSD card tray
The realme pro 5 has a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port and speaker grill on the bottom. On the right and left side are the power button and volume buttons respectively while the dual SIM + MicroSD card tray sits above the volume controls. In addition to that, there is also VOOC 3.0 fast charging support. Considering the price point, the fast charging is certainly a great value-added feature.
Tech Specs and Features – A mid-ranger that doesn’t fail you
The performance of the realme 5 Pro comes as no surprise but it shouldn’t let you down either. Powered by the Snapdragon 712 processor, the performance is considered stable for a mid-range phone. Plus, it comes with 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and has expandable memory through a microSD card so at least in terms of memory it offers more bang for your buck than most midrange devices.
The correct chipset should be Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 instead of Snapdragon 845
Camera-wise, the rear quad-camera setup is the key highlight of the realme 5 Pro. It boasts a 48MP primary camera (SONY IMX586 sensor, f/1.8 aperture) + 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens + 2MP macro lens and 2MP portrait lens that are capable of taking photos from multiple perspectives. For selfies, you get a 16MP front-facing camera. You can see the sample photos later and judge for yourself.
To be honest, the realme 5 Pro does not come with many exclusive features but packs some solid specs that are more than sufficient to cover everything needed in general. For instance, there are Game Space to ensure smooth gameplay, Clone Apps to duplicate instant chat applications (FB messenger, WeChat, etc) and Smart Sidebar to access content faster and easier.
48MP main lens with HDR and macro lens as well as different modes
Apart from that, the realme 5 Pro sports a traditional fingerprint sensor at the back that responds pretty quickly. Nothing new but still nice to have.
Performance – Gaming and photography performance are beyond expectations
Equipped with a Snapdragon 712, the realme 5 Pro achieves an average score of 178,655 on AnTuTu and scores 2099 on 3D Mark OpenGL ES 3.1 and 1985 on Vulkan. Though all the scores are on average, it performs pretty well for most purposes.
Graphics look sharp!
During PUBG Mobile gameplay, the realme 5 Pro was initially set on high graphics settings by default. Unfortunately, the graphics and fps settings were unable to adjust to HDR and ultra-high FPS. However, even on HD graphics and high fps, it offered smooth graphics, no frame drops and stable wifi connection.
During Asphalt 9 gameplay, the realme 5 Pro delivered jaw-dropping gaming experience with no frame drop and lag even at highest graphics and fps settings for over half an hour. This performance is pretty impressive for a mid-range phone. On the other hand, the audio delivered is crisp for a rich audio experience whether watching YouTube or playing a game.
HD graphics look good
Not forgetting the large 4035mAh battery, the realme 5 Pro still had 78% battery life left after 3 hours gameplay and AnTuTu + 3D Mark testing. Plus, the VOOC 3.0 fast charging promises to get a 50% charge in 30 minutes. We have tried it and managed to charge from 0% to 43% in 30 minutes which isn’t bad at all. Overall, it offers good sound quality and stable call connectivity.
Now, let’s check out the camera performance. The realme 5 Pro delivers quality photos in daylight shooting conditions with its 48MP quad camera, even when photos are clicked with 2X or 5X zoom. Plus, the ultrawide lens and the dedicated macro lens allows you to take photos from various different viewing angles.
Decent daylight photo
Wide-angle worked well too
Close-up shots, now I'm craving sushi!
Detailed low light shot
Figurine looks adorable!
1X zoom
2X zoom
Still clear and crisp with 5X zoom
Beautifully blurred background with portrait mode
Another portrait mode
The shooting angle of the macro lens is strange this time and turned out quite dark
Awesome night shots with Nightscape mode
Great selfies
The brightness level of the macro lens, however, disappoints, while the bokeh effect and shooting angle sometimes looks odd too but usually when there’s not enough light. At times, the 48MP HD primary camera does a better job just by zooming in.
Conclusion – Performance exceeds expectations for a mid-ranger
Despite the macro lens needing a bit more improvement, the realme 5 Pro offers an ideal blend of stable gaming experience, great battery life, VOCC 3.0 fast charging support, impressive camera, a decent amount of storage and a premium look. Considering the price, this is a great deal.
As compared to the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE which is also powered by a Snapdragon 712, the realme 5 Pro’s may lack an in-display fingerprint sensor, AMOLED display, a telephoto lens, a glass back and an infrared emitter. However, the realme 5 pro features 8GB RAM (Mi 9 SE 6GB RAM), 20W VOOC 3.0 fasting charging (Mi 9 SE 18W), macro lens, SD card, louder audio, bigger battery capacity and 3.5m headphone jack. For these features most people won’t care about the plastic chassis.
realme 5 Pro unboxing and hands-on video
As for devices in a similar price range, the Samsung Galaxy A50 has the advantage of having NFC while the OPPO A9 2020 has Dolby Atmos. Another contender is the Xiaomi Mi 9T which is powered by a Snapdragon 730 and packs in a pop-up camera. These are certainly attractive features that the realme 5 Pro is missing, but for those looking at the device weight, design, SD card support and UI interface, the realme 5 Pro could well be a better choice.
What do you think? Would you buy the realme 5 Pro or do you know anyone who as bought it already? Did we miss anything in this review? Let us know on our Facebook page and for the latest on mobile phones, stay tuned to TechNave.com.
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