It’s a potent word, ‘max’. Apple uses it to qualify smartphone screen size and power. Bikes use it for performance. In the Asterix world, Gluteus Maximus represents Rome at the Olympic Games. Realme lets the word tag along with its latest device, the X7 Max 5G. Does the phone live up to the branding? Mostly yes.

Towards max power

Three years done and Realme has proved a worthy challenger to the other ‘me’ sounding name in India… Redmi, in case you are wondering. In fact, it takes the challenge to iQOO 7 and Mi 11X. Instead of relatively sedate changes, Realme has gone with the fastest MediaTek chip available — Dimensity 1200, which is competing with the Snapdragon 870. Frankly, to the non-techie consumer, benchmark scores are just figures — throw them around to make a point. What you can feel after using X7 Max 5G is smoothness, be it user interface, app loading speed, playing games or taking photos.

Most of the games thrown at the phone — Asphalt 9: Legends is a personal favourite — works minus any huff-puff. I usually can’t spare more than 40-45 minutes on phone gaming, for it kills time, it’s a step down from console/PC gaming and, if one must play on the small screen, choose something like the Asus ROG Phone 3. So, does Dimensity 1200 work? Yes, it does and quite effortlessly for an under 30K phone. In most games we were able to max out the graphics settings without overheating the device.

Colours and skin tones are well captured on Realme X7 Max, like on this sample shot Sourced by the correspondent

Doesn’t lose focus

The two areas where the phone shines bright are camera and screen. The rear camera set up has a 64MP main snapper, which is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide lens and 2MP macro lens. The Sony IMX682 on the main camera makes a lot of difference. Compared to Mi 11X, the details are slightly sharper and there is more clarity in way of details hidden within shadows. Also, the HDR performance is better compared to Xiaomi phones, especially when you are taking snaps against the sun. At the same time, this phone goes toe-to-toe with iQOO 7, which also does a fantastic job. Ultra-wide shots are consistent but there is some distortion around the edges. Where the phone excels are with portraits and selfies. Skin tones appear natural on the Realme device and it doesn’t add a layer of “make-up”. The same goes for selfies.

The downsides on the camera front include the macro snapper, which is probably the weakest in this price range. Though there is good stablisation while shooting videos at 4K (@60fps) but the microphone could have been better.

Flip to the front of the phone, it’s a 6.43-inch 120Hz super AMOLED display on which colours pop. The real winner lies in retaining the 3.5mm headphone jack that makes listening to high-res audio a memorable experience. It also means you can stream your favourite shows without complaining.

One useful feature but…

The third area where the phone shines but it’s as helpful as an ashtray on a motorbike — 5G. Realme gets full marks for offering 5G support since it covers plenty of bands that others don’t. One can always argue that there’s future-proofing. Sure. But if there’s no rollout plan of 5G in India why buy a phone with the technology? By the time 5G actually arrives, you can go for another snazzy device, plus it will actually give you a good reason to upgrade. Having said that, call quality, network reception and Wi-Fi on X7 Max 5G is admirable and we didn’t face any issue.

Should you buy it?

Like most phones, you will get around six-seven hours of screen-on time while charging speed is quite good. In way of ‘lewks’, it’s just about okay but there is a certain degree of compactness and lightness. That can’t be the deciding factor. Here’s an idea. If you are happy with the brand you are using, stick to it. In case you have plenty of quibbles, try a new brand, which can well be Realme. The software is smooth and in the few days we used the phone, there were no unnecessary notifications or advertisements. Realme UI 2.0 (based on Android 11) is enjoyable. It’s a phone on which you can do your workin’, streamin’, gamin’, shoppin’, sharin’ and chattin’. So, does the phone live up to the ‘max’ tag? Realme X7 Max 5G offers ‘max value’ without maxing out.

More about the smartphone

Pictures taken under uneven lighting come through with a low degree of noise Sourced by the correspondent

Device: Realme X7 Max 5G

Price: Rs 26,999 for 8GB+128GB and Rs 29,999 for 12GB+256GB (on sale June 4, noon onwards)

High notes

• Good camera performance

• Support high-res audio, has 3.5mm headphone jack

• Smooth UI

• Very light (179g)

Muffled notes

• Macro camera is not worth having

• Having a 5G phone is fine but nobody knows when you can use the technology in India