First-borns tend to be obedient and sort of predictable. Last-borns tend to be carefree. It’s, in a way, having as hobby swimming versus backpacking. Not the perfect of analogies but Realme is proving to be the latter. One of the late arrivals on the smartphone scene, it has enjoyed a more adventurous ride than Xiaomi, which, in turn, has been cheekier than, say, Samsung, one of the older brands. They are all competing to be your digital mate, Realme more so than the others, something that’s noticeable with the Realme X7 Pro (5G). The phone easily attracts the all-rounder moniker. Here’s why.

A speedy performer

Inside-out first, the phone is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ processor, which may mean nothing to the user. Last year, a number of top phones came with Snapdragon 855 Plus, which improved gaming experience to a good degree. The processor on the X7 Pro competes well with the Snapdragon member but at a very competitive price point.

Of course, Oppo Reno5 Pro 5G too comes with the same processor but there is a slight difference. Even under intense gaming, the phone doesn’t heat up, besides ensuring there are no lags. Add to this the 240Hz touch sampling rate, which ensures gaming controls are buttery smooth. At the moment, you can only buy one storage variant of the device 128GB + 8GB RAM. Plus, there is no microSD support, which is a bummer, like on the new Samsung flagship phones but, in the latter, there are storage options.

The processor also does justice to battery life, which easily lasts a day if you have 120Hz screen refresh on. Armed with a 4,500mAh battery, you can’t go wrong. The 65W SuperDart fast-charging (yes, there is a charging brick in the box), can juice up the phone fully in around 35 minutes, depending on whether you are using the phone while it’s plugged in.

The other strong feature of the phone is the display, which, as we have pointed out, has a high refresh rate. What you get is a 6.55-inch full HD+ super (Samsung) AMOLED panel with Gorilla Glass 5 protection and support for HDR video playback. The colours simply pop while viewing angles are good. The company claims to offer peak brightness of 1,200nits; all we can say is that even under bight sunlight, you can easily work on the phone. Thank god there is a set of stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, otherwise it wouldn’t have complemented the screen. The sound is crisp and there’s no point discussing highs, mids and lows because chances are you will be listening to the audio via earbuds. No, it doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Overall, it’s a speedy performer.

Be it video or still photography, there are plenty of options in the night mode department. Here’s a sample shot Sourced by the correspondent

Snappy snappers

Speediness is something also visible on the camera front. The main shooter is a 64MP while ultra-wide is 8MP, accompanied by a 2MP monochrome camera and a 2MP macro camera. Daytime photos are pretty good as on most other phones. When uneven lighting sets in, there are a number of modes on the camera. There is the usual night mode and then the ultra night mode. Plus, you can use pro settings. What you get are good shots. Of course, if the lighting is too dim, there will be some noise but there are enough ways to get usable shots.

There are two complains: First, the user interface needs to change because it’s tough to find all the options. All the movers and shakers are there but hidden inside different menus. Second, why have a macro and monochrome camera when it doesn’t do much of a difference.

Coming to video, you can shoot 4K@60fps with good amount of autofocus. There is also an ultra night video mode, which amps up the ISO to make things bright. Using the front camera you can shoot at 1080p, which is fair enough. What you get is electronic stabilisation, which too is good enough.

Should you buy it?

On the hardware side, Realme has got things spot on. But there are some quibbles on the software front. First, bloatware. Yes, these can be deleted but why have it in the first place, things like HeyFun or ORoaming. Second, duplicates. You have Files app as well as File Manager. You have Photos as well as Google Photos. Think of the common user. They buy a phone and if an app is there, most don’t care to delete them (or maybe even use them). It’s a waste of space, especially when you don’t have a microSD slot.

The software feature I enjoy is the sidebar where you can have all your favourite apps. Also, the screen-off gestures. You can turn on this option and do a number of things with gestures: double tap to turn screen on, draw ‘O’ to open camera, ‘V’ turns on flash light and you can add gestures. Yes, it’s not a new feature on smartphones but it’s good to know that these are there.

Coming back to first-borns and last-borns. Younger ones tend to have a flashier personality and they tend to exude more confidence. Later-borns also tend to socialise more, even if that means looking for a pint at 2am. The good news is that even though they are carefree, they are always eager to learn (and grow up). Realme is growing up well, which comes through on the X7 Pro (5G) (Rs 29,999) — a phone with an all-round personality.

High notes

• Good display with 120Hz screen refresh rate

• 65W SuperDart fast-charging

• Nimble processor and doesn’t heat up

• Stereo speakers

• Enough options in the camera department

Muffled notes

• No microSD support

• Bloatware

• Android 10 out of the box