Realme 8i review

Design, build quality, handling

Realme is experienced in making good-looking phones, and the Realme 8i is yet another example of that. It's your typical flat front/curved back design, with a cool gradient paint job that spreads across the frame as well.

The 6.6-inch LCD screen is covered by flat tempered glass, then comes the flat plastic frame with grippy chamfers, and finally, we feast our eyes on the flashy curved back.

We have the Space Purple model and its incredibly attractive with the uneven transition from violet hues towards silver-ish glares. The disco paint continues onto the frame, too. If you opt for the Space Black, the colors will shift from black to silver.

The Realme 8i is not a splash-proofed phone, so if you get it, be careful when raining or around the pool.

Back to the front, it's mostly occupied by the 6.6" LCD screen with extended 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. There is a small punch-hole around the top left corner, making way for the 16MP selfie eye. Considering the budget price of the Realme 8i, this has to be one of the most affordable 120Hz to date.

Above the screen is one thin grille for the earpiece. It is not acting as a second speaker - the Realme 8i has just one loudspeaker, and it's bottom-firing. There is no LED notification light either.

The black bar below the screen panel is not that huge and in line with the bezels of other budget offers.

Then there is a shining back panel home to the tri-camera setup and the LED flash. The camera island is jutting out a bit, positioned at the top left corner. Then there are four prominent rings for each camera and the flash. The Realme 8i wobbles a bit when lying on a desk, but which phone doesn't? And if that bothers you, just put the bundled case on, and the wobbling will be no more.

It's time to look around the Realme 8i now.

There is nothing on the top, but the bottom is rather crowded with the 3.5mm jack, the mouthpiece, the USB-C port, and the speaker grille.

The volume keys and the tri-card slot are on the left. The card tray accommodates two nano-SIMs and a microSD card.

Finally, the power key is alone on the right. Its surface doubles as an always-on fingerprint scanner. You can choose between touch unlock and press-to-unlock if you get too many accidental misreads when carrying the phone in hand.

The Realme 8i measures 164.1 x 75.5 x 8.5 mm - that's as much as the Realme 7i - and weighs 194 grams, 6g heavier than the 7i. The new 8i model has a bit larger screen, which means the bezels have shrunk a bit since the previous 7i model.

The matte flat frame and its chamfers made for an excellent grip, and we had no worries while playing with the Realme 8i. It's a phone of a solid build, and even if it's a budget device, it still can make a good impression for its eye-catchy design. If the purple is too flashy for you, then you can get the black model, which is less toyish-looking.

The Realme 8i is mostly glossy, which makes it a giant fingerprint magnet, and you would probably want to clean it occasionally. Even if you use the case, smudges do stick on it, too. We guess the fingerprints are an unavoidable issue, but they are less prominent on the purple model. So, choose wisely if you decide in favor of getting this 8i model.