Realme 8s 5G and 8i arrive with 5,000 mAh batteries, new MediaTek chipsets

Realme held an event in India today where we saw the arrival of two new smartphones - Realme 8s 5G and Realme 8i. The two midrangers offer Mediatek chipsets and big batteries and Dynamic RAM Expansion, which lets you dump parts of RAM on the storage as a way to expand its capacity.

Realme 8s 5G

The Realme 8s 5G is the first phone in the world with the Dimensity 810 SoC. It brings an octa-core CPU with up to 2.4GHz speeds and a Mali-G57 GPU. There are also two LPDDR4X RAM options - 6GB and 8GB, while storage is 128GB, but you can expand that through the dedicated microSD slot.

While the images might suggest there are four cameras on the back of the Realme 8s 5G, there are actually three - the fourth hole is just a sticker with AI on top of it. The primary camera is 64 MP with f/1.8 aperture, while the other two are 2 MP sensors - one is B&W for portrait shots, the other for macro pictures from up to 4 cm.

The front of the 8s 5G is occupied by a 6.5” LCD with a punch hole for the 16MP selfie camera. The 90Hz screen has Full HD+ resolution. Under the hood, we find a 5,000 mAh battery with 33W charging support through the USB-C port and Realme is providing the needed adapter for it in the retail box.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, all the popular 5G bands and navigation standards. Android 11 is the OS with Realme UI 2.0 on top.

Realme 8s 5G

The Realme 8s 5G will be offered in Universe Blue and Universe Purple colors. Prices are INR17,999 ($245/€205) and INR19,999 ($270/€230), depending on the storage, and Flipkart is offering up to INR6,000 discount through the Smart Upgrade program. First sale is on September 13 at noon IST.

Realme 8i

The Realme 8i comes with a Helio G96 chipset, and will be the first with the new Mediatek platform.

The 12nm chipset is accompanied by 4GB or 6GB RAM, and storage is 64/128 GB, expandable through a microSD slot.

The screen of the Realme 8i is a big 6.6” LCD with Full HD+ resolution and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. It is the first phone in its price category with a 120Hz Smooth Display rate, with granular settings for it.

The back has a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, accompanied by a 2MP f/2.4 B&W and 2MP f/2.4 macro auxiliary shooters. The battery here is also 5,000 mAh, but the charging is limited to 18W charging. At least the proper charger is again included in the box.

Realme 8i

Realme 8i is sold in Space Black and Space Purple colors. The 4/64 GB version is INR13,999 ($190/€160), while the 6/128 GB option costs INR15,999 ($215/€185). This phone will arrive one day after the Realme 8s 5G, on September 14.

Both smartphones will be available not only on Flipkart, but on Realme's own store, and mainline channels.