Realme 9 review

Introduction and specs

The Realme 9 series this year has quite a few family members. We have a 4G and 5G version of the vanilla option, we have a 9i as well as two Pro flavors. Each represents a different price category except the Realme 9 4G and 5G iterations. Both seem to be priced quite similarly. And to our surprise, the 5G device undercuts the Realme 9 4G by around €30.

However, there's a pretty good reason why. The 4G variant has a better display, faster charging, and better main camera and the base memory variant offers twice the storage of the 5G. Right off the bat, we can say that the 4G version will probably be more popular than its 5G counterpart, mostly among people not interested in upgrading to the 5G network or in countries where the coverage is still scarce.

Realme 9 specs at a glance:

• Body: 160.2x73.3x8.0mm, 178g; Gorilla Glass 5 front, plastic back and frame.
• Display: 6.40" Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 430 nits (typ), 1000 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 411ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G (6 nm): Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver); Adreno 610.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
• OS/Software: Android 12, Realme UI 3.0.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.67", 0.64µm, Dual Pixel PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1/4", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, 26mm (wide), 1/3.09", 1.0µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 33W, 50% in 31 min, 100% in 75 min (advertised).
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); 3.5mm jack, No NFC.

For around €280, you will get a solid 90Hz OLED panel, 5,000 mAh battery, 33W fast charging, a 108MP main camera and 128GB expandable storage. The Realme 9 also runs on a recent Snapdragon 680 SoC, although that particular chip lacks a built-in 5G modem.

Having all those specs in mind, the €280 price tag seems pretty competitive. The handset shapes up to be a respectable all-rounder, making a better case than the 5G option even. But specs are not everything, so we will be going through our usual testing to see how well the hardware performs in the real world.

Unboxing the Realme 9

The device comes in a standard box containing all the usual user manuals, the appropriate 33W charging brick and a USB-A to USB-C cable used for charging and data transfer.

Realme threw in a transparent protective case as a bonus as well.