Realme 9 5G (India) hands-on review

Software

The Realme 9 5G runs Realme UI 2.0 out of the box, which is a familiar sight. Unfortunately, it sits on top of the older Android 11, which is not ideal.

The overall UI has a particularly distinctive look and feel to it, but all the while doesn't stray too far away from the AOSP look. Clean, usable and straightforward.

Realme UI 2.0

That doesn't mean that it's light on customization, though. The themes, icons, colors, notification shapes, layouts, text font, and size are all freely customizable.

Realme UI customization

Behavior is also deeply customizable and configurable-everything from a simple choice of button or gesture navigation to advanced motion shortcuts and gestures.

Convenience tools

Realme UI 2.0 has no shortage of what it deems "convenience tools".

Performance

Realme has always been about offering the best possible value, which is particularly hard to do in the budget price segment where the Realme 9 5G resides. Arguably one of the best features of the Realme 9 5G is how it combines desirable specs with an aggressive price point. Notably, the MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset, which Realme managed to fit into an INR 15,000 MSRP.

Looking at the competition, the Realme 9 5G deserves praise for that alone, since the Dimensity 810 is about as good of a chipset you can get for that price. The efficient 6nm chip packs a 2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 CPU configuration and a Mali-G57 MC2. Also, it excels in the connectivity department with SA/NSA 5G support on both SIM slots, dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1 with LE and aptX HD, and GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS to name just a few highlights.

The Realme 9 5G combines the Dimensity 810 with either 4GB of LPDDR4x dual-channel RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.1 expandable storage or a higher-tier 6GB/128GB variant. Our review unit is the latter higher-end model.

RAM expansion

The Realme 9 5G also supports RAM expansion or virtual RAM of either 2GB, 3GB or 5GB. It is on by default and set at 2GB, making for a total of 8GB of "RAM" in our unit.

Let's kick things off with GeekBench and some CPU testing where the Dimensity 810 excels and mostly towers above the competition. The MediaTek G96 is probably its closest competitor when it comes to pure CPU prowess, but that chip can't compete with the rest of the feature set on the Dimensity 810.

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Realme 8i
  1886
• Realme 8s 5G
  1842
• Poco M4 Pro
  1836
• Realme 9 5G
  1823
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  1797
• Realme 8 5G
  1784
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  1729
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  1719
• Realme 8
  1690
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  1662
• Motorola Moto G50
  1620
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  1599
• Realme 9i
  1581
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  1372
• Xiaomi Redmi 10
  1294
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  1277
• Motorola Moto G30
  1265
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  889
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  588

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Realme 8s 5G
  616
• Realme 9 5G
  610
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  597
• Realme 8 5G
  569
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  560
• Realme 8i
  539
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  534
• Realme 8
  533
• Poco M4 Pro
  523
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  511
• Motorola Moto G50
  505
• Realme 9i
  384
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  376
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  376
• Xiaomi Redmi 10
  361
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  361
• Motorola Moto G30
  306
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  179
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  153

AnTuTu is a more compound benchmark that considers things like memory performance and incorporates graphical tests. The Realme 9 5G is almost leading the pack here as well. While the Realme 8s 5 G is outpacing it even at current, depreciated pricing, the newer Realme 9 5G seems to have it beat for value.

AnTuTu 8

Higher is better

• Realme 8s 5G
  329661
• Realme 9 5G
  302136
• Realme 8 5G
  302059
• Realme 8
  298328
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  296721
• Realme 8i
  293507
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  261309
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  242155
• Realme 9i
  229368
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  228044
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  218788
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  185358
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  174332
• Motorola Moto G30
  170968
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  122822
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  103465

Looking at graphical benchmarks next and GFXBench in particular, we remind you that comparing numbers across different devices is only feasible with offscreen rendering since lower resolution phones like the Samsung Galaxy A22 and Motorola Moto G50 have an "advantage" in onscreen runs due to their lower HD+ native display resolution.

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme 8
  18
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  16
• Motorola Moto G50
  15
• Realme 9 5G
  14
• Realme 8s 5G
  14
• Realme 8 5G
  13
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  13
• Motorola Moto G30
  13
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  12
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  12
• Poco M4 Pro
  12
• Realme 8i
  11
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  8.1
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  7.9
• Realme 9i
  7.3
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  6.8
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  5.5
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  5.2

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Realme 8
  20
• Realme 9 5G
  16
• Realme 8s 5G
  16
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  16
• Motorola Moto G50
  16
• Realme 8 5G
  15
• Realme 8i
  14
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  14
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  14
• Poco M4 Pro
  14
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  9.3
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  9.3
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  9.3
• Realme 9i
  8.2
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  8
• Motorola Moto G30
  7.3
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  6.2
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  3.5

The Realme 9 5G and its Mali-G57 MC2 GPU clearly hold their ground very well in all of these tests. If you are after the best possible GPU performance with no regard for other additional features, though, the older vanilla Realme 8 might just be a slightly better bet. Its MediaTek Helio G95 chipset is well known for having a beefier GPU in the Mali-G76 MC4.

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Motorola Moto G50
  53
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  30
• Realme 8
  29
• Motorola Moto G30
  26
• Realme 9 5G
  25
• Realme 8s 5G
  24
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  23
• Realme 8i
  22
• Realme 8 5G
  22
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  22
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  21
• Poco M4 Pro
  21
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  15
• Realme 9i
  14
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  14
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  13
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  12
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  8.3

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Realme 8
  33
• Motorola Moto G50
  29
• Realme 9 5G
  27
• Realme 8s 5G
  27
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  26
• Realme 8 5G
  25
• Realme 8i
  24
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  24
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  24
• Poco M4 Pro
  24
• Realme 9i
  23
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  17
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  15
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  15
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  15
• Motorola Moto G30
  14
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  9.4
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  7.9

GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme 8
  48
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  42
• Motorola Moto G50
  40
• Realme 9 5G
  39
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  37
• Realme 8 5G
  35
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  34
• Motorola Moto G30
  34
• Realme 8i
  33
• Poco M4 Pro
  33
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  31
• Realme 8s 5G
  28
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  21
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  21
• Realme 9i
  20
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  19
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  18
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  14

GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Motorola Moto G50
  65
• Realme 8
  53
• Realme 9 5G
  41
• Realme 8s 5G
  41
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  40
• Realme 8 5G
  38
• Realme 8i
  37
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  37
• Poco M4 Pro
  37
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  32
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  24
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  24
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  24
• Realme 9i
  23
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  21
• Motorola Moto G30
  20
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  16
• Samsung Galaxy A03s
  11

Finally 3DMark paints a very similar picture with the Dimensity 810 outperforming other competitors in the price bracket, sans for the Helio G95 in the older Realme 8.

3DMark SSE ES 3.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme 8
  2610
• Realme 9 5G
  2574
• Realme 8s 5G
  2567
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  2391
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  1471
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  1361
• Realme 9i
  1339
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  1323
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  1316
• Motorola Moto G30
  1185
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  886

3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme 8
  2639
• Realme 9 5G
  2441
• Realme 8s 5G
  2439
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  2257
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  1383
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  1372
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  1371
• Realme 9i
  1291
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  1267
• Motorola Moto G30
  1142
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  931

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Realme 8
  1486
• Poco M4 Pro 5G
  1232
• Realme 8s 5G
  1231
• Realme 9 5G
  1228
• Realme 8 5G
  1104
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
  1104
• Realme 8i
  1102
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro
  1101
• Poco M4 Pro
  1099
• Samsung Galaxy A22
  691
• Samsung Galaxy A32
  686
• Samsung Galaxy A13
  510
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
  482
• Realme 9i
  452
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
  439
• Motorola Moto G30
  389

In practical terms, we had no issues navigating the UI and daily tasks like browsing with practically none to minimal stutters and slowdowns. While we couldn't play every possible game at the highest settings, most ran very well on medium without any issues on what is very much a budget device.

The Realme 9 5G only heats up mildly with intensive and prolonged loads. Since the surface remains fairly cool and comfortable, it means that most of the heat is left trapped inside what is a passive thermal system. Throttling is an inevitability, but one that the phone handles quite gracefully.

Thermal throttling behavior

While we've definitely seen better behavior, the Realme 9 5G managed to ramp down its performance mostly smoothly, thus avoiding jarring and sudden framerate drops and in-game stutters. It gets a good passing mark.

The Realme 9 5G truly excels at the value performance metric. It is practically impossible to get a device with a better chipset at its price range. Even if you are willing to look at older models, it's a daunting task. The Dimensity 810 is not only great in terms of performance per dollar but is also very well-equipped in terms of connectivity and additional features. It is a forward-looking, modern 5G chipset. This is arguably where the Realme 9 5G really shines.

Battery life and charging

The Realme 9 5G ships with a 5,000 mAh battery, which should easily last most people through the day on moderate usage, Wi-Fi connection and a 90Hz screen refresh rate. According to Realme, the battery is good for 38 hours of call time, 22 hours of video playback, 143 hours of music and 728 hours of standby on a single charge. It also has smart 5G power saving, which promises up to 30% lower battery consumption by automatically dropping to LTE as needed.

It can charge at a maximum rate of 18W. With the included charger and cable, we were able to get the phone from dead to full in 2 hours and 51 minutes. That's a pretty long time. Faster charging would have definitely been appreciated, but we understand that this is a budget device and a well-equipped one at that, and something has to give.

Camera

The Realme 9 5G is part of the current wave of BBK devices that go a bit light on the camera department. What we mean by that is that there is no ultrawide nor a dedicated telephoto on the device. Once you dive into the specs, you'd realize the Realme 9 5G has a single 48MP main camera on its back. The other two 2MP snappers are supplementary at best.

This can be interpreted as a deficiency or simple practicality, though, since one could argue that no ultrawide at all is better than a basic one that diverts budget away from other bits of the phone. However, we can't fail to note that the older and similar overall Realme 8s 5G has a higher-resolution 64MP main camera. That's one of the noteworthy downgrades introduced with the Realme 9 5G.

The camera app and its UI are a familiar affair. There is nothing particularly noteworthy about them.

Camera app

We managed to go out and capture a few quick shots with the Realme 9 5G. Here are some from the primary camera in its default 12MP mode.

Realme 9 5G: 12MP main camera samples

And also, the very same scenes captured in the full-resolution 48MP mode.

Realme 9 5G Speed edition: 12MP main camera samples

We'll leave the judgment on quality up to you for the purposes of this hands-on.

Wrap-up

The Realme 9 5G looks great with an eye-catching exterior and feels good to the touch. It's well-made both physically and in terms of specs. It's just a bit too close to its Realme 8s 5G and Realme 8 5G siblings to really be anything more than an incremental variation on the same formula. So, you can understand our lack of excitement about this one.

That value formula, however, is undoubtedly highly appealing, and with a current price tag of just under INR 15,000 (EUR 185/$192), the Realme 9 5G manages to push the value envelope even further. It delivers a well-balanced specs sheet with plenty of features, including 5G connectivity and the slick Realme UI 2.0, without breaking the bank.

In fact, it even goes one step beyond by including a MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G chipset in the mix, which is about as good as hardware gets in this price bracket. A generous and aggressive offer, even more attractively-priced than the Realme 8s 5G and the Realme 8 5G.

Pros

• Attractive, eye-catching design.
• MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G chipset is top choice in the segment.
• Great battery life.
• Solid overall camera quality.
• Dedicated microSD slot, 3.5mm jack.

Cons

• Pretty slow charging.
• Single loudspeaker.
• Launches with the older Android 11 OS.
• High refresh rate doesn't apply to gaming.
• Rather basic camera setup: no ultrawide or telephoto.
• No ingress protection.