Realme 9 Pro+ review

Design, build quality, handling

The Sunrise Blue version of the Realme 9 Pro+ is the definition of the word 'flashy'. It shines, it sparkles, it easily catches your attention when you can't exactly pinpoint its color, and, wait for it, it changes its paintjob under bright sunlight! Short of putting a disco ball on it, the Realme 9 Pro+ design cannot get any flashier than this.

Still, if you prefer more traditional colors and you are not a fan of such demanding looks, Realme also offers the 9 Pro+ in Midnight Black and Aurore Green options. The back panels of those two still play with light and are not painted in solid colors, but the effects are much more subtle.

9 Pro+ in Sunrise Blue next to the 9 Pro in Midnight Black

The highlight of the Realme 9 Pro+ design is the photochromic rear panel. It's made of curved glass with multiple (semi)transparent layers. And in-between those, there is a special photochromatic layer that would shift from blue to pink-orange when exposed to direct sunlight.

It's a truly mesmerizing effect and allows the phone to really stand out.

If you look closely, you will see that the rear piece is also glittered with tiny blue particles. These are brighter than the primary color and when they reflect light, they sparkle like a million tiny stars.

Realme is a king when it comes to making unique and eye-catchy designs, and the Realme 9 Pro+ in Sunrise Blue is a masterpiece for those who are into this type of design.

The rest of the Realme 9 Pro+ is rather standard, thankfully. There is a flat Gorilla Glass 5 shield above the screen and a flat plastic frame with a matte finish. The phone can stand on its own thanks to the flat bottom, if you were wondering.

Realme 9 Pro+ and Realme 9 Pro

One thing that's notably missing on the Realme 9 Pro+ is splash protection. While the competition is making IP52- or IP53-rated phones, Realme seems to be more focused on looks rather than usability. We cannot wait for the day when Realme will offer splash or water resistance on its phones.

The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED takes most of the front. It now offers a 90Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch response rate. There is a small hole punch in the top left corner where you can see the 16MP selfie camera.

There is an under-display optical fingerprint scanner on the Realme 9 Pro+, which is as fast and responsive as those come today. Realme also offers an experimental software perk that allows this sensor to double as a heart-rate measurement tool. We tried it, and it indeed works.

Above the screen, you can spot a thin grille, which hides one of the stereo speakers. Stereo speakers are making a comeback after they went missing on the Realme 8 Pro. The top one is pretty loud, and, of course, when necessary, it serves as an earpiece.

Flipping the Realme 9 Pro+ reveals its captivating glass back once more.

There is a tri-camera setup here, which is separated on a rectangular piece, jutting out of the rear panel. The three cameras are the 50MP primary, the 8MP ultrawide, and the 2MP macro shooters. Each of those has a jutting-out ring around the lenses. A LED flash is the last thing of interest here.

Because of the thick camera setup, the Realme 9 Pro+ wobbles a lot when left on a desk or a table. You can fix this by using the supplied case within the retail box.

The rear panel is all glossy is a giant smudge magnet. It gathers smudges so easily that we had to clean the rear glass every 5 minutes or so. We guess flashy looks have a price, and that is it.

The flat frame is quite nice with its shape and matte finish. It also makes for some solid grip when using the Realme 9 Pro+ without a case.

The top side of the phone has a lonely microphone.

The bottom of the Realme 9 Pro+ has the 3.5mm jack, the mouthpiece, the USB-C port and the other speaker.

The volume keys and the dual-SIM tray. There is no microSD expansion on the Realme 9 Pro+, which is quite a bummer.

Finally, the power/lock key is the only thing of interest on the right side.

The Realme 9 Pro+ has the same size as the Realme 8 Pro and is 6g heavier at 182g. It is beautiful, but it gets smudged in no time and requires regular wiping if you want your phone to look dazzling all the time.

Realme 9 Pro+ in Aurora Green

The phone has two glossy sides, but its solid plastic frame with matte surface provides enough grip, and we had no problems using the phone without a case. It's not the safest grip, of course, so if you expect to use it non-stop, like on a trip and around water, a case is highly recommended.

We are happy with what Realme has done with the 9 Pro+. The Sunrise Blue is surely not everyone's cup of tea, but you have other options - like the Midnight Green you see above. The phone's got a solid grip and a solid grip, and the phone is of a reasonable size and weight. If it were splash-proof, it would have been outstanding. Now, it's merely great.