Realme X review

Competition

The Realme X has fine hardware that it puts to good use. So like a lot of phones out there in the mid range, right?

Let's start off with the vivo V15 Pro, because, well, it has a pop-up selfie cam itself. Not only that, but it has an ultra wide cam on the back, which the Realme X can't match. The X's battery life is somewhat better in the active-use tests, plus it charges more quickly, while the vivo has more efficient standby.

The displays perform similarly, software is each maker's heavily customized take on Android 9, so not a lot to split the two here. The vivo has the brawnier CPU, but the Realme's GPU is better suited to gaming, which could make a difference to some. A more prominent differentiator is price and it's what may push more people in the direction of the Realme X.

The Galaxy A50 will also set you back more than the Realme X, and it too has an ultra wide camera on the back like the V15 Pro, and a microSD slot, like the V15 Pro. The Galaxy's photos aren't nearly as good as the ones from the Realme, though, plus the A50 can't capture 4K video, so the X secures a win in the imaging department. The Galaxy A50 edges ahead in the display section and it's looking like a tie in battery life. Again, a more GPU on the Realme could steer mobile gamers this way.

vivo V15 Pro • Samsung Galaxy A50 • Huawei P30 lite • Xiaomi Redmi Note 7

Another competitor with an ultra wide camera, the Huawei P30 lite has the weakest GPU of this bunch - the Realme X's graphics power vs. ultra wide cam trade off is becoming a theme. As for the main cams it's a tie in stills, but the Realme can record (pretty nice) 4K video while the P30 can't and even 1080p is better on the Realme. The X's display is bigger and of the OLED kind, while the LCD of P30 lite can be impressively color accurate. Battery life is comparable, but the Realme charges faster. If you have vast collections of something, you'll probably appreciate the P30 lite's microSD slot.

The Redmi Note 7 has one too, singling out the Realme X as the only one here without external storage support. The Redmi doesn't have an ultra wide cam, so that's one blow the Realme won't have to suffer in this bout and it takes its usual win in the GPU clash. The endurance race can go either way, but the X will be quicker to top up, and we'd give the Realme the win for display as well. The Redmi 7 Note's flaws do come with a substantially lower price so many might be willing to live with them.

Verdict

The highest specced phone in Realme's portfolio, the X has a nice display, battery life to spare and cameras that capture great photos and video. The pop-up selfie mechanism adds a dash of flair on top of all the reasonable bits, but we're not as excited about the lack of storage expansion capability.

All that said, the Realme X is well worthy of its anniversary name. The tenth model in the company's lineup launches a year after it all started and it's a mature, well-rounded smartphone with few flaws and plenty to like about it. It's easily recommended.

Pros

• Notchless near-bezelless design and popup selfie camera make it stand out from the crowd of notched slabs.
• The OLED display is good all around, save for a less that stellar color accuracy.
• The class-leading VOOC fast-charging nicely complements the long battery life.
• The Snapdragon 710 chip has plenty of oomph in both CPU and GPU intensive tasks.
• Excellent image quality in daylight, decent low light performance, awesome portraits, pretty great selfies.

Cons

• Absence of microSD slot is a surprise and not a pleasant one.
• No ultra-wide camera while every chief competitor has one.