At one time, Xiaomi offered the world smartphones with top-end technical characteristics at the price of budget A-brand handsets. This tactic worked and quickly bore fruit - in many countries, including Russia, the company is loved very much, loyal fans of the brand have appeared, and in general, Xiaomi has successfully made a name for itself. But everything is changing - modern Xiaomi smartphones are still good, but they no longer cost as little as originally. And something tells me that they will continue to become more expensive. It is not surprising that other manufacturers now want to use Xiaomi’s proven strategy, for example, Realme, part of the BBK concern. This brand has been present in Russia for literally six months, but is already demonstrating incredible growth rates. People are willing to pay for gigahertz and gigabytes, especially when marketing margins are minimal or non-existent.
We are already familiar with several smartphones from the company – и , but today we have a special guest - Realme X2 Pro. This is a truly flagship device (judging by the technical characteristics), which costs two or even three times less than top A-brand handsets. And as always, in this situation I really want to ask: “What’s the catch?” Well, let's find out right now.
Technical specifications
| Realme X2 Pro | Sony Xperia 5 | ||||
| Display | 6,5 inches, Super AMOLED, 1080 × 2400 (20:9), 402 ppi; capacitive multi-touch | 6,4 inches, Super AMOLED, 1080 × 2340 (19,5:9), 402 ppi; capacitive multi-touch | 6,26" IPS 2340 × 1080 dots, 412 ppi, capacitive multi-touch |
6,39" AMOLED 2340 × 1080 dots, 403 ppi, capacitive multi-touch |
6,1" OLED 2520 × 1080 dots (21:9), 449 ppi, capacitive multi-touch |
| Protective glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | No information | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+: eight cores (1 × Kryo 485 Gold, 2,96 GHz, 3 × Kryo 485 Gold, 2,42 GHz and 4 × Kryo 485 Silver, 1,8 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 712: eight cores (2 × Kryo 360 Gold, 2,3 GHz and 6 × Kryo 360 Silver, 1,7 GHz) | HiSilicon Kirin 980: eight cores (2 x ARM Cortex A76 @ 2,6GHz + 2 x ARM Cortex A76 @ 1,92GHz + 4 x ARM Cortex A55 @ 1,8GHz); HiAI architecture | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855: One Kryo 485 Gold core 2,85GHz + three Kryo 485 Gold cores 2,42GHz + four Kryo 485 Silver cores 1,8GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855: eight cores (1 × Kryo 485 Gold, 2,84 GHz + 3 × Kryo 485 Gold, 2,42 GHz + 4 × Kryo 485 Silver, 1,78 GHz |
| Graphics controller | Adreno 640 | Adreno 616 | ARM Mali-G76 MP10, 720 MHz | Adreno 640 | Adreno 640 |
| RAM | 6/8/12 GB | 4/6/8 GB | 6 GB | 6/8/12 GB | 6 GB |
| Flash memory | 64/128/256 GB | 64/128 GB | 128 GB | 128/256 GB | 128 GB |
| Memory card support | No | microSD | No | No | Yes (microSD up to 1 TB) |
| Разъемы | USB Type-C, mini-jack 3,5 mm | USB Type-C, mini-jack 3,5 mm | USB Type-C | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| SIM cards | Two nano-SIMs | Two nano-SIMs | Two nano-SIMs | Two nano-SIMs | Two nano-SIMs |
| Cellular 2G | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz CDMA 800 | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz |
| Cellular 3G | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz |
| Cellular 4G | LTE Cat. 19 (up to 1600/150 Mbit/s), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | LTE Cat. 12 (600/50 Mbps), bands 1, 3, 5, 8, 38, 40, 41 | LTE Cat. 4 (up to 150 Mbps), bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 | LTE: bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 39, 40 | LTE Cat. 19 (up to 1600/150 Mbit/s), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2,4/5 GHz | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2,4/5 GHz | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| NFC | There is | There is | There is | There is | There is |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS (dual band), A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS (dual band), A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo |
| SENSORS | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Light, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), IR sensor | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Light, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, barometer, magnetometer (digital compass), color spectrum sensor |
| The fingerprint scanner | Yes, built into the screen | Yes, built into the screen | Yes, on the side | Yes, on screen | Yes, on the right side |
| Main camera | Quadruple module: 64 MP, ƒ/1,8 + 13 MP, ƒ/2,5 + 8 MP, ƒ/2,2 + 2 MP, ƒ/2,4, phase detection autofocus, LED flash | Quadruple module: 64 MP, ƒ/1,8 + 8 MP, ƒ/2,3 + 2 MP, ƒ/2,4 + 2 MP, ƒ/2,4, phase detection autofocus, LED flash | Quadruple module: 40 + 16 + 16 + 2 MP, ƒ/1,8 + ƒ/2,2 + ƒ/2,4 + ƒ/2,4, phase detection autofocus, LED flash | Triple module: 48 MP, ƒ / 1,8 + 16 MP, ƒ / 2,2 + 12 MP, ƒ / 2,2, hybrid autofocus, dual LED flash | Triple module, 12 + 12 + 12 MP, ƒ / 1,6 + ƒ / 2,4 + ƒ / 2,4, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, five-axis optical stabilization in the main and telemodules |
| Front-camera | 16 MP, ƒ/2,0, no autofocus, no flash | 16 MP, ƒ/2,0, no autofocus, no flash | 32 MP, ƒ / 2,0, fixed focus, no flash | 20 MP, ƒ/2,0, fixed focus | 8 MP, ƒ / 2,0, fixed focus, no flash |
| Food | Non-removable battery: 15,2 Wh (4000 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 15,2 Wh (4000 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 14,25 Wh (3750 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 12,54 Wh (3300 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 12,65 Wh (3140 mAh, 3,8 V) |
| Size | 161 × 75,7 × 8,7 mm | 158,7 × 75,2 × 8,6 mm | 154,3 × 74 × 7,9 mm | 157,5 × 74,7 × 7,6 mm | 158 × 68 × 8,2 mm |
| Weight | 199 g | 183 g | 174 g | 173 g | 164 g |
| Housing protection | No | No | No | No | IP65 / IP68 |
| Operating system | Android 9.0 Pie, ColorOS 6 shell | Android 9.0 Pie, ColorOS 6 shell | Android 9.0 Pie, Magic UI skin | Android 9.0 Pie, MIUI shell | Android 9.0 Pie |
| Actual price | from 32 990 rubles | , |
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Design, ergonomics, software
All previous Realme smartphones that I dealt with cleverly imitated a metal frame around the perimeter of the body, but in all cases it turned out to be plastic. And finally I hold the Realme X2 Pro, made of glass and metal, which feels pleasantly cool on my hand. As you can see, we tested a model in Neptune Blue. In addition to it, there is also white (Lunar White) with a pearlescent tint. Not the widest choice, of course, but both versions look equally good.
The tactile sensations in the hand of Realme X2 Pro are very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S10+. Probably, the office of the manufacturing company was striving for this, and the comparison with the Korean flagship would be considered a compliment, but I would still like some originality. Alas, there is nothing original in the appearance of the X2 Pro.
Metal frame? Was. Inhomogeneous body color that changes depending on the lighting? It happened too. Three cameras arranged in one row in the center of the rear panel? We saw this too. Drop-shaped cutout for the front camera on the screen? That happened too. However, scolding one of the most affordable smartphones on flagship hardware for lack of originality in appearance is somehow stupid. So let's get back to the body materials.
The front side is completely covered with tempered glass Gorilla Glass 5, the back panel is also glass, but here we are clearly dealing with a different type of material. I don’t presume to judge the reliability in the long term, but the smartphone passes the test of being in the same pocket with keys without problems - the back panel does not get scratched. The only thing you can find fault with here is the soilability. The back cover very quickly becomes covered with fingerprints, which somewhat spoils the appearance of the device. However, the kit initially includes a silicone case that will eliminate this problem.
The layout of the controls does not present any surprises - everything is almost the same as in the iPhone X and later models. On the right side there is a power button and a tray for two SIM cards, on the left there are two separate buttons for adjusting the volume. This arrangement allows you to conveniently take screenshots if you hold the smartphone with one hand.
All the connectors available on the Realme X2 Pro - mini-jack and USB-C - are located at the bottom, where the system speaker and microphone are also located. And the top end contains a separate microphone, which is necessary for the noise reduction system to work during a call.
Separately, I would note the advanced tactile feedback system. There is nothing new here - many smartphones respond with a slight vibration, for example, when typing on the keyboard. But the manufacturer of Realme X2 Pro went a little further. Firstly, the very nature of the vibration here is more pleasant and unobtrusive. And secondly, it works not only when typing, but also in other system functions (for example, when choosing an alarm time), as well as in third-party applications (from the tested ones - Instagram and Tinder) and in many games. Many things are too reminiscent of the iPhone - you can immediately see what exactly the developers were inspired by. And about this, I can only say one thing: it’s great that Chinese manufacturers have understood exactly what things are worth copying from the powers that be.
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To unlock Realme X2 Pro, you can use both a fingerprint scanner (it's built into the screen and works great) and facial recognition, which is implemented through the front camera. It's nice to note that Android in general and various software shells (in this case, ColorOS 6) are gradually moving from touch to gesture controls.
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Navigation buttons are not displayed on the screen by default - they are replaced by corresponding gestures, which also seem to be copied from the iPhone. At least a quick swipe up in ColorOS 6 takes us back to the home screen. It will be very convenient when all manufacturers begin to use a similar technique - among other things, this will make the transition from iPhone to Android and back more painless.
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It remains to add that out of the box the Realme X2 Pro has the 9th version of Android installed, but, apparently, the smartphone will receive an update to Android 10 - we will follow the news.
Display and sound
The closer we get to know the Realme X2 Pro, the less doubt there remains that there must be some kind of catch in this smartphone. Everything is too good so far. Even the screen performs surprisingly well. Let's start with the fact that this is an AMOLED, or rather, a Super AMOLED matrix with a diagonal of 6,5 inches and a resolution of 2400 × 1080 pixels (20:9). This gives us a fairly high pixel density of 402 ppi. There are practically no frames - the screen occupies 84,9% of the front surface area. There are no bangs as such, only a small cutout for the front camera in the form of a drop remains.
But the main thing is that the screen refresh rate is 90 Hz. If you wish, you can reduce it in the settings to the standard 60 Hz, which should give a slight increase in battery life, but I decided not to do this and test in the default mode. And by default, Realme X2 Pro has the highest possible refresh rate enabled.
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Well, since I’m talking about settings, it’s worth noting that the smartphone has two global screen operating modes: “bright” and “gentle”. They are Vivid and Gentle respectively. In the first case, the color gamut will be close to the DCI-P3 space, in the second - to sRGB. In addition, we have the ability to manually adjust the color temperature, as well as enable a gentle mode. In this case, the screen can not only be rid of the blue light spectrum, but also, if desired, the image on it can be made black and white. By the way, this function is becoming more and more popular. The Honor V30 and V30 Pro smartphones, which we recently got acquainted with, also offer a black and white mode. Reading books there is a pleasure. Kindle or other similar devices are no longer needed.
The measured maximum white brightness level is 497 cd/m2 - a good indicator for an AMOLED matrix. Approximately the same indicators were observed for . The automatic brightness adjustment system works well and you can rely on it. And the lowest possible level (especially in conjunction with the black and white mode) is ideal for reading in complete darkness.
We carried out all laboratory measurements in two modes - Vivid and Gentle, to find out what the difference is between them and whether there is any at all.
It is curious that in the bright and soft modes the average gamma value does not change and almost corresponds to the reference - 2,28 (with the norm being 2,2). It is much more noticeable how the color gamut changes.
In Vivid mode it matches the DCI-P3 color space almost perfectly, and in Gentle mode it's just as close to sRGB. It is a rare case that the color temperature remains virtually unchanged when switching display modes.
In the case of Realme X2 Pro, it is a little overestimated, the average value is 7500 K with a reference value of 6500 K. The picture tends to slightly bluish, cool shades, but overall I can’t call it a serious overkill. The average deviation for the expanded Color Checker palette (shades of gray + a wide range of color shades) in bright mode is 3,12, in soft mode – 3,06. The result is slightly beyond the upper limit of the norm, which is at around 3,00, but still remains very good. Much better than most devices. In general, after our tests there can be no doubt about the Realme X2 Pro display - it is configured very well, almost perfectly.
The sound capabilities of the smartphone are quite good. The sound is reproduced in stereo mode - using the system and voice speakers simultaneously, Dolby Atmos technology is supported. The maximum volume is very impressive - Realme X2 Pro is quite capable of replacing a small external speaker for a home party. Plus, thanks to the Qualcomm platform, it supports aptX HD and LDAC profiles, so wireless headphone lovers won't feel left out. In any case, in conjunction with the wireless Sony WH-1000XM3, the Realme flagship worked perfectly.
Source: 3dnews.ru