Realme 7 5G
Price: £279 (inc VAT) from fave.co/3nC1T4O
The Realme 7 line has pushed the envelope in terms of what you can expect from an affordable phone; with the standard 7 serving as a brilliant budget option, while the higher pricing of the 7 Pro edges it into the mid-range tier, equipped with some notable tricks to grab your attention.
While these devices staked their claim as noteworthy budget offerings back in October 2020, Realme actually had a third member waiting in the wings, in the Realme 7 5G.
While COVID and its effects on the company’s supply chain meant that the 7 5G wasn’t ready to launch alongside its siblings, it’s no less potent a mix of impressive hardware at a low price – Realme’s bread and butter.
Despite the name, the Realme 7 5G isn’t just the base Realme 7 with a snappier modem, albeit with
understandable similarities. It required a wholly different chipset in order to support such speeds and is one of the first phones through our reviews gauntlet toting MediaTek’s Dimensity 800U chip.
So the question now is whether this remixed Realme is as much of a steal as its brethren.
DESIGN
There’s no mistaking the Realme 7 DNA within this phone’s design. It’s almost identical – in terms of dimensions and weight – to the standard model, meaning it’s a fairly sizeable and hefty handset, at almost 200g. The domino-like camera module, however, looks just like the one found on the back of the Realme 7 Pro.
The plastic back is comfortable to hold, proves pretty scratch-resistant (although Realme also throws a free case in the box for good measure) and has the same split reflective design as the other two members of the 7 series; with a more understated overall finish than some of Realme’s other recent offerings (like the Realme X50 5G). The single Baltic Blue colourway that the phone is offered in, with its satin reflective finish, adds an extra level of sophistication to the design, while also repelling smudges and fingerprints well.
Realme favours thin side-mounted fingerprint sensors, which in this case also doubles as a power button. It’s well placed on the phone’s right side and proves consistently responsive, with the option of an insanely speedy (albeit simple RGB-only) face unlock alternative, if you prefer.
For the price, it’s no surprise that there’s no official IP certification or anything of that nature but there is at least a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 offering some shatter and scratch resistance over the phone’s display, bolstered
by a pre-fitted plastic screen protector. Bezels are a little thick on all sides of the display, especially when it comes to the chin along the bottom, but it’s not so thick that when viewed face-on the phone could be considered ‘ugly’ or disproportionate.
DISPLAY
The 6.5in IPS LCD on the phone’s front is pleasingly sizeable and sharp, making it great for enjoying media. While you shouldn’t expect the same vibrant colours and greater contrast of the 7 Pro’s OLED display, the 7 5G’s screen still grants you a great viewing experience all the same.
It trumps both other members of the 7 series with regards to its supersmooth 120Hz high refresh rate, paired with an equally respectable 180Hz high touch response rate, making it ideal for gaming.
If you do struggle with the sheer size of the 7 5G’s screen at all, there is the option of a one-handed mode, that shrinks down the UI within the phone’s settings; along with a number of display customization options, including colour temperature control and refresh rate control (letting you lock it at 60Hz, 120Hz or have it set to automatic – the adaptive default setting).
The bottom edge of the phone plays host to its audio gubbins, with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack to the left of its USB-C port and a single down-firing speaker grille on the right. Loudspeaker quality is surprisingly good, with a pleasing level of clarity and range that means watching video content without headphones is wholly viable.
There’s also Dolby Atmos support, which offers a range of audio profiles to switch between, focusing on videos, gaming and music, respectively (there’s also an automatic mode too).
SOFTWARE
Realme UI – the company’s custom user experience, in this instance, running atop
Android 10 – may technically only be in its first incarnation, but its foundations in Oppo’s ColorOS make for a far more polished product than you might expect if you’re new to Realme as a brand.
It makes some notable pulls away from Google’s stock take on Android, but should still feel intuitive to those who’ve used a smartphone in recent years. Whether it works for you or not is more a case of personal preference, with regards to the aesthetic and interaction decisions it employs.
A host of supplementary experiences are what help give Realme UI its unique flavour. The Smart Sidebar is an everpresent quick-access menu for your preferred apps, as well as useful features like screen recording, while Game Space is both a place to house all your downloaded games and also a means of optimizing device performance and controlling notifications when gaming.
PERFORMANCE
Going in, we were wholly curious as to how MediaTek’s Dimensity 800U SoC would handle – being a relatively unknown quantity – with the Realme 7 5G and Oppo’s Reno 4 Z 5G being the first devices in Europe to leverage this particular silicon.
In the case of the 7 5G, it’s paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space, but perhaps most interestingly, the 800U makes this one of the first phones to boast 5G+5G DSDS (dual SIM, dual standby). This means you can enjoy both high-quality VoNR (Voice over New Radio) – the 5G equivalent of VoLTE – and 5G data connectivity across two compatible SIMs and plans. Great for those who roam or want more choice in which 5G services they leverage from which carriers.
As for raw performance, the Dimensity 800U inside the Realme 7 5G proves to be a formidable chip in the lower mid-range space, going toe-to-toe with the Snapdragon 690 in the OnePlus Nord N10 5G, as well as supposedly more powerful phones like Google’s Pixel 4a 5G, with its Snapdragon 765G – both pricier handsets outpaced by this more affordable device.
The 800U’s apparent penchant for gaming performance at this price point – as alluded to in our benchmarking results – is also reinforced by its realworld gaming prowess, which allows for solid 60fps gameplay at high graphics settings in games like Call of Duty Mobile, supported by that rapid 180Hz touch response rate.
Geekbench 5 (multi-core)
Realme 7 5G: 1,777 Realme 7: 1,622
Realme 7 Pro: 1,783
Nord N10 5G: 1,852
Poco X3: 1,764
Google Pixel 4A 5G: 1,631
GFX Manhattan 3.1
Realme 7 5G: 30fps
Realme 7: 26fps
Realme 7 Pro: 25fps
Nord N10 5G: 23fps
Poco X3: 27fps
Google Pixel 4A 5G: 20fps
BATTERY LIFE
Like the standard Realme 7, you’ll find a capacious 5,000mAh cell inside the 7 5G and also like the base 7, the 7 5G promises up to two days of use per charge.
While this might seem like an obvious expectation, even with such a big cell, the inclusion of a more powerful processor, a higher refresh rate display and 5G should all contribute to greater power drain. Instead – no doubt partly thanks to Realme UI’s stern power management and the Dimensity 800U’s smaller 7nm process – the Realme 7 5G matches, or in some instances, outperforms the 4G model’s power profile.
The phone doles out an impressive nine hours of screen-on time, which aligns well with those two days of use per charge cycle. There’s also the inclusion of 30-watt fast charging under Realme’s ‘Dart Charge’ branding.
In our tests, the included charger took that sizeable 5,000mAh power pack from empty to 62 per cent charge in 30 minutes – 4 per cent more than the standard Realme 7 charged up in the same time frame. A full charge takes, on average, a sliver over an hour, which is also very respectable.
If, for whatever reason, you want to get more life out of a single charge of the Realme 7 5G’s battery, there are a number of methods on offer. Realme UI
features both a power-saving and Super Power Saving mode, you can control app activity on a case-by-case basis and you have the option of dropping down the refresh rate manually, as mentioned earlier.
PCMark Battery
Realme 7 5G: 13 hours, 11 minutes
Realme 7: 9 hours, 2 minutes
Realme 7 Pro: 12 hours, 5 minutes
Nord N10 5G: 11 hours, 37 minutes
Poco X3: 14 hours, 24 minutes
Google Pixel 4A 5G: 12 hours, 35 minutes
Charge in 30 minutes
Realme 7 5G: 62% Realme 7: 58% Realme 7 Pro: 92%
Nord N10 5G: 64% Poco X3: 59% Google Pixel 4A 5G: 34%
PHOTOGRAPHY
Considering the surprising amount of differences that set the Realme 7 5G apart from the standard 4G model, one area that remains unchanged is the camera set-up and as such, it carries the same strengths and weaknesses.
You’ll find a 48Mp primary Samsung S5KGM1ST lens on the back, accompanied by an 8Mp ultra-wide and a pair of 2Mp sensors – dedicated to macro and depth (for portrait shooting), respectively. There’s a hole-punch front-facer that clocks in at 16Mp too.
Generally, so long as you’ve got plenty of light, you’ll capture decent shots sporting detail and colour good enough to grace Instagram, without fear of ridicule. Realme’s camera app makes it easy to add filters, toggle HDR shooting (best left on) and allows for AI enhancements (again, best
left on, if you like a little more punch in your shots).
There’s also a decent amount of colour and contrast consistency when switching to the ultra-wide snapper; typically less of a sure-fire thing as you move towards the more affordable end of the spectrum.
As for selfies, you should find that shots here that are crisp and offer good contrast, although colour saturation takes a noticeable hit by comparison.
The caveat when shooting across practically any of the 7 5G’s cameras is how they deal with available light.
In bright shooting conditions, you’ll get the best the results but if your shot features a high contrast subject matter, it doesn’t take a lot to reveal the limits of this phone’s dynamic range; with the brightest parts either blowing out or the darkest areas losing detail and shifting to flat black.
VERDICT
While the camera is the weakest aspect of the Realme 7 5G, no part of this phone is inherently bad, especially considering what else is on offer at this price point. Realme as a brand has been
keen to make 5G accessible to as many consumers as possible and the Realme 7 5G is the perfect embodiment of this effort. It could have easily just found a modem/chip combination that allows for 5G connectivity and left the rest of the hardware untouched from the 4G model, while still charging £100 more – as was Samsung’s strategy with the Galaxy S20, for example.
Instead, the 7 5G brings superior performance, faster charging, greater longevity and a higher refresh rate display to the table to better justify the price jump from the standard 7.
When picking a new phone, going for the cheapest option is seldom the right course of action, however, when it comes to picking the cheapest 5G phone, thanks to the Realme 7 5G, it’s perhaps the best option. Alex Walker-Todd
SPECIFICATIONS
• 6.5in (2,400x1,080; 405ppi) IPS LCD, 120Hz, 480 nits display
• Android 10, Realme UI 1.0
• MediaTek Dimensity 800U 5G (7nm) processor
• Octa-core (2x 2.4GHz Cortex-A76, 6x 2GHz Cortex-A55) CPU
• Mali-G57 MC3 GPU
• 6GB/8GB RAM
• 128GB storage
• Four rear-facing cameras: 48Mp, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0in, 0.8–m, PDAF; 8Mp, f/2.3, 119-degree (ultra-wide), 1/4.0in, 1.12–m; 2Mp, f/2.4, (macro); 2MP, f/2.4, (depth)
• Selfie camera: 16Mp, f/2.1, 26mm (wide), 1/3.06in, 1.0–m
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
• Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE
• GPS with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
• NFC
• USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go
• Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
• Non-removable 5,000mAh lithiumpolymer battery
• Fast charging 30 watts
• 162.2x75.1x9.1mm
• 195g