And one of the key features of the soon-to-be-announced OnePlus 8T will be its fast charging system. According to the results I have seen, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is way behind.
Realme is one of the younger members of BBK Electronics, the parent company that owns OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, and several other Chinese smartphone makers. Its target market is young users who want flagship-like features at a low price, and the Realme 7 and Realme 7 Proare aimed at just that. Both models are currently available for pre-order in the UK.
The Realme 7 Pro is not the first phone to feature this charging system. However, there is no doubt that the Realme 7 Pro is one of the least expensive phones available, and more importantly, unlike Oppo's device, it is available to UK customers; Realme does not sell its products west of the Atlantic, so for Americans to experience similar charging speeds have to wait until the OnePlus 8T.
After unpacking the Realme 7 Pro, I was naturally eager to test how fast the 65W charge was. After emptying the phone's 4,500mAh battery, I plugged the USB-C cable into the device, plugged the sleek-looking power brick into an outlet, and set a timer for 10 minutes. When I returned, the Realme 7 Pro was charged to 38%.
After emptying the battery again, I decided to see how much power I could get out of a 30-minute charge; 30 minutes later, the Realme 7 Pro had 97% remaining. Once again, I was amazed.
By comparison, the Galaxy S20 FE comes with a 15W charger, which is noticeably slower than the 25W charger that comes with the regular Galaxy S20. In our tests, the S20 FE reached just 16% charge in 15 minutes and 35% in 30 minutes.
The Realme 7 Pro was actually a bit slower than expected, to bring things back to reality, as Realme claims it reaches 42% in 10 minutes and 100% in 30 minutes. However, even with some variation in battery condition and test conditions, this is still the fastest cell phone charge I have ever seen.
OnePlus confirmed a few weeks ago that the OnePlus 8T, which will be available on October 14, will use 65W charging; the 8T is a much more expensive phone than the Realme, but I am very excited to test the OnePlus 8T based on my experience spent with the 7 Pro.
This little experiment also shows how valid OnePlus' claims are. Because the upcoming 8T will have a 4,500mAh battery, just like the Realme 7 Pro, as well as its own 65W adapter; OnePlus has stated that the 8T needs only 10 minutes to go from empty to 40% capacity.
I also like aspects of the Realme 7 Pro besides its charging performance. Like the camera, for example, which, despite the phone's low price, is quite comprehensive.
The main lens uses a 64MP sensor, which takes much higher-resolution photos and shows more detail than most smartphone cameras on the market today. On the back is an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. Although there are no dedicated telephoto optics, you can get a decent digital zoom thanks to the abundance of megapixels captured by the main camera. There is also a 32 MP front-facing camera for high-resolution selfies.
The Realme 7 Pro boasts a large 6.4-inch Full HD display, which should be perfect for the average smartphone user. The odd thing is that this is a 60Hz panel, whereas the less expensive Realme 7 has a 6.5-inch 90Hz display. This is the same refresh rate as far more expensive phones like the Pixel 5 and OnePlus Nord. The reason the Realme 7 Pro did not use a high refresh rate was probably to use a brighter, more colorful AMOLED panel. The standard Realme 7 must make do with a regular LCD.
Audio is another strong point of the Realme 7 Pro. It has stereo speakers, which are relatively rare at this price point, and a headphone jack, which is common on modern smartphones. Whether you prefer to listen to music with wireless headphones, wired headphones, or without headphones, the Realme 7 Pro will satisfy.
However, Realme cut a few corners to achieve its low price: the backs of the 7 and 7 Pro are made of plastic, which is considerably less luxurious than the glass-backed phones that are becoming more common as budgets increase. Both Mirror Blue (pictured) and Mirror Silver have attractive matte finishes, with the stripe on the left side providing a striking contrast.
Another place where inexpensive components can be found concerns the screen: the Realme 7's display uses Gorilla Glass 3, while the 7 Pro uses Gorilla Glass 3+. While still quite durable, these glasses do not protect against damage as well as the flagship Gorilla Glass 6 or the recently announced Gorilla Glass Victus.
The basic Realme 7 does not feature the 7 Pro's fast charging technology or the same camera. Instead, this model focuses on the gaming-focused Helio G95 chipset, a larger 5,000mAh battery, and the previously mentioned 90Hz display.
That said, the regular Realme 7's camera is very effective. The main rear sensor is only 48MP, but it uses the same 8MP/2MP/2MP ultrawide, macro, depth sensor and a 16MP sensor in the front camera notch. It is also more than fast enough for the 30W charger included with the Realme 7, although it is not compatible with the Pro model's 65W charger. [The Realme 7 will be available in the UK on October 21 and the Realme 7 Pro on October 13, but can be pre-ordered now. Those who want a new device on a low budget should obviously look at this product, but even those with more money to play with, depending on whether they prefer a fast-charging battery or a larger, higher refresh rate screen, either of these phones is a bargain to very impressive specs They could be your price ticket.
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