Vivo V17 First Impressions

Vivo V17 First Impressions

Shortly after the launch of the Vivo V17 Pro, the Chinese company has introduced a new model with a slightly lower positioning, the new Vivo V17. Just like its sibling, this phone is designed primarily for photography enthusiasts and uses its camera hardware and software as its main USPs. Priced officially at Rs. 22,990, Vivo will have to use its brand value and offline reach to compete with online-first value giants such as Xiaomi and Realme.

The Vivo V17 is a somewhat tall phone, with a 6.44-inch 1080x2400-pixel full-HD+ 20:9 Super AMOLED display that takes up pretty much the entire front of the device. The chin is relatively narrow, but most people's attention will be drawn to the front camera embedded within the screen. This is what's known as a “hole-punch” design, in the top-right corner.

The camera hole is much smaller and less disruptive than what we've seen on other phones that have tried the same design. There's almost no ring of dead space around the camera, and there's plenty of content visible around it. However, there's a silver ring around the lens itself, which is reflective and catches the eye when the phone shifts even slightly, which we found very distracting. Vivo has also fitted a screen protector onto the V17, and this also has a cutout around the camera which draws the eye there constantly.

We have the Glacier Ice version of this phone, which is the now-common iridescent white finish that we've seen from several manufacturers in the mid-range and premium spaces. You'll see light swirls of colour as you tilt this phone in any direction. The white back is offset nicely by a matte metallic rim. There will also be a darker Midnight Ocean option in India.

As far as looks go, the Vivo V17 is fairly slick. It doesn't feel very premium though. Many other models in this price range use glass and metal and feel more solid than the plastic Vivo V17. We should also point out that Vivo has launched this phone in some other countries with a markedly different design for the camera module at the rear and a camera notch instead of a hole in the front, so don't go by pictures and reviews you might see online already.

Coming to the cameras, there's a two-column-wide rectangular bump on the rear, which is also a style that we're starting to see quite a lot of now. The camera bump is slightly raised, but not enough to make this phone unwieldy. On the left, we have three equally sized and spaced camera lenses one below the other, with one smaller lens and a flash module placed next to them asymmetrically. This is very distinct on the Glacier Ice version, and not as noticeable against the Midnight Ocean colour, which you might want to consider.

Vivo has outfitted the V17 with a primary 48-megapixel rear camera with an f/1.8 aperture. Next, there's a 120-degree wide-angle 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture, followed by a 2-megapixel depth sensor (referred to by Vivo as a “bokeh camera”), and finally a 2-megapixel macro camera. We've seen very similar configurations on a number of recent low-cost phones including the very popular Realme 5s (Review) and Redmi Note 8₹ 9,999 (Review) which are priced significantly lower. The single front camera has a 32-megapixel resolution and f/2.45 aperture.

The big promise here is low-light photo quality for the front as well as the rear cameras. Vivo is touting its Super Night Mode which it says captures multiple frames and uses custom algorithms to reduce noise and improve detail in photos. We haven't been able to test these claims, but we'll definitely be paying close attention to low-light photo quality in our full review. Vivo's other selling points are ultra-stable video recording, the same Pose Master feature for selfie composition that we saw on the V17 Pro₹ 25,089 (Review), and multiple camera modes for creative expression.

Beyond the cameras, the V17 features the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor. Our unit has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and there don't seem to be any other variants in India at the time of launch. There's a 4500mAh battery and support for fast charging, with an 18W charger included in the box. Vivo also claims that its new-generation in-display fingerprint sensor is faster and more accurate than before.

Vivo seems to have done a good job here with design and has chosen features and specifications that a lot of other manufacturers are also promoting right now. However, the Vivo V17 goes up against the very established competition, and you can get similar hardware and cameras for much less money. In fact, several models offer near-flagship-class hardware at this price level today.

Despite these promising features, Indian buyers are highly price-sensitive, so it is interesting to see that Vivo has positioned this phone above Rs. 20,000. In terms of specifications, the competition including Xiaomi, Realme, Samsung, Motorola, and others have several compelling options that are priced lower. Do stay tuned to Gadgets 360, as our full review of the Vivo V17 is coming up, and we'll be able to dive into the details of this phone's design, usability, performance, cameras, battery life, and much more.

Acer Predator 21x

Review

Just when I think I've seen everything gaming laptops have to offer, along comes something like the Acer Predator 21 X. Weighing a ridiculous 18.6 pounds, the Predator 21 X is an exercise in immodest overindulgence that I can get behind. Priced at $8,999, this is the first laptop to feature a curved display that when combined with Tobii's eye-tracking technology makes for a seriously immersive gaming experience. This machine is so premium that Acer is making only 300 of them.

But Acer didn't stop there. It outfitted the 21-inch laptop with an overclockable Intel Core i7 processor and two Nvidia GTX 1080 GPUs in an SLI configuration and a pair of 512GB NVMe PCIe SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration. The 21 X also features a customizable maintenance panel, an enhanced cooling system and one of the best mechanical keyboards I've typed on all year. But for all that money, I would have preferred a 4K display and more audio boom.

Design: Introducing the 8th wonder of the world

One thing's for sure, you'll never be able to overlook the Predator 21 X. At 18.6 pounds, 22.4 x 12.4 x 3.3 inches, the system is pretty hard to ignore. It makes bonafide heavyweights like the Alienware 17 R4 (9.6 pounds), the MSI GT83VR Titan SLI (13.1 pounds) and the Origin PC Eon17 SLX 10 Series (12.8 pounds) look like regular notebooks (flashing lights and aggressive designs aside).

But before I got into the nitty-gritty of the review, I took some time to appreciate the beast positioned in front of me. The lid is made from gray magnesium alloy, which makes the pair of aqua-blue lights pop.

Design: Introducing the 8th Wonder of the World

One thing's for sure, you'll never be able to overlook the Predator 21 X. At 18.6 pounds, 22.4 x 12.4 x 3.3 inches, the system is pretty hard to ignore. It makes bonafide heavyweights like the Alienware 17 R4 (9.6 pounds), the MSI GT83VR Titan SLI (13.1 pounds) and the Origin PC Eon17 SLX 10 Series (12.8 pounds) look like regular notebooks (flashing lights and aggressive designs aside).

ADVERTISING

inRead invented by Teads

The curved display seemed like it was reaching out to embrace me in a welcoming hug.

But what's a gaming laptop without a number pad? To make sure gamers have the oh-so-important num pad, Acer created a reversible touchpad.

Display: Curves in All the Right Places

I didn't know I needed or wanted a curved display on a laptop until I laid eyes on the Predator 21 X. The curvature of the 21-inch, 2560 x 1080 matte display is tantalizing.

Once I booted the laptop up, I felt like I was swaddled in vivid color. Watching Tears of Steel, I couldn't help but admire the dilapidated beauty of a war-battered building, including its dusty gold accents gleaming against powder-blue pillars. Details were clear enough that I could see just about every tightly coiled hair on the head of the sniper perched at his post.

The reason those colors are nearly bursting from the display is the panel's color reproduction, which we measured at 172 percent of the sRGB color gamut. That flat-out decimates the 121- percent average as well as the Titan (114 percent) and the Alienware 17 (113 percent). The Eon17 snatched the top spot with 177 percent.

The 21 X's screen registered a very accurate 0.24 on the Delta-E test (0 is optimal), beating the 1.4 desktop-replacement average. The Alienware 17 came the closest to matching the 21 X at 0.5, with the Eon17 and Titan hitting 1 and 2.

When we tested for brightness, the 21 X's display knocked it out the park, averaging 332 nits, besting the 291-nit average. The Titan was noticeably dimmer at 295, but the Eon17 and the Alienware 17 were just a bit brighter at 335 and 340 nits.

The Predator 21 X's screen also has Nvidia's G-Sync technology. In a nutshell, the technology puts the laptop's display rate in sync with the graphics card, essentially placing a frame cap that matches the panel limit (in this case, it's 120Hz). That makes for near-instant rendering in both full-screen and windowed modes, thus eliminating any tears, and leaving smooth images and happy gamers.

MORE: Which GPU is Right For You

Gaming on a Curve

So what's it like gaming with a curved display? It's really immersive, as long as the game supports the 21 X's unique aspect ratio. For instance, when I was battling Kett in Mass Effect: Andromeda, the skirmishes filled the entire screen. It was thrilling running for cover in the heat of battle only to vault over and smash an enemy with my Krogan hammer.

However, I soon discovered that not everything scales to the Predator's 21:9 aspect ratio. Andromeda cutscenes scaled down to a normal 17-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio, which left thick black bars on both sides of the action. This also happened when I watched YouTube videos. Having such a jarring switch take place when I was gaming really took me out of the action. I tried adjusting the resolution settings, to no avail. This is a problem that could have easily been solved if the display was 4K. And for nearly $9,000, Acer really ought to give you a 4K panel.

Tobii Eye-Tracking: Keep Your Eyes on the Game

Acer went the extra mile and added Tobii's eye-tracking technology to the mix. As the name suggests, the integrated IR sensor tracks your eyes and lets you control several features in- and out-of-game. The technology currently works with 49 titles, including Rise of the Tomb Raider, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, Nevermind and Dying Light.

I love typing on the 21 X's mechanical keyboard almost as much as I like looking at it and hearing it.

Depending on the title, you can use the technology to let you auto-target enemies when you look at them, control the in-game camera, interact with objects, or summon the heads-up display, maps and health bar when you gaze into a corner. You can also use Tobii for non-gaming activities, such as unlocking the computer with Windows Hello, launching the Windows Start Menu with a glance, or scrolling in a specific window no matter where the mouse is located.

Audio: Where's the Bass?

The Predator 21 X has a new three-way audio system comprised of tweeters, midrange and subwoofers. This new system does deliver some serious detail, which allowed me to hear Ralph Tresvant take a big swig of water before the beat dropped on New Edition's "If It Isn't Love."

However, I found that with the top-mounted tweeters and front-mounted midrange, the audio was loud, but hollow. As the track began, the vocals sounded pushed back with no real separation from the rest of the track.. And even though I listened to several bass-heavy tracks (Kendrick Lamar's "DNA.," Missy Elliot's "I'm Better") the pair of subwoofer consistently failed to bring the boom.

The problem persisted when I played Andromeda. While the various laser blasts and explosions sounded weighty, the accompanying music sounded distant, as did the dialogue. I tried to adjust the problem with the Dolby Audio Premium software, but didn't get a better result.

Keyboard: Clicky Goodness

I love typing on the 21 X's mechanical keyboard almost as much as I like looking at it and hearing it. With the loud clacking from the keys and their Cherry MX Brown switches, I quickly fell into a rhythm and banged out 75 words per minute on the 10fastfingers typing test, greatly surpassing my typical 65-wpm rate. Measuring a crazy 4 millimeters of key travel (minimum 1.5-2mm) and 64 grams of actuation (minimum 60g), the keys really push back when you press them.

As with other premium gaming laptops, every single key on the Predator 21 X can be individually programmed to flash one of the 16.7 million colors available in the Acer Predator Sense software. You can add several lighting effects, including Breathing, Starburst, Afterglow, Neon and Ripple. Predator Sense can also be used to program hot keys, control fan speed and overclock the CPU and GPU.

MORE: Our Favorite Gaming Keyboards

My favorite part of the keyboard has to be the teal metallic space bar and W,A,S,D keys; they add a nice pop of color to the layout. But if blue's not your thing, you can swap the cerulean W,A,S,D keys for the black ones that are bundled with the 21 X.

When you're using a laptop this outlandish, there's no such thing as too much power.

Touchpad: Fun With Magnets

As massive as the 21 X's keyboard is, there's barely any room for the touchpad. Similar to the Titan, the Predator handles this by moving the touchpad over to the right. The 2.9 x 2.6-inch touchpad is a bit narrower than I'm used to, but performed multitouch gestures like pinch-zoom and three-finger tap quickly and and accurately.

But what's a gaming laptop without a number pad? To make sure gamers have the oh-so-important num pad, Acer created a reversible touchpad.

Because it's held in place via a powerful magnet, you simply lift the touchpad and flip it over to reveal the num pad. Put it back and place and you're ready to crunch numbers and crush baddies.

Gaming, Graphics and VR: Twice as Nice

When you're using a laptop this outlandish, there's no such thing as too much. That's why the Predator 21 X is outfitted with not one, but two Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPUs with 8GB of VRAM, each in a SLI configuration. That means this laptop is practically begging you to crank up the settings and the resolution.

Mass Effect: Andromeda looked stunning on the Predator 21 X. When I landed on Eos, the burnt sienna landscape seemed to go on forever under the clear blue sky. Instead of plant life, there were outcroppings of lithium dotted over the landscape that looked more like crystallized flowers. Details were sharp enough that I could see the treads of my vehicle dig into the dry terra firma.

The Predator 21 X started flexing its muscles on our gaming benchmarks, notching 106 frames per minute on the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark (Very High, 1920 x 1080), nearly doubling the 54 fps average. Laden with their own dual GTX 1080 GPUs, the Titan and the Eon17 scored 58 and 81 fps, respectively. The Alienware 17 with its single GTX 1080 GPU obtained 80 fps.

Switching over to Hitman, we saw the 21 X achieve 85 fps, narrowly beating the 81 fps desktop-replacement average. It wasn't enough however, to top the rest of the competition as the Alienware 17, the Eon17 and the Titan scored 101, 103 and 121 fps, respectively.

On the Grand Theft Auto V test, the Predator 21 X hit 80, topping the 71-fps average as well as the Alienware 17's 52 fps. But it wasn't enough to hold off the Eon17 or the Titan, which produced 121 and 139 fps, respectively.

Those pair of GTX 1080 GPUs also do a great job with virtual-reality games as I soon discovered during The Unspoken. I teleported from pillar to pillar, trying to avoid my opponent's rapid-fire volley of fireballs while attempting to mount an attack of my own with magical crows. Even when I managed to summon the stage golem, the Predator 21 X kept the image nice and smooth.

When we ran the SteamVR Performance test, the Predator 21 X maxed out the test at 11, matching the competing systems.

MORE: The Best PC Games to Play Right Now

Overall Performance: Multitask to Your Heart's Content

Even the most over-the-top gaming laptop might have to do a bit of work now and then. When that time comes, the Predator 21 X can get the job(s) done, thanks to its overclockable 2.9-GHz Intel Core i7-7820HK processor with 64GB of RAM. I successfully launched 40 tabs of Google Chrome, some of which were running TweetDeck, streaming from Twitch and Dear White People on Netflix. I ran a full system scan using Windows to make things interesting, but never saw any signs of slowing down from the system.

The laptop also did well on synthetic tests like Geekbench 4, which measures overall performance. The Predator 21 X notched a solid 14,284, defeating the 13,322 desktop-replacement average and the Alienware 17 (14,154) which has its own Core i7-7820HK CPU. However, both notebooks couldn't keep up with the MSI Titan (3.9-GHz Intel Core i7-7920HQ CPU) or the Eon17 (overclocked 4.5-GHz Intel Core i7-6700K), which produced 15,660 and 17,994, respectively.

Boasting two 512GB NVMe PCIe SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration with a 1TB 7,200-rpm hard drive, the Predator 21 X has speed and storage to spare. But if that's not enough for you, the Predator has two empty bays just waiting for a couple of more SSDs or hard drives. On our File Transfer test, the notebook duplicated 4.97GB of multimedia files in 6 seconds for a transfer rate of 848.2 megabytes per second. That's enough to beat the Eon17 (dual 256GB NVMe PCI-e M.2 SSDs) and Alienware 17 (512GB SSD), which scored 424.1MBps and 246.5MBps, respectively, at bay. But the Titan with its dual 512GB PCIe SSDs delivered a ridiculous 1,017 MBps.

When we ran the OpenOffice Spreadsheet Macro test, the Predator 21 X matched 20,000 names and addresses in 3 minutes and 35 seconds, missing the 3:25 average. The Eon17 and the Titan outpaced the Predator 21 X at 3:09, while the Alienware finished at a blistering 1:47.

Battery Life: Gone Too Soon

As extravagant as the Predator 21 X is, one place Acer couldn't splurge on is the battery life. The leviathan lasted only 2 hours and 4 minutes on our battery test, which consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi. That's much shorter than the 4:24 desktop-replacement average, but enough to outpace the Eon17's 1:25. The Titan and Alienware only did marginally better at 2:18 and 2:46.

MORE: Laptops with the Longest Battery Life

Heat: One Cool Customer

Despite the overclockable CPU and double GPUs, the Predator 21 X does a good job of staying fairly cool. In order to keep the temperature down, Acer outfitted the system with five system fans - three of which are the company's proprietary AeroBlade fans -- and nine heat pipes. According to Acer, the fans work in unison to keep the CPU and GPUs cool.

I spent 15 minutes galavanting around the galaxy in Andromeda and at the end of my journey, the touchpad measured 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The center of the laptop had a reading of 82 degrees while the undercarriage hit 102, which is above our 95-degree comfort threshold. But let's face it: No one's going to be holding this in their lap.

After it cooled down some, we streamed an HD Youtube video for 15 minutes. When the allotted time passed, we took another measurement. The touchpad, space between the G and H keys and bottom measured 83, 81 and 95 degrees, respectively.

Despite all that air being moved throughout the system, the Predator 21 X was pretty quiet. You could definitely hear it in a quiet room, but not so much that it was a distraction.

Webcam

I was a bit shocked to learn that this almost $9,000-laptop only has a 1280 x 720 webcam. However, I can't argue with the results, since the camera delivered images that were color-accurate with passable detail. In a few test shots I took, the blue and pink in my shirt were spot-on as was the purple in my hair. Despite the overall graininess, I could make out a few flyaway hairs at the top of my head.

Software and Warranty

The Predator 21 X might be a font of excess on everything else, but I was glad to see Acer took a conservative approach on the bloatware. The company preinstalled helpful software like the Acer Care Center, which displays system diagnostics, and there's a helpful Recovery Management service. DustDefender briefly reverses system airflow every couple of hours to keep dust from building up. There's also Quick Access, which, you guessed it, lets you swiftly interact with several settings, including Bluelight Shield, CoolBoost and Power-off USB charging.

Third-party gaming utilities include Nvidia GeForce Experience, which offers a full suite of gamer-centric apps, such as Battery Boost and Game Optimization. You also get a free six-month trial of XSpilt Gamecaster, to get you started on your new live-streaming hobby.

That doesn't mean that the laptop is bloatware-free, as Microsoft managed to sneak in unnecessary apps like Sling, Facebook, Twitter, Candy Crush Soda Saga, Asphalt 8 and World of Warships.

Upgradability and Customization

Let's be clear, I am infatuated with the dragon painted on the maintenance panel. It looks like a cross between the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh! and Bahamut Zero from Final Fantasy VII, and I'm here for it. I also love seeing 009 of 300 stamped on the panel, letting me know I'm part of an elite club. You, however, might want something a little less (or more) dramatic.

Acer offers 20 different patterns, including panels that look like computer schematics, otherworldly fantasy scenes and, of course, explosions. You can further customize the panel by sticking your country's flag in the bottom left corner and getting your name engraved. Unfortunately, Acer doesn't let you order additional panels, so choose wisely.

Once you're finished gussying up your system, the panel can be removed so you can access the RAM and the 2.5-inch hard drive if you want to swap out it out for a new one. The panel is pretty simple to remove -- just remove the screw in the lower-right corner and you're in.

Bottom Line

I love it when laptop companies throw everything but the kitchen-sink into a gaming rig. True, many of us will never be able to afford luxury laptops that cost several thousand dollars, but the results are always amazing. With its incredible curved display and Tobii eye-tracking technology, the 21-inch Acer Predator 21 X truly sets itself apart from the competition. The company added some serious high-end features, including an overclockable Core i7 CPU and two Nvidia GTX 1080 GPU in SLI configuration. And the hits keep coming with a comfortable, customizable keyboard and a smidgen of upgradability for good measure.

However, for the Predator 21 X's exorbitant price, I expect to be playing on a 4K display instead of a 2560 x 1080 panel, and the audio should be nearly flawless. At $8,999, competitors like the $4,700 OriginPC Eon17-SLX 10 Series or the $4,999 MSI GT83VR Titan SLI seem cheap. And both laptops have comparable specs and performance, minus the extravagant curved display. But if money is no object, and you want a laptop that's backs up every single piece of its ostentatiousness with sheer, unadulterated power, the Acer Predator 21 X is the desktop replacement for you.

Oppo Reno 2 Specifications, Design

Explore OPPO Reno2

OPPO Reno2's one piece flawless body with a 3D curved glass makes it a smartphone masterpiece.

Cover Every Angle, with 48MP Quadcam

Unlock new possibilities and capture your imagination from every angle.

• 
  
• 
  
• 48MP Main Camera

  SONY IMX586 | 1/2.0” Sensor
  F/1.7 Aperture | OIS
• 8MP Wide Angle Lens

  116° | 1/3.2” Sensor
• 13MP Telephoto Lens

  1/3.4” Sensor | F/2.4 Aperture
  Auto Focus
• 2MP Mono Lens

  1/5” Sensor | 1.75um large pixels
  Portrait Mode 2.0

See More, with 20x Zoom

Get closer to the action with 5x Hybrid Zoom and up to 20x Digital Zoom, and experience the revolutionary Quadcam setup.

Experience Flawless Art, with 3D Curved Body

One-piece flawless body with 3D curved glass and light-inspired gradient finish elevates the design aesthetic.

Lightning Fast Charging, with VOOC 3.0

Never stop moving forward with
the incredibly fast VOOC Flash Charge 3.0.

Push Beyond Borders with ColorOS 6.1

Give rhythm to your vision with the new borderless aesthetic of ColorOS 6.1.

Realme 5 Pro Review

Realme has done a good job of keeping us on our toes since it first debuted in India as a subsidiary of Oppo in mid-2018. The new Realme 5₹ 9,999 (Review) and Realme 5 Pro succeed the Realme 3₹ 8,999 (Review) and Realme 3 Pro₹ 12,999 (Review) — the number 4 considered unlucky in some Asian cultures — highlighting the young company's remarkable turnaround rate. Four generations of a product is a lot to deliver for a brand that's barely fifteen months old. Realme has managed to keep up with or displace market leaders Xiaomi, Lenovo, Honor, Asus, and Samsung, by releasing fresh new models each time the bar is raised.

The Realme 5 Pro is priced to compete with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro₹ 14,080 (Review) and Mi A3 (Review), various members of the Samsung M and A series, and the new Vivo Z1 Pro₹ 14,990 (Review), plus several older models that have received price cuts. We have with us the top-end variant of the Realme 5 Pro, which is priced the same as the Realme X₹ 16,999 (Review). This should be an interesting review. So, let's get started.

Realme 5 Pro design

For a low-cost phone, the Realme 5 Pro looks and feels pretty good. It isn't too big or bulky, and the materials and finishes feel premium. You'll immediately notice the geometric pattern on the back, which has so far been used for less expensive phones such as the Realme 3i₹ 8,599(Review) and Realme C2₹ 6,290 (Review). The concept has been elevated here, with a metallic sheen and completely smooth finish.

The abstract shapes on the rear have slightly different colours and catch the light differently, but there's still a unified gradient running down the back of the device. You can choose between Crystal Green and Sparkling Blue finishes, and we quite liked the blue-green jewel-toned look of our Crystal Green review unit which is distinct without being garish.

Thankfully this phone isn't slippery at all. Despite its glossy look, the Realme 5 Pro is very easy to grip. The rounded sides and curved back panel make it fit comfortably in a palm, masking its 8.9mm thickness. It weighs 184g and is actually more compact than the Realme 5. We didn't have any trouble using it even with one hand.

There's a big 6.3-inch LCD screen on the front, and Realme claims a 90.6 screen-to-body ratio. The chin is fairly prominent but the rest of the borders are narrow and modern-looking. We generally don't like pre-applied screen guards like the one the Realme 5 Pro, but some people do like having them for protection.

Realme has gone with a waterdrop notch for the front camera, which we suppose is fine at this price level – popup cameras and screens with holes are becoming more common but you'll have to spend more if you want that kind of design.

The power and volume buttons are on opposite sides of the phone and are all within easy reach. On the left, you'll find a tray with individual slots for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card. There's a USB Type-C port on the bottom, which is interesting because the Realme 5 (Review) has a Micro-USB port. There's also a 3.5mm audio socket and a single speaker on the bottom of this phone.

One slight negative point about the design of the Realme 5 Pro is the raised camera module on the rear which is fairly prominent and also has a slightly rough raised ring around it. You get four rear cameras, which is this phone's biggest selling point. There's also a fingerprint sensor on the rear, rather than embedded into the screen like you'll find on some other phones at this price level.

Realme 5 Pro specifications and software

We first saw the Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 SoC in the value-packed Vivo Z1 Pro (Review), and it makes an appearance here too. This chip has a slight edge over the Snapdragon 710 and Snapdragon 660, which are commonly found in phones in this segment. It has two Kryo 360 Gold cores running at 2.3GHz and six more Kryo 360 Silver cores running at 1.7GHz for power efficiency, as well as integrated Adreno 616 graphics.

You can buy the Realme 5 Pro with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for Rs. 13,999; 6GB of RAM with the same 64GB of storage for Rs. 14,999; or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for Rs. 16,999 which is a big jump. The latter variant is priced the same as the Realme X with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which sets up a bit of a clash within the company's portfolio.

The 6.3-inch screen has a Full-HD+ resolution of 1080x2340. There's a 4035mAH battery, and Realme uses Oppo's proprietary VOOC quick charging technology. You get a large 20W charger in the box with this phone. There's also Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5, and GPS, but no FM radio. All the usual sensors, including a gyroscope, are included.

Realme also uses Oppo's ColorOS UI on top of Android 9. ColorOS 6 has been customised a little, with slightly more modern-looking icons and a few other visual tweaks here and there. The UI has an app drawer so all icons aren't strewn around on the home screens. To the left of the first home screen is a Smart Assistant page with panels for the weather, calendar appointments, step tracking, and various other things that you can show or hide. You can get sports scores, track orders from online shops, and keep track of upcoming flights.

There are loads of preinstalled apps ranging from Realme's own Community and Store apps to the popular Amazon Shopping, UC Browser, Paytm, Helo, Facebook, and many more. Game Center, Hot Games, Hot Apps, and Theme Store all try to offer you content to download. Many of these can be uninstalled but the system-level ones can't even be disabled.

Thankfully, we didn't have to deal with constant popup notifications and advertisement spam. There were a few prompts to use some apps and features after the initial setup, but very little after that. Speaking of the setup process, we were prompted to download a few promotional apps, but this step can be skipped.

Fingerprints and face recognition can be used to unlock not only the phone but also individual apps and a Private Safe which lets you store documents and photos away from prying eyes. ColorOS also lets you attempt to supply dummy data including call history and messages when invasive apps ask for too many permissions.

Customisation options include icon density on the home screens, UI animation speed, themes, and various gestures. You can long-press the phone's power button to call up Google Assistant, and launch apps with gestures on the screen when the phone is in standby. The standard Android navigation buttons can be replaced with a variety of gesture schemes and there are even customisation options within some of these sets.

Overall, the software and usage experience of the Realme 5 Pro are both quite polished. We like the direction that Realme has taken. Our unit was running the July 2019 security patch.

Realme 5 Pro performance and battery life

General performance with the Realme 5 Pro was good, and we had no complaints about how it worked for day-to-day tasks. Keep in mind that our experience was with the 8GB RAM variant; the entry-level one has only half as much, but that should still be enough for most use cases. Handling and usage were easy, including when multitasking between heavy apps. The fingerprint sensor might be a little hard to reach if you have small hands, but it was quick and accurate.

Face recognition was also easy. Enrolling a face took just a few seconds and the process didn't require us to turn or tilt our head at all. The default setting allows the phone to unlock itself even if your eyes are closed, which ideally shouldn't be the case.

The screen can get quite bright and is easy to use outdoors. Video content looked good, with decent colours and sharpness, but this isn't the best screen that we've seen in this price segment. Interestingly, the Realme 5 Pro does support Widevine L1 DRM for high-res video streaming. The single speaker is quite loud and voices are clear even at high volumes, but there's no bass or depth at all when listening to music.

We got scores of 180,193 in AnTuTu, as well as 1,523 and 5,936 in Geekbench's single- and multi-core tests. 3DMark's Slingshot Unlimited test gave us 3,068 points, and the Ice Storm Extreme test maxed out. GFXBench gave us 58fps in the T-rex scene and 23fps in the Manhattan 3.1 scene.

PUBG Mobile defaulted to its High preset and was playable, though the phone did get slightly warm throughout a round. We didn't have any trouble with Asphalt 9: Legends either.

We were able to get through a full day on a single charge using this phone, and that included about an hour of video streaming, some gaming, and a lot of Web browsing, but we definitely had to plug it in to charge at night. Our HD video loop test lasted for 12 hours, 41 minutes which is reasonable but not great. Using the included charger, we were able to get up to 15 per cent in 10 minutes and 70 per cent in just over 30 minutes.

Realme 5 Pro cameras

The main rear camera has a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor, which was only found in much more expensive phones till very recently. It also has an f/1.79 aperture and supports PDAF. Next, there's an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera with an f/2.25 aperture, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The front camera has a 16-megapixel sensor and an f/2 aperture

The camera app looks slick but the layout is a bit awkward. For starters, there's no easy way to switch between cameras. A toggle button at the top of the screen lets you activate or deactivate the wide-angle camera, but to use the macro one, you have to select the Ultra Macro mode which is buried in a spillover menu next to the standard Photo, Video, and Portrait mode selection buttons. This menu is unnecessarily small and you actually have to scroll down within it to find the Ultra Macro mode, which is too many steps.

There are also separate controls for HDR, filters, and Chroma Boost. The latter option makes colours much more vibrant, which can make shots look artificial, so is best used as an effect like any other filter. The other modes include Expert, Panorama, and Time-lapse.

Shots taken in the daytime with the primary camera were quite sharp, and the colour balance was good. The Realme 5 Pro was quick to lock focus and we didn't have any trouble with usability. We liked its results in terms of fine detail in the foreground as well as clarity in distant objects. There was a little grain in shadowy areas and towards the sides of some frames, but the primary camera worked very well, even for high-contrast scenes.

To take 48-megapixel shots, you also have to switch to a different mode in the spillover menu, and HDR isn't available. File size zooms up from 2-4MB to over 15MB per shot, but shots are enormous and you can pick out tiny details at a huge distance when you zoom in.

As expected, the wide-angle camera delivers lower quality shots and should really only be used when you need to fit a lot into one frame. Zooming in to shots reveals significant loss in detail and colour accuracy. Overall quality is poor compared to shots taken with the primary camera a moment earlier from exactly the same spot.

The macro camera is also more for playing with composition than for everyday use. It's a nice addition, but you might not find a lot of use for it. When taking a closeup with the standard camera, the AI scene detection might say “Macro Lens”, which we take as a suggestion to switch manually rather than any indication that the AI has changed any settings.

When you're in Ultra Macro mode, you'll see “Best quality at 4cm” displayed on the viewfinder but there's no way to know for sure that you're at the ideal focal distance. Some trial and error might be needed because photos might look sharp on the phone's screen but be a bit off when checked out at full size. Colour also tends to shift when getting so close to a subject, especially because there's a large chance the phone itself will cast a shadow over whatever you're shooting.

Macros are just 1600x1200 pixels in resolution (2.1 megapixels) and details outside of the focus area are definitely rough. Colours were blotchy and textures weren't great either. We saw a cluster of bright red flower buds almost merge into each other, for example. Just using the primary camera and cropping shots often produced similar if not better results in some cases. However, the depth of field can look pretty great. You can have fun and get quite a bit of creative satisfaction using this camera.

Selfies are also decent, but some of our samples looked a little overprocessed, which made our skin look artificial. Portrait shots seemed to get the edges of our face wrong, cutting off our ears in the camera's viewfinder most of the time. However, the shots benefit from further processing when they are saved, and look far better when opened later.

Unfortunately, the shots we took at night were not as impressive. There was a lot of noise and grain even with lights nearby. You can use these photos if you aren't planning to enlarge them or zoom in at all. The detail was poor unless there was a direct bright light shining on our subjects, in which case the results were far more appealing. When using Nightscape mode, it took several seconds for the phone to save a shot but the results were brightly lit, and points of light that would usually be blurred because of a long exposure were instead crisp and clear.

The wide-angle camera predictably takes poorer shots at night, with much duller colours. We wouldn't bother even trying to use the macro camera, as objects were barely even discernible. Selfies taken at night weren't too bad, though.

Video is recorded at 1080p 30fps by default though it can go up to 4K 30fps or 1080p 60fps. The quality of the video is generally quite good in the daytime. There's electronic stabilisation, which seemed to work fairly well for us at 1080p. The video looked smooth and bright, though at 4K there was an odd pink tinge throughout. One big surprise is that you can't use the wide-angle camera to record video, which seems like a pointless waste.

Verdict

There's a lot to like about the Realme 5 Pro. The entry-level variants seem like good options and will compete strongly against the Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review), the Samsung Galaxy M30₹ 13,990(Review), and Vivo Z1 Pro (Review). However, if your budget can stretch enough for you to consider the top-end configuration that we have reviewed, you might find the Realme X (Review) or one of our other sub-Rs. 20,000 picks more appropriate.

Four rear cameras will be a huge selling point and will tempt a lot of buyers, but you might want to consider how much utility a 2.1-megapixel macro camera really provides before basing a decision on this marketing point.

This refresh has been timed well and keeps Realme close to the head of the pack. We would have liked a better battery life and the camera UI needs a rethink, but in all other respects, this is a great phone. The Realme 5 Pro impresses us almost entirely across the board, especially considering its price.