The latest entrant in the midrange space of premium smartphones is Realme X. It has a sleek look and is loaded with specifications which only "costly" smartphones provide. The phone also comes with an ombre glass panel at the back which accentuates the Corning Gorilla glass in the front.
Realme X offers an in-display fingerprint sensor, pop-up selfie camera and VOOC 3.0 charger challenging smartphones by Oppo and Vivo.
Display: The brighter the better
Featuring a 6.53 inch AMOLED display, Realme X gives the owner an almost bezel-free look. Lit with 752 lux at the centre of the screen and 800 lux towards the edges, the handset is perfect for use in outdoor settings, even under the brightest Sun to bring out those colours perfectly. The minimum brightness is 8 lux which makes perfect for night reading mode.
A resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels shows over 16 million colours which are clear, vibrant and give a balanced look without over-saturation.
Security: Keeping it safe
One of the biggest crowd-puller for Realme X is its in-display fingerprint sensor which was earlier only being offered in high-end Oppo and Vivo smartphones. The sensor is highly responsive and unlocks the phone is microseconds.
The face recognition technology is impressive as it unlocks the handset in less than half a second.
Android Pie gives additional security features such as cloning apps and split-screen which adds up to the privacy when being used by multiple people.
Performance: Packed with twists
Feasible for daily use with multiple apps opened simultaneously is just one of the factors of interest that defines Realme X's performance. The smartphone's EUI kills the apps running in the background, saving battery and increasing accuracy.
The latest Snapdragon 710 chipset processor runs on eight-cores and is available in 4GB and 8GB RAM with an internal storage of 128GB.
This tech-packed newbie from Realme scores well within expectations of mid-range affordable handsets with a premium effect. Switching between apps and working with heavy data explains the smoothness of the software. Even with apps running in the background, the files with heavy graphics, 3D animations and interactive don't jitter.
In this PUBG crazy world, a phone that supports the game without lag is a must and Realme X is good enough for the experience. Heavy performance and storage using games such as Need for Speed Carbon work smoothly too. However, the processor doesn't respond very well when multiple games are opened in high-performance mode.
The proximity sensor works slowly even after being used in high-performance mode, but it can be managed and solved with the next software update.
The phone has a Type-C port, 3.5mm earphone jack, Dolby Atmos speakers and extra beneficiary sensors too. It works flawlessly in WiFi connection, however, lags a little bit in mobile data and other data connections.
Camera: Crisp and sharp pop-up looks
There have been comparisons between Realme X's pop-up camera and phones from Oppo and Vivo. Breaking all doubts, the phone sports a 16-megapixel pop-up selfie camera that captures sharp pictures in daylight with good depth to provide well-saturated images.
The noise in the pictures while clicking a selfie has been solved, however, the pre-loaded beauty mode can be a problem for people who are fair as details are whitewashed.
The dual 48MP+5MP rear camera facilitates 4K images. Artificial lighting conditions are well-balanced with good auto white balance. The image processing in portrait mode doesn't blur out details in the background and offers some fun with the bokeh effect.
Selfie camera pictures: Normal Mode (left), Portrait Mode (right)Chetan Priyadarshan 
alternate far view focusChetan Priyadarshan 
close view focusChetan Priyadarshan 
Full view picture from the rear camera under cloudy conditionsChetan Priyadarshan 
Night mode picture by the front facing cameraChetan Priyadarshan 
FocusChetan Priyadarshan
Auto-focus with good stabilisation while recording videos work well. The EIS maintains clear exposures and with features such as night mode and slow-motion can be a treat for the photographers.
The camera's performance compared to other phones at this price point is pretty good.
Battery: More battery more conversations
The 3,765 battery gives a day's battery backup with normal usage but even after playing around with heavy battery killing apps, there will be 3-4 percent of juice still left in your new Realme X.
VOOC 3.0 charger which was first made available in Oppo has now paved its way into the mid-range handsets with Realme X. But everything comes with a cost. The phone doesn't support fast charging with a normal type-c charger and takes an additional half an hour to juice up the handset.
Heavy optimisation doesn't let the battery discharge easily by killing apps running in the background which is a facility every smartphone needs.
Price: Mid-range premium experience
Buy the Realme X for its camera, display or technology, all will only satisfy your experience without burning a hole in your pocket. The first premium smartphone from Realme sells for Rs 16,999 with maximum technology and better feel that will make your phone your best friend.
The phone might leave you overwhelmed and its capabilities are sure to make its competitors fall flat on the ground and the handset is hard not to recommend.
