Review of the Realme 9i 5G: A well-built cheap 5G phone with some trade-offs

 Can the Realme 9i 5G justify its price tag as a low-cost 5G phone that competes in the sub-Rs 20,000 market? Here's our review.

These days, it can be challenging to get a good affordable 5G phone. Given how similar most gadgets are to one another, the Realme 9i 5G stands out from the rest of the pack because to its glistening mirror rear. But does that go far enough to distinguish it from the sea of sub-Rs 20,000 smartphones already on the market? Here's how we feel about the phone.

Specifications for the Realme 9i 5G include a 6.6-inch 90Hz IPS LCD, a MediaTek Dimensity 810 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 50MP + 2MP + 2MP + 8MP front camera, a 5000mAh battery, and 18W fast charging.

What's new in the Realme 9i 5G?

You might be asking what has changed since the Realme 9i launched six months prior to the Realme 9i 5G.

Which is good?

design and construction

The Realme 9i 5G has a reflective, sparkly CD-like back. Although appearances are totally subjective, the Metallica Gold variant is unquestionably attractive. People would frequently turn around and stare at me while I was snapping pictures. The back is simply an issue since it attracts dirt and fingerprints.

In terms of build quality, the Realme 9i 5G is quite comfortable to handle and has a fantastic grip. The business has distributed the weight uniformly, resulting in a mere 187 gramme weight. The phone's frame is made of what appears to be metal but actually feels like plastic and has a glass-like back. Although I still advise using a phone cover, I never once considered doing so.

Performance

The Realme 9i 5G is unquestionably an improvement over its predecessor thanks to its MediaTek Dimensity 810 processor. The Realme 9i's Snapdragon 680 4G chipset cannot be compared to this one's speed or excellent thermal management. You may expect constant performance because the phone never throttled the CPU below 80% when I tried to push the CPU to its maximum capacity using a stress test. However, when playing games, the narrative is quite different. (We'll go into that further later)

Software

The phone is as fluid as it gets when conducting daily operations like watching a video, chatting, or making calls. It runs on Realme UI 3.0, which is based on Android 12. No lags or stutters occurred while multitasking at all. Additionally, I got an OTA that brought the security patch up to date to August.

5G Connectivity

Both standalone and non-standalone 5G are supported by the Realme 9i 5G. N1, N5, N8, N28, N41, N77, and N78 are in the list of bands, indicating compatibility with significant Indian telecom networks.

Battery Life

The Realme 9i 5G also performs admirably in terms of battery life. The smartphone's 5,000mAh battery easily allows it to operate for one to two days with light use and a full day with heavy use. Even if you occasionally play graphically demanding games like BGMI and Call of Duty, it might still survive all day thanks to the power-efficient processor. Realme supplies the handset with an 18W charger, which is disappointing because it takes the phone two to three hours to fully charge compared to the competitors.

What exactly is bad?

Although the Realme 9i 5G features an improved chipset, the budget market has changed significantly in the past year. Additionally, it appears that the corporation made some concessions in order to support 5G.

Display

The screen, which has a 6.6-inch 90Hz IPS LCD display, is not at all subpar when it comes to colour reproduction. However, if we contrast the Realme 9i 5G with other devices in this price range, we find that Motorola and Poco offer AMOLED screens with comparable or even greater refresh rates.

Additionally, I had trouble reading the lettering in the bright sunlight. Another issue I noticed was that the display on my device had a warmer colour tone, as if the night light toggle had been set on, but it appears that Realme has corrected the issue with a software update.

Gaming performance

While you can play casual games like Temple Run and Subway Surfer without experiencing any lag, I occasionally encountered stuttering while playing some graphically demanding games like PUBG: New State and Apex Legends. But Call of Duty always maintained a frame rate of 60. Additionally, RealmeUI limits game framerates to 60 fps despite having a 90 Hz display and 180 Hz touch sampling rate, which is disappointing given that the chipset can support some games at higher framerates.

Camera

Realme has chosen to use four separate cuts, three for the camera and one for the flash, as opposed to a camera island. Even with a cover, the rear camera protrudes from the body, which increases the risk of lens damage if the phone is set down on a flat surface.

Similar to the majority of inexpensive smartphones, the Realme 9i 5G's rear camera is hit or miss. You can anticipate the device to capture some respectable images during the day with sufficient light. The image softens and loses details when zoomed in, despite the fact that the phone is able to maintain the majority of the details and that the colour is on the natural side. However, if you want to post the photos on social media, the quality is good.

Realme's decision to forego an ultrawide lens in favour of a depth and macro sensor—both of which, to be completely honest, are at best useless—adds to the issue. Similarly, the phone fails to capture even the most basic features when taking nighttime shots. The 50MP primary sensor does a good job of capturing light, but the excessive noise renders most of the images useless.

The front camera also performs poorly. The majority of the nuances and contrast are lost while taking selfies on a phone. Additionally, the AI beautify option is too strong and removes every facial nuance. It brought back memories of the time when 480p cameras were standard on laptops, tablets, and cell phones. It might be advisable to avoid using this phone if you want to use it to attend meetings or online lectures.

Bloatware

Realme UI 3.0, based on Android 12, is preinstalled on the Realme 9i 5G right out of the box. Although I did not see any sporadic lags or stutters, it appears that Realme loaded the device with a tonne of bloatware. With a few exceptions, such as "Hot Apps," the majority of apps can thankfully be quickly and easily deleted. The pre-installation of programmes like Moj and Josh is quite bothersome.

Additionally, a screen displaying an advertisement at the top of it appears when you install programmes from the Google Play Store. Other smartphone manufacturers have shied away from this in recent years. If you are installing an app in the background while playing games, it will undoubtedly disrupt your immersion or viewing movies.

Is the Realme 9i 5G worth your money, in conclusion?

The Realme 9i 5G is a good option if you're searching for a phone that can carry out basic tasks without any issues.

There are undoubtedly better options in this price bracket, including the Poco X4 Pro, Motorola G71, Realme 9 Pro, and the Vivo T1 5G, with price tags of Rs 14,999 for the 4GB/64GB internal storage variation and Rs 16,999 for the 6GB/128GB version.