The manufacturer does not really stop its factories and, once again, we are faced with a new release that opens a new door in the photographic section. This new member of the family has the name of realme 8 pro. Luckily, I was able to test it a few days before its launch and today I can tell you my experience with this new smartphone.
Realme 8 Pro: video analysis
Taking risks in design
Normally I am the type of user who prefers a more restrained look but, yes, with a finish that gives the phone personality. But it seems that lately many manufacturers are betting on more striking designs than usual, and it really was not going to be less in its latest release.
In this realme 8 Pro we find a rear with a bold design and that, without a doubt, will attract the attention of anyone. A rough touch, accompanied by a gradient and the slogan "DARE TO LEAP" occupying the entire side of the phone. All this accompanied by the camera module that is quite reminiscent of an iPhone but, this time, with 4 lenses organized in a perfect square.
In my case, I have been able to try the relame 8 pro with a blue finish but, in addition to this, we will also have a model available in black, more sober depending on the manufacturer, and another model in yellow. The latter comes with a surprise from the brand, and it is that it has a material that makes it glow in the dark making it highlight the camera module and the slogan that we see on the body.
This back is slightly curved at the edges, allowing a more continuous and uniform union with the sides of the phone, which, by the way, have a flat and not rounded design. In the lower part we find the USB-C charging connector, the device's speaker and, for lovers of the classic, the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Moving to the front, this realme 8 pro has a 6,4 ″ Super AMOLED display with a resolution FullHD +. A good-sized screen on which we can see content with vivid colors and deep blacks, thanks to this technology, and which has a maximum brightness of up to 1.000 nits to allow us to see the screen perfectly in any situation.
A detail that I have missed on this screen is a higher refresh rate. These days it seems like it's becoming standard to have at least a 60Hz display and the fluid feel it conveys isn't easily forgotten. To alleviate this a bit, relame has included a 180 Hz sampling rate to improve tactile feedback. Something that many gamers will appreciate.
In its upper left corner we see the hole in the screen that houses the front camera, which it will also use for the facial unlocking. A system that works very well and quickly as we usually see in most smartphones on the market. This screen also hides a fingerprint reader under the screen but, in this case, the feelings I've had with him have been bittersweet. When the fingerprint "catches" you, the truth is that the unlocking is immediate but, on occasions, I have had to make several attempts until it has managed to read my fingerprint. Perhaps it is that the surface of the reader is somewhat small and, in this way, it costs a little more.
Does it catch the eye and is it a recognizable rear end? I do not doubt that. Do I like the design of the realme 8 Pro? As I already mentioned at the beginning of this section, I am a more sober user when it comes to buying a phone. Personally, I think I would go for the black finish, although blue is a color I really like. But beyond this, I think that in the rest of the points this manufacturer has achieved a smartphone with character and with careful finishes.
In addition, that AMOLED screen will allow you to enjoy playing content on it at any time. A detail that, in the end, I think matters more than the design of the back itself, which will probably end up covered by a cover.
Sufficient performance for any task
Now I want to talk to you about how this new member of the realme family behaves on a day-to-day basis. And the truth is that, if you already know everything that realme 7 Pro offers, its behavior is tremendously similar to its predecessor.
In the realme 8 Pro we find ourselves again with a pack of specifications made up of the Snapdragon 720G, together with capabilities of 6 and 8 GB of RAM, with a single model of storage that goes up to 128 GB with UFS 2.1 technology. The performance both in day-to-day tasks and in those that require greater performance is more than correct. I haven't found any type of lag, hung up or closed unexpectedly, and even using games like Asphalt 9 or COD mobile at maximum quality, this phone hasn't suffered at any time. And if you are wondering about possible heating, even using it for several hours playing, the equipment has not become excessively hot at any time.
Another aspect that does change but less is fast charging, not autonomy. In this case we have the same 4.500 mAh battery that we had in the realme 7 pro but, now, the charging power of this is 50 W instead of 65 W. This does not translate into a bad experience on a day-to-day basis since, as with the previous one, I have been able to use it without going through the plug for more than a full day. The only thing, yes, is that when charging the speed will be somewhat lower.
I have been able to charge the 4.500 mAh in less than 1 hour and, when I have needed a little push, in just 15 minutes I have achieved a little more than 40% battery life. So, fast charging may not be "so fast" but it won't leave you with a bad experience at all. The good part of all this is that the realme 8 Pro continues to include the same 65W charger that came with the previous model. Therefore, if you used it to charge other equipment that needed more power, such as a computer, with this you will continue to have this possibility.
RealmUI: system for lovers of customization
But of course, as I always indicate in my reviews, it is useless to have the best components if it is not accompanied by software to match. The realme 8 Pro arrives with realmUI 2.0, the manufacturer's customization layer, which runs on top of Android 11.
As I have already indicated in other reviews of this brand's phones, this layer comes with a large number of settings and customizations that can be adapted to the taste of each user. In addition, it includes different configurations that make the experience when playing the game the best or, for example, others that make viewing content on the screen the most appropriate. If you want a phone that you can adapt to your tastes, this is without a doubt a great option.
Of course, if what you want or need is an experience close to pure Android, this is not your best option. In addition, it comes with certain third-party applications pre-installed that, luckily, most of them can be easily removed.
Big jump to 108 MP
The time has come to talk about the photographic section of this realme 8 Pro. On this occasion, as I already mentioned at the beginning of this article, we are facing a quad camera on the rear module:
- Main sensor of 108 MP, with an aperture f / 1.88.
- ultra wide angle sensor 8 MP, with a viewing angle of 119º and an aperture of f/2.25.
- Macro sensor 2 MP, with an f/2.4 aperture and with which we can get up to 4 cm closer to the object we want to photograph.
- sensor to improve B&W portrait 2 MP, with f/2.4 aperture.
And then, for the selfie, he arrives with a single frontal camera 16 MP and f/2.45 aperture.
A set of cameras in which with the naked eye we can see that it lacks little in addition to a zoom lens. But you can rest easy, those 108 MP of the main sensor can do "magic".
In good light conditions, the truth is that all the lenses perform quite well. The main sensor is the one that stands out the most as you might imagine, getting very good detail and vivid colors. In the case of the wide angle and the macro, you can see that the quality drops a bit, especially in the wide angle under these conditions, leaving images that are somewhat more washed out, with less contrast and a slightly paler and less striking color. The crop in portrait mode does it very well, without noticing many errors.
But without a doubt, what has surprised me the most is just what this phone does not have: zoom photos. From its interface we can see two magnification jumps that go from digital zoom x3 to x5. When we visualize the image that theoretically we will have before taking the photo, it seems to be of a much lower quality but, after making use of the photo processing supported by a cut out of that 108 MP lens, the results are more than decent.
Regarding the photos with the selfie camera, this complies with some photos of an acceptable quality, perhaps a little too sharp on some occasions. The color of these photos is very nice and the management of the lights makes them correctly even when the contrast is high. But, to keep a memory of a specific moment, the photographs that we can take with this camera are not bad.
Then, when the light falls, as usual the results are of worse quality. The main sensor can capture some interesting photos, especially if we use the night mode that Realme implements in its camera app.
And, regarding this application, the manufacturer also includes a good assortment of modes and functionalities to carry out creative captures such as:
- Star mode: to take long exposure shots to be able to take photos of the constellations.
- Dual view video: allows us to record video with the rear and front cameras. This way we won't miss our reaction.
- Slow motion.
- Time Lapse.
- PRO mode for both photo and video.
And, speaking of video, we will be able to capture video up to a maximum quality of 4K is 30 fps and slow motion in FullHD at 120 fps. The quality is good but, as usual, it presents the problem of vibrations when moving. To try to improve this aspect, it really introduces a stabilized mode that, if we don't move abruptly, can leave interesting results.
Smartphone for the most daring
At this point, it is time to talk about the price of this new member of the realme family and, of course, whether it is worth it or not. The realme 8 Pro comes with two different models depending on its storage and RAM specifications:
- 8GB + 128GB: available through distributors such as Amazon, MediaMarkt, Fnac, The Phone House, Aliexpress… This model has an official price of 299 euros, and you can purchase it in pre-purchase (from March 24 to March 30) for 279 euros.
- 6GB +128GB: model that can be purchased exclusively on Amazon for an official price of 279 euros. You can also purchase it in pre-purchase (from March 24 to March 30) for 259 euros.
Therefore, if you want a phone that meets any type of task and, in addition, you like bold designs, this is a great option to consider. However, if you prefer something more discreet, you can always buy the black finish, or opt for another alternative on the market. Of course, for less than 300 euros few better options occur to me.