realme is expanding the Narzo lineup in the Philippines with the Narzo 30A, the second smartphone in the series to arrive locally. Like its predecessor, the realme Narzo 30A aims it sights at the increasingly competitive sub-PhP 10,000 market. Does it have the chops to standout or is it just another refresh from the brand?
realme Narzo 30A
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G85 |
| Screen | 6.5-inch IPS, 1600 x 720 |
| RAM | 4GB |
| OS | Anroid 10 with realme UI |
| Rear Camera | 13MP f/2.2 Main, 2MP f/2.4 Mono Lens |
| Front Camera | 8MP f/2.0 |
| Storage | 64GB expandable via MicroSD Slot |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 4G LTE |
| Connectivity | Dual-Band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C |
| Battery | 6,000mAh, 18W Fast Charging |
| Others | Fingerprint Scanner |
| Colors | Laser Black, Laser Blue |
Screen and Design
The realme Narzo 30A ships with a 6.5-inch IPS display, which has a resolution of only 1600 x 720. Though it does not have the specifications to blow the competition out the water with its display, the screen on the smartphone is fairly serviceable and does not have any glaring issues aside from its sub-FullHD+ resolution.
Colors produced by the display are well-reproduced with just the right of contrast and blacks but can be a bit underwhelming at times. Viewing angles are not a problem thanks to its IPS panel while brightness, while not breathtaking, can produce enough to enable smartphone use even with a bright light source shining against it.
The Narzo 30A’s chassis is a bit more extravagant than its predecessor, but it still manages to somewhat keep its predecessor’s minimalist vibe. Its rear design now has what the brand calls a diagonal stripe design.
As the name suggests, there are now diagonal lines that run through the width of the device. It also gives the smartphone a bit of texture instead of being just a plastic monolith like other smartphones.
Just above the striped portion of the Narzo 30A is a more traditional plain plastic segment that houses its logo and fingerprint scanner. Its dual cameras also rest at the top-left side, which we will discuss in detail later.
The volume rocker and the power button of the smartphone are all located at its right-hand side. All buttons are tactile and offer decent resistance to minimize accidental activation. At the left-hand side is a triple-cut SIM tray that supports two SIM cards and a single microSD card at once. Meanwhile, the bottom sports a 3.5mm audio jack, a bottom-firing speaker and a USB Type-C port that supports 18W Fast Charging.
User Interface
Android 10 with the classic realme UI is still the default option for the Narzo 30A. Its OS offers a ton of customization options like icon shapes and artwork and dark mode toggle as well as standard options like split-window support. Not much out of the ordinary from a realme devices here.
The brand, however, is promising that realme UI 2.0 will be coming to the Narzo 30A along with other smartphones. The update should be released to the public within the 3rd quarter of 2021.
Camera
As mentioned, the Narzo 30A ships out with a dual camera setup at the back. The pair is made up of a 13MP f/2.2 primary lens and a 2MP f/2.4 mono lens. Its cameras might seem a bit anemic, realme is throwing in a couple of additions on the software side with filters like Cyberpuink, Flamingo, and Modern Gold. The smartphone will also be utilizing Chroma Boost in order to boost saturation and colors on photos.
Though its 2MP f/2.4 mono lens is somewhat inconsequential, its 13MP f/2.2 main lens fared much better than we anticipated. Under bright conditions, its sole rear camera is able to get by just fine with fair colors and saturation. HDR performance, however, could be a bit better. Snapping photos with bright background will not be saved by HDR and would most likely produce an overexposed picture.
Low-light conditions brings out the weakness of the Narzo 30A’s main camera. Photos taken in dark scenes are noticeably grainy and lose some of their detail. Night Mode helps but it is a basic stitched multi-exposure shot which still show a bit of graininess.
The device takes its selfies through an 8MP f/2.0 front-facing camera resting in the notch of the display. Like its main camera, performance is only suitable in good lighting conditions. Faces are natural-looking without much intervention. Those who like hiding their facial imperfections will also be glad to know that its built-in beautification system is good enough to look natural without being cartoonish.
Performance, Benchmarks, and Battery Life
Housed in its striped exterior is a MediaTek Helio G85 chip complemented by 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. Its not the most powerful chip in the market but it does the job decently for an entry-level smartphone. There’s minimal lag under ordinary use but you may need to turn down the settings to get playable framerates for games like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile depending on your graphical preference.
The benchmarks we run using the Narzo 30A reveals what we already anticipated in the beginning: decent scores for an entry-level smartphone. Its scores probably won’t impress anyone with a mid-range smartphone above but they are okay given the smartphone’s position in the market.
Battery life is the real highlight on the smartphone. Packing a 6,000mAh battery, this is one of the larger battery capacity smartphones you will see in its price point. We managed to last around 2 days using the device as our daily driver for emails, watching content, and light gaming. Those who have other devices can also take advantage of its reverse-charging via the USB Type-C port so long as they have a proper cable.
Though its longevity is impressive, charging the device can be a bit of a hassle especially if you find yourself low on battery in the middle of the day. It does support 18W Fast Charging but since it has a colossal battery capacity, charging times are a bit long at around 2 hours and 45 minutes from 0 percent.
Conclusion
The realme Narzo 30A have its ups like its long battery life, serviceable 13MP f/2.2 main camera, and decent overall performance. But it also comes with disadvantages like a long charging period and underwhelming low-light performance on its cameras.
Its biggest boon, however, is its price. At PhP 6,490, it is one of the most affordable smartphones in the market that offers this kind of performance. It seems that realme is still sticking to its mantra since its inception: tremendous features for the price.
While the realme Narzo 30A is not the best smartphone in its class, but it’s definitely solid enough for most people who are upgrading from an older entry-level smartphone. If that’s the case, then the Narzo 30A is definitely a smart replacement for an aging daily driver.
