realme is bringing another entry to their mainline numbered series into the Philippines. As the latest in their main lineup, the realme 7 Pro packs quite a punch in terms of specifications but questionably removes some of the features we found endearing in its predecessor.
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G |
| Screen | 6.4-inch SuperAMOLED, 2400 x 1080, Corning Gorilla Glass |
| RAM | 6GB/8GB |
| OS | Android 10 with realme UI |
| Rear Camera | 64MP f/1.8 Main, 8MP f/2.3 Ultrawide, 2MP f/2.4 Macro, 2MP f/2.4 Depth |
| Front Camera | 32MP f/2.5 |
| Storage | 128GB UFS 2.1 expandable via MicroSD Slot |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 4G LTE |
| Connectivity | Dual-band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C |
| Battery | 4,500mAh, 65W SuperDart |
| Others | In-display Fingerprint Scanner |
| Colors | Mirror Silver, Mirror Blue |
The realme 7 Pro is encased in the brand’s traditional yellow box with its name embossed on the front. Opening the box reveals the usual set of accessories which include documentation, a SIM ejector pin, a silicone case, a USB Type-C cable, and its 65W SuperDart charger.
One of the highlights of the realme 6 Pro is its 90Hz IPS screen. While it’s not as fast other more exotic flagships in the market, it brought down the faster display experience to a more palatable price point of PhP 16,990.
In the realme 7 Pro, however, the 90Hz support has been dropped to the usual 60Hz, In lieu of a faster screen, the realme 7 Pro has opted to use a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED 2400 x 1080 display in order to deliver better colors and deeper blacks. It’s safe to assume that realme has decided to bring down the refresh rate due in order for the smartphone’s price to be somewhere near the 6 Pro’s while still being able to bring something new to the table.
While the slower screen won’t do gamers any favors, the improved color reproduction and deeper blacks will allow those who lean more to browsing, photography, and watching to enjoy their content quite a bit better than an IPS display.
realme is pedaling back on the bold design found on the 6 Pro and instead using a more minimalist design on the 7 Pro. Gone is the striking lightning bolt at the back and has been replaced by what the brand calls a mirror-split design.
The new rear design has a close resemblance to the look of the C11. Although it shares the look of a more budget-friendly smartphone, realme has improved the formula quite a bit to include a matte finish and a two-tone design to accentuate a more premium feel to the smartphone. The chassis is still made out of plastic but it feels sturdy without being hefty.
realme has also moved the fingerprint scanner back to an in-display setup instead of integrating it to the power button. Frankly, we prefer the fingerprint scanner in the display instead of having it on the power button to keep everything simple.
Like most of its siblings, the realme 7 Pro ships with a quad camera arrangement at the back led by a 64MP f/1.8 main camera. Its secondary cameras include an 8MP f/2.0 ultrawide lens and a 2MP f/2.4 macro shooter.
Oddly enough, realme has replaced the 12MP f/2.5 telephoto found on the 6 Pro and replaced it with a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor on the 7 Pro. It seems that they are banking on the capabilities of the main camera and its Sony IMX682 sensor to do the heavy lifting to get some decent snaps.
We’ve taken a few snaps using its main camera and the results are pretty good. In decent lighting, the 64MP f/1.8 main lens takes well-detailed photos with good color reproduction. Its Night Mode is able to take decent photos without too much noise. It can even easily differentiate sources of light with different temperature.
The ultrawide selfie camera has been removed and the 7 Pro is now using a single front facing camera on its punch-hole. Although the pixel count has been raised to 32MP f/2.5 over its 16MP predecessor, we can’t help but miss the option to use a wider frame when taking selfies.
The realme 7 Pro is still powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. It shares the same processor as its predecessor, which means that performance will be largely the same.
The biggest improvement of the 7 Pro, however, is its 65W SuperDart charging. With more than double than the charging speeds of their previous generation smartphones, the charger can fill the realme 7 Pro’s 4,500mAh battery to around 40% from empty in under 10 minutes.
At this point, we’re not sure what to feel yet about the realme 7 Pro. While it does make some upgrades in some respects like its usage of a Super AMOLED display and the faster 65W SuperDart charging, the removal of 90Hz support, its telephoto camera, and ultrawide selfie camera feels like a downgrade compared to the realme 6 Pro.
We’re still testing the realme 7 Pro to its full extent to see its full capabilities. So we can’t quite make a concrete opinion about it yet. Our full review should be up once it launches on September 30, 2020 via a live stream on realme’s official Facebook page.
