Real me. Pronounced realm. Please familiarize yourself with this name because I am terrified that you will hear/read it quite often from now on. And is not for less. Despite being relatively young, the company has already shown us to be able to gain a foothold in a segment as complex as the mid-range, where its Realme 5 Pro, which we were able to analyze in Andro4all, was able to prove its worth against rivals on the level of the Redmi Note 8 Pro.
But not only mid-range Realme intends to live. The OPPO subsidiary presented, not long ago, the Realme X2 Pro, its most ambitious mobile to date, and the model in charge of awakening the interest of more than one for this – not so – unknown firm of Chinese origin.
Now, this model goes through our test table. A phone that, despite combining some of the most cutting-edge features we have seen in the telephone market, such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, a 90 Hz screen, or an ultra-fast fast charge, lands on the market at a price that starts from the 399 euros.
Realme X2 Pro: a technical sheet of characteristics and specifications
| Realme X2 Pro | |
| specs | |
| Dimensions | 161 x 75,7 x 8,7 mm 199 grams of weight |
| Screen | 6.5-inch Super AMOLED Cristal Gorilla Glass 5 90 Hz refresh rate |
| Resolution | Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ |
| RAM | 6/8/12 GB |
| Operating system | ColorOS 6.1 based on Android 9 |
| Storage | 64 GB UFS 2.1 / 128/256 GB UFS 3.0 |
| Cameras | Rear: 64 MP f / 1.8 main + 8 MP f / 2.2 wide angle + 13 MP f / 2.5 telephoto with 5X hybrid zoom + 2 MP portrait lens Frontal: 16 MP |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh with 50W SuperVOOC fast charge |
| Others | On-screen optical fingerprint reader, USB Type-C, NFC, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Starting price | From 399 euros |
The best of the Realme X2 Pro
Hardware / Price Ratio
Before we talk about experience, let’s talk about numbers.
The redmi K20 Pro Xiaomi left the bar very high in offering hardware extremely pointer to an absurdly low price. Following that same path, Realme decided to double the bet with this X2 Pro.
The repertoire of specifications of the Realme X2 Pro, mainly in the most cutting-edge model, which is precisely the one that has passed through our hands, is simply impressive. The Snapdragon 855+ is accompanied by no less than 12 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of UFS 3.0 storage.
Separate mention deserves the screen, an AMOLED panel with 6.5 inches diagonal, Full HD + resolution, and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. At least on paper, these features place it at the level of panels like the OnePlus 7T – -model with which I am terrified, this terminal shares more than one kinship – or the Google Pixel 4 XL.
The list goes on, and the numbers keep growing. A four-camera system leads its rear, with a 64-megapixel resolution on its primary sensor. It’s not short on battery either, thanks to its 4,000 mAh capacity and a 50 W fast-charging system.
And since we are talking about numbers, let’s get out of the way the aspect of the device that, most likely, has led you to read these lines: yes, the Realme X2 Pro costs 399 euros … but if you intend to spend less than 400 euros, You should know that in that case, you will lose advantages such as the high capacity UFS 3.0 memory – if we consider that the 64 GB of the lower version are not – or the more significant amount of RAM.
Regardless of these buts, the fact that the phone that I have been able to test over a little over a week costs only 499 euros is simply ridiculous. Even so, I fear that the vast majority of mortals will have more than enough with one of the two “less powerful” versions – to call them somehow – of this X2 Pro.
Performance
Knowing the list of specifications of the X2 Pro already, it will not surprise anyone that the second positive aspect to highlight of this phone is its performance. The Snapdragon 855+ generates a version on par with the most powerful phones of the year, and there is absolutely nothing that can resist the 7 nanometers, eight cores, and up to 2.9 GHz of this engine signed by Qualcomm.
Nor do you expect problems when it comes to summarizing applications stored in memory, and its 4,000 mAh battery allows it to go through the day of use in spades, even leaving some juice to squeeze during the next day. During these days using the terminal, the figures have moved around 6-7 hours of screen on charging the airport in the morning and reaching 0% around 10-11 in the morning the next day.
However, even excessive use that does not allow you to reach the end of the day will not be a problem for this Realme, thanks to its fast-charging system. It is simply ridiculous to be able to recharge its capacity in about 40 minutes fully.
Design and display
Like 95% – an invented figure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were exact – of the high-end phones of 2019, the Realme X2 Pro is built-in glass, with aluminum edges that surround its chassis. And as in the rest of the terminals that use these manufacturing materials, the neat look and the feel premium in hand are assured … at the cost of a fragility that should be taken into account. On this, yes, it should be said that Realme includes a transparent protective case next to its 399-euro phone, something that some manufacturers of hundreds of more expensive mobile phones cannot boast.
The pronounced curvature of the back of the phone’s Gorilla Glass 5, and its rounded edges, make the Realme X2 Pro a mobile, although heavy, comfortable to use unless your hands are small or you intend to reach the top corners using one hand. It also helps that its back is shiny and does not slip as much as the glass with other models’ matte finish.
Still, Realme has done an excellent job reducing the size of the margins that surround the panel, and the bottom frame alone takes up more or less considerable space. Meanwhile, its upper part is led by a small notch in the shape of a drop of water that, as in other models, at no time seems annoying or distracting – although I do not think it is necessary to comment on it at this point.
Beyond that, there isn’t much more to say about the Realme X2 Pro’s design. Unlike what happens with its more direct competitor, Xiaomi’s Mi 9T Pro, the best of Realme is committed to a sober but pleasant design, without technical fanfare or desperate attempts to hide the phone’s sensors to get more space. Instead, Realme opts to differentiate its design by striking colors blue and white, which still detract from the strident gradients of other competing models.
Where Realme has dared to progress, and notably, is about the phone screen. Currently, the X2 Pro is the cheapest mobile with a 90 Hz screen on the market, and for that alone, its 6.6-inch AMOLED panel deserves a place in this part of the analysis.
To the already devilish speed of the Realme, the extreme fluidity provided by this 90 Hz of its screen is added, and that makes using the device an extremely smooth experience. One that until now we could only perceive in considerably more expensive mobiles.
Nor can I forget one of the secrets that its screen hides: the fingerprint reader. Like that of its cousins, the OPPO Reno or OnePlus seven series models, the on-screen fingerprint reader of this X2 Pro is one of the fastest and most accurate in its category, without yet reaching the level of the most immediate capacitive readers. , but yes above the ultrasonic readers used by firms such as Samsung in the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note10.
The worst of the Realme X2 Pro
ColorOS
Despite costing 100 euros more, I see a reason why the OnePlus 7T can be, for more than one, a much more attractive mobile than this X2 Pro: its software. I said it in my review of the OPPO Reno and OPPO Reno 10x. My colleague Miguel reiterated in his review of the Reno2: ColorOS is not worthy software to be included in such good phones.
I look forward to the day when OPPO and Realme manage to bring a much cleaner version of Android to their mobiles.
The first problem is found in the fact that a mobile launched at the end of 2019 has Android 9 Pie when most manufacturers are already working on updating their reference mobiles to Android 10. Hopefully, the update will reach the device at some point in this final stretch of the year or early 2020. Be that as it may, Android 10 would have been another point in favor of a mobile that, otherwise, would be very difficult to find fault.
But much to my regret, that’s not all. Although ColorOS 6.1 works fast, and unlike the OPPO Reno that I was able to analyze in the middle of the year, some of the pre-installed applications disappear to make way for a somewhat less cluttered drawer of “utilities” pre-installed by Realme, there is still bloatware pre-loaded, among which we can find apps like Opera, Aqua Mail or Facebook. In addition, we continue to have duplicate applications of all kinds, an appearance that is too focused on the eastern audience, and confusing options and settings menus.
I also have to mention other details that make the experience with this software not as coherent or pleasant as it should be. For example, the always-on screen mode is rather useless by not showing notifications. The operation of these is somewhat erratic in specific applications; I am afraid that due to Realme’s different “optimization” systems.
In that sense, in addition, the classic cleaning tools, antivirus, and other paraphernalia are present again that, for some reason that I do not understand, give the operation of the phone a score between 0 and 100 without explaining what these figures are based on exactly.
In short, ColorOS is, in my opinion, a software that is still not ready to conquer the western public, no matter how much it has achieved in the regions where OPPO is among the leading market leaders. I trust that ColorOS 7, the new version of this operating system based on Android 10, will introduce the changes that some of us have been waiting for for a long time.
Your screen (again)
As much as manufacturers like Realme or Xiaomi strive at it, it is challenging, if not impossible, to create an affordable high-end phone that does not come with some compromise in the form of cutting one or more of its sections. And I’m afraid that in the case of the Realme X2 Pro, one of them is the screen.
While the panel offers more than correct brightness levels, good viewing angles, and vivid colors, we found inaccurate calibration in any of the available color modes due in part to a too-cool color temperature. Fortunately, the possibility of modifying the white balance from the screen settings partially remedies this problem.
What I’m afraid is not entirely fixable are the inconsistencies in the lighting of your screen, noticeable especially when the brightness is below 20-25% and in dark environments. Although likely, this problem will not affect all the units of the device; it is necessary to mention that, in our case, the terminal does not offer uniform illumination throughout the entire panel, which indicates that the screen of the airport is below that of other models in terms of quality. As a curiosity, and again as a demonstration of the similarities between this model and the OnePlus 7T, it should be remembered that this is the same problem we encountered in our test of the latest OnePlus terminal.
So are the cameras of the Realme X2 Pro
A mobile of this caliber could not lack a photographic section to match. For Realme, 48 megapixels are out of fashion. The company decided to up the ante with a 64 megapixel Super Bright primary sensor signed by Samsung, with f / 1.8 aperture, which is accompanied by three other different sensors: a “super wide angle2 of 8 megapixels, a 13 “telephoto” with 5x hybrid zoom, and digital zoom of up to 20, and finally a 2-megapixel depth camera . On the front, a single camera occupies the small “notch,” with a resolution of 16 megapixels.
Looking at this set of sensors, it is clear that the great asset of the Realme X2 Pro in this regard is its photographic versatility. We have sensors for practically any situation, and of course, with modes that allow you to take advantage of each camera.
Its camera app, very similar to the one we saw in the Reno series models – with an interface, to my liking, somewhat recharged – offers all the functions we might need. At the top, there are quick settings to activate or deactivate the flash, automatic HDR, wide-angle mode, artistic filters, or the mode that Realme calls “color enhancement,” which roughly saturates the primary colors to the maximum to generate more amazing captures – although less faithful to reality.
Also included are other functions such as portrait mode, an “ultra 64 MP” mode with which to capture images at the highest possible resolution offered by the primary camera, a “night landscape,” in addition to panoramic, professional, Time Lapse, slow motion and ultra macro. There is also the automatic detection of scenes, which will modify the camera’s parameters depending on the situation to be captured.
Behavior by day, portrait mode, and at night
The sensation that I perceive when using the camera of this Realme X2 Pro is similar to what I was able to experience with its relatives from the OPPO Reno series, which is undoubtedly a perfect thing. Considering the situation in the field of mobile photography within this price segment, it is to be appreciated that Realme opts for processing that bets on realism and obtains the highest possible level of detail without neglecting a colorful and aesthetic. Showy.
Logically, the 64-megapixel primary camera is the one that offers the best result. It stands out above all the good work when facing the camera to scenes with a high dynamic range. It can preserve to a great extent the detail of the shadows without actually burning the most illuminated parts of the image.
Also striking is the excellent stabilization of the 5x “telephoto” lens, something essential when you want to capture distant scenes while preventing the subject from being photographed from appearing blurry. The difference in vibrations and movements is very noticeable, especially when going from the zoom of two increases to the five. In addition, this is, in my opinion, the most fun camera to use, thanks to the possibility of capturing a slightly different perspective of the scenes. However, you lose a lot of image quality along the way .
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the “super wide-angle,” which, with its 8 megapixels, falls short in capturing detail and generating colors that are not as close to reality as the rest of the cameras.
It is also worth stopping by Portrait mode, which performs very well in cropping the subject and smoothness of the blur. In addition, it offers the possibility to modify the effect bokeh before capturing the image.
On the other hand, a comment that night captures are probably the most significant weak point of this photographic system. However, even in low light, the device can defend itself well, and the night landscape mode will give us a hand in those situations in which the lighting is conspicuous by its absence.
Finally, it is necessary to bear in mind that if your main priority when buying a new mobile is its quality when capturing video, I am afraid that the X2 Pro might not be for you … of course, there are not many models either to do better for less than 500 euros. Videos shot with the Realme X2 Pro are generally correct in color rendering and audio capture and not so much in terms of stabilization.
Frontal camera
The results obtained with the are also the good 16-megapixel front camera. Unlike other Asian firms, Realme does not abuse face smoothing and preserves a good level of detail regarding facial features. However, the performance of the portrait mode with this sensor does not reach the level of that of the rear camera, perhaps due to the lack of a sensor dedicated to capturing information and depth.
Realme X2 Pro: opinion and final thoughts from Andro4all
Like Redmi, Realme took its first steps in the field of the mid and low range. And also, like Redmi, its breakthrough in the segment premium could not have been better. The Realme X2 Pro is, without a doubt, the mobile with the best hardware/price ratio of 2019, and that is that no other terminal can offer so much for less than 500 euros. Not even the Mi 9T Pro itself.
Beyond its processor, photographic section, or autonomy, details such as the UFS 3.0 technology of its memory, the 90 Hz of its screen, and the 50W charging system make the difference compared to other competitors within the range of 400-500 euros. They make this X2 Pro the complete phone that you can buy for that price.
Of course, not everything is perfect. The experience offered by its software is not as consistent or intuitive as that provided by other systems like OxygenOS or even MIUI. Furthermore, the screen suffers from certain drawbacks in terms of quality and calibration. The “tele” and “ultra-wide” cameras do not offer as remarkable a result as the primary 64-megapixel sensor.
In short, if what you are looking for is the mobile with the bulkiest technical sheet possible, but you do not want to spend too much, you should know that very few current phones can stand up to the X2 Pro, and if it – few – drawbacks do not suppose a problem for you, Realme’s new star model should be at the top of your list of candidates.
Price and where to buy the Realme X2 Pro
The Realme X2 Pro is available for reservation in Spain from November 4, at a starting price of 399 euros for the model with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of UFS 2.1 storage, which amounts to 449 euros for the model with 8 GB of RAM and double the storage, and that finally reaches the 499 euros of the protagonist version of this analysis, with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory UFS 3.0. It is possible to buy the device both on the official Realme website and in usual stores, including Amazon.
| Realme X2 Pro, opinion and note from Andro4all | |
| Should you buy the Realme X2 Pro? | |
| In favor |
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| Against |
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| Conclusions | Successfully entering a new segment is not easy, even less so when you are a relatively young company. Despite this, Realme shows that there was still room for “something” more in the problematic part of the affordable high-end. And that “something” is none other than the X2 Pro, the mobile with the best hardware/price ratio of all 2019. |
| Punctuation |
Realme X2 Pro The mobile marks the beginning of something huge. |
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
