Realme 1 Design
Realme 1 has a fibreglass body with a diamond-cut look at the back. Oppo says that it has designed the back panel in such a way that when light falls on it, it reflects it in different directions. The design is really unique. One problem with it is that the phone easily catches fingerprints. Thanks to the 84.75% screen-to-body ratio, Realme 1 feels compact and handy. The screen is not actually borderless but the front look of the phone looks sleek and modern. Despite the plastic frame, the build quality is good. We dropped Realme 1 several times but it did not suffer any damage.
The rear camera module has a slight protrusion. The volume rockers are on the left side of the phone, which are not difficult to reach. The power button and SIM tray are placed on the right side. While many phones in this price range come with a hybrid SIM tray, the Realme 1 has separate slots for two nano SIMs and an SD card.
The lack of a fingerprint sensor is a bummer, but the company has replaced it with facial recognition. There is a passcode option for security. Face recognition works well, but there is a problem in direct sunlight and low light.
Realme 1 Specifications
The specifications of Realme 1 are attractive for its price. The phone is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 processor with a clock speed of 2.0 GHz. This feature makes it a competitor of Redmi 5, but it also has the power to compete with the much more expensive Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The price of Realme 1’s 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant is Rs 8,990. For the 4GB RAM and 64GB variant, you will have to pay Rs 10,990. Also, the variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB will be available for Rs 13,990. Storage can be increased up to 256GB via microSD card. The entry level variant especially brings a lot in its price.
Realme 1 has a 6-inch Full HD+ display. The display is a bit reflective and viewing angles are not good. The colors are vibrant but the screen is a bit too bright for outdoor use. We are glad that the company has not copied the notch display. Realme 1 has a 3410 mAh non-removable battery. The phone runs on Color OS 5.0, which is present on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. FM radio, GPS, A-GPS will be available in the phone. Micro-USB port will be available in the phone. According to the trend, USB-Type C port has not been given in it. In Realme 1, one SIM will give 4G speed at a time. The second SIM will automatically shift to 3G.
Realme 1 performance, software and battery life
During our review, everything ran smoothly on the smartphone. Daily tasks like taking photos, web browsing, 4K videos were done easily. Heavy games like Subway Surfer and Asphalt 8 also ran smoothly on Realme 1. The phone also did not heat up much during this time. In AnTuTu benchmark rating, Realme 1 also beat Redmi Note 5 Pro.
Realme 1 runs on Oppo’s modified Color OS 5.0, which is on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. The interface is smooth. The Settings app and Quick Launch panel are a bit stiff. There is no app drawer and the Google Now panel has been replaced with a custom screen that shows options like weather, steps taken, favorite contacts, recent events. The positive thing is that there will be no unnecessary apps in it. However, the user will get dual app, three-finger screenshot shortcut, theming app and locking gesture. However, nothing has been said about the Android P update in the phone.
The battery given in Realme 1 is better. In our HD video loop test, the handset lasted for 11 hours and 30 minutes. Even if the phone is used heavily, the charger is required only at 12-1 in the night. Realme 1 smartphone does not support quick charging. It takes two and a half to three hours to get fully charged.
Realme 1 cameras
Realme 1 has a 13-megapixel rear camera, which comes with a single LED flash. The front camera is 8 megapixels. The company says that it can recognize 296 facial points. It also has artificial intelligence feature.
The iOS-like camera app is easy to use. It has panorama, time-lapse and AR stickers. It already features a Pro mode that lets users adjust shutter speed, ISO, exposure, aperture and white balance. The AI-based selfie camera automatically detects skin tone, skin type, age, gender. In our experience, the front camera produced good photos but struggled in low light. The AI beautification is good but brings some unnecessary watercolor effects.
The camera app took decent photos in good light. It struggled in low light. The AI beautification is good but comes with an unwanted watercolour effect. Both the front and rear cameras use the bokeh effect. Photos were not good. Edge detection was poor and detail was not good either. The 13-megapixel rear camera captures detailed photos but they are dull. The dynamic range of the sensor is poor and it seems to struggle with detail and auto-focus in low light. AR stickers are well applied. A total of 14 stickers can be used via the front and rear cameras.
Decision
Realme 1 has a unique design, which may not be of much interest to everyone. The 6GB RAM variant we reviewed performed well. Battery life is good. There is a dedicated microSD card slot and the display is also good. The lack of a fingerprint sensor, sluggish software and average cameras prevent Realme 1 from being the best in its segment. Its 3GB and 4GB RAM variants are value for money products. It is certain that Realme 1 has created some trouble for Xiaomi.
Oppo is presenting the Realme 1 brand as a competitor to Xiaomi. Oppo says that it will not sell it through flash sales. But it is not clear how many units the company will release in the first time. The demand is obviously going to be high, so it will not be surprising if the phones go out of stock.