The Realme 1 was launched on May 15 as Realme's first smartphone. At that time, Realme was an online-only brand of OPPO. The Realme 1 provided a lot of value for its price, with its list of specifications including the capable MediaTek Helio P60 system-on-chip, 3GB/4GB/6GB of RAM with 32GB/64GB/128GB storage, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing camera, and a 3,410mAh battery. Its starting 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant was sold for ₹8,990 ($128), which undercut all of its competitors.

Last month, Oppo's Vice President resigned from the company to form Realme as an independent brand. The Realme 1 went on to become a success in India, with 400,000 units being sold in 40 days. Three months after the launch of the Realme 1 launch, the brand is back with the Realme 2. The Realme 2 was being teased for the last few weeks, and now, it has been officially announced. In terms of specifications, the phone is surprising as it actually makes a few significant downgrades when compared to its predecessor. Its full list of specifications is noted below:

Realme 2 - Specifications at a glance

Specifications

Realme 2

Dimensions and weight

156.2 x 75.6 x 8.2 mm, 168g.

Software

ColorOS 5.1 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo

SoC

Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (8x Arm Cortex-A53 cores @ 1.8GHz); Adreno 506 GPU

RAM and storage

3GB/4GB of RAM with 32GB/64GB of storage; dedicated microSD card slot

Battery

4,230mAh; 5V/2A charging

Display

6.2-inch HD+ (1520x720) IPS LCD with 19:9 aspect ratio, maximum brightness of 360 nits

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, Dual 4G VoLTE

Ports

microUSB port, dual nano SIM slots, 3.5mm headphone jack

Sensors

Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, back-mounted fingerprint sensor, proximity sensor

Bands

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHzHSPA: 850/900/2100MHzFDD-LTE: Bands 1/3/5/8TDD-LTE: Bands 38/39/40/41LTE-A Cat6 300/50Mbps

Rear camera

13MP primary camera with f/2.2 aperture2MP depth sensing camera with f/2.4 apertureVideo recording up to 1080p at 30fps

Front-facing camera

8MP with f/2.2 aperture, 85-degree wide-angle lens

In terms of design, the Realme 2 is the first smartphone in India to adopt the notched display at a price point of less than ₹10,000. It also has a fingerprint sensor, which is a welcome upgrade over the Realme 1. The phone still has software-based face unlock as another unlock mechanism.

The Realme 2's dual rear cameras are placed horizontally at the top left on the back. Design and build quality is very similar to the Realme 1, with the same "diamond-cut" pattern and fibreglass construction.

Performance

The most significant downgrade made by the Realme 2 over the Realme 1 is the SoC. The Realme 1 featured the highly capable MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, which was a competitor to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636. The Realme 2, on the other hand, switches to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC, which is a downgraded variant of the Snapdragon 625. The SoC is a significant step back as it doesn't have a big core cluster, which means that CPU performance of the Realme 2 won't even be close to the Realme 1. The Adreno 506 GPU is also substantially slower than the Mali-G72MP3 GPU of the Helio P60.

The RAM and storage configurations of the Realme 2 are inferior to the Realme 1. Whereas the Realme 1 had a top-end 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant, the Realme 2 caps out at 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage. The phone retains a dedicated microSD card slot (triple slot) that allows users to use two SIMs and a microSD card at the same time.

Display

The Realme 2 has a 6.2-inch HD+ (1520x720) notched IPS LCD with a maximum brightness rating of 360 nits. The display resolution is another downgrade over the Realme 1, which featured a 5.99-inch Full HD+ (2160x1080) display. The 360 nits maximum brightness rating is also a bit low when compared to competitors that have displays as bright as 400+ nits.

Camera

The Realme 2 steps up to a dual rear camera setup, with a 13MP primary camera with f/2.2 aperture paired with a 2MP depth sensor that has a f/2.4 aperture. The front-facing camera remains at 8MP resolution with f/2.2 aperture, and it's used for face unlock.

Pricing and availability

The Realme 2's starting 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant will be available for ₹8,990 ($128) in India, while the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant will cost ₹10,990 ($157). The phone will be available in Diamond Black and Diamond Red colors, while the Diamond Blue color will go on sale in early October. The first sale will be held on September 4 at 12PM IST.

Launch offers include ₹750 discount on HDFC Bank debit and credit card purchases, and "up to 120GB additional data" and "benefits worth up to ₹4,200" from Jio.

The Realme 2 will also be the first Realme smartphone to be available in additional markets. It will go on sale in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Realme 2 Pro launching in September

The Realme 2's specifications are disappointing at first glance, as the phone has taken one step forward and two (no, make that three) steps backward over the Realme 1. Realme, however, is teasing another phone launch, the Realme 2 Pro, in India. It will be unveiled in September, and the "Pro" branding signifies higher-end specifications. The device will supposedly be "for those who want better offerings in a little bit higher price segments," according to Realme.


Source: Flipkart