I know, I know Realme has been launching way too many phones for its own good, but one might argue that they are simply keeping pace with the dynamics of the fast-changing affordable market.
If not Realme, we can still bank on one or the other manufacturer to launch a fascinating affordable phone every month and a buyer would still end up feeling that he/she ought to have waited a bit longer. Realme being on its toes just ensures that they always have something new to match up.
The next in line are Realme 6 and Realme 6 Pro, and we are guessing these are meant to challenge the upcoming Redmi Notes. As confusing as it may sound, Realme insists that the 6 succeeds the Realme 5 Pro in the hierarchy. In our Realme 6 review, we will talk about what clicks and what doesn’t and you will hopefully be able to make up your mind before we get to the end. Let’s start with the India price and specs.
Realme 6 review: Price and Specifications
| Model | Realme 6 |
| Display | 6.5-inch, LCD, 1080 x 2400 (full HD+), Gorilla Glass 3, 400 Nits Brightness, 90.5% screen to body ratio |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G90T (2x Cortex-A76 cores @2.05Ghz + 6x Cortex-A55 cores @2.0Ghz) |
| RAM | 4GB/6GB/8GB LPDDR4x |
| Storage | 64GB/ 128GB UFS 2.1; Dedicated card slot (256GB) |
| Software | Android 10, Realme UI |
| Rear camera | 64MP F1.8 (primary); 8MP F2.3 (wide-angle); 2MP F2.4 (mono sensor); 2MP F2.4 (macro) |
| Selfie camera | 16MP, F/2.0 |
| Fingerprint sensor | Capacitive (Side-mounted) |
| Dimensions and weight | 162.1mm x 74.8mm x 8.9 mm; 191 grams |
| Battery | 4300mAh, 30W fast charging |
| Price |
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Page Jumps:
- Realme 6 Review: Design and Build
- Realme 6 Review: Display
- Realme 6 Review: Performance and Software
- Realme 6 Review: Camera Performance
- Realme 6 Review: Battery
- Realme 6 Review: Verdict
Realme 6 Review: Design and Build
As a reviewer, it’s hard to be excited by the Realme 6 design. Not that the design is outmoded or inconvenient. It’s just that the phone lands close on the heels of the more premium and meticulously designed Realme X50 Pro with similar design elements and as of now it’s hard to shake the feeling that we are holding a cheaper sibling.
From a more objective standpoint, Realme 6 is well matched to the rivals it will be up against. And the side-mounted fingerprint sensor surely severs as a distinguishing factor.
Yes, the power button doubles as a fingerprint sensor. The sensor is fast and its elongated profile makes it easier to locate. Thankfully, it accepts partial touches and is always on. The Face Unlock is blazing fast as well. And there’s also the option to combine face and fingerprint unlock.
Another glaring change is the new pin-hole notch-style. Since the base Panel is IPS LCD, the edges aren’t perfectly neat, but we doubt this is something many users would notice.
Realme 6 has a glass-metal finish casing, but it’s essentially made of polycarbonate. The phone is solidly built and has a decent heft to it (191 grams). All essentials – including USB Type-C port, audio jack, and microSD card slot- are well covered.
So, overall, if you are ok with big phones, there is very little to complain about the Realme 6 design. Considering the price, of course.
Realme 6 Review: Display
The display is 6.5-inches in size (20:9) and is shielded by Gorilla Glass 3. This is a Full HD resolution screen and bezels surrounding it are pretty narrow. Realme has ditched AMOLED displays on both the 6 and 6 Pro, which is mildly disappointing.
The surprise addition is high refresh rate support (up to 90Hz). We’d like to add that high refresh rate screens aren’t merely a marketing fad. These do help uplift the user experience.
By default, the whites have a bluish tint, and colors and contrast are average. You can fix the color temperature to an extent using a toggle under display settings. The maximum brightness isn’t outright impressive but the screen was legible under direct sunlight.
Realme 6 Review: Performance and Software
The Realme 6 is powered by MediaTek Helio G90T octa-core chipset paired with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1 storage. This is the same chipset that we earlier saw on the Redmi Note 8 Pro.
The G90T is well suited for gaming. In fact, the gaming performance was undoubtedly better than that of the Snapdragon 720G-powered Realme 6 Pro. The 6 tends to get hotter with extended gaming. A 30 minutes PUBG session soared the temperature to 43-degrees and resulted in around 15% battery drain. By default, PUBG runs on HDR – Ultra on the 6GB RAM variant. The 4GB RAM variant doesn’t support HDR mainly due to G90T limitation.
We didn’t notice any performance glitches with day-to-day usage. The software running on the phone is Android 10-based Realme UI. The interface is well designed and is rich in features and options.
As is, unfortunately, the case with all competent phones in this segment, there are several pre-installed apps and many of these push unwanted notifications. You can uninstall third-party apps but can only turn notifications off for Realme Apps like browser and App market. In case you are interested, we have detailed Realme UI in a separate article.
The audio output via loudspeaker is reasonably loud and average in terms of quality. Audio output via headphones, too, is pretty average.
Realme 6 has the DRM L1 certificate but we weren’t able to stream HD content on Prime videos and Netflix on our review unit. The phone supports Dual VoLTE, Dual-band Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi calling.
There is no secondary noise cancellation microphone and this does impact call quality in noisy environments.
Also Read: What is NavIC? Is NavIC better than GPS?
Realme 6 Review: Camera Performance
The Realme 6 Pro has four cameras on the rear – 64MP primary + 8MP wide-angle + 2MP macro + 2MP Mono.
The camera configuration and performance aren’t much different from what we get from other affordable phones from the brand including the Realme X2.
The 64MP sensor can capture rich details in proper lighting conditions. Colors are punchy without going overboard.
Indoors and in low light, the camera performance expectedly deteriorates. Images are soft as a result of aggressive noise reduction.
The wide-angle shooter can be an asset in favourable lighting conditions but you won’t be using it very often.
The portrait mode lets you adjust the intensity of the blur, and most often it works quite well.
Face Beautification is on by default, and you will need to select natural mode to get rid of it. The selfie camera does a great job in most lighting conditions.
The 2MP macro camera is fun to play with but image quality isn’t much to write home about.
The camera performance is at par with what we usually get from competent online exclusive phones in this price segment. The Redmi Note 8 Pro and Poco X2 are still better in this regard.
Realme 6 Review: Battery
You need not fret about the battery at all. The 4300mAh battery can comfortably last for 1.5 to 2 days. Besides, Realme bundled 30W fast charging adapter in the box which surely feels like a luxury at this price point.
The battery takes around an hour for a full charge, but anywhere around 30 minutes should have you well covered.
Realme 6 Review: Verdict
Realme 6 offers a lot of hardware for a very aggressive price. In fact, features like 90Hz refresh rate screen, 64MP quad-camera, and 30W fast charging are impossible to ignore for a starting price of Rs. 12,999. Yes, Realme is cutting a few corners, but it now seems unfair to complain.
Demanding users who are into gaming won’t be disappointed, the camera performance is at par with what we usually see in this segment and revamped Realme UI is not as big a peeve point as Color OS used to be.
So, if you are ok with big phones and are restricted by a budget, we have no qualms about recommending the Realme 6.
Pros
- Smooth 90Hz display
- Powerful performance
- Excellent battery experience
- Android 10-based software
- Retains Audio Jack and dedicated card slot
- Fast fingerprint sensor
Cons
- Big and bulky
- Mediocre display quality
- No secondary mic for noise cancellation
Realme 6 FAQ answered
Question: What are default PUBG settings on Realme 6
Answer: By default, PUBG runs in HDR-Ultra on the 6GB RAM option. The 4GB RAM variant supports HD – High or Balance – Ultra.
Question: What is the touch sampling rate of Realme 6
Answer: The touch sampling rate of Realme 6 is 120Hz.
Question: Does Realme 6 support HD streaming?
Answer: Realme 6 has DRM L1 certificate but currently does not support HD streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Question: Does Realme 6 have Wi-Fi calling?
Answer: Yes, Wi-Fi calling is supported.
Question: Does Realme 6 have a secondary mic for noise cancellation?
Answer: No, it does not.
Question: Does Realme 6 have NavIC support?
Answer: No. Only the Pro variant has NavIC support.
Question: Does Realme 6 have stereo speakers? How is the audio quality?
Answer: No, the phone has audio Audio quality via loudspeaker and via headphones is average at best.
Question: Does Realme 6 have an LED notification light?
Answer: No, it doesn’t.
Question: What is the SAR Value of Realme 6?
Answer: SAR value is 1.138 W/kg for the head, and 0.586 W/ kg for the body.
I’m struggling to decide whether or not to replace the screen protection. I bought a case that also has a tempered glass protection and I’m not certain what to do. The phone seems to come with a preapplied layer. Should I strip it and apply the other glass layer? I’m not even sure if the current one is plastic film or not – it seems like that, you can push the corner a bit and some air seeps in, it can be pushed out afterwards without traces… Thoughts?
Hi, I wouldn’t recommend peeling it off. Pre-applied screen protectors are usually of good quality with decent oleophobic coating, and yes they are plastic. keep it till it wears off itself.