Realme 9i 5G Review: Stylish, Dependable, Affordable

Realme 9i 5G Review Summary:

Editor’s rating: 3.9/5

Realme has launched the next in its Number 9 Series – the Realme 9i. The affordable 5G from Realme comes with a design inspired by CD which might bring what you might remember from the pre-OTT era.

The good-looking phone packs a MediaTek Dimensity 810 processor, 90Hz FHD+ display, a 50-megapixel triple rear camera setup, and a 5000mAh battery. Realme has priced its aggressively under Rs 15,000 to take on Samsung Galaxy M13 5G and POCO M4 Pro 5G. Is the Realme 9i 5G worth going for at the price the company is offering? Let’s find out.

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Jump To..

• Unboxing
• Price and availability
• Design
• Display
• Performance
• Camera
• Battery
• Should you buy Realme 9i 5G?

Realme 9i 5G : Price & Availability In India

The Realme 9i 5G will be available in the following storage models-

• 4GB RAM+64GB storage- Rs. 14,999
• 6GB RAM+128GB storage- 15,999

It will come in 2 colors- Gold and Black and will retail via Flipkart.com and Realme.com from 24^th August.

Realme 9i 5G Specs

Specs	Realme 9i 5G
Software	Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0
Display	6.6-inch FHD+ LCD, 90Hz refresh rate
SoC	MediaTek Dimensity 810
RAM	up to 6GB
Storage	128GB
Rear cameras	50MP+2MP+2MP
Front Camera	8MP
Battery	5000mAh
Charging	18W
Size	164.4×75.1×8.1mm
Weight	187 grams
Connectivity	5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 4 and 5

Realme 9i 5G: Unboxing

The Realme 9i 5G comes in a bright yellow cardboard box. The box contains-

• Realme 9i 5G handset
• Adapter
• USB Cable
• Sim ejector tool
• Safety guide
• Quick guide
• Protective case

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Realme 9i 5G Review: Design

Realme has gotten bold with the design element of the 9i 5G. It has gone back to the vintage era as the Realme 9i 5G comes with a CD design inspired by MET GALA 2022. The smartphone has a light and reflective texture on the back that dazzles when light falls on it. Just like CDs changed color under light, the same goes for 9i 5G. I received the Metallica Gold color variant ( two others being Soulful Blue and Rocking Black) and I absolutely loved the appearance of the device. It catches my attention as people did ask me about it when they saw the device in my hand. The back panel is shimmery, and glittery, and looks sophisticated. The only problem is it attracts dirt and fingerprints heavily.

Otherwise, the Realme 9i 5G has a sleek and lightweight design. It is comfortable to hold as it is just 8.1mm thick and weighs 187 grams. The weight is evenly distributed and the plastic back of the smartphone actually feels like glass. The frame feels like it’s made of metal. The compact form factor makes it easy to use with one hand but I would still recommend using a case to protect the device, as I was always paranoid about it slipping from my hand and getting damaged.

With Realme 9i 5G, the brand has done away with the camera module at the back. The backside sees 3 lenses without any module, blending into the rear panel. Two out of three lenses are big, whereas the third one is smaller. Apart from lenses, there’s Realme branding too at the backside.

The right edge has a power button cum fingerprint scanner whereas the left side has volume rockers and a sim tray. The top edge is left idle whereas the bottom edge houses a microphone, 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grille, and USB Type-C port.

The front has a huge 6.6-inch display with a selfie lens in the middle at the top of the screen. There are slight bezels all around, but the chin has thicker ones. All in all, design is one of the strongest features of the Realme 9i 5G.

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Realme 9i 5G Review: Display

The Realme 9i 5G features a 6.6-inch LCD display with FHD+ resolution. It has a refresh rate of 90Hz which makes scrolling through apps like Instagram and Twitter seamless and pleasurable. The quality of the visuals is great with balanced color tones and decent contrast levels. The screen looks huge while watching content that gives an even more immersive experience. The 180Hz touch sampling rate makes sure that the device responds fast and smoothly.

However, not all is great with the display of the Realme 9i 5G. While indoors, the device was fine, the 400 nits brightness outdoors was not satisfactory. The screen was not clearly visible under daylight when it was sunny. This made the phone almost unusable when the sunlight was bright. The screen supports FHD+ resolution but the lack of AMOLED panels can be felt while watching certain specific content.

Realme 9i 5G Review: Camera

On paper, Realme 9i 5G has a triple camera setup at the back. The setup includes a 50MP main sensor along with a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor. Out of these, only the 50MP main sensor is worth taking good quality pictures. It gives good shots in daylight and captures clean images without any distortion or noise. The colors were not exactly accurate but decent. In low lighting conditions, the quality of images dipped.

I have not tested the camera setup completely, so will be able to talk about the performance of the macro and depth camera in detail later on. Whatever shots I took, they were usable but lacked autofocus. There was a noise as well.

The 8MP selfie lens works just fine. The selfies are clear, and precise with the focus on the subject and the skin tones come out real and natural. The background is kept secondary and the selfie camera covers a good field of view as well.

Realme 9i 5G Review: Performance

The Realme 9i 5G is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G chipset. The chipset is fast and efficient while performing everyday tasks like browsing social media apps, playing casual games, and more. The 128GB storage gives ample space to store whatever is necessary. The device has up to 6GB RAM which can be further expanded and RAM combined with the processor makes the device fast and convenient to use.

The device works well for casual gaming like candy crush and temple run and it can run games with high frame rates and graphics, but those heat up the device and might start slowing down after some time.

The phone runs Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0 and the UI is full of bloatware and sluggish. There are options for customization and personalization but those do not make up for the adware and bloatware present on the device.

The speaker is loud and clear while the call quality is decent even in low signal areas. The thermal performance is poor as the device heats up while gaming, charging, and running benchmark tests.

ALSO READ: Moto G42 Review: An all-rounder that lasts all-day

Realme 9i 5G Review: Battery

The Realme 9i 5G packs a good 5000mAh battery under the hood. This is also one of the strong points of the device as even with heavy usage, the battery lasted for about a day on a single charge. I watched content, listened to music, browsed social media, attended calls and meetings, and even play games, but the battery did not drain out completely at the end of the day.

The smartphone comes with an 18W fast-charging adapter bundled inside the box. The charger takes over 2 hours to charge the battery from 0 to 100% and though the charging time is huge, the brand has tried to make up for it by giving a long-lasting battery capacity.

Realme 9i 5G Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

The Realme 9i 5G is a decent performer for those who need a stylish and premium smartphone under the 20k price range. The smartphone has a gorgeous design, fast chipset, ample RAM and ROM, and large battery life. Although the UI is full of bloatware and the rear camera setup is not the best, that can be ignored if your focus is on a device that meets your daily needs. Gaming is also not top of the line but works for those who are casual gamers. Aggressive pricing and premium specs make Realme 9i 5G a smart choice for sure.