Realme Narzo 20A Review

Realme Narzo 20A is launched in India at a starting price of Rs. 8,499. For the price, you are getting a cookie-cutter design, baseline memory and storage configuration, a massive battery, and a tried and tested Snapdragon 665 chipset. So, on paper, it does bring all the staple ingredients. (Realme Narzo 20A Review हिंदी में पढ़िए)

Now, all we got to see is how the sum of it all comes together as a whole and whether it’s worth the asking price. You’ll have the answers here in the Smartprix review of Realme Narzo 20A.

Let’s start by glancing over the specs:

Realme Narzo 20A Specifications

Then the inbox contents:

Realms Narzo 20A Unboxing

• The phone
• 10W charger
• micro-USB Cable
• Pre-installed plastic screen protector
• SIM ejector Tool
• Booklets with Warranty Card

And the review begins —

Realme Narzo 20A Design and Display

On the design front, Realme has made slight changes that set the device apart from its antecedent. It is still a sturdy polycarbonate shell but with a shimmering glow to it. The textured back offers a nice grip too. My only gripe is with the color choice. I would any day go with the light blue variant over the starchy silver on my review unit. But that’s just me. Tell me your pick in the comments.

I appreciate the device’s sleek profile, subtle curves, and polished edges. The left frame holds the power button while the right houses the volume rockers and SIM plus Micro SD (dedicated) tray. The bottom is where you’d find the 3.5 mm jack, a timid lone speaker, and a micro USB port. Mmm…

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By the back, you have the “triple” cam setup and a functional fingerprint reader. Oh, the Narzo insignia too.

Pivot to the front, and there’s a waterdrop notch, acceptable side bezels, a thick chin, and an LCD interactive panel in between. The screen measures 6.5in diagonally, with HD+ resolution and about 270 PPI pixel density. The display is plenty bright indoors, and not bad under the sun. The colors albeit consumable, lack enough contrast and hence appear flat and soft. For what it’s worth, Realme has slapped Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top. So that could spare you some relief.

Moving on…

Realme Narzo 20A Performance

Welcome, Snapdragon 665. Long time no see. It’s an 11nm architecture based silicon with 8 cores, 4x A73 performance cores, 4x A53 efficiency cores, and Adreno 610 GPU. This is clubbed with up to 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB of eMMC 5.1 storage, and Android 10 based Realme UI on top.

In my few days with the device, this amalgamation delivered a performance as expected.

The processor is a tried and tested one, that I’ve used in phones such as Realme 5 (review) before. And it is capable of carrying most processes, albeit with some fuzz. In my few days with the device, I did notice slowness while multitasking and loading screens. But, as I said, those are things that come with the restrained course.

For those wondering about games, titled like COD (Very High+ Very High: 40fps, High+Max: 47fps, Medium+Max: 60fps) and PES were playable with some frame drops.

The software covers most bases when it comes to getting things done. I’m well acquainted with its bucketload of features some of which I very much adore. For instance, the Dark Mode for 3rd party apps is frickin dope! It lets me darken Twitter Lite which is otherwise only out in blinding white. The Android 11 edition of Realme UI has more in store. But, don’t pin hopes on getting it anytime soon.

Before moving to the next section, here are some of its benchmark stats:

Realme Narzo 20A Battery, Calls, and Connectivity

Narzo 20A bears a 5000mAh battery that warrants a lasting life. In the PCMark battery test, it managed to clock 8Hr 45mins, which is long and reassuring. But, when it comes to charging, Realme saves cost. It is just a 10W adapter that is a sloth at its job.

As for wireless connectivity options, it has Dual SIM, Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 5, and Bluetooth 5. So, it covers bases. And in the case of calls, the phone’s earpiece does an okay okay job.

With that, let’s move to…

Realme Narzo 20A Photography

Although Realme extolls an AI Triple Camera by the rear, in reality, only the main 12MP one counts. The 2MP monochrome lens and 2MP retro lens are more or less garnishing.

Anyways, the front camera is an 8MP sensor. You get to shoot up to 1080p videos at 30 frames per second from both sensors, along with party tricks like slow-mo recording and timelapse.

Further, on the software side, you get things such as Night mode, HDR, and Panorama.

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Here are the camera samples and my remarks:

The daylight shots lack details, are slightly overexposed, and colors look pale. But, they should be fine to post and share. For a more vivid output, you can use Chroma Boost mode.

The same situation of glossed-over details and undue exposure holds true for human subjects as well. But then again thanks to clean edge detection and satiable bokeh, you can capture good enough snaps for socials. In the case of selfies, there are even lesser colors.

There is a night mode, which can shine up the frame but can’t really help you with absent details. But, it’s good to have one nonetheless.

And it’s time for the closing remarks.

Realme Narzo 20A Review: Verdict

Take a retrospective ride and you’d recall the Narzo 10A had launched at the same Rs. 8,499 price tag earlier this year. But, post the tax restructuring, that one is currently available at a higher sticker price, and in its place, Realme released the Narzo 20A.

The new device looks the part, can run long, and lift most everyday tasks including games. It does make you choose between resolution and performance, which is reasonable. That brings us to the decisive factor i.e. the camera quality. Since Realme has used a similar setup as the 10A, I feel it could’ve improved the camera tuning.

And, overall I find the Narzo 20A is hamstrung by its hardware much like the precursor. It has got its issues too that are par for the course. But gladly it manages to deliver on most fronts within the budget constraints. So, if you’ve got tight pockets, I feel this one ain’t a bad buy.

Pros

• Long battery life
• Acceptable performance
• Responsive fingerprint reader
• Storage expansion

Cons

• Mediocre cameras
• Average display
• Slow charging speeds