So here we have the Realme X50 Pro, the first 5G phone to launch in India. Although the technology is still sort of a distant reality, the 5G suffix in itself is enough to turn heads – or at least that’s what several major brands in India are hoping for. 5G, the fifth generation of wireless network technology boasts super fast data speeds and promises to make our internet more reliable.
But even keeping aside the appendage, the Realme X50 Pro has an awful lot going for it. The X50 Pro is a beast of a phone and lists enticements as high refresh rate AMOLED screen, 65W fast charging, LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.0 storage and Android 10-based Realme UI.
Having used the phone over the course of a few weeks, I have developed a finer understanding of where it stands amongst the flagships of the smartphone world. Thus, besides my experience with the phone, I shall share whether it’s worth the flagship title.
Before doing that, have a look at its sumptuous spec sheet and the box contents:
Realme X50 Pro 5G Specs
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Model |
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Display |
6.44-inch, 2400×1080 FHD+ resolution, 92% screen to body ratio, 90Hz refresh rate, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
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Colors |
Moss Green and Rust Red |
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Software |
realme UI based on Android 10 |
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Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC with X55 5G modem |
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Memory |
6GB/8GB/12GB LPDDR5 and 128GB/256GB UFS 3.0 storage |
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Front Camera |
32MP (f/2.5)+ 8MP (f/2.2) |
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Rear Camera |
64MP (f/1.8)+ 8MP (f/2.3) Ultra wide-angle (FOV 119°) & macro camera (3cm focus)+ 12MP Telephoto (f/2.5)+ 2MP portrait(f/2.4), Nightscape |
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Battery |
4200mAh battery with 65W SuperDart Charge, USB-C |
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Connectivity |
Dual Mode 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 |
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Price |
6GB+ 128GB: Rs. 37,999 8GB+ 256GB: Rs. 39,999 12GB+ 256GB: Rs. 44,999 |
Realme X50 Pro 5G Box Contents
- Realme X50 Pro
- 65W SuperDart Charger
- USB Type-C Cable
- Protect Case
- Protect Film
- SIM Card Tool
- Important Info Booklet with Warranty Card
Realme X50 Pro 5G Design and Display
As a flagship, you ought to have a distinct personality that stands out from the monotony. Realme X50 Pro shows more attention to details and the use of more premium materials, but it still sums together familiar design elements that you could still find across its entire portfolio.
It still sums together familiar design elements.
That said, you know its fancier in light of that frosted finish back, reminiscent of OnePlus 7 Pro (review) and OnePlus 7T (review). The device is up for grabs in two colors viz. Moss Green and Rust Red.
The fascia is a 6.44-inch dual punch-hole sAMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It is bracketed by very slim bezels. There is Gorilla Glass protection on both sides with an aluminum framing holding them together. It must be mentioned that the X50 Pro display quality sees a significant improvement over X2 Pro.
the X50 Pro 5G display quality sees a significant improvement.
The glaring aspect is definitely that pill-shaped cutout to the top left corner. It houses the dual selfie cameras (more on that later). I didn’t come across any glaring leak or light bleeding, but the cutout isn’t perfectly clean either. Looking forward to flaunting some custom-made wallpapers incorporating that hole.
The phone is as thick and heavy as they get, and that’s perhaps the price you pay for the performance hardware housed within. The volume rocker and the power button are easily reachable and tactile.
As for biometrics, you get both facial recognition and under-display fingerprint reader – both of which work extremely fast. In fact, the phone has ‘dual unlock’ or the face unlock triggers simultaneously with fingerprint unlock, thus improving overall reliability.
The SIM tray has been shifted to the bottom, where it is accompanied by the speaker grille and USB-C socket. IF you’re looking for the headphone jack, it isn’t here. Like every other non-LG brand, Realme adopts the ‘flagship means no jack’ policy. It’s clear that they want you to go wireless instead. (wink wink, nudge-nudge – Realme Buds Air) Anyhoo, bid adieu Jack!
Realme X50 Pro 5G Performance
Realme has surely pulled off all stops when it comes to the hardware and software within. The phone is stacked with the top brass specs including the likes of Snapdragon 865, up to 12gigs of RAM and 256GB of storage. Yeah, these are LPDDR5 and UFS 3.0 respectively. Realme also talked about Turbo Write and Host Performance Booster to further enhance UFS 3.0 read and write speeds. The company bragged better performance than UFS 3.1.
So, we tested and the results attest to this claim. In fact, everything from boot to banal tasks to benchmarks felt nippy with no perceivable hiccup.
Games run smoothly with a decent frame rate (40 fps on PUBG extreme mode) and acceptable (35-degree) thermal levels.
everything from boot to banal tasks to benchmarks felt nippy
Then there is Realme’s software treatment over Android 10 with all the under-the-hood performance enhancements and aesthetic newness. Lately, RealmeUI has easily become one of my favorite skin-job in the Android world. It has a truckload of features for a holistic experience. Some of my favs are – Dark Mode, Pin apps to the memory, resizable windows, app lock, etcetera.
But, it’s not without flaws. For instance, here are some –
- There is no option to disable certain pre-installed bloat
- While you search for an app, Realme recommends its own app market over Google Play Store for “security reasons”.
- Nagging notifications for App suggestions
Granted these are minor quibbles and no major deal-breakers. Rather kudos to Realme for this visual revamp.
ALSO READ: Android 11 Features, Tips, and Tricks
Realme X50 Pro 5G Audio, Battery and Connectivity
The audio is expelled out of Dual super linear speakers which are backed by Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res certification. And what you get sounds sufficiently loud and detailed.
Inside the X50 Pro is a 4200mAh cell that easily gives a good day worth day juice. And when it falls low on energy, it relies on a 65W SuperDart charging. Now, that name “SuperDart” whatever that means claims to top up the device in a mere 35 to 37 minutes. I’ve been spoiled by the stupendously fast 50W charger of Realme X2 Pro (review) and anything slower than that feels painful. Gladly, it is the other way around here – faster and thrilling!
And obviously to the crowd-puller ahem – 5G! The Realme X50 Pro 5G is touted as a trendsetter for ushering in the 5G capable phone to India. But at this point, the device is like a rocket ready to launch on the pad but sadly without fuel. Anyhoo for what it’s worth, you’re future-proofed. Not just with 5G, but with the neoteric WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 as well.
the device is like a rocket on the pad ready to launch but sadly without fuel!
Realme X50 Pro 5G Camera
Realme X50 Pro 5G has a total of 6 cameras, 2 to the front and the rest at the rear.
Starting with the frontrunners, it’s a 32MP (Sony IMX616 sensor) plus an 8MP duo. The latter is an ultrawide snapper with 105-degree FoV. In case you’re wondering, this is a simple 2D scanning with no real secure mechanism backing it.
Turn back, therein, flanked by the right edge, lies a 64MP-led quad arrangement. Realme follows the corny name scheme and calls it – a “HawkEye” camera (the one contoured by golden rings) Humph! Well, if you ward-off the weird marketing term, the setup is versatile with an 8MP (115-degree FoV) ultrawide + macro (3cm range) shooter, a 12MP telephoto zoomer (5x optical; 20x hybrid) and a 2MP portrait clicker.
For the features part, you’re pretty much covered and the camera UI has everything conveniently arranged.
Now, onto the real-world photoshoot-
In proper daylight, the shots look natural with pleasing details and dynamic range. However, as soon as the lighting gets tricky, some portion of the image gets lost in the shadows.
Another bizarre thing I noticed was the shift in colors between Ultrawide and Normal (1x) mode (refer to the below image).
Especially while shooting indoors, the photos appear to be underexposed and a little dull to my liking. Even the white balance tends to weigh towards warmer tones.
The macro mode lets you creep in as much as 2.5cm of the subject. It’s good to goof around.
Next up, we have a few photos using the Telephoto and Ultrawide sensors.
Lack of fish-eye distortion in the ultrawide snaps is very much appreciated!
At times I felt the shutter speed could be a bit quicker. This irks me a lot since I’mma point-and-shoot kinda guy (The same reason why you won’t see any Dazzle mode shots here.). And if the camera fails me on an impromptu selfie or shots like the one below, then that’s a major bummer!
Realme X50 Pro optics are fairly dependable in the dark hours too. The Nightscape helps in punching the contrast and intensity of the colors. It irons out some noise too. However, illuminating objects tend to blow out.
Coming to human objects, the portraits from both front and rear come out fine. The edge detection is sketchy at times. Also, fine-tune the bokeh slider or else the photos would look plasticky like this.
Things like video bokeh, slow-mo, and 4k@30fps recording just suffice for the purpose.
So overall for a flagship device, the cameras are a mixed bag. Look, they are definitely decent for the dough. But, don’t expect to be jaw-dropped by them.
The camera performance is definitely decent for the dough. But, don’t expect to be jaw-dropped by them.
Realme X50 Pro 5G Review: Verdict
Realme X50 Pro 5G has plenty going for it. The brand has dared to stow several industrial firsts to this 205-gram slab. You get Dual Mode 5G, Wi-Fi 6, latest Snapdragon 865 SoC, and many more in its smart telephony paraphernalia. The high-profile hardware should be a legit advantage for passionate and demanding users (or gaming enthusiasts).
But the high numbers don’t always equate well to the result. A prime example is the optics. Photos out of the X50 Pro are definitely good, but no comparison with the iPhones and Pixels of the phone arena. The parallels ought to be made once you are in the flagship race. The camera can still stand its ground when compared to other popular flagship killers in the same budget.
We would have preferred iconic design, wireless charging and water resistance. Instead, what you have here is 5G, which many would rightly consider a superfluous extra at this point in time.
And that’s the note I would close my review with – if you are a lighthouse customer, this sums up as a strong proposition for you. Instead, if you baulk at the concerns shared above, you may wait for the new OnePlus or Mi 10 or even a Realme thanks to its breakneck pace of launching phones.
Contrary to my worries surrounding the supply issues due to Coronavirus, the X50 Pro is available via Flipkart. So, in case you’re interested, the phone starts at a price of Rs. 37,999 going all the way up to Rs. 44,999 for the top 12GB variant.
Pros
- A good quality AMOLED display
- Top-notch performance hardware
- Latest connectivity options
- 65W fast charging is a huge convenience
- Fast and reliable in-display fingerprint sensor
Cons
- Chunky
- No audio jack
- Mediocre camera experience
Realme X50 Pro 5G FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Does Realme X50 Pro 5G offer Gorilla glass protection?
A. Yes, the Realme X50 Pro 5G display is shielded by Gorilla Glass 5.
Q. Is the Realme X50 Pro 5G water-resistant?
A. No, the Realme X50 Pro 5G is not water-resistant.
Q: Does the Realme X50 Pro 5G support NaVIC?
A: Yes, the Realme X50 Pro supports ISRO’s NaVIC. However, it will be activated upon an OTA update from Qualcomm. Find more about it here.
Q. Is there a notification LED on the Realme X50 Pro 5G?
A. No, the Realme X50 Pro 5G doesn’t have a notification LED light.
Q. Is there an IR blaster on the Realme X50 Pro 5G that can be used to control TVs and other devices?
A. No, there is no IR blaster on the Realme X50 Pro 5G.
Q. What is the AnTuTu score of Realme X50 Pro 5G?
A. In our test, Realme X50 Pro 5G scored 580,879 points in the AnTuTu benchmark.
Q. Does Realme X50 Pro 5G support MicroSD card storage expansion? Is it a dedicated slot?
A. No, it doesn’t support expandable storage. But, the onboard storage should be fine and plus you have multiple cloud solutions.
Q. Is there Widevine L1 support on the Realme X50 Pro 5G for HD playback on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc?
A. Realme X50 Pro 5G has DRM Widevine L1 support and is HD streaming ready. However, as of now, I couldn’t run Netflix and Prime Videos at HD quality.
Q. Does Realme X50 Pro support wireless charging?
A. Unfortunately, no Realme X50 Pro doesn’t support wireless charging. So, that lack of reverse wireless charging goes without saying.
Q. Does Realme X50 Pro 5G support call recording?
A. Yes, Realme has baked in an automatic call recording feature in the X50 Pro. Find this option hidden within System apps> Calls> Call recording.
Q. Does the Realme X50 Pro support USB OTG?
A. Yes, you can connect the external pen drive using the USB OTG feature.
Q. Does the Realme X50 Pro support NFC?
A. Yes, Realme X50 Pro 5G does support NFC.
Q. Does the Realme X50 Pro support aptX codec?
A. Yes, Realme X50 Pro 5G does support the aptX codec.
Q. Does the Realme X50 Pro support VoWiFi?
A. Yes, Realme X50 Pro 5G does support the VoWiFi.
Q. Does Realme X50 Pro 5G support Camera2API and Google camera app (GCam)?
A. Realme X50 Pro comes with Level 3 Camera2API support out of the box and thus, GCam should work just fine.
Great article… I being a guy, who is interested in techs and gadgets, found this article really interesting.