Ticking all the usual design boxes
When it comes to smartphone designs, there comes a time when some design features get common in pretty much all smartphones of a particular segment. It becomes almost illegal to not have them. Like in the mid-range segment, the smartphone has to have a tall display with some type of notch, thin bezels on three sides and a relatively thicker chin, glass-like plastic or glass back with some kind of gradient finish often accompanied by a vertical capsule-shaped camera unit. There are always a few distinctions that make these smartphones distinguishable but the basic blueprint majorly remains the same.
And the latest entrant in this category, the Realme 6, follows this design language quite religiously. The front of the phone is dominated by a tall, 6.5-inch display that is encompassed by thin, line-like bezels on three sides but has a slightly thicker chin. Instead of going with a traditional notch, Realme has given its secondary camera home in a punch hole on the top left corner of the display. The Realme 6 brings the bling on the back. The glass-like, shiny, plastic back is definitely eye-catchy. We received the blue color variant of the smartphone which has a silver-ish light blue color on top that deepens as it flows down. Realme says the design of the phone is inspired by a comet. It creates ‘V-like’ line patterns that stem from the center point of the base. All that shine and gloss also means that the back is basically a fingerprint and smudge magnet. Realme thankfully has bundled it with a clear, plastic case in the box which can give you a break from all the relentless swiping. The top left side of the back carries the long capsule-shaped camera unit that houses the quad cameras. The first (and main) camera in the unit is circumference-ed by two yellow rings, a Realme trademark. There is a tiny circular LED flash next to the camera unit. The company has also placed its logo on the bottom left side of the back vertically in silver. The left side of the phone houses the volume buttons and the SIM card and MicroSD card slot (2+1) while the right side carries the flat power/lock button which doubles up as a physical fingerprint scanner. We personally love a speedy physical fingerprint scanner as compared to an in-display one and if that fingerprint scanner doubles up as a lock button on the frame, then that really ticks a design-functionality box in our books. The Realme 6 gets extra design points for that.
The top of the phone remains bare while the base carries the 3.5 mm audio jack, the USB Type C port, and the speaker grille. This also is the first non-Pro from the Realme number series which gets a USB Type C port. All Pro-less number series variants prior to this one used to carry a micro USB port. The phone measures 162.1 x 74.8 x 8.9 mm and weighs 191 grams. The glossy plastic back of the Realme 6 does not make a great case for sturdiness or a great grip. The phone feels a little slippery and delicate but we are sure it can survive the usual falls, bumps, and bruises.
Definitely Pro specs
The design of the Realme 6 may have a mainstream design blueprint but the brand has really stepped its spec and feature game up a notch on the device. It comes with a 6.5-inch full HD+ LCD display with a screen resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. Along with the first non-pro variant to have a USB Type-C port, the Realme 6 is also the first non-Pro in the number series to come with a Full HD+ display. The cherry on this cake is the 90 Hz refresh rate that the device is equipped with which definitely gives the phone an edge in its segment. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, which might be old but is still some protection.
Powering the Realme 6 is a Mediatek Helio G90T processor paired with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. It is also available in 4 GB/6 GB RAM variants with 64 GB/ 128 GB storage options. The storage can be expanded via MicroSD card. The processor powering the Realme 6 is the same one we have previously seen on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, which gives us high hopes for the Realme 6’s performance. In the camera department, the phone brings a quad-camera setup consisting of a 64-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor with f/2.3 aperture, a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor with f/2.4 aperture and a 2-megapixel macro lens with f/2.4 aperture. On the front sits a 16-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture. Realme has a very good track record in cameras in this price segment, so expectations will be high.
The phone runs on Android 10 out of the box topped with Realme’s in-house realme UI. There is a 4,300 mAh battery under the hood which comes with support for 30W Flash charge, which should make for some very speedy charging indeed. It may not have Pro in its name but the Realme 6 surely seems like a Pro thanks to its specs and price. This pits it right against the mighty Redmi Note 8 Pro and also the Samsung Galaxy M31, which are in a similar price zone. Some would even say that its higher variants come close to its own Realme X2 and even the just-released Poco X2. Sounds like a pickle, doesn’t it? Will the Realme 6 be able to thrive in this cut-throat competition zone? Find out in our detailed review.
