Introduction
Hard to believe that Realme turned 1-year-old just three months ago. The company is already on its fourth major generation of phones and it seems that it has finally found its identity - photography, performance and a trendy design, all punching above the aggressively-low pricing.
The Realme 5 and Realme 5 Pro are the first quad-camera phones to reach the Indian market. The two new phones use different main and selfie cameras, but the quad camera setup follows the same formula: main, ultra wide, macro, depth sensor.
These two quad cameras represent a major leap for Realme, we'll talk about that in a minute. First, a quick introduction of the two new handsets. The Realme 5 Pro actually borrows a few features from the Realme X, which is the most premium model the company has released yet. The Realme 5 is the biggest phone in the main series - it matches the X in terms of screen size and has the largest battery of any Realme phone.
Realme 5 Pro specs
- Body: Gorilla Glass 3+ front, polycarbonate back
- Screen: 6.3-inch, 19:9, 1080p+, LCD
- Rear camera: Primary 48MP Quad Bayer 1/2" sensor, f/1.8 lens; 119° ultra wide-angle 8MP camera; 2MP macro camera; 2MP portrait camera; LED flash; 2160p@30fps video recording, EIS
- Front camera: 16MP Quad Bayer sensor, f/2.0 lens; EIS
- Chipset: Snapdragon 712: octa-core CPU (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver), Adreno 616 GPU
- Memory: 4/64GB, 6/64GB or 8/128GB; UFS 2.1 storage; dedicated microSD slot for up to 256GB expansion
- OS: Android 9.0; Color OS 6.0 on top
- Battery: 4,035mAh, 20W VOOC 3.0 charging
- Connectivity: Dual SIM (4G), Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, USB-C
- Colors: Crystal Green, Crystal Blue
- Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint reader
Realme 5 specs
- Body: Gorilla Glass 3+ front, polycarbonate back
- Screen: 6.5-inch, 19:9, 720p+, LCD
- Rear camera: Primary 12MP, f/1.8 lens; 119° ultra wide-angle 8MP camera; 2MP macro camera; 2MP portrait camera; LED flash; 2160p@30fps video recording
- Front camera: 13MP sensor
- Chipset: Snapdragon 665: octa-core CPU (4x2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver), Adreno 610 GPU
- Memory: 3/32GB, 4/64GB or 4/128GB; dedicated microSD slot for up to 256GB expansion
- OS: Android 9.0; Color OS 6.0 on top
- Battery: 5,000mAh, 10W charging
- Connectivity: Dual SIM (4G), Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, USB-C
- Colors: Crystal Blue, Crystal Purple
- Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint reader
Realme knows its audience - all of its phones have a 3.5mm headphone jack. And all except the X are dual SIM phones with a dedicated microSD slot. We're not as fond of microUSB as the company seems to be and if you're like us, you'll be glad to hear the Realme 5 Pro has a USB-C port (but not the vanilla Realme 5).
Before we spend some one on one time with each phone, we should say that despite their names the two aren't strictly comparable. The Realme 5 has a larger screen but it's 720p+ and a larger battery, but without fast charging.
The Realme 5 Pro has the 1080p+ screen and 20W fast charging, plus it also upgrades both the main camera on the back and the selfie camera on the front. But both the screen and battery are smaller while the price is (naturally) bigger. These are essentially two different devices targeted at different customers.
So let's have a closer look.
Realme 5 Pro hardware
Unlike its sibling, the Realme 5 Pro stayed the same as its predecessor. It kept the screen size at 6.3" with similarly-sized bezels. The teardrop notch is 30% smaller, though, so it's less obtrusive.
It's an LCD panel as before with 1080p+ resolution. However, it uses Gorilla Glass 3+ - an older version of the Corning glass, while the Realme 3 Pro had GG5 (which boasts increased drop resistance).
Realme put a lot of work into making the phone splash resistant. It used a combination of glue, a rubber gasket and rings to secure internal components and make sure that no water seeps through the USB or headphone jacks, the card slot or any gap between the frame and the back cover.
We're curious why Realme isn't claiming proper water resistance - most IP68 rely on a similar setup with rubber gaskets and rings around the holes in the frame. So, definitely don't dunk the phone in water, but Realme may be underselling the water-resistance of the handset.
The new phone is thicker than the 3 Pro - 8.9mm vs. 8.3mm. And at 184g total, it's 12g heavier too. However, the battery still has the same capacity of 4,035mAh.
The good news is that it now charges over USB-C. And this is VOOC 3.0 charging we're talking about here, it delivers 20W of power (5V 4A). This is the same combo that we saw on Realme X (the 3 Pro had VOOC 3.0 but it used a microUSB port instead).
Also on the bottom is the 3.5mm headphone jack (Realme has never made a phone without a jack).
The loudspeaker grille is off to the side and it boasts Dirac Power Sound tech, a collaboration between Realme and Dirac that optimizes the audio quality from the speaker while reducing distortion.
Realme 5 Pro camera
The Realme 5 Pro is more than the company's first quad camera phone. The company never made a triple camera phone - it jumped straight to four. And the dual cameras it made previously were simple main + depth sensor. So this is a quantum leap forward.
The main camera uses the tried and true 48MP Quad Bayer sensor by Sony (IMX 586). It's a sensor optimized for both daylight shooting (with HDR mode) and low-light photography (with Realme's Nightscape). This same sensor was used in the Realme X.
The 119° ultra wide-angle camera is new for Realme too. It has an 8MP sensor with an f/2.25 aperture.
Then there's the 2MP macro camera (the pixels on the sensor are quite large, 2.0µm). Its lens can focus from as close as 4cm away, so you can get really close to your subjects. Note that the macro and the ultra wide cameras can't record video.
Realme calls the fourth unit the "Portrait camera", rather than just a depth sensor. It certainly helps with the bokeh rendering, but allegedly, it's also used to enhance the contrast of the final photo.
The ultra wide, the macro and the portrait cameras are shared between the Redmi 5 and 5 Pro. The main camera and the selfie cameras are different, however, with a notable advantage in terms of hardware in favor of the Pro.
We'll start with photos from the main camera. By default, it shoots in 12MP but you can enable 48MP if you prefer. Doing so, however, noticeably slows down the camera - it takes about a second and a half to capture and store the image.
Realme 5 Pro: 12MP
Realme 5 Pro: 48MP
The major addition this generation gets is the 119° ultra wide camera. It fits significantly more of the scene into the frame, compared to the images above.
Realme 5 Pro: 119° ultra wide-angle camera
We also tried out the Portrait mode. It's a bit finicky, so we had to take several shots for safety (in some shots the bokeh wasn't quite right).
Realme 5 Pro: portrait shot
And here are some low-light samples.
Normal • HDR • Chroma boost • Nightscape • 48MP
Normal • HDR • Chroma boost • Nightscape • 48MP
Normal • HDR • Chroma boost • Nightscape • 48MP
Regular • Nightscape • Regular • Nightscape
Regular • Nightscape • Regular • Nightscape
16MP selfie camera
The 16MP IMX 471 sensor has 1.0µm pixels, which can be binned into 2.0µm pixels in the dark. It also features electronic image stabilization for videos. The sun was already pretty low in the sky so we shot this photo in the shade.
Realme 5 Pro: selfie
Then we headed to a dark room, the same room we shoot our low-light tests for the photo comparison tool. And the pixel binning proved to be quite effective - the photo is quite bright and rich in detail (especially compared to the shot from the Realme 5).
Realme 5 Pro: low-light selfie
Realme 5 and 5 Pro performance
The Realme 5 Pro is only the company's second phone to use UFS 2.1 storage. That's much faster than eMMC and should speed up the load times for apps and games.
Realme promises the Snapdragon 712 chipset 10% boost over the S710-powered phones (the likes of Realme 3 Pro and X). Realme is keen to point out that this chipset has the same ISP as the Snapdragon 845 and the AI engine is twice as fast as the one on the 710.
The Realme 3 Pro is available in three memory configurations - 4/64GB, 6/64GB and 8/128GB. If you need more storage, the dedicated microSD slot can add up to 256GB more.
Realme placed a copper foil and a graphite sheet to lead the heat away from the chipset and towards the aluminum frame for improved heat dissipation.
The Realme 5 uses a Snapdragon 665 - the 11nm version of the 14nm Snapdragon 660 chip. We don't expect much improvement in terms of performance. The Helio P70 chip we tested with the Realme 3 was already quite competitive with the 660. And the 665 reduces power usage, but remains at the same performance level.
The Realme 5 starts with 3/32GB and has two more versions - 4/64GB and 4/128GB. And again, a microSD card slot for up to 256GB more.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
6620 - Realme 3 Pro
5881 - Realme 5 Pro
5852 - Realme 5
5493 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
5411 - Samsung Galaxy A50
5396 - Realme 3
4936 - Motorola Moto G7
4755 - Samsung Galaxy A30
4146
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
2404 - Realme 5 Pro
1910 - Samsung Galaxy A50
1715 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
1650 - Realme 5
1529 - Realme 3
1482 - Realme 3 Pro
1471 - Samsung Galaxy A30
1319 - Motorola Moto G7
1255
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
180754 - Realme 5 Pro
173899 - Realme 3 Pro
155647 - Samsung Galaxy A50
144574 - Realme 5
139516 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
139075 - Realme 3
132764 - Motorola Moto G7
106292 - Samsung Galaxy A30
96550
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme 3
26 - Realme 5 Pro
22 - Realme 3 Pro
20 - Realme 5
19 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
15 - Samsung Galaxy A50
13 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
13 - Samsung Galaxy A30
7.4 - Motorola Moto G7
6.4
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme 3
15 - Realme 5
13 - Realme 5 Pro
12 - Realme 3 Pro
11 - Samsung Galaxy A50
8 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
7.9 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
7.7 - Samsung Galaxy A30
4.6 - Motorola Moto G7
3.5
Realme 5 hardware
The Realme 5 is defined by its 6.5" screen and 5,000mAh battery. The battery is unmatched by other members of the family, the screen is one of the biggest - quite a jump from the 6.22" panel on the Realme 3.
Realme has stretched the 720p+ resolution of the screen to its limit. That said, Netflix's new phone-only plan in India streams SD video so it wouldn't benefit from a 1080p panel. And if the Realme 5 is the only smart device you use to watch video on, the larger screen is a boon.
It's not really the resolution that worries us, however, it's the brightness. The screen is quite dim and hard to see on a bright sunny day. The settings menu lets you adjust the color temperature and schedule Night Shield (which has a separate color temperature adjustment).
The teardrop notch at the top of the screen is a third smaller than the one on the Realme 3, making it less obtrusive. The company officially claims 89% screen to body ratio.
The screen has a Gorilla Glass 3+, though we're not quite sure what the upgrade is over GG3, which was used in the outgoing Realme 3.
The Realme 5 has the same precautions against water damage as the Pro - it's officially only splash resistant, but features O-rings and rubber gaskets around the ports and slots to prevent water from getting in.
The Realme 5 is available in two colors at launch - Crystal Blue and Crystal Purple. They have a holographic texture that creates a tessellated pattern that is reminiscent of the original Realme.
It also makes it stand out from other phones, which typically have smooth gradients or some variation of an S-curve reflection. The back is quite the fingerprint magnet, though, so it will need regular attention to keep it clean.
While we were looking at the back, we set up the fingerprint reader. It was a quick process and we're happy with the speed and accuracy of the reader.
Realme is a firm believer in the 3.5mm headphone jack, all of its phones have one. Unfortunately, most also have a microUSB port - including the Realme 5. You get a 10W charger and a cable in the box.
They will be used to charge the 5,000mAh battery - as we said in the opening paragraph, that's the largest battery on a Realme. There's no fast charging support, but there are a couple of features that will help you stretch the battery between charges.
The Performance mode tunes the chipset with the option to be always in high gear or allow the system to determine the right mode based on what you're doing. There's also a toggle for deep sleep (which saves power, but you may get notifications with a delay) and a way to tone down the screen eye candy to lighten the load on the chipset.
Realme 5 camera
The Realme 5 has the same camera floor plan as the Pro - main, ultra wide, macro and portrait cameras. The difference comes from a smaller sensor on the main camera and a different selfie camera.
While both Realme 5 and 5 Pro will produce 12MP photos by default, this one has a plain 12MP sensor (no Quad Bayer). This means no pixel binning for HDR or night shots either. Also missing is the electronic image stabilization.
This is followed up by the 119° ultra wide-angle camera (8MP), the macro camera (2MP) and the portrait camera (2MP).
The selfie camera uses a 13MP sensor. Like the rear camera, it lacks pixel binning and EIS - those are features reserved for the Pro model.
But it can record 4K video at 30fps using the main camera (the ultra wide and macro cams are for photos only). Also, there are two high frame rate modes: 240fps at 720p and 120fps at 1080p.
Here are some 12MP shot from the main camera. There's no pixel binning here, but that isn't much on an issue in good daylight.
Realme 5: main camera
The 119° ultra wide camera is the same module that the Pro uses, however. It expands the field of view a great deal, making it perfect for landscapes or group shots.
Realme 5: 119° ultra wide camera
Here are some more camera samples.
Normal • HDR • Ultrawide normal • Ultrawide HDR
The main camera has a Portrait mode too:
Realme 5: portrait shot
We tried out the 2MP macro camera. It allows you to get close enough to see the fine print on currency, but getting a photo that's in focus is tricky - there's no focus peaking and it can be hard to tell on the screen if the shot is in focus or not.
Realme 5: macro shot
And here are a few low-light shots.
Normal • Normal • HDR • Nightscape • Ultrawide
The 13MP selfie camera does well when there's enough light.
Realme 5: selfie
But take things inside and the lack of pixel binning becomes apparent.
Realme 5: low-light selfie
Wrap up
The Realme 5 and Realme 5 Pro deliver great value at cut-throat prices and it seems Realme continues to be well-geared to successfully compete with Xiaomi's Redmi phones. It's quick update cycle means it's always able to deliver great value-for-money and up to date hardawre.
We'll know more about how good these two phones really are once we've completed our full reviews in the coming week or so. Stay tuned!
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