Realme 9i Review: Too Many Compromises

Choosing a budget 5G phone is very difficult these days. Since most devices are very similar to each other, the Realme 9i 5G's glittering mirror back allows it to stand out from other competitors. But can it be said to be better than the plethora of smartphones available in the sub Rs 20,000 category? Let’s see what the Realme 9i has to offer,

Realme 9i 5G: What's New?

The Realme 9i 5G comes six months after the Realme 9i launched, so you might be wondering what has changed. The first thing that comes to mind is the shiny back. Realme also changed its camera island, switching from Qualcomm to MediaTek.

The rear camera remains the same, but the front camera is downgraded from 16MP to 8MP. The Realme 9i 5G also offers 18W of fast charging compared to the Realme 9i's 33W.

Design

The Realme 9i 5G has a glittery CD-like back that reflects light. Appearance is purely subjective, but the Metallica Gold version is definitely eye-catching. When I was taking pictures, people would often turn their heads and stare at me. The only problem is that the back is a magnet for smudges and fingerprints.

As for build quality, the Realme 9i 5G has a good grip and is very comfortable to hold. Weighing in at just 187 grams, the company has managed to evenly distribute the weight. It has a plastic back that feels like glass and the frame of the phone looks and feels like metal. I still recommend using a phone case, but I never thought I'd drop it.

Display

Equipped with a 6.6-inch 90Hz IPS liquid crystal display, the color reproduction of the screen is never bad. But if you compare the Realme 9i 5G to other phones in this price range, you'll find that companies like Motorola and Poco offer his AMOLED screens with equal or better refresh rates.

The low brightness display makes the text really hard to read under direct sunlight. Another issue I ran into was that my device's display had a warmer tint, like someone turned on the nightlight switch, but Realme seems to have fixed the problem with a software update.

Performance

Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 810, the Realme 9i 5G is definitely an upgrade over its predecessor. Compared to the Realme 9i's Snapdragon 680 4G chipset, the phone is certainly faster and has better thermal management. When I tried to push the CPU to the limit in the stress test, the phone never throttled the CPU below 80%. This means you get consistent performance.

However, when playing, it's a completely different story. Casual titles like Subway Surfer and Temple Run ran fine, but graphics-intensive titles like PUBG: New State and Apex Legends occasionally stuttered. But Call of Duty always ran at 60fps. And even though Realme 9i has a 90Hz display with a touch sample rate of 180Hz, RealmeUI limits the game to 60fps.

Camera

Instead of a camera island, Realme has opted for four separate sections, three for cameras and one for flash. The rear camera still protrudes from the body even with the cover on, so placing it on a flat surface can damage the lens.

Like most budget phones, the Realme 9i 5G's rear camera is hit or miss. In daylight conditions with plenty of light, you can expect the device to take decent photos.The phone retains most of the detail and colors are on the natural side, but when you zoom in the image softens and details are lost. However, the quality of the photos is good when uploading to social media.

Adding to the problem, Realme chose not to use the ultra-wide-angle lens, replacing it with a macro and depth sensor, which, to be honest, is useless at best. The 50-megapixel primary sensor captures the acceptable images during good lighting, but low light photos are so noisy that they're largely unusable.

Software

Running on Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12, the phone is just as smooth when performing everyday tasks like watching videos, sending text messages and answering calls. There were no stutters or lags even while multitasking. We also received an OTA to update the security patch in August.

Realme packed a ton of bloatware into their devices. Luckily, most apps are easy to uninstall, but there are exceptions such as "hot apps". Also, when you install an app from the Google Play Store, you'll see a screen and an indicator at the top that the app is installed. Other smartphone makers have avoided this in recent years. Installing an app in the background while playing a game or watching a video definitely kills the immersion.

Battery Life

Battery life is another area where the Realme 9i passes with flying colours. With a 5,000 mAh battery, the phone can easily last a day or two with light usage and a day with heavy usage. And thanks to the low-power processor, you can use it all day long, even if you occasionally play graphics-intensive games like BGMI or Call of Duty. Compared to its competitors, Realme ships an 18W charger with the device, which is disappointing because it takes two to three hours to fully charge the phone.

Realme 9i Verdict

If your primary requirement of a phone is for basic tasks, the Realme 9i can handle them without hiccups. But at a starting price tag of Rs 14999, smartphones like Poco X4 Pro, Realme 9 Pro among others are much better deals for your money.