REVIEW: realme 9i brings good design and everyday performance

Officially launched in Brazil yesterday (22), the realm 9i opens the brand's regional launch calendar in 2022. The main novelties of the model are in its processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680, and in technology Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE) which uses storage memory as RAM, increasing the RAM available for use on the smartphone from 6GB to up to 11GB.

At first hand, the showmetech tested the new smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer and highlighted the main points you need to know before buying the product. To advance, we can say that its design and performance are impressive, being a good choice for those who need a device for multi-tasking or for those who want to play occasionally. However, its cost-effectiveness deserves a moment of reflection.

Design

O realm 9i It starts surprising with its box, which, like the device itself, draws a lot of attention. In yellow and black, it highlights the device model (9i), with the brand "really" just below. Inside we find the cell phone and some other accessories, such as a USB Type-C cable, a 33W charger and, for the delight of the most clumsy, a transparent protective cover that does not overshadow the beautiful look of the smartphone.

With an impressive design and finish, the realm 9i could very well be mistaken for a premium smartphone at first glance. It is noteworthy that the model tested by the showmetech is PrismBlack, but there is also a second color variation called Prism Blue available on the market. With metal sides, its rear made of plastic with prism effect gives a special touch to the body of the device, while revealing not very nice details.

Its rear draws attention due to the optical effect of the finish, however it manages to retain a large amount of dust particles and fingerprint stains that may bother some users. However, this is not a problem that will affect many people, as most users tend to protect their cell phones with a case, especially those who find it easier to let their cell phone slip out of their hands.

With a thin and light design — they're just 8,4mm thick e 190 grams -, O realm 9i it fits very well in the hands and using it is extremely easy and comfortable. The three rear cameras are slightly protruded, so if you want to avoid damage to the lenses, I strongly recommend using the cover that comes with the device.

With 164,4mm height e 75,7mm long, it comes with the volume buttons and dual-chip tray and microSD card located on the left side and the power button on the right side. The power button also works as a fingerprint sensor. At the bottom are the 3,5 mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port, microphone and one of the speakers (the second speaker is located on the front of the device, forming a stereo that we'll talk about later). On the top, only a second microphone that works for noise cancellation.

The front camera is located in the upper left corner and its size is somewhat exaggerated, reaching half a centimeter of the display. On the back, three lenses and the flash are grouped together in the upper left corner. The only one written on the back is the brand name in the lower left corner, giving it a cleaner look.

Fabric

O realm 9i has a screen IPS LCD big of 6,6 inches with FHD+ resolution (1080×2412), 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. The screen is great and brings rich colors and adequate brightness, and you can even switch between vivid and smooth mode. Even in bright sunlight outdoors, you can comfortably see what's on the screen with the brightness set to maximum. It supports up to 90Hz refresh rate, giving you a smooth scrolling experience.

Regarding its update rate, it is worth noting that the numbers presented by realm 9i show a downgrade compared to the model realm 8i, which had a higher refresh rate of 120 Hz. But this detail cannot spoil the viewing experience on the device, which impresses with its sharp and accurate color contrast. The phone also has a maximum brightness of 480 nits and the auto brightness feature works well.

Still in relation to the 90 Hz refresh rate, you have two options that can be accessed in the device settings: manually set the refresh rate that suits you best or let the system choose automatically based on the application you are currently using. A problem with this feature is that the system can hardly use 90 Hz. Even in games like Asphalt 9 e Call of Duty: Mobile frames remain at 60. Even in PUBG, a game that is a partner of the manufacturer, the rate cannot automatically reach 90 frames per second, which gives a slight frustration, as the screen performance cannot be exploited to the fullest.

Performance

The device comes with a chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 6 nanometer (nm) Octa-Core, 6 GB of RAM — the user can expand up to 5 GB of RAM, totaling 11 GB, through the feature Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE), where a portion of the internal memory is allocated and used as RAM — and 128 GB storage, which can be increased by up to 1 TB via a microSD card.

turning the Android 11 under the interface really UI 2.0, the performance is satisfactory and navigation is smooth and without bottlenecks, whether in light/moderate use, with only a few apps open, or during more intensive uses, with many apps running in the background and games running. At no time did the device show unusual heating, registering higher temperatures only when the Call of Duty:Mobile was played.

Speaking of games, three titles were tested during the days that the device remained in our hands: PUBG Mobile: Aftermath, Asphalt 9 e Call of Duty: Mobile. In all, the graphic quality was slightly compromised, not being possible to run on the highest graphics, but if you are not a demanding user, you have nothing to worry about.

Camera

O realm 9i It has a protruding, rectangular compartment on the back where the device's three lenses and flash are housed. It is very similar to what we see in the realme gt neo 2. The rear cameras include a 50MP main sensor with f/1.8 aperture, besides a 2MP portrait mode camera and a 2MP macro. We will detail the performance of each of them below.

Home

The 50MP main camera of the realm 9i can take good pictures, but nothing extraordinary. It is possible to have good detail and color reproduction in photos, except in low light environments, where their performance drops noticeably. Something very interesting in the camera software is the AI mode, where the entire configuration is defined by an artificial intelligence — which works very well — based on the environment in which you are photographing.

selfie

Here is, for me, the biggest problem with the camera set of the realm 9i. The photos taken with the front camera cannot keep up with its colleague from the rear, delivering bland images with a quality well below what is expected of a cell phone of this category. The photos are too white and, even though I try to correct it with the camera's software features, the explosion of pale tones still insists on not going away. It is possible that a simple software update could correct this deficiency and make the experience less frustrating.

Night Mode

The night mode is also pleasing (see below), making for satisfying images in low-light environments.

Audio

O realm 9i It has a stereo sound system, where a speaker is located at the bottom, next to the USB Type-C cable input, and the second one shares space with the sound output of connections. The sound quality in general is great and the volume is not low. You can watch videos and play games with clean, quality sound.

But, as not everything is flowers, in case of music at higher volume, the sound can be distorted. Despite this, the stereo speaker of the realm 9i I like it a lot and works well most of the time.

Battery

For those who value a smartphone with good battery life, the model from realme it's a good request. With a huge battery 5.000mAh e 33W fast charging, it is possible to spend a day away from the socket or even more depending on the use. When recharging, the device takes approximately 1h20m to charge from 5 to 100%.

In heavy use, with video playback on the YouTube for about 1h, movies on Netflix for 4 continuous hours, 1 hour of gaming and constant access to social networks, the smartphone arrived at 23:23 with 16% battery — about 7 hours of use, considering that I unplugged it at XNUMX:XNUMX. For those who tend to pick up their cell phone less often, it will certainly take two days or more to fully discharge.

Conclusion

O realm 9i It's beautiful, brings good performance, long-lasting battery, nice screen and quality stereo speakers. The photos are satisfying but not very exciting, especially those taken with its front camera. It sins a little when we talk about graphic quality in games, but you can't demand much about it.

However, what stands out most negatively is its high price. The smartphone is officially sold from R$2.299, completely knocking down its cost-effectiveness. There are other options on the market, such as Galaxy A72 (with processor Snapdragon 720G, with superior performance), which has already cost less than R$1.800 in past promotions and is currently found in the range of R$2. With the passage of time and with the launch price being left aside, who knows what realm 9i become good value for money.

Available in colors PrismBlack e Prism Blue, the smartphone can be found by R$2.299 No. realme marketplace at Amazon.

Technical specs — realme 9i

Processor:	Qualcomm Snapdragon 680
RAM and Internal Storage:	RAM: 6GB LPDDR4X ROM: 128GB UFS 2.1 Up to 1TB via microSD card
Screen:	6.6-inch IPS with up to 90 Hz refresh rate 90.8% screen to chassis ratio Resolution 2412×1080 FHD+ Brightness: 480nits (Typ) 401 pixels per inch
Cameras:	Rear: 50-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture 2 megapixel macro camera with f/2.4 aperture B&W 2 megapixel portrait with f/2.4 aperture 1080P/30fps 720P/30fps 720p/120fps in slow motion 1080P/30fps、720P/30fps in digital zoom mode Front: 16 megapixels with f/2.1 aperture 1080P/30fps 720P/30fps
Battery:	5000mAh 33W ultra-fast charging
Connectivity:	2 Nano Card Slots + 1 Micro SD GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz WCDMA: Bands 1/5/8 FDD-LTE: Bandas 1/3/5/7/8/20/28 TDD-LTE: Bandas 38/40/41(2496-2690MHz) 2.4 / 5GHz Bluetooth 5.0
Operational system:	realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11 (update to Android 12 guaranteed by the manufacturer)
Size and weight:	164.4mm x 75.7mm x 8.4mm 190g
Navigation:	GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU/GALILEO
Price	BRL 2.299 in realme marketplace at Amazon