The realme 10 is now official in the Philippines. It has an SRP of P12,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant and P14,999 for the 8GB + 256GB model.
As per usual, realme promises a bang-for-the-buck experience with its newest smartphone offering. The realme 10 features a MediaTek Helio G99 processor, a 90Hz AMOLED display, a 50MP camera, and a 5000mAh battery with fast charging technology. On top of that, this device flaunts a slim form factor and an attractive overall design.
Now that’s all nice and dandy on paper and pictures, but does it translate well in real life?
We spent several days with the realme 10 to give you an idea of what to expect from this phone. Read on.
Design & construction
There are a lot of things to love about the realme 10. First on the list is how this phone looks sleek and pretty.
Our review unit comes in the beautiful Clash White colorway. realme’s “Light Particle” rear design turns heads with its glittery and colorful surface. You’ll see subtle bursts of colors when light hits this phone at certain angles. The clean rear—interrupted only by the dual camera module and minimalist realme branding—is something a lot of users will surely appreciate.
Note that the camera lenses at the back are protruding. Good thing that realme bundled a slim jelly case with this phone for additional protection.
The phone is slim at only 7.95mm and one-hand use is not an issue even for someone with small hands. We also love that there’s some heft to it, adding to the premium feel of the phone.
The buttons on the right side of the phone are easy to reach. Even the fingerprint sensor’s location (on the power key) is just right, so unlocking the phone easily becomes an intuitive action after a few days of use.
Meanwhile, the screen maximizes the space at the front. The top and side bezels are narrow; the one at the bottom is slightly thicker but still minimal overall. Even the punch-hole notch for the front camera is inconspicuous.
Display & sound
The 6.4-inch AMOLED display is a delight to use. It has a Full HD+ resolution, which is great when watching videos on YouTube or Netflix. The colors appear vibrant and the texts are crisp. Images on the screen show high contrast, great saturation, and deep blacks. You also get a good range for brightness, allowing you to comfortably view what’s on your screen regardless of lighting conditions.
For mobile gamers, the 90Hz refresh rate is a plus. This phone can take on graphics-heavy games without showing signs of screen tearing.
For audio, the realme 10 comes equipped with a single, bottom-firing UltraBroom speaker. Audio is decent in mid-level volumes but can get tinny at the higher levels. When watching in landscape mode, there are plenty of times that we accidentally covered the speaker and muffled the audio.
This points to another thing that we appreciate here: there’s still a 3.5mm jack so you can still use your wired audio accessories.
Camera
The realme 10 has a 50-megapixel Color AI rear camera that takes really good photos. It comes with features such as HDR, Nightscape, and Street Mode 2.0.
However, there are no additional ultrawide or macro lenses to go with the main camera. The secondary sensor is intended for portrait shots.
Still, the resulting images show great colors and details all in all. The rear shooter performs well in well-lit scenarios. The focus and shutter speeds are also good.
Meanwhile, low-light photos are not as detailed and vivid but they are decent overall. Zoomed pictures are okay—passable for the most part although you’ll notice the lack of details and grain.
Here are some sample photos we’ve taken using the realme 10:
Expect similar performance from the 16-megapixel front camera. We liked that the selfie snapper doesn’t apply beautification filters by default. It also works well for video calls.
Performance
During the whole week of using the phone, we’ve never experienced any issues or lags. It can handle graphics-and power-intensive games and can easily switch between multiple open apps.
This is thanks mainly to the 2.2GHz MediaTek G99 processor with Mali-G57 GPU, which is a midrange SoC made for gaming. The 8GB of RAM ensures you have enough phone memory as you go through a host of different apps at the same time. Plus, this is still expandable via Virtual RAM technology and Dynamic RAM expansion.
Additionally, the realme UI 3.0 (based on Android 12) provides a smooth and responsive experience. There are several pre-installed apps on the phone out of the box but most of these can be uninstalled if not needed.
The realme 10 comes with either 128GB or 256GB (review unit) UFS 2.2 internal storage. Either of the options is enough to store a lot of documents, photos, videos, and apps on your phone. If not, there’s an option to expand up to 1TB via microSD. There’s a dedicated slot for the memory card.
Note, however, that this isn’t a 5G phone, which may be an issue for some users.
In terms of battery power, the realme 10 can last for over a day of heavy use (mobile data or Wi-Fi on, watching videos and playing games for hours, plus basic tasks). The battery went from 100% to 50% after three days on standby with Wi-Fi constantly on. With the bundled cable and power brick, charging this phone from 0 to 50% can take just around 28 minutes.
Speed says
So, is the realme 10 a 10? Not quite. But it’s definitely another bang-for-your-buck phone from the brand. Design-wise, this phone screams premium with its slim form factor, rounded corners, and gorgeous rear finish.
As for performance, it’s a reliable daily driver thanks to a dependable processor, huge RAM and storage space, smooth UI, and a long-lasting battery. It’s also a good device for content creation and consumption thanks to its great display and decent camera features.
And all these at an under-P15,000 price? Definitely a steal!