Realm 9 Pro 5G review: more steps backwards than progress!?
A TEST REPORT from Fabian Menzel 
on August 27, 2022, 10:52 pm | Write a comment
The Chinese manufacturer introduced the Realme 9 this year Pro 5G and the Pro+ two devices of the 9th Pro series, which differ greatly in terms of the display and the main camera. after we do that Pro Plus model has already been extensively tested, it is now time to introduce the regular 9th Pro to scrutinize.
For a recommended retail price of 319,99 euros, customers get a large LC display with a smooth refresh rate of 120 Hertz, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695, a 5.000 mAh battery with 33 watt fast charge and a 64 megapixel triple camera. All of this doesn't sound bad, but for an RRP of 319,99 euros one could expect a little more, at least on paper. Fortunately, the price has now dropped to around 250 euros, which now makes the technical data look much more interesting. How the Realme 9 Pro in the last few weeks in everyday life, you can read in this detailed test report.
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Haptics & design – the first step backwards
On the Realme 9 Pro it is a rather larger smartphone, which is well illustrated by the dimensions of 164,3 millimeters in height and 75,5 millimeters in width. It can no longer in some situations procan easily be operated with one hand, but that is the case with almost all smartphones these days. At 195 grams, that's 9th place Pro has become significantly heavier than its predecessor and the thickness has also increased by 8,5 millimeters, which is probably due to the larger battery. Nevertheless, the smartphone is quite comfortable to hold, because the back is slightly rounded towards the frame on both sides.
The frame is made of plastic, which thanks to its matte surface is very resistant to fingerprints. The fingerprint sensor, which unlocks the smartphone quickly and reliably, is also placed in the frame. The back is also made of plastic, but it has a high-gloss finish, which almost magically attracts fingerprints. In addition, it feels anything but high-quality and can even be dented. Compared to the predecessor, we are dealing with a considerable step backwards here, because it was still equipped with a matte back, which left a significantly higher quality and more stable impression. When it comes to colors, customers have three options to choose from: “Sunrise Blue”, “Aurora Green” and “Midnight Black”. I was given the latter to test and would honestly advise against this color as it is extremely fingerprint prone. There is space for three cameras in the left-hand corner, which protrude quite a bit from the case, which means that the smartphone wobbles noticeably when it is being operated lying on the table.
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- The Realme 9 Pro in "Midnight Black". (Picture: TechnikNews)
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- The back is very prone to fingerprints. (Picture: TechnikNews)
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- The bezels around the screen could definitely be thinner. (Picture: TechnikNews)
Let's rotate the Realme 9 Pro around, we see a familiar picture from the entry-level to mid-range. The display is broken by a small notch in the left corner and the bezels around the screen could definitely be a bit thinner.
Display - advance and regress
The Chinese manufacturer installs a 6,6-inch LC display with a resolution of 2.412x1.080 pixels, which is only interrupted by a small punch hole for the front camera. Furthermore, the screen supports a smooth refresh rate of 120 Hertz, which is a step forward compared to its predecessor, which only ran at 60 Hertz.
However, Realme decided on both the 7th Pro as well as during 8 Pro for a high-quality OLED panel, which provided excellent black and contrast values. This is on the Realme 9 Pro Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, because Realme preferred to opt for a cheap LC display in order to be able to install 120 Hertz, because 120 Hertz can be marketed much better. Furthermore, the viewing angles of the screen are not very stable, which can be very annoying in everyday use. The maximum brightness is okay, but it can definitely increase in direct sunlight Proproblems with readability.
In conclusion, I can say that the display in the Realme 9 Pro is rather disappointing, especially when you compare it to the predecessor and the competition. OLED panels have now become standard for over 300 euros and Realme was with the 8 Pro on the right track and have with the GT Master Edition or the GT Neo 2 delivered pretty much the best displays for around 300 euros, but with the panel of the 9th Pro the manufacturer unfortunately takes a big step backwards. Too bad Realme.
Software – Realme UI 3.0
The in-house user interface Realme UI in version 3.0, based on Android 12, is used as the software. I'm actually a big fan of the Realme UI now, because you can customize a lot here to your own taste. For example, the colors and symbols of the UI can be changed. In addition, Realme integrates the popular Google Discover feed on the left side of the home screen and of course there is also an app drawer. Compared to the Realme UI 2.0, the settings app and the notification bar have become a bit clearer and there are even nicer and smoother animations, which improve the user experience enormously.
As additional functions, the user can, for example, configure the icons of the apps, change the navigation and there are screen-off gestures (gestures for the switched-off display). Furthermore, the device can be woken up by double-tapping on the switched-off display and switched off again by double-tapping on an empty spot. A very useful and practical feature, which I use very often in everyday life. There is now even a quick start function for starting the camera, which I missed in the recent past.
Unfortunately, Realme pre-installs some bloatware, which spoils the actually positive first impression a bit, but at least all apps can be uninstalled.
Performance - Slight progress, but...
Under the hood is the Snapdragon 6 from Qualcomm, which is manufactured using the 695-nanometer process and is supported by 6 or 8 GB of RAM, depending on the version. There is also 128 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card.
The Snapdragon 695 is only marginally stronger on paper compared to the 720G in the previous model. It's a solid one Proprocessor that ensures decent performance in everyday use. Apps start and close pleasantly quickly and thanks to the smooth 120 Hertz refresh rate, the Realme 9 works Pro significantly more fluid than the 8th Pro. However, there are slight stutters even with slightly more complex things and for a recommended retail price of 319,99 euros I would have bought a stronger one Proprocessor desired. For example, the Realme GT Master Edition offers a significantly stronger and future-proof Snapdragon 300G for less than 778 euros Proprocessor.
Battery - (minimal) progress and major regression
The battery life is slightly better than the predecessor thanks to the huge 5.000 mAh battery. With the 120 Hertz refresh rate activated, I always got through a day easily and often up to two days were not at all Proproblem At the end of the day, with a screen-on-time of 5 to 6 hours, I usually still had between 45 and 55 Procent battery left.
The battery can be fully recharged in about 33 minutes with the included 90 watt power supply unit, which is rather average in the price range of about 300 euros. Compared to the predecessor, we are dealing with a big step backwards, because it could be fully charged in 50 minutes with the included 50 watt power supply. Also, we must not forget that Realm 7 Pro even with up to 65 watts, could be loaded. How can it be that the smartphone, which is almost two years older, has less charging technology clear is better?
Camera – step backwards on paper, but…
Realme installs a triple camera on the back, consisting of a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and another 2-megapixel sensor, which is responsible for macro shots. For comparison, the 8th Pro still had a 108 megapixel main sensor. A 16 megapixel front camera is responsible for selfies.
The Realme 9's triple camera Pro. (Image: TechnikNews)
The main camera actually takes very solid shots with decent sharpness and a good dynamic range. Last year I criticized the oversaturated color reproduction of the predecessor, but with the Realme 9 Pro this criticism is no longer valid. Color rendering is good. Even in low light, it can definitely convince in night mode for less than 300 euros.
The ultra-wide-angle camera is very useful in some situations, as it can capture a lot more, but the quality is visibly worse than the main camera. To be honest, hardly any other competitor in this price range is better here.
Conclusion
The Realme 9 Pro couldn't really convince in our test phase, since there are some steps backwards compared to the predecessor and the price of currently around 250 euros is much too high. You can even get them for almost the same price Real GT Master Edition, which is significantly better in terms of design, display and performance. However, if you are looking for a better camera, you should get it Realm 9 Pro+ see which one is available for about 70 euros more.
Thank you to Realme Germany for providing the Realme 9 Pro!
