Here’s our full review of the realme 8 5G.
The arrival of affordable 5G phones is in full swing in the Philippines, heralded by the aggressive rollout of the 5G network by local telcos.
The latest to launch is the realme 8 5G. The phone comes with an appealing design and a solid set of features for just Php 11,990.
With realme’s reputation for solid-performing devices, a lot is expected from the 5G-equipped budget phone. In this review, we’re here to find out if it’s worth our attention.
Let’s go.
Price and Availability
- realme 8 5G: Php 11,990
The realme 8 5G 8GB + 128GB is priced at Php 11,990 in the Philippines.
On June 25, the handset will be available with a discount of Php 1,500, making the price only Php 10,490 with free shipping on realme PH’s official store on Shopee.
From June 25 to 27, the realme 8 5G will also come with a free realme Buds Q worth Php 1,490.
Design and Display
We already had a quick rundown of the realme 8 5G on our initial review (you can check it out here), and we stand by our first impressions.
The realme 8 5G is a gorgeous phone. The racing design concept really works here. realme used a high-gloss indium plating process and lenticular pattern process to achieve that premium mirror effect. The result is a clean design with a shimmering effect that’s pleasing to the eyes. It especially looks good on the Supersonic Blue colorway of our review unit. For those who want a darker color option, you can opt for Supersonic Black.
One thing to take note of is the glossy plastic back’s propensity to attract fingerprints. Its not really a big deal though, considering many will likely rock the included case with the handset.
At the front, we have the large 6.5-inch IPS display with narrow bezels, and a punch hole on the upper left housing a 16MP selfie camera. The earpiece is very slim and is well hidden at the top bezel.
On the left side, we have the triple slotted SIM tray and the volume rocker situated on a very ergonomic and easy to reach position. The power button sits flushed on the right side at about the same height as the volume rockers. And at the bottom, there’s the headphone jack, microphone, USB-C port, and mono speaker.
Around the back, we have the new camera layout that realme has been using on its latest devices. The camera module itself has quite the camera bump, which I don’t mind at all. The realme 8 5G has three rear cameras — a 48MP main, a 2MP macro sensors, and a 2MP black-and-white sensor. You can see a fourth “camera hole,” but it’s for purely cosmetic reasons, a placeholder for other devices that support it.
The phone has a 6.5-inch FHD IPS display with 2400 x 1080 resolution and a 90.5% screen-to-body ratio. The screen is great with good sharpness and color. And it’s bright too with up to 600 nits, also giving it good outdoor visibility.
ALSO READ: realme 8 5G initial review: Key features and first impressions
The screen also has a 90Hz refresh rate. This makes the experience of navigating the phone and scrolling through content smooth and fluid.
Performance and Battery
The realme 8 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip with eight cores clocked at up to 2.2GHz. It has 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB UFS 2.1 storage, and a 5,000mAh battery. It also runs on realme UI 2.0, based on Android 11.
In terms of performance, the realme 8 5G won’t disappoint. Like most modern phones, it is fast and responsive, with no lag, and able to run apps easily. I didn’t encounter any issues during the review.
When it came to gaming, the phone handled itself well. Genshin Impact was fine on default settings (which was set at the lowest). The cut scenes looked great. And while it took its time in loading screens, gameplay was mostly good with some minor stuttering here and there.
ALSO READ: realme C25s official in PH, starts at Php 7,490
For those who need more RAM for apps, the realme 8 5G has a feature where you can allocate storage to RAM called RAM expansion. You can access this by going to Settings> About phone and then tap RAM. You can add up to 5GB more.
For those who like benchmarks, check out the scores below:
- AnTuTu: 365,805
- Geek Bench: 569 (Single-core); 1,763 (Multi-core)
- 3D Mark Wild Life: 1,106
- 3D Mark Sling Shot Extreme: 2,339
The handset has a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging, which is nowhere as fast as the realme 8’s 30W. This may be some of the cost cutting measures done to keep prices down.
That being said, the realme 8 5G can last a full day with a some juice left in the tank. You can realistically stretch it for two (or even more) if you are a light user. Ultimately, battery life does depend on how you use your phone, but overall, this one is pretty good.
As for the charging speed, it takes 2.5 hours to charge the 5,000mAh battery to full with the 18W Dart Charger. Its not bad, but far from the realme 8’s 30W fast charging.
Cameras
The realme 8 5G has four cameras in total — three at the back and one in front. The camera module adopts a rectangular design that’s significantly raised from the back panel.
The rear cameras are composed of a 48MP main, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP B/W sensor. While the front camera has a 16MP selfie shooter.
Image quality is decent, taking sharp, colorful photos with good dynamic range. It can’t compete against flagships, but its doesn’t fall too far behind. And for the majority of users, its more than enough for social media.
Low light shots come with a reasonable amount of detail, slightly muted colors, and some noise. Its expected, given the price. Again, its perfectly fine for social media.
When it comes to selfies, the 16MP front camera is more than sufficient. Skin tone is accurate with good detail. You can also adjust the beauty mode to suit your taste. It offers a host of real-time edits that include smoothing of the skin, thinning of the face, adjusting the size of the eyes and nose, and more.
Verdict
realme is moving fast to keep its promise of providing affordable 5G phones to its young market. The realme 8 5G is a solid entry to that end for just Php 11,990. For the price, the handset offers solid performance with a good battery life and decent cameras. While it’s not on par with the realme 8 and realme 8 Pro, its a great option if you’re looking for a 5G phone on a budget.
realme 8 5G specs
- Display: 6.5-inch FHD+ IPS Display, 2400 x 1080, Up to 600 nits
- Processor: 2.2GHz Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G
- GPU: ARM Mali-G57
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
- Storage: 128GB UFS 2.1 Storage, MicroSD Expansion Slot
- Rear Cameras: 48MP Main + 2MP Macro + 2MP B/W, Quad Cameras
- Front Camera: 16MP Selfie Camera
- Network: 5G, 4G LTE
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi Dual Band, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS
- Others: Side Fingerprint Scanner, USB-C
- OS: realme UI 2.0, Android 11
- Battery: 5,000mAh Battery, 18W Dart Charge
