Realme 7 series is one of the latest lineups from OPPO’s sub-brand Realme. It includes three models, which are Realme 7, Realme 7 Pro, and Realme 7i. Despite being the most affordable model in the series (Rs. 11,999), the 7i still comes with pretty attractive specs like a 90Hz display, 64MP quad rear cameras, and Snapdragon 662 SoC. I have used the phone for some time now, and I would like to share my thoughts about it. 

Realme 7i: Design

The design of the Realme 7i looks quite fun. Its back panel is made of glossy polycarbonate that is prone to fingerprints, so you might need to put on the clear case packed in the box. The phone comes in two color options, Aurora Green and Polar Blue. The model we have is in Polar Blue color, which looks quite clean and minimalist.

At the back, you will also see a Realme logo, a fingerprint reader, and a quad-camera cluster housed inside a rectangular housing. Since the back cameras protrude a bit, so the phone will wobble a little bit if you palace it on a flat surface without a case. 

On the front, there is a 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Placed on the top left corner of the screen is a punch-hole cutout for a selfie camera. Sit on the right side is a dual-SIM tray along with a dedicated microSD card slot. On the left side, you can see two volume buttons and a sleep/wake button.

At the bottom is where a headphone jack, microphone, speaker, and USB-C port are situated while there is nothing at the top.

Thanks to the curved frame, the handset is pretty comfortable to hold. However, users with small hands might still struggle a bit when using it with one hand.

Realme 7i: Display 

As mentioned, the Realme 7i rocks a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a HD+ (1,600 x 720p) resolution. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. With a 90Hz refresh rate, the display is quite smooth to use though there is still a subtle frame drop when I scrolled through the display. The viewing angles are good and the display produces punchy and vibrant colors despite being an LCD panel. You can also tweak the display’s settings to make it warmer or cooler.

I had a pretty good time watching content on the phone, even though it only has up to HD+ resolution. Sadly, that isn’t the case for audio as even though the volume is quite high, the sound is pretty bad it comes out tinny and lacks bass. You might want to plug a headphone in to get the best experience.

Realme 7i: Camera

The 7i comes with four cameras on the rear, which is pretty standard for smartphones at the price point. The setup includes a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies, you get a 16MP camera housed inside the punch-hole. They are backed by features like Pro mode, Google Lens, Ultra Macro, AI capabilities, among others. 

The camera quality is quite good actually. The colours are sharp and accurate. There seems to be not much post-processing on the outcomes, which is great. The photos look pretty decent and suitable for sharing on social media. However, it isn’t as good when it comes to low-light photography, even with the dedicated Night mode. There is nearly no difference between photos taken with and without Night mode. Using Night mode makes the photos look pretty contrasty and saturated in comparison to the regular ones.

Realme 7i: Performance

Powering the Realme 7i is a Snapdragon 662 SoC, aided by an Adreno 610 GPU and 8GB RAM. With the 662, the 7i can handle daily tasks pretty well. High-graphics games like Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, and Asphalt 9 are also not a huge challenge for the phone. It also didn’t get overheat even though we ran several pretty heavy games and tasks. 

For biometrics security, you can unlock the phone using either the Face ID feature or the rear-mounted fingerprint reader. Both of them are great, though there was still a slight delay when I used the fingerprint reader.

The handset is pre-installed with Android 10-based Realme UI, which is pretty clean with little bloatware that you can delete later. In addition, the skin looks pretty much the same as stock Android.

Realme UI offers multiple features, including Smart Sidebar, Game Space, Fraud Prevention, Dual Mode Music Share, Riding Mode, Screen-Off display, Dark Mode, and Private Space. 

Realme 7i: Battery Life & Connectivity

The 7i is fueled by a large 5,000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. We used the phone mostly for playing games and browsing the web and ended the day with 24 percent left. It isn’t the best out there, but certainly at the top.

There isn’t anything special about the Realme 7i’s connectivity. It supports Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and 4G LTE.

Realme 7i: Verdict

For a starting price of Rs. 11,999 for the 6GB + 64GB model, the Realme 7i is a great choice. After around two weeks with the phone, we are pretty happy with its performance so far. It offers a decent display with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, a decent 64MP quad-rear camera setup, and a beefy 5,000 mAh battery that can help the phone last for around one day and quickly recharge with 18W fast charging solution. It would be much better if Realme can increase the resolution to Full-HD+ because HD+ might disappoint those who use their phone to watch videos or movies.