The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
More for the buyer who just wants a reliable phone that keeps up with the basics without too much trouble, the Realme 7 isn’t going to win any awards. However, what it offers -- and the price they ask for it -- is perfectly acceptable.What's good
- 90Hz screen
- Large internal storage with microSD support
- Dual SIM support
- Fast charging
- All-day battery
What's bad
- Good but not great camera
- Primarily made of plastic
- Mono speaker
The Realme 7 promises a lot for such a low price tag. With all the competition out there in the budget-friendly price ranges, where does the Realme 7 stack up?
Design
The shape and size of the Realme 7 don’t look all that different from a lot of smartphones. You’re certainly not losing any screen real estate for the price with a 6.5-inch screen.
It does, however, have a primarily plastic shell. There’s also a noticeable camera bump. But it disappears if you use the included phone case.
The back piece is a matte finish similar to frosted glass with a shinier stripe down around the camera bump, leading down to the company's logo. This means fewer fingerprints and a better grip than most glossy plastic or glass phones. It’s also more rounded than boxy, which adds to the ease and comfort of one-handed use.
Display
To keep the phone's cost down, the Realme 7 chose an LCD screen. This means blacks look more grey and colors aren’t amazing. Reviewers still thought the display was okay to look. The 90Hz refresh rate makes up for a lot of shortcomings of the LCD panel, as it allows menus to glide smoother and performance to feel extra snappy.
Performance
This isn’t the sort of phone that will compete with Apple or Samsung’s high-end offerings. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not good in its own right. For the price, it performs shockingly well. Again the 90Hz refresh rate is a factor here.
Overall, reviewers had nothing overly negative to say about the performance on the Realme 7. It’s good enough for daily use and reasonable for the price.
Software & Storage
The phone runs Android 10, reasonably up to date for the price. Storage goes up to 128GB with two different card slots for MicroSD and SIMs. This means you’ll probably never run out of space on the phone, and if you do it’s cheap and easy to add more!
Cameras
Camera performance did not thrill reviewers but they were quick to point out that few phones this price feature amazing cameras. Given the budget-friendly nature of the phone, it’s a nice piece of equipment. Again, colors can look washed out and less sharp than they should be and contrast is lacking. But if you’re looking for a cheap phone to snap pictures for Facebook or Instagram, it will probably get you by.
Battery Life
The mid-tier specs and a monstrous 5,000mAh battery saw the Realme 7 blow most battery reviews away. There’s no reason the phone shouldn’t last you all day and well into the night. Better still, it includes a 30-watt speed charger for quick top-ups should you need one.
Audio
Having only one speaker means that the listening experience only gets so good. Reviewers described the audio as plenty loud even if it was flat and lacking any sort of dynamic projection. But thanks to a USB-C port and a headphone jack, you can easily attach your favorite set of headphones to enhance your listening experience.
Specs at a Glance
- Plastic chassis
- 6.5-inch LCD display
- MediaTek Helio G95 processor
- 4/6/8 GB of RAM
- Android 10
- 128GB of onboard storage with MicroSD option
- 48MP camera and selfie punchout
- 5,000mAh battery
Bottom Line
While the Realme 7 isn’t going to win any awards, what it offers -- and the price they ask for it -- is perfectly acceptable. It may be more suited to someone who isn’t all about the latest games or the ultimate media experience though. It’s more for the buyer who just wants a reliable phone that keeps up with the basics without too much trouble.
Tech Radar says, “Realme has delivered more budget phones in a couple of years than many smartphone makers launch in a lifetime.”
Gadgets 360 states, “The Realme 7 isn't a major update over the Realme 6, but it's a good enough refresh with its larger battery and better primary camera sensor. Overall performance is very good, battery life is excellent, and the 90Hz display makes general usage feel smooth and fluid.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Andy Wilson, Review HubYes, if you’re looking for an affordable smartphone with top-tier gaming-ready performance, excellent connectivity (NFC, FastCharge, AC WiFi) a good main camera and crazy good battery life for less than £200. You’ll want to add the Realme 7 to your shortlist. It’s a hard phone to ignore thanks to th...
- H Ranpura, Android HeadlinesRealme 7 keeps all of the goodness of the Realme 6 and delivers a quantifiable leap in battery life. It checks pretty much all the boxes in terms of what constitutes a good smartphone – great hardware design, a 90Hz refresh rate display, snappy performance, and stellar battery life. In addition, it...
- David Nield, T3The Realme 7 immediately becomes one of the best budget Android handsets on the market, as we've come to expect from Realme at this point. There are some compromises here, but ultimately you're getting a lot of smartphone for not very much money.
- Florian Schmitt, NotebookcheckThe realme 7 offers a pretty impressive performance for a smartphone that you can get for well under 200 euros. We even like it better than the Pro model, the difference in performance is not that big and if the more elegant appearance of the Pro model is not important to you, then the realme 7 is i...
- Benjamin Lucks, NextPitThe Realme 7 surprised in the review with a very good performance. Although the manufacturer does not use Qualcomm components, the Realme 7 is on par with the Pro version when it came to benchmark comparisons. Moreover, some users might also like the display better thanks to the 90 Hertz refresh rat...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
Realme backs up the 7 with a 2 Years parts & labour warranty.
If your 7 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Realme support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Realme's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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