Realme launched the 9i in January and adopted up with the 5G model final week. It has Soulful Blue, Rocking Black, and Metallica Gold coloration choices, however Realme is presently solely promoting the latter two fashions, with the blue variant coming at some later level. We received an opportunity to spend a while with the Metallica Gold model, so listed below are our first-hand impressions.
The Realme 9i 5G is available in a yellow-colored field just like its 4G counterpart, together with a protecting case, a SIM card ejector software, a USB-C cable, an 18W energy adapter, and a few paperwork.
The Realme 9i 5G is constructed round a 6.6″ FullHD+ LCD protected by Panda Glass. Realme advertises 400 nits of brightness for the panel, which is 80 nits lower than the 4G mannequin, however the firm instructed us that the precise peak brightness will attain round 600-700 nits in shiny situations.
The 9i 5G’s show comes with a 180Hz contact sampling charge and a 90Hz display refresh charge. Nonetheless, you may set it to 60Hz to preserve battery or go away it on Auto mode to let Realme’s algorithm dynamically regulate the refresh charge relying on the app you might be utilizing.
Not like the 9i 4G, which sports activities a punch gap for the selfie digital camera, the 9i 5G’s display has its 8MP entrance digital camera mounted on a notch, which in 2022 appears dated.
Shifting on to the opposite aspect, we’ve a flat again cowl flaunting what Realme calls a Classic CD Design, which – you guessed it proper – is impressed by compact discs. Our Metallica Gold variant appears glittery and blingy and displays mild at completely different angles. It appears cool, and because it’s shiny and reflective, you may really see your self when it.
Nonetheless, the panel is made from polycarbonate and is liable to fingerprint smudges. The smartphone is slim and light-weight, however the flat frames aren’t for everybody. We discovered the 4G variant with a curvier again cowl to be extra comfy.
The again panel additionally homes a triple digital camera setup, which is a mixture of a 50MP major digital camera joined by portrait and macro models. These aren’t positioned inside a digital camera island just like the cameras on the 9i 4G and make the 9i 5G wobble when used on a flat floor.
That mentioned, the position of ports and buttons on the Realme 9i 5G is identical because the 4G mannequin. Its left-side body has a triple card slot (microSD + two 5G SIM) and quantity keys, with the facility button positioned on the proper aspect. The facility key has the fingerprint reader embedded, which we discovered to be quick and correct at unlocking the telephone.
On the backside of the Realme 9i 5G is the USB-C port, flanked by the speaker, microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Nonetheless, in contrast to its 4G counterpart, the 9i 5G does not include stereo audio system.
Realme 9i 5G’s buttons and ports
On the within, we’ve the Dimensity 810 SoC paired with 4GB or 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The 4GB mannequin comes with 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage, whereas the 6GB model has 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage onboard. Each have a devoted microSD card slot for storage growth as much as 1TB, and so they additionally assist digital RAM growth, which hardly makes any distinction in actual world.
The Realme 9i 5G boots Android 12-based Realme UI 3.0 out of the field with the July 2022 Android safety patch. Nonetheless, Realme has launched a software program replace that bumps up the Android safety stage on the 9i 5G to August 2022.
The software program expertise on the Realme 9i 5G is just like what you get on different Realme smartphones operating Realme UI 3.0. And sure, this may obtain the Android 13 replace since Realme instructed us the smartphone will get two years of Android model updates and three years of safety patches.
Fueling all the package deal is a 5,000 mAh battery, which costs slower than the 9i 4G’s 5,000 mAh cell (18W vs. 33W). You’ll be able to head this method to test the detailed specs of the Realme 9i 4G and Realme 9i 5G.
The Realme 9i 5G’s 4GB/64GB mannequin is priced at INR14,999 ($190/€190), and the 6GB/128GB variant at INR16,999 ($215/€215). Each can be found for buy by means of the corporate’s official web site.
The Realme 9i 5G comes at a time in India when the nation is making ready for the 5G rollout, and a smartphone on this worth vary ought to actually assist extra individuals expertise the next-gen community. Reasonably priced 5G cellular knowledge and widespread community protection will clearly play an essential position in getting extra customers on the 5G bandwagon, however that can solely be attainable when extra individuals should purchase 5G-ready smartphones.
You’ll be able to anticipate to see extra reasonably priced 5G smartphones from Realme and different manufacturers within the coming months.
