realme 10 Review Philippines: In10se Competition

realme 10 Review Philippines: In10se Competition

Review Verdict: The realme 10 in this review for prospective buyers in the Philippines is an interesting option within the segment, sporting the brand’s signature design, usable internals, a vibrant display, and a good camera system for the price. 

Pros

  • Hole punch instead of a notch
  • Vibrant AMOLED display
  • microSD card support, 3.5mm jack

Cons

  • Typical realme bloatware
  • No 5G

realme 10 Philippines Specs

  • Helio G99 processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • 256GB storage
  • 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display, 90hz refresh rate, 360hz touch response rate
  • 50-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with PDAF, 2-megapixel f/2.4 depth sensor
  • 16-megapixel selfie camera
  • 4G, LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, in-display fingerprint scanner
  • 5000mAh battery
  • 33w fast charging
  • Android 12, Realme UI 3.0

The realme 10 is the designated successor to the realme 9 4G of yesteryear. As the vanilla option in the lineup, that device had some obvious flaws but also carried with it some desirable features. Does this new version fumble the bag or improve upon what was already a good device? Read on in this realme 10 review in the Philippines.

Design

Talking about the rear design of the realme 10 feels like discussing the backside panel of any other realme phone we’ve tested in the last year. We’ll keep it short and sweet anyway.

At the lower portion is the realme branding, done in the typical minimalistic, grey font you’d expect. At the top left side reside two identical circles sheltering the camera sensors, with a “50-megapixel AI Camera” text found next to the LED flash. This is all finished in a reflective silver material called Crash White that emulates the hue of surrounding light sources. It’s sparkly, glittery, and eyecatching when perceived both from a distance and up close.

Up front is where things get a little bit more interesting. We’ve been quite vocal about how a notch is an outdated styling cue in 2022. It shouldn’t be located on any device except for those in the ultra-budget segment. Fortunately, realme has taken notes and installed a hole-punch here. It’s on the upper left portion of the display no less, a creative diversion from its usual place at the center. This gave off a unique feel to this device while using it.

It’s sides are the usual fare from realme, with the volume rocker and power button on the side doubling as a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. At the bottom is the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack which is always welcome, alongside a USB Type-C port and a bottom-firing mono speaker.

This design isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. But hey, it works!

Display and Sound

Up front is a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. It’s always a treat to find AMOLED screen technology in this segment, as it’s not guaranteed but often indicates superiority in color reproduction and an overall more immersive experience. The FHD+ resolution packs enough pixels to make everything look clean and sharp, while animations are definitely enhanced by the 90Hz refresh rate.

The display gets plenty bright enough for outdoor use – making this the perfect device to bring along on your beach or out-of-town trips. Everyday errands for on-the-go individuals should also pose no problems whatsoever.

Sound is where things drop off a bit. The mono speaker found on the Philippines spec realme 10 didn’t fare too well in our review. It got a bit tinny at louder volumes and lacked the depth found on other midrange devices in the market. If you accidentally cover up the speaker, then the sound is barely audible. Thankfully, this smartphone is compatible with both wired and wireless audio solutions. All praises for that 3.5mm headphone jack.

Cameras

The rear panel showcases the two protruding circles for the camera system. The main camera is a 50-megapixel sensor while the secondary option is a lower-resolution depth sensor.

Images taken with the device are alright. They hold a certain degree of sharpness, which appears artificial in some photos more than others. Performance in various lighting conditions is passable, although zooming in exposes some grain and lack of detail into the distance.

Regardless, these are perfectly social media-worthy images that’ll get you those likes and comments on the Gram for sure.

Software-wise, a bevy of modes makes itself available. AI scene enhancement, HDR, Pro, Street, Night, Panorama, Portrait, and other modes are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the application. Video-capturing modes are also accommodated with a Film mode for professional use as well as a slow-motion function for those moments that happen in a blink of an eye.

Need to capture what’s in front of you and behind you at the same time? Try out Dual-View video, which does just that! The phone’s capabilities can more than handle this function. Speaking of…

Internals and Battery Life

Embedded in this device is a MediaTek Helio G99 processor. For those confused about how this stacks up to other brands, let us confirm: it’s a considerable upgrade over the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 found in its predecessor.

It performed quite well in our period of testing. While we admit there was an occasional hiccup or two, it wasn’t enough to offset the smooth experience afforded by the fusion of hardware and software implanted in this device. The smoothness of realme UI 3.0 based on a stable version of Android 12 came into play, paired with 8GB of RAM for multitasking. Keep in mind that the RAM can be expanded by up to 5GB, bringing the total to a whopping 13GB.

To bring a more quantitative perspective into the picture, here are the benchmark scores.

As you can see, there are marginal improvements in processing power. However, the most noticeable in the predecessor was the lack of GPU performance. The company has taken note of this and more than doubled its score in the 3DMark test, removing the biggest weakness this phone could have possibly carried performance-wise.   This is a significant and notable improvement that shouldn’t be taken lightly at all.

Battery life was average and nothing to write home about.

realme 10 Review Philippines: Wrap-up and Verdict

The realme 10 is by no means perfect, but it brings enough to the table to be considered an improvement over an already solid predecessor. Its design and vivid display cement it as a midrange offering you should consider, and it doesn’t forego additions like the 3.5mm jack and microSD card slot in the process.

It has all the makings of a competitive midrange device in 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Latest Reviews

Best Phones in the Philippines

Best Guides

Recent Posts