realme 8 Unboxing, Quick Review: All About the Display

realme 8 Unboxing, Quick Review: All About the Display

Initial Verdict: If you skipped on the realme 7 because of its display, then the realme 8 is the phone for you. Our unboxing of the realme 8 in the Philippines confirms that a swap to a better (albeit slower) 60Hz AMOLED panel makes the phone better in our opinion, thanks to the livelier colors as well as the deeper blacks that the display is able to produce. 

realme 8 Unboxing Philippines Specs:

  • Helio G95 processor
  • 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • 128GB internal storage
  • 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display, 180hz touch sampling rate
  • 64-megapixel f/1.9 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.25 ultra-wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel macro camera, 2-megapixel f/2.4 mono camera
  • 16-megapixel f/2.45 IMX 471 selfie camera
  • 4G, LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, in-display fingerprint scanner
  • 5000mAh battery
  • 30w fast charging
  • Android 11, realme UI 2.0

Pros

  • Super AMOLED display + in-display fingerprint scanner
  • Back panel design makes it stand out from the crowd

Cons

  • Uncomfortably similar to the realme 7
  • Lower refresh rates

It’s been 7 months since the realme 7 landed on our shores, and here we are with its successor. realme’s newest mid-range offering is an iterative take on the last year’s model, with the brand swapping a new AMOLED panel and a spiffy-looking back, leaving most of the phone largely the same. Is there enough new things in the realme 8 for fans of the brand or should you skip it entirely? Let’s find out:

Unboxing and Packaging contents

Like practically all realme phones made nowadays, you get a yellow box with the phone’s model number printed out front. The box contains what you’d expect from realme offering: you get the phone itself, documentation, silicone case, USB-C cable, and a 30w wall adapter.

Design

realme is going in a different direction with the back panel of their new 8 series phones – instead of gradient finishes and unique patterns, the brand decided to use an asymmetric two-tone finish with the brand’s tagline “Dare To Leap” printed on the back. It’s a polarizing decision for sure, and as with anything your mileage may vary as far as it’s concerned: some people like it, some people don’t. It certainly gives the phone character.

One caveat though: the back panel has a glossy finish that attracts smudges like crazy, so you’re better off using the included silicone case to keep it as pristine as possible.

The button and port layout are the same as its predecessor: SIM card tray on the left, power and volume controls on the right side, and USB-C, headphone jack, and loudspeaker at the bottom.

Display

While the realme 8 may look similar to its predecessor as far as the display and the position of the punch-hole notch goes, there are a few important differences. You actually get a slightly smaller panel compared to the old model BUT now it uses a Super AMOLED one instead of the usual IPS LCD.

While the new panel has a more conventional 60hz refresh rate, you still get a decent 180hz touch response rate and the benefits of an AMOLED panel, which includes deeper blacks, better color accuracy, and improved power efficiency. We will have to verify the latter, so stay tuned for our full review for our final say.

Cameras

Despite having a more unique camera module, the realme 8 borrows the same setup found on its predecessor. That consists of a 64-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a pair of 2-megapixel cameras: one monochrome camera and one for macro shots.

We took a few photos to see how they fare, and so far they look decent for posting on social media. We will be taking the realme 8 for more photos (and videos) in our full review.

Performance and Battery

Like its predecessor, you are getting the same set of internals with the realme 8: Helio G95, 8GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage. We mentioned on our review of the realme 7 that the Helio G95 is a better version of the Helio G90T as it has a higher-clocked GPU.

We expect roughly the same overall performance with the realme 8, though we need to do our usual set of tests to verify our findings.

As for the battery, you are also getting a beefy 5000mAh battery with 30w wired charging on the realme 8. Given that you are getting an AMOLED panel and a lower refresh rate on the realme 8, we expect it to have a vastly better battery life compared to its predecessor.

Initial Conclusions

Despite being almost similar to its predecessor as far as specs are concerned, our unboxing of the realme 8 in the Philippines shows the shift from IPS to AMOLED does make a good impact. The display upgrade not just introduces an in-display fingerprint scanner and a better overall video experience, but can address the rather inferior battery life of the realme 7.

realme 8 Unboxing Philippines Price

realme has yet revealed the official price for it yet, though the 8GB/128GB variant is priced at around Php 11.5k in India. realme is expected to price it close to the Indian SRP, but make sure to stay tuned to the site for their official announcement.

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