Initial verdict: the realme 9 4G makes up for the shortcomings of the realme 9i in the Philippines with a better display and a superior set of rear cameras. It remains to be seen if realme can give a competitive price to the realme 9 4G given its strange positioning in the Philippines

Pros

• AMOLED display
• A better set of cameras vs 9i

Cons

• Sandwiched between realme 9 Pro and 9i

 

realme 9 4G Specs

• Snapdragon 680 processor
• 6GB/8GB RAM
• 128GB storage
• 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display, 90hz refresh rate, 360hz touch response rate
• 108-megapixel f/1.8 ISOCELL HM6 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 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

realme is bringing another member of the 9 series to the Philippines with the realme 9 4G. We got our hands on the realme 9 4G ahead of its local launch on June 14, and today we’ll be sharing our initial thoughts on the brand’s new budget mid-range offering.

Unboxing and Packaging contents

Like the rest of the realme 9 phones, you get a yellow box with realme branding for the 9 4G. Inside the box, you have the usual contents: documentation, silicone case, USB-C cable, 33w charger, and the phone itself.

Design

In a nutshell, the realme 9 4G shares practically the same design and size as the 9 Pro+ especially since you get an in-display fingerprint scanner with it. What is unique to the realme 9 4G is its Sunburst Gold colorway, which has a ripple effect that mimics sand dunes.

Being similar to the realme 9 Pro+, you have the volume controls and SIM tray on the left side and the power button on the right side, while at the bottom you have a headphone jack, USB-C port, and loudspeaker.

Display

One of the key features of the realme 9 4G is its display, where you get a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 90hz refresh rate and an in-display fingerprint scanner.

We absolutely adore AMOLED panels, as they do a great job in delivering vibrant colors and offering a good brightness range. From what we can tell, the panel used on the realme 9 4G appears to be similar to the one on the 9 Pro+ save for a slightly smaller size.

Cameras

The other highlight of the realme 9 4G is with the cameras, where you get a new 108-megapixel ISOCELL HM6 main camera. The sensor in question is huge at 1/1/67 inches and uses Samsung’s 9-in-1 pixel binning tech to create larger 1.92um pixels for better low-light capabilities.

Accompanying the 108-megapixel main camera is a 2-megapixel depth sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. We’re delighted that realme equipped the 9 4G with an ultra-wide-angle camera instead of another 2-megapixel camera, making it more versatile with its imaging capabilities.

The few photos we took with the realme 9 4G reveal very promising imaging performance with its main camera, capturing plenty of detail with our studio lighting setup. We will be using the realme 9 4G extensively in the coming days to see if it does offer a significant upgrade over the 9i in terms of imaging.

Internals

Like the realme 9i, the 9 4G comes with a Snapdragon 680 processor that’s paired with 128GB UFS 2.2 internal storage and up to 8GB RAM. It’s a configuration that we are very familiar with, so we expect roughly the same performance as other phones equipped with the same processor.

Also interesting with the 9 4G is that it comes with Android 12-based realmeUI 3.0 out of the box–the realme 9i 4G only came with Android 11, and there’s no word when it will get Android 12.

Keeping the lights on is a 5000mAh battery that has support for 33w charging.

Wrap-up and Initial Conclusions

The arrival of the realme 9 4G in the Philippines is interesting, as it aims to make up for some of the realme 9i’s shortcomings with the rear cameras and display. Given that it slots in between the realme 9i and 9 Pro, it remains to be seen how the brand will price the 9 4G to make it competitive against a stacked budget mid-range segment here in the Philippines.