Initial verdict: The realme 9 Pro looks to be a well-rounded smartphone that has 5G capabilities in the Philippines, though we’ll still have to wait until its final price is revealed to see how it stacks up to its competitors locally.

Pros

• 120hz screen refresh rate
• Capable processor
• Two 5G sim card slots

Cons

• Single speaker
• Low-resolution selfie camera

realme 9 Pro Philippines Specs

• Snapdragon 695 5G
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB storage
• 6.6-inch IPS LCD display, 120hz refresh rate
• 64-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera
• 16-megapixel selfie camera
• 4G, LTE, 5G
• WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• 5000mAh battery
• 33w fast charging
• Android 12, Realme UI 3.0

Weeks after its global debut, the realme 9 Pro is finally launching officially in the Philippines this week. We’ve only had the phone for a few days but the phone has been performing quite well so far. See what we think about the smartphone, as well as the goodies that you’ll get if you buy it:

Unboxing and Packaging contents

realme has taken a new approach in terms of packaging for their 2022 smartphones, as the realm 9 Pro comes in a completely new box, though still in their signature yellow color.

At the back of the box, the processor, screen, camera, and battery are all proudly highlighted.

Inside, we get the usual stuff like a clear case, sim ejector pin, charging brick, USB-C cable, and documentation which you should keep around for warranty claims.

Design

Our test unit comes in the Aurora Green color which we really find lovely. It emits a beautiful bluish-green color that kind of reminds you of the Aurora Borealis or the Northern lights. The only downside is that it’s a fingerprint magnet due to its glossy surface.

Unlike the back of the phone, the sides have a matte-like surface making the phone easier to hold. The volume rocker sits perfectly on the left side while the power button, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner, sits nicely on the right.

At the bottom corner, you can find the USB-C port, speaker grill, and 3.5mm headphone jack. The audio jack comes in handy when you get tired of the tinny sound coming from its single speaker.

Display

The realme 9 Pro has a display that’s hard not to like. It comes with a  6.6-inch FHD+ IPS LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. This basically translates to smooth scrolling and swiping experience when you’re navigating through the phone and various apps.

The high refresh rate is truly mesmerizing. In fact, once you’ve experienced it, you will dread going back to 60Hz or lower just for the extended battery life.

Overall, the display is capable of sharp photos and vivid colors. While it’s no match for an OLED display, the LCD panel produces pretty good colors out of the box. 

Cameras

This is where the realme 9 Pro shines best. It has a 64-megapixel f/1.8 main camera, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide, and 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro at the rear, while a 16-megapixel f/2.1 selfie camera is at the front. It also comes with a  street photography mode that lets you shoot with familiar focal lengths like 50mm, 24mm, and 16mm.

For outdoor shooting, the main camera delivered some very detailed photos. There’s just one problem though: colors are a little off when using the ultra-wide-angle camera compared to the regular shooter. Thankfully, sharpness is not affected. 

As for the selfie camera, photos are good as long as the sun is out. At nighttime, it suffers a little bit of deterioration in quality, unlike the main snapper which can take detailed photos even at low light.

The phone can also take good videos, as long as you don’t mind the crop. The ultra steady mode is also handy for those with shaky hands. And for vloggers, you will surely love its dual-view video feature that enables you to record with both the front and back at the same time.

Internals

Inside the phone is a Snapdragon 695 5G processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. realme claims it can smoothly run even the most resource-demanding apps available today. 

True enough, lag is never an issue with the phone. It feels smooth to use, whether you’re just browsing or playing games. Even downloading anything over 5G seems like a breeze, the same goes for uploading on Instagram or TikTok.

The phone should have no problem playing casual games like League of Legends: Wild Rift or Asphalt 9. Even charging the battery is not a problem as it comes with 30w wired charging.

Wrap up and Initial Conclusions

The realme 9 Pro looks to be a solid mid-ranger in the Philippines, especially considering what you’re getting. That 5G capability will come in handy now that all three telcos are pushing 5G services nationwide, and the main shooter looks decent enough for daily use.

The real question here is price – the phone is looking to go up against already established contenders in the mid-range space, most notably their staunchest rival, Xiaomi. There’s potential here for realme to steal Xiaomi’s thunder IF they’ll be able to price the phone right. We’ll have to see when the company officially unveils the pricing of the phone on their Livestream launch on March 15, 6PM, in their realme Facebook page.