The Realme 10 was made official earlier this week and if you haven’t already, you should read our review (or watch our video review). If you’re in the market for a mid-ranger, is this one to get? Or did Realme drop the ball?
Being a mid-ranger, the Realme 10 had a limited budget for hardware. For this generation the company decided to use a more powerful chipset than the one in the Realme 9. However, to stay within the budget the company had to use a smaller, lower resolution sensor for the main camera (50MP 1/2.76” vs. 108MP 1/1.67”) and it had to drop the ultrawide camera completely.
Whether that’s a worthwhile trade-off depends on what you want to do with the phone. In our tests we found that the Helio G99 GPU massively outscores the one in the Snapdragon 680 that was used in the Realme 9. In some tests the frame rate doubled!
Obviously, people who use the camera a lot will not be happy. The Realme 9 wasn’t the greatest cameraphone in the world, but it was pretty great within its price range. The Realme 10 camera isn’t even close.
Realme 10
In some regions the base Realme 10 has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and is priced at $230. In Italy you can pick up a 8/128GB unit for €250. However, a 6/128GB Realme 9 is just €230 (there is no 8/128GB option for direct comparison).
So when talking about alternatives, the Realme 9 is the obvious place to start. But there are more options to consider.
How about the Poco M5s? It has a similar 6.43” AMOLED display (60Hz, though, instead of 90Hz) and is powered by the older Helio G95. Old as it may be, the G95 holds its own. Also, you get a 64MP main camera (1/1.97”) and an 8MP ultrawide shooter The 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging is comparable (actually, endurance and charge speed are slightly in favor of the Poco). One of these will set you back €200-300, depending on the memory configuration.
If you want that Helio G99, you can grab the Poco M5 instead (note: no “s”). This one does have a 90Hz display (6.58” IPS LCD). The camera is nothing to write home about (50MP+2MP+2MP) and the 5,000mAh battery only supports 18W charging. However, the M5 is cheaper – you can get one for under €200.
Realme 9 • Realme 10 • Xiaomi Poco M5 • Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
There’s also the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G. It boasts get next gen connectivity, courtesy of the Exynos 1280 (which is a bit faster than the G99). The camera setup provides the basics – 48MP (1/2.0”) main with OIS, 8MP ultrawide and 5MP macro. The battery has the same 5,000mAh battery capacity and is rated for 25W charging. A 6/128GB unit can be yours for under €300.
So, assuming you are looking for a mid-range phone, will you buy the Realme 10? The 9? Vote below or using this page.
