realme recently came into the country with the introduction of its smartphones including entry-level devices such as the realme C3, realme C11 and the midrange realme 6.
We’ve been playing around with the realme 6 for a good amount of days since launch and did a first impression review(you can watch the video here – and subscribe to our YouTube channel).
The smartphone is now on sale on Jumia and partner retail stores but before you go buy it, here’s what you’re getting into in our full review.
Design
realme 6 is the company’s foray into the midrange market in Kenya and comes in a neat comet-like design that makes a lasting impression.
It has a plastic but visually appealing back that when struck by light, you’ll see multiple streaks that run down. You have the choice of either Comet Blue or Comet White – these colours give the phone its character and the design has grown on me.
However, you’ll need to use the case provided to protect it from scratches and the fingerprint smudges.
This design gets the job done
The back is gently curved as it meets the mid-frame to offer a better-in-hand feel. The phone is usable with one hand and easily slips into your pocket when you’re out and about.
The centre of attraction is the front where we have the 90Hz screen.
realme 6 comes with a 6.5″ LCD display that gives it a near bezel-less design(close to 90% screen to body ratio) apart from the chin and the punch hole interruption at the top left corner.
The screen is vibrant and at a resolution of 2400 by 1080 pixels, decent enough for consuming multimedia content – be it videos or streaming movies, browsing the web and your social media feeds.
That 90Hz refresh rate is a nice must have and I’m glad realme stepped their midrange offering with this feature that lacks in other midrange smartphones in Kenya that come with 60Hz refresh rate.
The animations are fluid especially for apps and games that support 90Hz refresh rate. There is less blur when swiping, scrolling or switching between tasks.
Flicker-free scrolling
It’s worth noting that 90Hz will exhaust your battery much quicker and realme offers three choices – to either stick with 90Hz, 60Hz or let the phone auto select which refresh rate to use in a per app basis which comes in handy when you want your battery life extended. 
The display offers natural colours with decent colour reproduction and gets very bright so you can use the phone even when outdoors
All in all, you’re getting a big screen with a crisp resolution and smooth display that you’re going to love.
The screen is Gorilla Glass 3 protected.
You get volume buttons on the left – it’s unusual but I adjusted accordingly. The sim tray is also located here.
The power button found on the right side is also the fingerprint reader.
At the bottom are the solitary bottom flaring speaker which is loud and with decent clarity when in use, headphone jack, microphone(call quality was impressive) and USB-C charging port.
The buttons feel solid and have a more positive click when pressed. The fingerprint reader is quick and reliable when unlocking your device and is well-positioned where your thumb would naturally rest when holding the phone for easier access to your device.
I loved the ergonomics.
Performance
We’ve seen the beauty and now we get to talk about the brawn behind or rather under the hood. The phone comes with a Helio G90T processor, Mali G76 GPU coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
This combination offers unimpeachable performance which heavy multitaskers and gamers will highly appreciate – the latter, especially that 90Hz refresh rate.
You can now play high refresh rate gaming titles – from PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, GrimValor, Critical Ops, Asphalt 9, Arena of Valor, Shadow Fight 3, Real Racing 3, Alto’s Odyssey and Mortal Kombat X.
The phone doesn’t heat up that much when gaming for long sessions – so if you’re looking for a budget gaming phone, then the realme 6 is one to consider.
It’s worth noting that this is not a dedicated gaming smartphone although it ships with the G90T which a budget gaming chip from MediaTek. It is rather an everyday phone that just so comes with a 90Hz screen.
The device comes with Android 10 and realme UI 1.0 straight out of the box and combined with the above-mentioned hardware, you get no lag when doing your regular tasks between apps such as replying to emails, browsing multiple tabs on Chrome, gaming, streaming music or videos or scrolling through your social media feeds.
rock-solid performance in day-to-day use
realme UI is fairly clean and polished as realme’s first interface after dropping OPPO’s ColorOS. You can even use it without the need to download a third-party launcher – the interface is snappy and easy to use as you can readily access the app drawer from your homescreen.
A usual with non-native Android UI, you get bloatware which you can also easily uninstall or disable.
App Market notifications were annoying.
No adware on this UI too which is a huge relief.
You’ll have a seamless experience with it as workloads are handled effortlessly – it didn’t struggle or slow d own so expect smooth and fast experience using the phone.
Camera Performance
It comes with 5 cameras – four at the back and one front-facing.
The AI-powered quad-camera setup includes a 64MP f/1.8 primary sensor, an 8MP f/2.3 wide-angle lens with 119-degree field of view, a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens and a 2MP f/2.4 monochrome depth sensor and an LED light. The camera module is surrounded by metal trim.
The horizontal housing doesn’t protrude that much from the phone’s chassis.
There’s a 16MP punch-hole selfie camera.
There are so many modes to try out with the realme 6 – you won’t get bored playing around with the snappers. The native camera app switches between lenses quickly with a slight pause for refocussing.
Modes include Portrait, Night, Expert, HDR, beauty, ultra macro.
You also get a dedicated 64MP mode that increases the details captured when zoomed in. Regular photos are taken with 16MP resolution thanks to pixel binning.
Here are some samples[Click to expand]:
Selfies
Portraits
Regular Photos
Bokeh
Lowlight
Daylight shots turn out very well for bokeh, regular shots, portraits and selfies. Lowlight performance is decent enough and the photos hold up surprisingly good – no need to use night mode(but if you do, expect mixed results)
realme needs to work on the night mode feature for its phones.
Video
For video, the cameraphone can shoot 4K video up to 30fps with the main camera or 1080p at 60fps. The selfie camera can do a max of 1080p at 30fps but will get 120fps slow-motion selfies with a future software update.
You can also shoot in ultra-steady max for those stable video shots
Videos shot on the realme 6 can be shared on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat Stories and WhatsApp Status or upload to YouTube.
Battery Performance.
The phone comes with a 4300mAh battery and 30W fast charging via USB-C. On heavy use and with 90Hz on, the phone could do a full day before needing juicing up at the end of the day.
Light to moderate use could push the phone to a day and a half. You can choose which mode to use – between performance, standard or non-performance mode.
Charging speeds are impressive: from empty to 60% takes 30 minutes and in under an hour, you are fully charged up.
Verdict
realme 6 has a lot to offer at the mid range market – you get trustworthy performance for gaming and multitasking, a brilliant 90Hz screen, plenty of battery life, attractive design, capable camera performance, fast and reliable processors – the symphony of these features makes for a solid purchase if you’re in the market for a mid-range device.
Pricing and Availability
realme 6 is available on Jumia for Ksh 29,999 and if you buy it during the ongoing sale, you’ll get a free realme band worth Ksh 2,999.
