Realme 2

The Realme 2 sports a 6.2-inch display with a screen resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels and a 19:9 aspect ratio. It runs on Android v8.1 (Oreo) OS with ColorOS 5.1 skin on top. It uses an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor clocked at 1.8 GHz coupled with an Adreno 506 GPU. It offers 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory, expandable up to 256GB. As for battery capacity, it gets a 4230 mAh battery.  

The phone features a dual camera setting at the back – a 13MP + 2 MP shooters. On the front, there is an 8MP camera. It includes sensors like the Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Fingerprint Sensor, Compass, Accelerometer, and Gyroscope.

It is available in three colours variants – Diamond Red, Diamond Black, and Diamond Blue.

When it comes to looks and design, Realme 2 bears many similarities with the Realme 1, the most striking one being the fibreglass body with glossy diamond-cut effect back panel. The rear panel flaunts fifteen tangent planes carved beautifully – the panel reflects light to create striking patterns. The only bad thing about the glossy back panel is that it is a fingerprint and smudge magnet. The camera module and Fingerprint Sensor are accentuated with a silver lining, which makes them stand out. The camera protrudes slightly from the body. The plastic frame feels comfortable to hold. The Fingerprint Sensor, which is missing in Realme 1, could have had better response quotient.

On the front, you get a notch-display with minimal bezels and a small chin. While the right side holds the power button, the left side of the body houses the volume rockers and a dual-SIM tray, with a dedicated microSD card slot. At the bottom, there is a micro USB port, a tiny speaker, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s also a Face Recognition feature that works decently in well-lit settings, but fumbles in low-light conditions.

The Realme 2 features a 6.2-inch HD+ IPS LCD with a screen resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels and a pixel density of 271 PPI. There’s a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection to protect the display from accidental damages and scratches. The notch at the top houses the 8MP selfie camera and a Proximity Sensor.

In general, the colours appear vibrant and crisp; the viewing angles are also commendable. However, the outdoor legibility isn’t at par with the phones under the same price bracket. You will often have to adjust the colours and brightness levels manually to see the content on the screen. The great thing about the notch on top is that it holds shortcuts for the most used apps. So, while gaming or binge-watching your favourite show, you don’t have to trace back to messaging apps – the notch opens up a tiny window so you can access your messages right there. There’s also a blue light filter that minimizes blue light emission from the screen, thereby reducing eye strain.

In Realme 1, we saw the high-end MediaTek Helio P60 chipset; but Realme 2 comes with the entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 450. Even though the latter isn’t the successor of the Realme 1, the entry-level processor seems to be a downgrade. However, in real-world usage, the processor doesn’t disappoint totally. You can perform everyday tasks on the phone without experiencing any lags or sluggishness. The problem only starts when you play heavyweight games like PUBG and Asphalt or engage in multitasking – you might notice a slight sluggishness and frame drops. The good thing is that the phone doesn’t heat up.

You can enjoy video streaming, social media browsing, and primary phone tasks seamlessly. However, the Realme 2 shouldn’t be a gamer’s first choice.

As for the software, Color OS is, for the most part, fluid and interactive. It is packed with many useful features including three-finger screenshot shortcut, lock screen gestures, Dual Apps, Wi-Fi Assistant, Smart Driving, and much more. It also has a Notch Full-Screen Multitasking feature that allows you to access recently used apps, shortcuts, and toggles to perform various functions. However, there is no app drawer, and it has some minor bloatware issue.

The Realme 2 boasts of a dual-camera setup at the back – a 13MP primary camera (f/2.2 aperture) and a 2MP secondary depth sensor, and an LED flash. There’s an 8MP selfie camera on the front  (f/2.2 aperture) with an 85-degree field of view. The camera app offers tons of cool features like Panorama Mode, Portrait Mode, HDR imaging, Time-lapse, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus, and AR stickers. Also, the camera is enhanced by Oppo’s AI Beautification algorithms.

In daylight surroundings, the rear camera module can capture good shots with an adequate amount of detail. The colour reproduction is also accurate. However, the camera exposure isn’t optimized, thanks to the poor dynamic range. The edge-detection of Portrait shots are average at best; it isn’t as good as what Xiaomi phones offer. In dimly-lit settings, the camera struggles greatly. The captured images lack detail, and the colours look washed out. There’s also a significant amount of noise in the photos.

Moving on to the 8MP selfie camera, the results are mixed. While the AI-enhanced front camera can detect skin tone, skin type, age, and gender accurately and adjust the camera settings accordingly, mostly the images look artificial and photoshopped. In daylight and favourable light settings, the camera can take some impressive shots, but then again, it fails to deliver in low-light conditions. The images depict poor edge detection and a lot of noise.

For both the rear and front cameras, video recording maxes out at 1080p videos @ 30fps. The lack of stabilization renders the videos to be shaky and lacking in detail.

The Realme 2 has a massive 4,230mAh battery that can easily last an entire day if you use the phone sparingly. It has the ‘AI Power Master’ – a software feature that suspends inactive apps and earmarks processor resources according to usage patterns. Thanks to the low-resolution display and power-efficient processor, the phone has an excellent battery life. A single charge can last for a full day provided you use the phone for everyday tasks like calling, texting, video browsing, lightweight gaming, etc. However, the battery charge will drop faster if you engage in continuous video streaming or gaming. Unfortunately, the Realme 2 does not have fast-charging support.

The phone has all the essential connectivity options on the phone are Wi-Fi 802.11, b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth v4.2, micro USB port, dual-SIM, FM Radio, GPS with A-GPS, and 2G/3G/4G support.

To sum up, the Realme 2 packs in some amazing features like impressive battery life, innovative and stunning design, reliable build quality, to name a few, but it does leave us craving for more horsepower. If you are looking for a reliable phone under the 10k segment, there are many options to look out for. In such a competitive market flooded with affordable smartphones, the Realme 2 is bound to face tough competition from Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Huawei.