Realme has launched a lot of devices in almost every sector, and the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition (or simply Realme 9 5G SE) is one of the many 9 series phones from the company.
Launched alongside the vanilla Realme 9 5G, it aims to be a more powerful version with a Snapdragon 778G chip and a 144Hz refresh rate screen. But is that enough for this device which starts at Rs 1999? I’ve been trying the phone for over a week and here are my thoughts on this device, and whether you should buy it.
Realme 9 5G SE Specifications: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor | 6.6 inch FHD + IPS LCD + 144Hz refresh rate | 48MP + 2MP + 2MP, 16MP camera setup | 5000 mAh + 30W fast charging |
Realme 9 5G SE: what’s good?
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The 144Hz display panel here is one of the highlights of the device, and while it’s not an AMOLED panel, it’s a good IPS LCD screen here. You have great viewing angles, with decent external brightness and the fastest refresh rate too. Note that you will not be able to enjoy 144Hz in all games; More on that later.
The 144Hz LCD panel isn’t an AMOLED, but it’s a good LCD. (Image source: The Indian Express / Chetan Nayak)
Coming back to the screen, it also supports HDR10 and Widevine L1 so you can watch shows on this phone in good quality.
main camera
Realme 9 5G SE features a triple camera setup on the back with a 48MP primary sensor, no ultrawide sensors and two 2MP sensors for depth and macro photography.
The camera is comparable to most other cameras in this price segment, and it takes slightly saturated shots during the day. However, the night shots came out better than I expected and I think software processing has a role to play here. Check out our camera samples Click on the image below.
performance
The Snapdragon 778G is a great mid-range and the performance is no different in the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition. Daily tasks are a breeze, even if you have quite a few apps running simultaneously. RAM management isn’t an issue here either as old apps stay on memory and don’t restart when you come back to them.
The phone is also great for all kinds of casual games and heavier games like Battlegrounds Mobile India and Asphalt 9 can be enjoyed, but not at maximum settings. BGMI for example, allows you to play at an “Extreme” frame rate only with “Smooth” graphics.
The gaming experience on the Realme 9 5G SE is great, but you’re still limited by the Smooth + Extreme graphics. (Image source: The Indian Express / Chetan Nayak)
Hitting the 144Hz refresh rate, it probably won’t be as useful as you’d expect, since while there are titles that support playing at 144Hz, popular games like BGMI or Call of Duty Mobile simply won’t let you play at that resolution. That’s because 144Hz support isn’t popular among popular titles, and the Snapdragon 778G is, for good measure, still not a flagship Snapdragon 800 series chip.
battery Life
Realme 9 5G Speed Edition has good battery life thanks to a 5000mAh unit that lasts more than a day with moderate ease of use. The phone comes with 30W Dart charging which is always great to see at this price.
The battery life of Realme 9 5G Speed Edition can last more than a day easily. (Image source: The Indian Express / Chetan Nayak)
Realme 9 5G SE: what’s not good?
The lack of a high-speed camera
Like most devices that come with a 5G chip under Rs 20,000, the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition also has compromises, one of which is the lack of an ultrawide camera. Something that could be missing from a phone priced under Rs 15,000, the ultra-fast camera sensor is a must in a mid-range phone in 2022.
Yes, the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition is aimed at performance users and gamers, but it’s still supposed to have an ultrawide camera instead of two 2-megapixel sensors. This item alone makes this device a bargain for me and anyone looking for a complete package at this price.
Although there appears to be a quad-camera module on the back, the phone has only one camera that you will use in most cases. (Image source: The Indian Express / Chetan Nayak)
Programming
I like the amount of customization Realme UI offers, but seeing the phone launch with Android 11 so far, when we’re months away from the official Android 13 launch, is something I don’t appreciate. While this won’t be much of an issue for many, releasing a phone with a dated Android version also means that it receives one less update at the end of its update cycle.
There is also a lot of bloatware on the device including apps like HeyFun, Snapchat, ShareChat, Dailyhunt, Josh and MX TakaTak. You can uninstall these, but they are there regardless. You also can’t get rid of the Hot Apps suggestion icon here.
The speakers are frustrating
The phone also has a disappointing audio output through the single speaker unit on the bottom, which is impressive when you consider that this phone is for gamers. A stereo speaker setup, even if it’s substandard, would have made more sense here.
Verdict: Should you get the Realme 9 5G SE?
The Realme 9 5G Speed Edition isn’t a bad device, but it really fails to stand out in the plethora of mid-range phones we already have. Sacrifices like the ultra-wide camera and stereo speakers, which could have been more useful than the 144Hz refresh rate and 2MP sensors on the back, leave this phone in a space where it’s hard to recommend to people looking for the complete package.
However, the phone is still one of the cheapest Snapdragon 778G devices you can buy and that’s a win. If you’re after a Snapdragon 700-series performance with 5G under 20,000, you can go for the Realme 9 5G Speed Edition, only if you’re okay with the compromises that come with it.
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