Realme 6i design: Identical to the Realme 6
Realme has been offering handsets with the “i” name for a long time. The company’s strategy has been to weaken some specifications of the existing model, so that the price can be reduced. But this time the changes are very minor. Overall there is no difference in design and dimensions. To achieve differentiation, Realme has introduced Lunar White and Eclipse Black color variants of the phone. compared to Realme 6 The color variants of (Review) are more attractive.
realme 6i You will find a fingerprint sensor on the edge, as its design matches that of Realme 6. I would have liked a rear fingerprint sensor, but this position is also not bad. The position is such that your thumb easily rests on it when you are holding the phone with your right hand. The capacitive fingerprint scanner is clickable and also acts as a power button. I also liked that the Realme 6i isn’t too wide. That means the grip remains good. I could easily reach every edge of the display.
Realme Has placed the volume buttons on the left side along with the SIM tray. The buttons are easily accessible and provide clicky feedback. Realme has chosen a matte finish on the plastic frame for this device. Which gives a good experience. Fingerprints and smudges easily appear on the back of the smartphone. Especially in the Eclipse Black variant, which we reviewed. Camera sensors on the rear are present in a capsule shaped module. This is a common design for Realme smartphones. You will find USB Type-C port, 3.5mm jack and speaker at the bottom.
Even though fingerprint marks easily fall on the back, I liked the design of Realme 6i a lot. Its weight of 191 grams is easy to manage. It never feels too heavy or uncomfortable in the hands.
Realme 6i specifications: Toned down
The most noteworthy thing in the specifications of this phone is the display with 90 Hz refresh rate. This feature is not common in the price range of Rs 15,000. For this reason Realme 6i gets a distinct identity. The 6.5-inch screen comes with full-HD+ resolution (1080×2400 pixels). It has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. I felt the display had good viewing angles and its brightness was adequate for outdoors.
In Realme 6i, the company has used MediaTek Helio G90T processor which is also a part of Realme 6. Realme has launched two variants of this smartphone in the market – 4 GB RAM or 6 GB RAM. Both variants are equipped with 64 GB storage and it is possible to use a microSD card up to 256 GB if needed. I had the 4 GB RAM variant for review.
Realme 6i has dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi and four satellite navigation systems. Realme 6i also has a 4,300 mAh battery like Realme 6, but you will get a 20 watt charger instead of 30 watt charger in the retail box.
Realme 6i smartphone runs on Realme UI based on Android 10. Our unit had the June security patch. There are many customization options in this user interface. Swiping right on the homescreen will open Realme’s smart assistant feature. Here are shortcuts and recommendations for things you may need. Realme 6i has traditional three button navigation. If you want, you can use gesture navigation instead. The UI has SmartSidebar. You can configure shortcuts for apps in it.
There is no dearth of bloatware in the phone – Realme Community, Realme Store, Amazon, Facebook, Google Pay, Realme Link, Realme Pay, WPS Office, HeyTap Cloud, DocVault and Soloop. I found the stock browser app and app market to be spammy. Because these apps sent notifications again and again.
Realme 6i performance: Up to speed
Realme 6i never slowed down during use. The user interface is extremely smooth, especially when the display refresh rate is set to 90Hz. By default it’s set to Auto, but you can switch between 90Hz or 60Hz if you want. The viewing angles of this panel are excellent.
MediaTek Helio G90T is a powerful processor. It is fully capable of handling apps and games with powerful graphics. Never faced any problem in normal use. I was able to easily download multiple apps and multitask between them. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner makes unlocking the phone quick. The same can be said about face recognition.
The performance of Relame 6i was as expected in benchmark tests. I played PUBG Mobile. It ran on the high preset by default. Graphics was set to HD. The frame rate was also high. I didn’t feel any lag. However, the device did get a little warm after about 20 minutes.
The battery life of Realme 6i is quite strong. The phone easily lasted the whole day. There was little battery left at the end of the day. The 4,300 mAh battery present in it died in 19 hours 22 minutes in the video loop test. Realme provides a 20 watt charger in the retail box. It claims to charge 44 percent in about half an hour. By the way, let us tell you that the smartphone also has support for 30 watt fast charging. If you have a compatible charger, the battery charging time will be further reduced.
Realme 6i cameras: Decent for the price
The camera hardware of Realme 6i is slightly different from Realme 6. In the expensive model, you get 64 megapixel primary camera. Instead of this, a 48 megapixel camera has been used in the new model. Apart from this, there is an 8 megapixel ultra wide angle camera, a black and white portrait camera and a 2 megapixel depth sensor. A 16 megapixel camera has been provided for selfie. The camera app is the same as Realme 6. It has AI support and can detect scenes easily. HDR starts working automatically in bright scenes. You also have the option to take photos in 48 megapixel resolution.
Realme 6i daylight camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Realme 6i daylight wide-angle camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Pictures taken in daylight turned out well. Realme 6i managed to achieve decent dynamic range. Considering the price, the level of detail in the shots would be considered satisfactory. Photos came out sharp. The wide-angle camera of the Realme 6i offers a wider field of view, but details are reduced. There was a little barrel distortion at the edge in shots. Grains were clearly visible when zooming in on photos taken at full resolution.
Realme 6i close-up camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Realme 6i portrait sample (tap to see full-size image)
Realme 6i macro camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
There was no lack of detail in the close-up shots taken with the Realme 6i. There was also a soft Bokeh effect. But AI boosted the colors artificially. For portraits, Realme 6i lets you set the blur level, that too before taking the photo. It was successful in achieving good edge detection. It separates the subject from the background well. Macro shots taken in adequate ambient light showed decent detail.
Realme 6i low light camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Realme 6i Night mode camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Camera performance becomes weak in low light. Details suffer the most in shots. Night mode takes an average of four seconds to take a shot. Because of this you have to hold the phone steady. Pictures come out better. Details in the shadows are improved. Overall the picture looks a little better.
Realme 6i daylight portrait selfie sample (tap to see full-size image)
Selfies taken in daylight look good. Beautification is enabled by default, so you get some smoothing in the output. The front camera also takes decent portraits and you can set the level of blur before taking the shot. Performance in low light was very average. But it also has night mode which helps in taking slightly brighter shots.
our decision
Realme 6i will be liked by those users who want to get good hardware in low budget. In this you Realme 6 (Review) will have features like Helio G90T processor, 4,300 mAh battery and 90 Hz refresh rate display. But you will have to compromise on charger and camera performance. Looking at the price, Realme 6i seems to be a value for money product. There is no 90Hz display smartphone available in the market at this price. If this feature does not matter much to you then Poco M2 Pro (Review) A good option.