Realm 6 follows the natural evolution of that process started by the company with Realme 3 Pro, the brand's first smartphone to land in Europe, and continued with the Realme 5 series. There are many new features compared to the previous model: NFC, Type-C port and software finally improved. The strength of the newcomer, however, is the display featuring a 90Hz refresh rate, a more unique than rare element currently in the price range to which it belongs.
In , it starts from € 229,90 for the configuration that provides 4 Gigabytes of RAM and 64 Gigabytes of expandable internal memory. There is a version with 128 Gigabytes sold for € 269,90, while the one in our possession includes 8 Gigabytes of RAM that can be purchased for € 299,90. In short, that's enough to reiterate once again how much Realme intends to steal the show from Xiaomi - or rather Redmi - in the mid and low range of the smartphone market.
The progress made is tangible, especially in relation to the user interface, an aspect that I have never particularly appreciated but on which considerable progress has been made. Realme 6 it is absolutely not free from defects, as we will see in the course of the review, but it has all the credentials to do well in a market where it seemed there was no longer room for new players.
Display and autonomy
Let's start with the two aspects that are probably most interesting about Realme 6: display and autonomy, elements that inevitably go hand in hand. Before going into the details, I immediately admit that in general they both satisfied me.
The front is occupied by a display IPS LCD from 6,5 inches with Full-HD + resolution and aspect ratio in 20: 9. We are talking about a panel with an average quality, with a decent visibility outdoors, with a good level of brightness and with an absolutely convincing color rendering. We are obviously far from the beauty of an OLED panel, a loss that however brings benefits regarding autonomy.
The screen takes up most of the surface thanks to Realme's choice to integrate the front camera inside a hole placed in the left corner. The hole does not create any problems when viewing the contents and - personally - I prefer it to the notch, which sometimes tends to invade the scene. The only real flaw is the bad oleophobic treatment which also tends to dirty the photographic sensor.
As we said, the peculiarity of this display is the 90Hz refresh rate. Let's clarify immediately that the refresh rate is variable. From the settings, we can choose the refresh rate: 60Hz, 90Hz or automatic. In the latter case, the system will choose the suitable speed for each individual application.
During a simple web browsing, the difference is not noticeable. Personally, I had to pay attention to notice the difference between 60Hz and 90Hz. During the game sessions, however, it becomes more marked and is clearly visible especially if you play games that involve speed, such as car or motorcycle racing.
In this case, the maximum refresh rate allows you to fully enjoy what you are doing with a fluidity that does not belong - at least for now - to mid-range devices. In short, it is an aspect that could make the difference for video game lovers.
How much does a 90 Hz refresh rate impact on autonomy? It depends. The answer as always depends on the use made of it, how long the device has been used and how many times we use applications that really exploit the maximum frequency. We start from the technical data on the battery and then analyze the results obtained by simulating the use of an average user.
Realme 6 integrates a 4.300 mAh battery with 30W fast charge support that ensures a full charge in less than 55 minutes. I compared the performance in terms of autonomy between fixed refresh rate at 60 Hz and fixed at 90 Hz always on weekends, days when I generally use the smartphone more (and with the same intensity), especially in this lockdown period.
In the first test, I set one refresh rate to 60 Hz and even with intense use of WhatsApp I reached 20% after 37 hours from the last recharge compared to just over 5 hours of active display. Data that the following weekend, with Fixed refresh rate at 90 Hz, have turned into over 7 hours of active display after 32 hours from the last recharge.
Although the percentage of use and the type of applications may have been different, I was expecting a larger drop at maximum refresh rate. It is clear that if we are inveterate players, the result will drop more as it happens on any smartphone. In short, although a slight decrease can inevitably be recorded in some situations, it is nothing that can compromise the excellent autonomy that Realme 6 is able to ensure.
To show how much the type of use impacts on the results, during the test period the worst result occurred with a 60Hz refresh rate but after very long video calls on WhatsApp. While the best result was achieved at 90Hz with mild use, as you can see from the screenshots posted above.
Performance and software
The beating heart of Realme 6 is the MediaTek Helio G90T, 12nm processor paired with Mali-G76 GPU. It is the same hardware platform that we had the opportunity to test on Redmi Note 8 Pro and again it was convincing. In everyday use the smartphone is always fast and smooth, without hesitation. I never had problems. Very good heat dissipation (difficult to perceive through the body) and also satisfactory graphics performance.
I particularly appreciated the biometric sensor for fingerprint recognition, located on the right edge on the power key. The location is ideal. Recognition is always fast and precise as well as facial recognition entrusted only to the front camera. There is the 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom edge, while the volume rocker is on the left.
The audio is mono and produces sound quality that remains average. Instead, I found gods problems with using the speakerphone on call. My interlocutor was able to follow the voice with difficulty, highlighting a low volume.
As I said at the beginning, the graphical interface has been significantly improved. The software platform is entrusted to Android 10 customized with Realme UI which - at present - seems to be a simple renamed version of OPPO's ColorOS. There are still some improvements to be made, but the progress is noticeable.
A small detail that I always appreciate on Realme smartphones is the “smart sidebar”, a very discreet line that gives immediate access to your favorite apps and quick tools. The light animation around the hole of the front camera when activating the display is also very nice.
Finally, it improves connectivity compared to its predecessor. The micro-USB port has been replaced by a more modern and widespread Type-C. For the rest, we find dual band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, BDS, Dual-SIM support, memory expansion and NFC chip.
Design and photographic sector
Realme 6's design remains somewhat anonymous. The shell is made of polycarbonate and the sensation to the touch is not the most pleasant. Again, the oleophobic treatment is very bad. Footprints and dust are always visible. The rear panel houses the four cameras with the LED flash. The protrusion of the photographic module is very visible. Immediately below, the word "Realme" stands out.
The dimensions are not exactly compact. We are talking about 62.1 x 74.8 x 8.9 mm for a weight of 191 grams. In short, numbers that are becoming a standard in the smartphone field. Ergonomics isn't great, then. I personally can't reach the ends of the panel, but the buttons are in the right position (thankfully).
The photographic sector consists of a 64 Megapixel main sensor (f / 1.8) paired with an 8 Megapixel wide-angle (f / 2.3), one for 2 Megapixel (f / 2.4) macros and a 2 Megapixel depth sensor (f / 2.2). Probably, a telephoto lens would have been more useful.
During the day and in excellent lighting conditions, it manages to pull out convincing shots in line with the price range to which it belongs. The color rendering did not particularly convince me. The colors sometimes tend to be too saturated and - in the presence of equal color beams - they are a little mixed.
The result drops a lot at night. It can't handle artificial light well and if you don't use night mode, in some cases the images are unusable. The night mode manages to improve the situation a little but the digital noise remains very visible. Unconvincing, both day and night, the wide-angle sensor.
Just enough shots of the 16 Megapixel front camera (f / 2.0). To get satisfying shots, you need to find the right lighting. Peak performance at night. Honestly, I found a lower quality than other Realme smartphones that mount the same sensor. I am therefore sure that the company can improve the general photographic yield with some software updates.
Conclusions: who should buy it?
Realme 6 is a satisfying smartphone not free from defects. As we said during the review, the 90 Hz display makes a difference especially in gaming sessions but the camera - at present - is subdued and there are some problems with hands-free calling. Without a doubt, the configuration to choose is the one that provides 8 Gigabytes of RAM and 128 Gigabytes of expandable internal memory, sold for 299,90 euros.
It is a device that could earn a position in the reference segment. It is equally true, however, that at least it is You can buy the house rival Realme X2 which has an AMOLED display, a more attractive design and is based on the Snapdragon 730 processor. In short, Realme 6 becomes the right choice for those who want to have a screen with an affordable 90 Hz refresh rate.
