From time to time, a cellphone hits the market that makes me query why we’re nonetheless spending $1,000 or extra on flagship units, and this time it’s the Realme Neo 7’s flip to do the identical.
Simply launched in China, and priced at just below $400 (to import), the Realme Neo 7 won’t be excellent, nevertheless it’s so near flagship territory that it makes most opponents look overpriced (to say the least).
Nearly 2x quicker than Google’s newest $1,200 flagship for 1/3 of the value?
Efficiency is one other space the place the Realme Neo 7 appears to shine due to the last-gen Dimensity 9300+ chip, which is able to outperform telephones just like the Pixel 9 Professional XL, scoring a whopping 90% greater than Google’s Tensor G4 in Antutu and 60% greater in Geekbench. We’re speaking a few $400 cellphone versus a $1,200 one.
And who would wish a extra highly effective chip than what’s already within the Realme Neo 7? Realme even provides you the newest and best UFS 4.0 storage with 12GB of RAM within the base variant, which places efficiency on par with the likes of the Galaxy S24 Extremely and OnePlus 12, which is… bananas.
Ooops… It’s extra sturdy than your $1,300 Galaxy S24?
IP68 is so 2015, as a result of IP69 is the brand new gold normal for smartphone sturdiness now.As lately mentioned in my tales about Xiaomi’s new Redmi Be aware 14 Professional+ and Redmi K80 flagship-killers, sturdiness is an space the place mid-range telephones now not compromise.
And the identical is true of the Realme Neo 7, which will get the (now) normal IP69 mud/water resistance ranking remedy, which just about all new Chinese language telephones that value greater than $300 appear to have now.
The Actual-me superpower: 7,000 mAh battery + quick charging = a cellphone that may final twice as lengthy in a day – or over 5 years
The Realme Neo 7 ought to be capable of final two days on a single cost with none points. Until you are a super-heavy consumer. Not Plus zied.
Nevertheless, essentially the most spectacular “little” element in regards to the Realme Neo 7 is that it packs a 7,000 mAh battery – and that’s not a typo.
Chinese language telephones are already at the very least a yr forward in relation to battery tech in comparison with the “huge three”, and they aren’t afraid to flex their muscular tissues on Apple, Samsung, and Google. Accurately.
Realme claims the 7,000 mAh Si/C battery (typing this nonetheless appears unreal!) lasts as much as three days, and though my guess is you’d need to be a light-weight consumer to get this end result, I’m fairly positive the cellphone will comfortably final two days for most individuals. Which is loopy.
That can assist you put that into context, let me remind you that Samsung and Google’s $800 Galaxy S24 and Pixel 9 can hardly make it by means of a day of heavy use. The truth is, even the class-leading iPhone 16 Professional Max will wrestle to make it to 2 full days on a single cost.
After all, such a monstrous battery wants quick charging, which tops out at 80W right here – comparatively conservative given the battery dimension, however nonetheless a lot quicker than something you’ll discover on a mainstream “western” flagship.
I’ve spoken about that earlier than, however an enormous battery + quick charging equals a really underrated mixture – it means you don’t even have to cost your cellphone to 100% for it to final a complete day, which ALSO means you’d be preserving your battery well being over time, AND you gained’t have to attend for a full cost in case you must go.
It’s a game-changing {hardware} mixture, which is able to take years earlier than attending to Samsung, Google, and Apple flagships. And right here is Realme giving it to us for lower than $400. On a cellphone that doesn’t even compromise on (virtually) anything.
A $400 flagship with no flagship-grade digicam? There’s a simple answer for what isn’t an issue for 90% of smartphone customers
Who wants a flagship cellphone digicam when you will get an actual digicam with the cash you saved?
Talking of compromise, the Realme Neo 7’s digicam system is the place the actual(me) cost-cutting has taken place, and I’m not mad at that.
The 50MP main digicam has a comparatively small 1/1.9-inch sensor, suggesting it gained’t rival the perfect flagships, however I’m positive it’s going to be ample for 90% of the customers procuring within the $400 worth section – folks like my mum and my uncle.
In the meantime, the 8MP ultra-wide-angle digicam may look ineffective, nevertheless it makes the digicam system extra versatile, and I’m glad it’s there. I’m positive future iPhone SE 4 customers will agree.
And what do most individuals use their cellphone cameras for anyway? Instagram and TikTok photographs/movies don’t require a $1,200 digicam cellphone – until you’re a professional/semi-pro creator.
But when images or videography is your ardour, you may (and possibly ought to) spend money on a devoted digicam like the favored Sony ZV-1 (mounted lens choice), Sony ZV-E10 (mirrorless digicam with interchangeable lenses), or one thing like a Osmo Pocket 3 (and even the DJI Osmo Motion).
The very best half is that in the event you had been to purchase any of the above-mentioned cameras and the Realme Neo 7, it’d nonetheless value you lower than shopping for a $1,200 flagship cellphone – which goes to take worse photographs than Sony’s cameras, and fewer spectacular movies than the Osmo Pocket 3. AND gained’t be useless when your cellphone is useless – which it’d simply by no means be, as a result of it has a 7,000 mAh battery.
Don’t sleep on the reasonably priced Chinese language telephones disrupting the smartphone market (like by no means earlier than)
Silicon-Carbon batteries have began a brand new revolution within the smartphone market. Apple, Samsung, and Google have to catch up ASAP.
At underneath $400 (to import), the Realme Neo 7 looks as if a very particular cellphone due to the worth it provides, however principally due to the insane battery-charging expertise, which could be unmatched proper now.
After all, it’s additionally value contemplating different Chinese language flagship-killers I’ve written about – like the marginally cheaper Redmi Be aware 14 Professional+ or the Redmi K80, which comes very near the Realme Neo 7 by way of battery and efficiency.
And whereas it could be value ready for the standard suspects on this worth section – the upcoming iPhone SE 4, Galaxy A56, and Pixel 9a, I can let you know proper now that they gained’t match the Realme Neo 7’s mixture of battery life, efficiency, and total worth.
For instance, the iPhone SE 4 may provide comparable efficiency due to Apple’s flagship A18 chip, its battery life, show, design, and charging speeds will likely be straight out of 2020. However it has iMessage, so who cares!
And whereas the Pixel 9a and Galaxy A56 may provide you with higher cameras and class-leading AI (within the case of the Pixel), the remainder of the {hardware} gained’t be a match for the Realme Neo 7 – or any of Xiaomi’s latest flagship-killers.
The Realme Neo 7 is simply one other Chinese language killer-offering, which highlights how overpriced some mainstream mid-range telephones are by comparability, and that’s good to see.
On the identical time, it raises the eternal query of whether or not you want a “flagship cellphone”. As a result of it IS a flagship cellphone – solely with no zoom digicam and wi-fi charging. And did I point out it prices $400 to import? Or you may look ahead to the worldwide model…
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Sourcing information and pictures from phonearena.com
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