Realme X2 Pro Review: Not as trendy as Redmi K20 Pro, but overall a better phone
Realme is making a move into the mid segment with its most ambitious venture, the Realme X2 Pro Realme X2 Pro doesn’t make a strong first impression unlike the Redmi K20 Pro and it also costs slightly more
Xiaomi is facing its biggest competition in years. Oppo's sub brand Realme is giving many of the established players a run for their money with its value for money budget smartphones. The Chinese vendor was the fastest growing in the last one year with its market share jumping from 3% in Q3 2018 to 16% in Q3 2019, as per Counterpoint Research.
Realme entered the market in May 2018.
Now, the Chinese vendor is making a move into the mid segment with its most ambitious venture, the Realme X2 Pro. Priced at Rs. 29,999, the smartphone is going to be pitted against the Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro ( ₹27,999).
Design
When it comes to design, the Realme X2 Pro is a mixed bag. The glass back finish on the back looks bland and the teardrop cutout design on the front feels a bit outdated compared to the bezel-less Redmi K20 Pro, which has the front camera placed at the top side panel and pops out automatically when the user opens the front camera. The Redmi K20 Pro also has got different patterns etched on the glass back, adding to its overall appeal. The Realme X2 Pro scores in terms of user comfort, though. At 199g, it weighs as much as the Redmi phone but feels handy and the metal finish along the side panel offers better grip, unlike the Redmi K20 Pro that feels a tad slippery with the glassy side panel. The other nifty design element in Realme X2 Pro is the placement of the volume buttons. They are placed on the other side of the power button so user won’t end up pressing it accidentally while reaching out for the volume buttons, something that often happens with the likes of Redmi K20 Pro.
The finger print sensor is placed in the screen both handsets, but the Realme X2 Pro is quicker in response.
Display
The Realme X2 pro offers a slightly bigger 6.50-inch screen to Redmi K20 pro’s 6.39-inch screen. Both are AMOLED screens with resolution of 2,400x1,080p and use Gorilla Glass 5 for protection against scratches. While the two displays seems vibrant and on par with each other during video playback and every day use, the Redmi K20 Pro tries to overplay colours a bit more effect and its clearly visible in some games. Overall, display on the Realme smartphone is impressive and makes for an enjoyable experience. What gives the Realme an edge is the 90Hz refresh rate to Redmi’s 60Hz, for a smoother experience particularly during games.
Software
Both smartphones run on Android 9 out of the box with their custom UIs on top. Redmi K20 Pro recently received the Android 10 update and the Realme X2 Pro is expected to get it in first quarter of 2020. Both UI have got a lot going in terms of features and customisation options that mainstream users dig in smartphones.
Performance
Driving the Realme X2 Pro is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855+ octa-core chipset with 6GB RAM in 64GB variant and up to 12GB in 256GB variant. It is a more advanced version of the Snapdragon 855 used in Redmi K20 Pro and offers turbo clock speed of up to 2.96GHz, up from 2.84GHz in the latter. This makes it more viable for gamers. Even in benchmarks, it punches above the Redmi K20 Pro. For instance, as per Antutu benchmark, with score of 482,380 it is almost on par with the OnePlus 7T Pro ( ₹53,999) and ahead of the Redmi K20 Pro’s score of 435,885. Overall, the phone handled games and apps fast and without any hiccups. From a gaming point of view the 4,000mAh battery falls short of expectations, but on modest use with limited gaming it can last a full work day with ease, just like the Redmi K20 Pro.
Camera
In the camera battle, the Realme X2 Pro has the lead with the four camera setup over the Redmi K20 Pro’s triple cameras. There is a 64MP wide camera, though it is not active be default similar to 48MP camera on Redmi smartphone. The there is a 13 MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, 8MP ultra wide camera and a 2MP depth sensor for portrait and bokeh shots. In terms of picture quality, the Realme X2 Pro has a slight upper hand. Objects look sharper and show more detail than the camera on Xiaomi phone. Colours look a lot more accurate too unlike the rival which tends to oversaturate it for effect. Low light results look more or less the same with ample amount of noise in both.
Verdict
Realme X2 Pro doesn’t make a strong first impression unlike the Redmi K20 Pro and it also costs slightly more. But it has an upper hand in terms of hardware, display performance and camera output. It clearly brings more to the table than the Xiaomi flagship.
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