Blog

PKR 60,000 for Budget Gamers? Is the Realme 9 5G SE Stretching the Definition?

Realme 9 5G SE is a gaming smartphone priced at PKR 52,999, featuring a high-refresh-rate display, Snapdragon 778G processor, 5G compatibility, a headphone jack, and a large battery. It is ideal for mobile gamers with a budget of PKR 60,000. However, its performance in real life and its scope beyond gaming is yet to be determined.

Headphone Jack? Yes! Appealing Design? No. The Realme 9 5G SE's Mixed Bag

A punch-hole located at the top-left corner of the 6.6-inch display, together with narrow bezels on the top, right, and left sides, characterize the Realme 9 5G SE. Matte finishing covers the back, and in person, the Azure Glow color option isn't that appealing. It's a nice phone to carry even with its large battery. It features a USB Type-C connector at the bottom, a headphone jack, and an integrated fingerprint scanner in the flat power button. Although it lacks a unique feature or eye-catching finish, the phone's appearance is not as appealing as some other phones in the category.

Full HD on Streaming Services: Great! Now Can We Talk About Audio Quality?

With a 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel, 450 nits of average brightness, a refresh rate of 144 Hz, and Full HD+ resolution, the Realme 9 5G SE is a high-end phone. Though it lacks the colors, contrast ratio, and viewing angles of an OLED screen, the display's refresh rate is faster than that of the majority of other phones in the same price range.

Three screen refresh rate options are available on the phone: Adaptive, High, and Normal. While the High option raises the refresh rate to 144Hz, which may quickly deplete the battery, the Normal setting keeps the screen's refresh rate fixed at 60Hz to prolong battery life. The settings for the Adaptive mode alternate between 30Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz.

The Call of Duty frame rate, graphical settings, and gaming capabilities of the phone are all quite excellent. Because of the phone's Widevine L1 certification, customers may watch Full HD video on platforms like Hotstar, Netflix, and Prime Video. The phone is approved for Full HD video playback and streaming, according to the Netflix app.

With neither a bright high end nor a low end, the Realme 9 5G SE's single loudspeaker is mediocre. The entertainment and gaming experience would be improved with a stereo speaker arrangement. Even the greatest wireless headphones have latency problems, so having a dedicated headphone line is crucial for gamers. The phone offers a 3.5mm headphone socket for competitive gaming and music listening.

Redmi Note Takes the Crown: Realme 9 5G SE Lacks Luster in Camera Comparison

A 48MP main camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP monochrome sensor are located on the back of the Realme 9 5G SE smartphone. With its 16MP front camera, you can take pictures, record movies, and make video calls. The phone's CPU can capture videos at 4K 30 frames per second, but not at 4K 60 frames per second.

Pictures taken using the primary camera are typical; they include reddish-orange tints, somewhat overexposed photos, and fading hues. A little paler skin tone than in real life is also present, along with noise. While the Night Mode puts more details and highlights under control, the phone's low light normal mode and low light night mode blur noise and details.

The front-facing camera produces respectable portrait photos with sufficient detail and realistic skin tones. But the 2MP macro camera shots are useless—they're frequently too bright and too blurry. For richer colors and more details, it is preferable to utilize the 48MP camera at a distance and crop a portion of the picture.

Comparing the Realme 9 5G SE against other phones, such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro, Redmi Note 11 Pro+, Realme 9 Pro 5G, and Realme 8s, shows that the latter cannot capture 4K movies at 30 frames per second. The Redmi Note 10 Pro, Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, and Samsung Galaxy A23 are the only other phones in this price range that have 4K video recording capabilities.

The quality of the front-facing camera is limited to 1080p, and the Redmi Note 10 Pro phones are now hard to come by. The phone's camera quality is not as good as other handsets in its price range, despite the phone's chipset supporting 4K 60 frames per second video recording.

Is the Realme 9 5G SE Stuck in 2021? Outdated Software Holds it Back

With its Snapdragon 778G CPU, the Realme 9 5G SE performs quite well for its budget range, offering fluid animations and transitions under a variety of conditions. Games with high graphical settings, such Call of Duty, BGMI, and Alto's Odyssey, operate at 60 frames per second, however there may be frame dropouts in some situations. No Realme phone, not even the Realme 9 5G SE, has the ability to play games with a high refresh rate. Even so, the quick CPU guarantees that there are no frame dips during extended gaming sessions.

The Realme 9 5G SE's software, Realme UI 2.0, is disappointing because Realme UI 3.0, which is based on Android 12, should have been included. Given the potent hardware, it seems unjust that Realme may only provide the Realme 9 5G SE with two Android upgrades (up to Android 13). Although the Realme UI 2.0 has a lot of customisable features, it also has a lot of annoying applications and services that display ads and push alerts. The majority of these programs can, thankfully, be removed.

One Hour to Full Charge? Is the Realme 9 5G SE Stuck in the Past? 

The Realme 9 5G SE, powered by a 5,000mAh battery, can last a full day even with heavy usage. Its charging speed is 30W, which is fast enough for most people. It takes around an hour for 0-100% charge and 30-minute charge from flat to 50%. Although it may seem slow compared to competitors with 66W or 67W charging, it's still suitable for most people.

FAQs 

Q: When will the Realme 9 be available for purchase?

The exact release date may vary by region, but Realme typically announces availability shortly after the official launch event.

Q: Does the Realme 9 SE  support 5G connectivity?

Yes, the Realme 9 SE is equipped with 5G capabilities, ensuring faster data speeds and enhanced connectivity.

Q: Is the storage of the Realme 9SE expandable?

Yes, the Realme 9 SE typically supports expandable storage via a microSD card slot, providing users with additional storage options.

Q: Will there be any special launch offers or promotions for the Realme 9 SE?

Realme often introduces special offers or promotions during the launch phase. Stay tuned for updates on any exclusive deals accompanying the Realme 9 SE launch.