The realme 9 Pro 5G aims for the stars

The realme 9 Pro is a practical phone. It’s got a stellar performance, it looks cool, it’s got 5G, and the camera features are fun. What’s more, it’s price range isn’t as ambitious.

These days I’ve decided not to be as nit picky when it comes to phone cameras. Almost all of them have excellent image quality and most of the time, we’ll be looking at these pictures through a phone screen to admire for a few seconds. Sure, you can get an even better quality of images with other phones that cost an arm and leg, but the camera tech on mobile phones have come a very long way, to the point we can expect them to give us good pictures. I think it would be a headliner if ever a phone (especially a very much hyped phone) came out with bad photo quality, which is borderline nonexistent today. And I think phone makers know this too, so they’re amping up the features and simplifying things to make photography with a smartphone fun and appealing.

With that said, I find the realme 9 Pro’s cameras very satisfying. The rear camera comes with a trio, featuring 64PM, 8MP, and 2MP. The front has 16MP.

I found the night mode satisfying and delivers the realme 9 Pro’s tagline “Capture the light.”

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With the 9 Pro, realme presents a newer, more refined version of Street Photography. These are modes with long exposures and there are four to choose from: Neon trail, light trail portrait, rush hour, and light painting. Neon trail is one of those pictures about highways with bright beams of light, which are actually the headlights of cars. Rush hour is a mode where the subject is clear while the background is blurred in a way that shows motion, kind of an action shot. Light painting is fun because you can use a flashlight, glowstick, or a phone’s own light to draw or write in the air, and the long exposure will capture every detail.

Back then (oof, I feel so old now) my friends and I could take photos with the exact results from realme’s Street Photography mode using DSLRs, in manual mode, on a tripod, with the right aperture, and setting the long exposure (unlike my friends with their fancier cameras, I had to hold down the shutter button with a very wobbly tripod). With the realme 9 Pro, you don’t need too many accessories, not even with a shaky hand as the phone is smart enough to make some light corrections on its own.

All of these provide the creative freedom to make ‘gram’able photos and videos. And yes, it’s very fun and simple.

From a design perspective, I have to admit that the realme 9 Pro is visually appealing. The unit I received for review was the Sunrise Blue and it is rather striking to look at with its shine and spark. Though I think the Aurora Green looks even better. And those who enjoy the Batman quote, yes, the realme 9 Pro comes in black, Midnight Black, in fact.

For gaming, the Snapdragon 695 powering up the realme 9 Pro did not disappoint. I’ve run Genshin Impact with it and the performance I got was pretty good. It didn’t give me the best, but it was far from being a laggy experience. It comes pre-installed with PUBG Mobile and my experience there has been more or less the same. I haven’t been able to test it with other popular games like Call of Duty, Pokemon Unite, and Mobile Legends, but if the Genshin and PUBG tests were any indication, I feel confident the realme 9 Pro would be able to run those games without any problem.

The 120Hz does make a slight difference when playing and for other daily usage. It’s hardly noticeable, actually. At least at first. But after some time passes, when you go back to a phone with lower than 120Hz, you will begin to notice the subtle differences. The 6.6-inch screen with 2412x1080 resolution offers plenty of space and bright colors binge-watch.

The fingerprint scanner sits at the right side, on the power button itself. It’s quite reminiscent of some phones from a few years ago that designed their scanners that way. It was something I actually appreciated because, for me at least, it made opening the phone on in a much more convenient way. The position and height of the power button is also just right and doesn’t feel awkward at all. Then again, I’m left-handed, so when I bring up the phone, it’s my index finger that reaches out to the power button and the fingerprint scanner scans.

But beyond that, the realme 9 Pro has facial recognition and it’s snappy. The moment I pick up my phone, it already unlocks for you to access right away. Sometimes though I feel the facial recognition can be a bit too good. Because even if the phone is on the table and if I just lean slightly forward, it detects my face and immediately unlocks. It becomes an opportunity for other people (friends, at least) to take hold of your phone and get access to your photos or social media. Then again, because the phone can wobble when placed on a surface due to its large camera, I suppose people would be placing their phones with the screen facing down. (I normally place them screen down first anyway, more because I don’t want people seeing my notifications popping up. Maybe it’s the same for other people?).

Battery life is superb and lasted an entire day without being plugged in once. Even as I went out and tested the camera, the battery held up well on its own. (I should note though, the phone did heat up quite a bit after using the camera for an extended period of time.) The 33W Dart Charge provided a speedy power boost for the phone when I needed it.

The internal unit I received for review has 128GB with 8GB of RAM. The RAM is expandable, so long as you have extra memory to use. You can give it an additional 2GB, 3GB or up 5GB.

There is plenty to love in the realme 9 Pro. If you just want a good phone that is more than suitable for basic tasks, gaming, and fun photography, then the realme 9 Pro could be for you.