Realme 6i design: Identical to the Realme 6
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Realme has been offering handsets with the “i” name for a long time. The company’s strategy has been to weaken some specifications of the existing model to reduce the price. But this time the changes are very minor. Overall, there is no difference in design and dimensions. To make up for the difference, Realme has introduced Lunar White and Eclipse Black color variants of the phone. In comparison, the color variants of Realme 6 (Review) are more attractive.
The Realme 6i has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor as the design matches the Realme 6. I prefer a rear fingerprint sensor but the position is not bad either. The position is such that your thumb can rest comfortably on it when you are holding the phone with your right hand. The capacitive fingerprint scanner is clickable and doubles as a power button. I also liked that the Realme 6i is not too wide. This means the grip is good. I was able to reach every edge of the display easily.
Realme has placed the volume buttons on the left side along with the SIM tray. The buttons are easily accessible and offer clicky feedback. Realme has opted for a matte finish over a plastic frame for this device. This gives a good feel. The back of the smartphone is easily prone to fingerprints and smudges. Especially in the Eclipse Black variant, which we reviewed. The camera sensors at the back are housed in a capsule-shaped module. This is a common design for Realme smartphones. You will find a USB Type-C port, 3.5mm jack and speaker at the bottom.
Even though the back is prone to fingerprints, I really liked the design of the Realme 6i. Its weight of 191 grams is easy to manage. It never feels too heavy or uncomfortable in the hands.
Realme 6i specifications: Toned down
The most notable feature of this phone’s specifications is the 90Hz refresh rate display. This feature is not common in the price range of Rs 15,000. This gives Realme 6i a distinct identity. The 6.5-inch screen comes with full-HD+ resolution (1080×2400 pixels). It has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. I felt the viewing angles of the display were good and its brightness was sufficient for outdoor use.
In Realme 6i, the company has used MediaTek Helio G90T processor which is also a part of Realme 6. Realme has launched two variants of this smartphone in the market – 4 GB RAM or 6 GB RAM. Both variants are equipped with 64 GB storage and if needed, it is possible to use a microSD card up to 256 GB. I had the 4 GB RAM variant for review.
Realme 6i has dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi and four satellite navigation systems. Realme 6i also has a 4,300 mAh battery like Realme 6, but you will get a 20-watt charger instead of a 30-watt charger in the retail box.
The Realme 6i smartphone runs on Realme UI based on Android 10. Our unit had the June security patch. This user interface has many customization options. Swiping right on the home screen will open Realme’s Smart Assistant feature. Here there are shortcuts and recommendations for things you use. Realme 6i has traditional three button navigation. If you want, you can use gesture navigation instead. The UI has a smart sidebar. You can configure shortcuts for apps in it.
The phone is not short on bloatware – Realme Community, Realme Store, Amazon, Facebook, Google Pay, Realme Link, Realme Pay, WPS Office, HeyTap Cloud, DocVault and Soloop. I found the stock browser app and the app market to be spammy as these apps sent out notifications frequently.
Realme 6i performance: Up to speed
Realme 6i never lagged during use. The user interface is very smooth, especially when the display refresh rate is set to 90Hz. By default it is set to auto, but you can switch between 90Hz or 60Hz if you want. The viewing angles of this panel are excellent.
The MediaTek Helio G90T is a powerful processor. It is fully capable of handling apps and games with powerful graphics. There was never any problem in normal use. I was able to easily download several apps and multitask between them. The fingerprint scanner on the side unlocks the phone quickly. The same can be said about face recognition as well.
The performance of Relame 6i was as expected in the benchmark test. I played PUBG Mobile. It ran on the High preset by default. The graphics were set to HD. The frame rate was also on High. I did not feel any lag. However, the device did get a little warm after about 20 minutes.
The battery life of Realme 6i is quite strong. The phone easily lasted the whole day. At the end of the day, there was little battery left. The 4,300 mAh battery present in it died in 19 hours and 22 minutes in the video loop test. Realme provides a 20 watt charger in the retail box. It claims to charge 44 percent in about half an hour. By the way, let us tell you that the smartphone also has support for 30 watt fast charging. If you have a compatible charger, then the time to charge the battery will be reduced further.
Realme 6i cameras: Decent for the price
The camera hardware of Realme 6i is slightly different from Realme 6. In the expensive model, you get a 64-megapixel primary camera. Instead of this, a 48-megapixel camera has been used in the i model. Apart from this, there is an 8-megapixel ultra wide angle camera, a black and white portrait camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. A 16-megapixel camera has been provided for selfie. The camera app is the same as that of Realme 6. It has AI support and it easily detects the scene. It starts working HDR automatically in bright scenes. You also have the option of taking pictures in 48-megapixel resolution.
Realme 6i daylight camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Realme 6i daylight wide-angle camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Photos taken in daylight were good. Realme 6i managed to achieve decent dynamic range. Considering the price, the level of detail in the shots is satisfactory. Photos came out sharp. The wide-angle camera of Realme 6i gives a wider field of view, but the details are reduced. There was a little barrel distortion at the edges in the shots. Grains were clearly visible when zooming in on photos taken in full resolution.
Realme 6i close-up camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Realme 6i portrait sample (tap to see full-size image)
Realme 6i macro camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Close-up shots taken with the Realme 6i had no shortage of detail. There was also a soft bokeh effect. But the AI artificially boosted the colors. For portraits, the Realme 6i lets you set the blur level, that too before taking a photo. It was successful in achieving good edge detection. It separates the subject from the background well. Macro shots taken in adequate ambient light had decent details.
Realme 6i low light camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Realme 6i Night mode camera sample (tap to see full-size image)
Camera performance becomes weak in low light. Details in shots suffer the most. Night mode takes an average of four seconds to take a shot. Because of this, you have to hold the phone steady. Photos come out better. Details in shadows improve. Overall the picture looks a little better.
Realme 6i daylight portrait selfie sample (tap to see full-size image)
Selfies taken in daylight are good. Beautification is enabled by default, so you get some smoothening in the output. The front camera also takes decent portraits and you can adjust the level of blur before taking a shot. Low light performance was pretty average. But there is a Night mode as well which helps in taking slightly brighter shots.
Our verdict
Realme 6i will appeal to users who want to get great hardware in a low budget. In this, you will get features like Helio G90T processor, 4,300 mAh battery and 90 Hz refresh rate display of Realme 6 (Review). But you will have to compromise on charger and camera performance. Considering the price, Realme 6i seems to be a value for money product. There is no 90 Hz display smartphone available in the market at this price. If this feature does not matter much to you, then Poco M2 Pro (Review) is a good option.
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