INTRODUCTION:
Realme, the fastest growing mobile brand in the Philippines, is one of the top names now when it comes to Android devices, and has gained massive followers in just a short period. And, with the success that they currently enjoying, there is no doubt that they will strike while the iron is hot. That's why in just less than 3 months after the release of the C3, there is a new smartphone coming to town, the Realme 6i.
The Realme 6i comes into the market quite fast, considering that the Realme 5i arrived just last January or barely 4 months as of the time of posting. If we are not mistaken, it is also the first time that Realme releases the "i" version before the non-pro and pro variants. Yes, that's right, there is still no announcement about the release of the Realme 6 and Realme 6 Pro in the country.
With the Realme naming scheme, we can say that the Realme 6i is an upgrade of the 5i, and more powerful than the entry-level C3. And for this review, we will find out if that statement is true.
PHYSICAL:
The Realme 6i, Realme 5i, and Realme C3 have lots in common. In fact, there are too many things that are identical for all three devices. All phones have the same 6.5-inch Mini-Drop FullScreen display with HD+ resolution, which is 1600 x 720 pixels, made from IPS LCD panel with a small notch up top where the selfie camera resides. Not only that, but their actual physical measurements are also identical - 164.4mm x 75.4mm x 9mm. That said, if you place them side by side with the screen facing up, you won't recognize which is which.
The only time you can quickly identify them is when the phones are flipped over. The 6i has a quad-camera set-up, while the C3 has only 3. But, how about comparing it to 5i, which also has 4 rear cameras? The identifier will be their designs, the 5i, as well as the C3, have Sun Rise Design while the 6i has the Classic Design by Naoto Fukasawa, a Japanese industrial designer. It is available in two color options, Green Tea, which is the one we have for review, and White Milk.
Along with the back panel design, another differentiator between them is that the Realme 6i uses the new USB Type-C port, while the other two devices have the old MicroUSB port.
Aside from the two things mentioned above, the 3 phones really look the same, even the placement of the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, ports, and buttons are identical.
In terms of retail package inclusions, the Realme 6i comes with a free clear case, something that is not included in the C3 and 5i.
To learn more, you can watch the above unboxing video. You can also read our Realme 5i Review: The Budget Quad Camera and Battery Phone and Realme C3 Review; Affordable and Powerful Gaming Phone to know other similarities and differences of the 3 devices.
SOFTWARE:
The Realme 6i runs on Realme UI version 1.0 based on Android 10, which is also the same operating system that runs on Realme C3. It looks more refreshing and cleaner that the OPPO's ColorOS 6 that runs on the Realme 5i.
All the default icons, including folders, have rounded shapes that follow the 0.618 Golden Ratio design rule. But, if this is a bit boring for you, you can customize the icons that way you like it in the settings menu.
Of course, it is not just about aesthetics, it also comes with enhanced security features that help users avoid fraud, ensure online transactions are secured. It even comes with a nifty trick that can mask your MAC address when connected to WiFi. Other useful features in the past, like Game Space and Game Assistant, are still present.
To know more about Realme UI, you can visit https://www.realme.com/in/realme-ui.
PERFORMANCE:
The Realme 6i is powered by MediaTek Helio G80 gaming chipset that has HyperEngine Game Technology. It is made from a 12nm semiconductor process and composed of octa-core CPU grouped into two clusters, 2 ARM Cortex-A75 clocked at 2GHz each + 6 ARM Cortex-A55 clocked at 1.8GHz each, paired with ARM Mali-G52 2EEMC2 GPU clocked at 950MHz. This chip is a mild upgrade over the G70 inside the Realme C3, which has the same CPU and GPU arrangements, albeit, lower 820MHz GPU frequency.
The benchmarks scores are higher than the C3, with Antutu reaching above the 200K mark. And, if you read our Realme C3 review, the G70 chipset edge out Qualcomm Snapdragon 665-powered devices like OPPO A9 2020 and Realme 5. That said, we can expect it to perform better in real-life than the C3 given its boosted GPU and raw performance test results, not to mention it has more
CAMERA:
As mentioned earlier, the Realme 6i is equipped with 4 rear cameras, which makes its photography department a huge winner over the 3 cameras of the C3. As for the 5i, both devices have quad-shooters, but the 6i has 4x higher resolution for its main camera - 48MP versus 12MP. The other 3 cameras remained the same - 8MP ultrawide lens, 2MP for dedicated macro shots, and 2MP for depth sensing.
Going to the front, the 16MP f/2.0 selfie snapper is far better than the 5MP f/2.4 module mounted in the C3 and has twice as many pixels as the 8MP f/2.0 of the 5i.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
Within several days that we are using the Realme 6i, we can say that it has a very promising overall performance. And with its asking price of under Php10K, we can say as early as now that Realme has another big winner on its arsenal.
Realme, the fastest growing mobile brand in the Philippines, is one of the top names now when it comes to Android devices, and has gained massive followers in just a short period. And, with the success that they currently enjoying, there is no doubt that they will strike while the iron is hot. That's why in just less than 3 months after the release of the C3, there is a new smartphone coming to town, the Realme 6i.
 |
| Realme 6i Unboxing, Hands-on, and Initial Impressions |
The Realme 6i comes into the market quite fast, considering that the Realme 5i arrived just last January or barely 4 months as of the time of posting. If we are not mistaken, it is also the first time that Realme releases the "i" version before the non-pro and pro variants. Yes, that's right, there is still no announcement about the release of the Realme 6 and Realme 6 Pro in the country.
With the Realme naming scheme, we can say that the Realme 6i is an upgrade of the 5i, and more powerful than the entry-level C3. And for this review, we will find out if that statement is true.
PHYSICAL:
The Realme 6i, Realme 5i, and Realme C3 have lots in common. In fact, there are too many things that are identical for all three devices. All phones have the same 6.5-inch Mini-Drop FullScreen display with HD+ resolution, which is 1600 x 720 pixels, made from IPS LCD panel with a small notch up top where the selfie camera resides. Not only that, but their actual physical measurements are also identical - 164.4mm x 75.4mm x 9mm. That said, if you place them side by side with the screen facing up, you won't recognize which is which.
 |
| 6.5-inch Mini-Drop FullScreen Display |
The only time you can quickly identify them is when the phones are flipped over. The 6i has a quad-camera set-up, while the C3 has only 3. But, how about comparing it to 5i, which also has 4 rear cameras? The identifier will be their designs, the 5i, as well as the C3, have Sun Rise Design while the 6i has the Classic Design by Naoto Fukasawa, a Japanese industrial designer. It is available in two color options, Green Tea, which is the one we have for review, and White Milk.
 |
| Green Tea Classic Design by Naoto Fukasawa |
Along with the back panel design, another differentiator between them is that the Realme 6i uses the new USB Type-C port, while the other two devices have the old MicroUSB port.
Aside from the two things mentioned above, the 3 phones really look the same, even the placement of the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, ports, and buttons are identical.
In terms of retail package inclusions, the Realme 6i comes with a free clear case, something that is not included in the C3 and 5i.
Realme 6i Unboxing and Hands-on
To learn more, you can watch the above unboxing video. You can also read our Realme 5i Review: The Budget Quad Camera and Battery Phone and Realme C3 Review; Affordable and Powerful Gaming Phone to know other similarities and differences of the 3 devices.
SOFTWARE:
The Realme 6i runs on Realme UI version 1.0 based on Android 10, which is also the same operating system that runs on Realme C3. It looks more refreshing and cleaner that the OPPO's ColorOS 6 that runs on the Realme 5i.
All the default icons, including folders, have rounded shapes that follow the 0.618 Golden Ratio design rule. But, if this is a bit boring for you, you can customize the icons that way you like it in the settings menu.
Of course, it is not just about aesthetics, it also comes with enhanced security features that help users avoid fraud, ensure online transactions are secured. It even comes with a nifty trick that can mask your MAC address when connected to WiFi. Other useful features in the past, like Game Space and Game Assistant, are still present.
To know more about Realme UI, you can visit https://www.realme.com/in/realme-ui.
PERFORMANCE:
The Realme 6i is powered by MediaTek Helio G80 gaming chipset that has HyperEngine Game Technology. It is made from a 12nm semiconductor process and composed of octa-core CPU grouped into two clusters, 2 ARM Cortex-A75 clocked at 2GHz each + 6 ARM Cortex-A55 clocked at 1.8GHz each, paired with ARM Mali-G52 2EEMC2 GPU clocked at 950MHz. This chip is a mild upgrade over the G70 inside the Realme C3, which has the same CPU and GPU arrangements, albeit, lower 820MHz GPU frequency.
The benchmarks scores are higher than the C3, with Antutu reaching above the 200K mark. And, if you read our Realme C3 review, the G70 chipset edge out Qualcomm Snapdragon 665-powered devices like OPPO A9 2020 and Realme 5. That said, we can expect it to perform better in real-life than the C3 given its boosted GPU and raw performance test results, not to mention it has more
CAMERA:
 |
| 48MP Quad AI Cameras |
As mentioned earlier, the Realme 6i is equipped with 4 rear cameras, which makes its photography department a huge winner over the 3 cameras of the C3. As for the 5i, both devices have quad-shooters, but the 6i has 4x higher resolution for its main camera - 48MP versus 12MP. The other 3 cameras remained the same - 8MP ultrawide lens, 2MP for dedicated macro shots, and 2MP for depth sensing.
 |
| 16MP Selfie Snapper |
Going to the front, the 16MP f/2.0 selfie snapper is far better than the 5MP f/2.4 module mounted in the C3 and has twice as many pixels as the 8MP f/2.0 of the 5i.
 |
| Camera Interface |
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:
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| Realme 6i |
Within several days that we are using the Realme 6i, we can say that it has a very promising overall performance. And with its asking price of under Php10K, we can say as early as now that Realme has another big winner on its arsenal.
Realme 6i Specs Philippines:
- Dual SIM, dual standby, supports 4G VoLTE connectivity
- 6.52-inch HD+ (1560 x 720) display, 20:9 aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Dimensions: 164.4mm x 75mm x 8.95mm
- Weight: 199 grams
- Realme UI 1.0 based on Android 10
- 2GHz octa-core CPU, 950MHz ARM Mali-G52 GPU, MediaTek Helio G80 12nm chipset
- 3GB/4GB RAM
- 64GB/128GB storage, expandable up to 256GB via MicroSD, uses dedicated slot
- 48MP f/1.8 PDAF + 8MP f/2.3 Ultra-Wide + 2MP f/2.4 depth + 2MP f/2.4 macro quad rear cameras, 1080p video recording at 30fps
- 16MP f/2.0 front camera
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4GHz
- Bluetooth v5.0
- USB Type-C with OTG function
- GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
- Multimedia Player
- FM Radio
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Sensors: fingerprint (rear-mounted), light, proximity, accelerometer,
- Battery: 5,000mAh Li-Po non-removable; supports 18W fast charging, supports reverse charging
- Colors: Cream white, Green Tea
- Price: Below Php10K
