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In recent months, the smartphone brand of OPPO's subsidiary Realme has quickly emerged as a formidable rival to Xiaomi in India. The company's first phone – the Realme 1 (review), was a notable competitor of the Redmi Note 5 Pro (19459008) review ) while the affordable (C1) (review) took among others, the Redmi 6A ( review ) . Realme, which has since distanced itself from OPPO to become a stand-alone brand, has just launched U1, a selfie-centric offer. I tested Realme U1 last week and here is what you need to know.
The Realme U1 is one of the smartest smartphones on the market today. You may think that the back panel is glbad (I was), but it is actually composed of a transparent acrylic composite, which, according to Realme, is more durable and scratch-resistant. My examination unit was black, but you can also get the phone in blue and gold. The back panel has a "light pillar" effect that creates vertical patterns when placed against a light source. This, combined with the teardrop-shaped notch on the display, makes the Realme U1 stunning. It even makes appear compared the Redmi Note 6 Pro (review) recently launched. The U1 Realme has rounded edges that make it comfortable to hold despite the form factor similar to that of a slab. At the back you will find the two main cameras and the LED flash horizontally, with a fingerprint sensor below.
The Realme U1 is equipped with a 6.3-inch screen offering Full HD + resolution. The display is sharp, with good viewing angles and striking colors, but visibility drops under the sun. With a height / width ratio of 19: 5: 9 and the absence of curbs at the base of a thin chin at the bottom of the screen, the U1 screen offers an immersive visual experience. A layer of Gorilla Glbad 3 protects the screen and Realme has also installed a protective film for the screen. Another advantage that you will find in the box is a clear case. The case is of good quality, but the micro-USB port is awkward for you to quickly connect the charger.
Cameras
The Realme U1 is a standalone smartphone, and is equipped for this purpose with a 25 megapixel front camera with f / 2.0 aperture. There is no front LED, but you get a flash screen for lighting. The front camera can also create a software-generated depth effect. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the photos taken with the selfie camera, which went well even in low light or in case of intense backlighting. The images are clear with natural skin tones, and even if I've turned off the AI Beauty mode, you can turn it on if you prefer. The effect of depth does not blur the background either, so the images look realistic.
The rear cameras are available in a 13 MP + 2 MP configuration, the latter being a depth sensor. Unlike the front camera, the rear camera offers a dedicated Portrait Mode, with several iPhone-inspired studio lighting options, such as Natural, Movie, Mono, and so on. Portrait mode works well for both humans and objects, as well as for the front camera. , do not artificially blur the bottom. The daylight shots were vibrant and detailed, although I noticed that some images seemed too sharp and too saturated. The low-light planes are granular, but nonetheless usable. My only disadvantage with rear cameras is that they have trouble locking the focus for macro shots, especially if the background is busy. Look at some examples of images below.
Although Realme is positioned as an independent brand, it continues to borrow its software from OPPO. As a result, the Realme U1 runs ColorOS 5.2 on Android 8.1 Oreo. If you have already used an OPPO phone in the past, you will be familiar with the interface, with many additional features. Most of them are useful and allow you to adjust the settings as you wish, but some are redundant. For example, the Smart Assistant displayed on the left side of the home screen is essentially the OPPO version of Google Assistant. ColorOS also comes with a ton of bloatware – I've counted eight third-party apps. Fortunately, they can be uninstalled.
The power supply of the Realme U1 is an Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P70 chipset clocked at 2.1 GHz. My unit came with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage (48GB out of the box), but there is also a less-specified variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Storage is expandable to 256 GB via a dedicated microSD card slot, which is always a welcome feature. Although I did not notice any glitches with daily performance, navigating the interface, performing multiple tasks at once, and opening apps seemed slow. The heavy nature of ColorOS, however, is more likely to be the cause than the processor. The game is a kid's game on the device, with titles with heavy graphics like Asphalt 8 that run smoothly, with no loss of image. The phone heats up during extended gaming sessions, but does not.
The Realme U1 offers both a fingerprint sensor and a face unlock for added security. The fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate. It was my favorite unlocking method. The function of unlocking the face is also fast, but you must swipe the screen locked to unlock the phone, which is an extra step. Since the U1 does not have an infrared sensor, unlocking the face does not work in the dark, so it is advisable to set up the fingerprint sensor as well.
The Realme U1's battery is one of its best features. The 3,500mAh pack is able to last more than one day with intensive use even with the hotspot enabled for a few hours. During our battery discharge test, the device worked beautifully, 16 hours before running out of juice. Charging the phone with the included charger took 2.5 hours.
The Realme U1 is one of the most complete smartphones you can buy at the asking price. It ticks most cases for me and does not present any serious inconvenience, with the exception of ColorOS, which I am not a fan. Predictably, Realme positions the U1 as a competitor of the Xiaomi Redmi Y2 (test). The Honor 8C (first impressions), the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 (19459008) and the Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro (the revision) are other notable rivals. Although you can choose another phone only based on your brand's preferences, if you are looking for a good selfie camera, the Realme U1 is your best choice.
Editor's note: 4/5
Pros:
- Premium design
- Good cameras
- Excellent battery life
Disadvantages:
- The screen difficulties in full sun
- ColorOS full of bloatware
- Unlocking the face does not work in the dark
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