Realme XT: Kicks off 64MP quad-cam war in India

Shenzhen-headquartered Realme has become the first handset maker to bring the 64MP camera technology at an affordable price in India.

Incidentally, the brand was the second-largest player in the country in the online segment in the second quarter of 2019 on the back of strong online push and good performance of its affordable series -- Realme C2, Realme 3, and Realme 3 Pro, according to Counterpoint Research.

Its real competitor -- Redmi Note 8 Pro -- that also sports a 64MP primary sensor is yet to come to India while Samsung Galaxy A device "A70s" with 64MP rear camera sensor will come later this month. So Realme has a lead in this camera segment.

We used Realme XT with 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage variant (which costs Rs 18,999) for few days and here's how it fared.

At a first glance, Realme XT looks a lot like the Realme 5 Pro, albeit for some difference such as the light dual-coloured streaks instead of the diamond textured pattern on the 5 Pro.

The glossy rear looked every bit premium from every angle.

The front of the device houses a 6.4-inch full-HD+ screen with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for scratch resistance.

The screen has dew-drop notch on the top which accommodates 16MP selfie camera which can also be used for facial recognition.

An in-display fingerprint scanner sits underneath the display which was fast at authentication; we hardly faced any misreads during the review.

The cameras have been placed in a vertical fashion on the rear that comprises 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor.

The primary camera design, however, protrudes which means using the phone without a cover would make it wobbly when placed on a flat surface.

The phone's primary camera captured detailed photos with balanced colours. The device was especially quick to focus.

The camera did a better job at taking portrait images than landscapes.

Talking about the performance of the smartphone, a mid-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 chipset powers the device which resulted in better CPU performance over Snapdragon 710. The 712 chip was more power efficient than Snapdragon 710.

The XT runs the company's own ColorOS 6.0.1 based on Android 9 Pie. The new UI is much cleaner than before.

A 4000mAh battery fuels the Realme XT which did pretty well in our battery loop test. It lasted a little over a day on a single charge with heavy to moderate usage.

Conclusion: Realme has taken the right step at the right time by unveiling the 64MP camera technology in India. Backed by powerful internals, the XT is a great choice for buyers who wish to remain a step ahead in the smartphone megapixel war.