Realme XT review: Great value for money with a 64-megapixel X-factor

While premium smartphones from Samsung, Google, Apple and Huawei make headlines across the world, the under 15K smartphone market is undoubtedly India's favourite. And, few smartphone manufacturers have had more success here than Realme. However, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer dared to leap passed the 15K mark with the Realme X.

But less than a few months after the launch of the Realme X and we have already seen two successors from the Chinese smartphone maker – the Realme XT and Realme X2. And, while the Realme X2 has only launched in China, the Realme XT has already arrived in India. The Realme XT aims to solidify the brand's dominance in India's under 20K smartphone market by offering more options to the consumer. The Realme XT is also the only smartphone in India to sport a 64-megapixel primary sensor. Yes, you heard right, 64-megapixels!

We decided to put the Realme XT through its paces and see if the 64-megapixel camera can really deliver and if there's more to this phone than just a 64MP camera. So, stick around for our full review of the Realme XT.

Design

At first glance, the Realme XT looks very similar to the Realme 5 Pro that launched last month. But those difference start to fade when you stop and look.

Firstly, the polycarbonate back – which was a bit of a scratch magnet – is replaced with Gorilla Glass 5. Adding Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back may not seem like much but goes a long way towards giving you some peace of mind.

The fingerprint reader on the back is also replaced by an in-display fingerprint scanner, while Face Unlock is also available. The in-display fingerprint sensor is pretty accurate and quite fast. The camera module on the back is placed within a metal frame and doesn't bulge out, ensuring no hint of wobbling when placed on a table.

The Realme XT also ditches the diamond pattern on the back for multi-coloured streaks that are visible when light reflects off it at specific angles. Realme calls this the "Hyperbola" design. And it definitely looks more premium than the "Crystal" design on the Realme 5 Pro.

While we got our hands on the Pearl Blue variant, the Pearl White colour looks more elegant.

Display

The Realme XT and Realme 5 Pro are nearly indistinguishable from the front with a nearly similar-sized screen and the same dewdrop notch on the top. However, the big difference is that the Realme XT utilises a Super AMOLED panel as opposed to an LCD screen.

The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display sports an FHD+ (2,340 x 1,080 pixels) resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a 402 ppi. For the price you're paying, this display is nearly perfect. The default colour temperature on the AMOLED panel strikes a nice balance between cool and warm tones.

Consuming media or playing games on this screen is quite pleasing; there's a clear difference when switching from LCD to AMOLED. Since we're on the topic of viewing media, the Realme XT supports Widevine L1, allowing you to enjoy HD content on streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.

However, the Realme XT does struggle in bright sunlight. With a peak brightness of 430 nits, outdoor use can be a tad bit challenging. But this is a mid-range smartphone; and for a mid-range smartphone, this display is as good as it gets.

Hardware and Software

The Realme XT gets a Snapdragon 712 SoC, a step above the SD710 chipset on the Realme X. The SD712 mobile platform that's slightly faster CPU performance and similar GPU performance to the Snapdragon 710. The Snapdragon 712 SoC is paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of in-built UFS 2.1 storage.

When it comes to everyday use, performance isn't going to be a hurdle. Gaming performance is not too shabby, as well. For a mid-range phone, the Realme XT does pretty well at almost every game. While playing PUBG on the highest settings, we did experience frame drops during our one-hour session. But it isn't just PUBG Mobile, and we've also played Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt 9 Legends on high settings without any issues.

Heat management on the Realme XT is pretty good, and the phone remained relatively cool while gaming and quite comfortable to grip. The camera area does get warm during an intense gaming session, though. If you are looking for a phone for hardcore mobile gaming, then the Realme XT isn't the best device. However, it is the best performing phone at this price, and you'd have to significantly increase your budget if you want to buy a phone for hardcore gaming.

The 4,000 mAh battery capacity on the Realme XT is pretty standard at this price segment. The XT also comes with a 20W VOOC 3.0 charger bundled in the box. It doesn't take long to get the XT to a full charge, and once it is fully charged, there's more than enough juice to last the day. The XT barely consumes battery life in standby times.

On the software front, the Realme XT runs on Color OS 6.0 based Android Pie 9 out of the box. The interface is pretty similar to that on the Realme 5 Pro. And, while Color OS 6.0 does come with its fair share of customisations, there's still the issue of bloatware.

You can stop the notifications and uninstall some unnecessary apps, but the experience just doesn't seem clean. Realme has also confirmed that future OTA updates will bring Digital Wellbeing, a system-wide dark mode and the ability to change font sizes. While the software may not offer the best user experience, it isn't that bad, and really shouldn't put you off from buying this device.

The Realme XT is expected to get an Android 10 update in the first quarter of 2020.

Camera

For optics, the Realme XT has pretty-much the same camera setup as the Realme 5 Pro. You get a wide lens, ultra-wide lens, depth sensor and macro lens. However, Sony's 48-megapixel IMX586 sensor is replaced by Samsung's 64-megapixel ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor. But megapixel count aside, let's find out how the sensor does in real-world tests.

By default, the primary camera outputs 16MP pixel-binned images, which captures decent photos that are pretty good by under 20K smartphone standards. The 64-megapixel sensor on the Realme XT captures excellent pixel-binned shots with excellent details and relatively less noise. Autofocus is quick, and HDR works well, while colour saturation looks good. Distant objects in landscapes look good, although a little over-sharpened.

Shooting at the full 64-megapixel resolution allows you to zoom in really close to objects. There's a good helping of natural bokeh with close-ups feature a ton of information. The GW1 sensor isn't meant to be used in the full 64MP setting but can output a 64-megapixel photo using a demosaic algorithm. There's not much difference in shooting photos at 16MP pixel binned shots and 64MP shots. However, full 64-megapixel images tend to struggle in dim lighting with the amount of noise increasing.

The other three cameras on the Realme XT are pretty much the same as those on the Realme 5 Pro.

The 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera has a 119-degree FOV, allowing you to fit more into your frame. However, even in good light detail isn't that impressive, while dynamic range tends to struggle. There's no Autofocus here, but you do get automatic distortion correction and less noise in images. The difference between the two sensors is pretty noticeable.

The 2-megapixel ultra-macro lens is useful when shooting a subject up-close, at a distance of 4cms but requires ample light and a bit of perfecting before getting the best results. One area where the Realme XT excels is Portrait mode. The 2-megapixel depth sensor does a great job with edge detection, and details appear crisp. The results on both 2-megapixel sensors are pretty much the same as on the Realme 5 Pro.

For low light photography, the Realme XT also gets a dedicated Nightscape mode, which works relatively well. The app tends to boost colours, making objects or scenes look dramatic and vivid. However, you'll need a steady hand to get good results using Nightscape.

On the front, the Realme XT gets a 16-megapixel shooter which delivers decent selfies. The camera takes good looking shots with a good amount of detail and balanced lighting. HDR on the front camera works quite well, and the beauty mode doesn't overcompensate. Portrait mode on the front camera isn't that good, while you also get an in-display flash for selfies in low light.

The Realme XT supports video recording at 30fps in 4K resolution, while you can record 30fps and 60fps video at 1080p. Image quality on 4K videos is good, and colours look great while the dynamic range is quite impressive at this price point. Video recording on 1080p is far better with Realme offering electronic image stabilisation. There's a noticeable advantage when taking videos in 1080p. Video recording in low light does pose a few challenges and isn't that good, EIS causes some minor jitter.

Overall, the camera performance on the Realme XT is pretty impressive for the price. It is incredible to see how far these mid-range phones have come in terms of camera capability.

Verdict

We really like what Realme has done with the XT handset. The Realme XT offers a better camera, better screen and a more premium design at just Rs 3,000 more than the Realme 5 Pro. It is astonishing to see the Realme XT launch at Rs 1,000 less than its predecessor. Especially considering the number of improvements over the Realme X.

The Realme XT top-end version with is priced at Rs 18,999. However, we'd recommend going with the 6GB/64GB configuration to perfectly balance out the performance. On paper, it would be tough to separate the Realme XT from the Realme 5 Pro. But the XT offers quite a bit of improvement over the 5 Pro once you dig deep.

Battery – The 4,000 mAh battery is capable of getting you through a day of regular use, while the 20W VOOC charging technology will power the phone in no time.

Performance – The Snapdragon 712 chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM delivers ideal performance for multitasking and gaming. Rest assured, gaming won't be a problem on the Realme XT.

Display – The Super AMOLED display on the Realme XT is excellent at this price but isn't the best in bright daylight.

Camera – If you are after a good set of cameras at a sub-20K price point, the Realme XT is undoubtedly one of the best. The night mode is surprisingly good, while the 64-megapixel sensor does very well in bright light. Video could use a little more work, though.

While there are few areas where the Realme XT could do better, this is a great phone. There are definite advantages here over the Realme 5 Pro, which makes the extra price worth it. We found very little to complain about on the Realme XT.

Full Specs: