Realme Narzo 80 Pro, Narzo 80x launched: Reasons to buy and not to buy

Realme has launched the Narzo 80 Pro 5G and Narzo 80x 5G in India. The Narzo 80 Pro starts at Rs. 19,999 and features a Dimensity 7400 chip, 50MP camera, 80W charging, and 6,000mAh battery. The Narzo 80x 5G starts at Rs. 13,999 with a Dimensity 6100+, 50MP camera, and 45W charging. Both run Realme UI 6 based on Android 15 and support 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and IP ratings for water and dust resistance. If you are planning to buy the new Narzo 80 series smartphones, here are a few things you should know.

Reason to buy: Value for money offerings
Both Narzo 80 Pro and Narzo 80x are value-for-money offerings from the company. They come with good on-paper specifications as per the asking price.

Reason not to buy: Bloatware-loaded experience
Realme UI is one of the most bloated user interfaces you can find in the Android ecosystem. While there are very few phones or user interfaces that offer a completely bloatware-free experience, Realme UI has the most pre-installed apps in this segment, and the Narzo 80 Pro and Narzo 80x aren’t different.

Reason not to buy: Software support is lackluster
It is a good thing that Realme has shipped both phones with the latest Realme UI 6 based on Android 15. But the company has not provided details on how many software updates or years of software support both phones will receive. On the other brands like Samsung, Vivo and even Motorola are offering relatively better software support here in the same price segment.

Reason not to buy: Slow storage speed
Realme Narzo 80 Pro and Narzo 80x run on UFS 2.2 storage and it is relatively older technology. Flagship phones have moved to UFS 4 and above, and UFS 3.1 (Vivo T4x: Rs 16,999) can easily be found in this price range. So, slower storage can result in relatively slower overall performance, like app loading speed, game rendering, etc, despite the powerful Dimensity 7400 SoC.

Good but could be better: The 6000mAh battery is big but not the best
In this price range, getting a 6000mAh battery is impressive, and the Narzo 80 series does a good job. But brands have already started teasing the massive 7300mAh battery, and even 6,500mAh phones are available in the market in a similar price range. Take the Vivo T4x, for example, it has a 6500mAh battery.