The Realme 2 series: Superb smartphones for the young blood

MANILA, Philippines — After parting ways from its parent company Oppo, Realme has embarked on a new journey in Southeast Asia in a bid to secure a foothold in the global market by capturing the interest of the younger generation. This came after its debut success in India, where more than one million units of smartphones were sold like hotcakes in a matter of four months.

Expanding its business venture, Realme officially launched an array of smartphones during an event in Jakarta, Indonesia last week: the Realme C1, Realme 2, and the Realme 2 Pro. Each mobile device clearly has promising feats that most of the younger generation desire today – a well-designed device that packs impressive specs with a ridiculously affordable price tag.

Realme C1

The Realme C1 has a glorious 6.2-inch screen with 19:9 aspect ratio HD+ display, 2GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage with an expandable microSD slot of up to 256GB. It runs with Color OS 5.1 (Android 8.1 Oreo), 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel with f/2.2 aperture dual camera set up with LED flash and a 5-megapixel f/2.2 aperture camera on the front.

It’s powered with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Octa-core processor that provides quick graphics rendering of up to 25 per cent while optimizing its power usage of up to 30 per cent.

However, the Realme C1’s major selling point is its massive 4230mAh battery size that can withstand up to 15 hours of video playbacks and 10 hours of gaming experience.

The C1 has a price tag of P4,966 on Lazada.

Realme 2

The Realme 2 shares the same exceptional battery feat as the C1. But what sets itself apart from its sibling is its exquisite design on its back cover that emulates the luster of real diamonds. Apart from the façade department, taking selfies has also been improved, thanks to its AI algorithms that can easily provide enhancement solutions by recognizing gender, age, and even skin tone.

The Realme 2 is powered by an octa-core 1.8Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 and has two variations: 3G RAM + 32GB and 4GB + 64 GB that can be expanded up to 256 GB via microSD card.

The camera department doesn’t disappoint either as it houses an 8-megapixel front camera while a 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel camera setup lies on the back.

The 3GB+ 32GB variant retails at P7,096, while the 4GB+ 64GB model has a price tag of P8,516 on Lazada.

Realme 2 Pro

If you’re on the lookout for a smartphone with premium specs at a budget-friendly price, then look no further – because the Realme 2 Pro is the real deal.

Sporting a 6.3-inch FHD ‘dewdrop’ full-screen display, the Realme 2 Pro has a 90.8-percent screen-to-body ratio. If you look closely at the 2 Pro’s architectural design, you’ll be quite amazed how the front camera, light and distance sensor and the receiver were all crammed up inside the tiny notch.

Thankfully, the Realme 2 Pro still has a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom along with a speaker grill and a micro USB port. On the right side is its power button while its volume rocker buttons and dual SIM card tray are on the left.

Looking under the hood, the Realme 2 Pro boasts a high performance octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE processor that supports an impressive 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal space. It also comes with a 4GB + 64 GB and 6GB + 64GB variants.

It runs with Android 8.1-based Color OS 5.2 AI System that has a diversified fundamental functions such as easy screenshot, clone phone and apps, smart play, custom timer, optimized screen and audio recording.

Another amazing feature of the Realme 2 Pro is how responsive its fingerprint and face recognition feature because it unlocks blazingly fast.

Although it only has a 3500mAh battery size, running multiple apps simultaneously won’t be a problem with the Realme 2 Pro because of its processor and AI management feature that intelligently consumes 40 per cent less power.

The Realme 2 Pro’s camera is quite remarkable considering its price point.

It has a dual-camera setup on the back – its primary lens is a 16-megapixel Sony IMX398 sensor with an aperture of f/1.7 that is capable of generating more light feed compared to other f2.2 apertures. Another 2-megapixel secondary camera serves as a depth-sensor that measures the spatial distance of objects while using the portrait mode. Its main shooter can produce videos in 4K, 1080P, or 720P at 30 frames per second.

The front camera has a 16-megapixel with F2.0 aperture capable of shooting great quality images and striking bokeh effect.

In comparison, the Realme 2 Pro’s cameras are technically on-par with its major competitors in the mid-range league such as the Xiaomi Mi A2 and the Redmi Note5 Pro.

The Realme 2 Pro comes with three variations: The 4GB + 64 GB version that retails at P10,320; a 6GB + 64GB iteration that has an asking price of P11,744; and the top-tier 8GB+ 128GB model that has a price tag of P13,168.

Soon, the Realme series will be exclusively available for purchase in the Philippines via Lazada.