Realme 9i Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Realme 9i is a mid-range smartphone that offers an impressive set of features at an affordable price. With its sleek design and large display, it's hard not to be captivated by this device. The 6.6-inch IPS LCD screen provides vibrant colors and smooth visuals, perfect for gaming and multimedia consumption. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor and up to 6GB of RAM, the Realme 9i delivers snappy performance and seamless multitasking. The impressive camera setup, including a 50MP main camera, ensures stunning photos and videos. With a 5000mAh battery and 33W fast charging, you can enjoy extended usage without worrying about running out of power. The Realme 9i comes in different variants, offering storage options of 64GB or 128GB. With its attractive price point, starting at just €138.90, the Realme 9i is definitely worth considering for budget-conscious buyers looking for a feature-packed smartphone.

Design and Build Quality

The Realme 9i boasts a sleek and visually appealing design that exudes a premium look and feel. With its slim form factor and well-proportioned dimensions of 164.4 x 75.7 x 8.4 mm, it offers a comfortable grip and easy one-handed usability. The device features a glass front with Dragontrail Pro protection, a plastic frame, and a plastic back, ensuring a balance between durability and affordability. The back panel showcases a stylish texture that adds to its aesthetics, while the finishing touches exhibit attention to detail. The bezels surrounding the 6.6-inch IPS LCD display are minimal, resulting in an impressive screen-to-body ratio of approximately 84.2%. The device also incorporates a fingerprint sensor on the side for convenient unlocking. In terms of construction, the Realme 9i demonstrates robustness and sturdiness, making it suitable for everyday use. The placement of buttons and controls is intuitive and well thought out, enhancing the overall ergonomics. Additionally, the Realme 9i strikes a good balance between being lightweight at 190 g and maintaining a solid build quality. Overall, the Realme 9i impresses with its sleek design, premium aesthetics, and comfortable handling, making it an attractive choice for users seeking a visually appealing and ergonomic smartphone.

Display

The Realme 9i boasts a 6.6-inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2412 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The screen-to-body ratio of around 84.2% ensures an immersive viewing experience. The display features Dragontrail Pro Glass protection, which helps safeguard it against scratches and minor impacts. With a pixel density of approximately 400 ppi, the screen offers crisp and detailed visuals.

In terms of color accuracy and vibrancy, the Realme 9i's display performs well, providing vibrant and punchy colors. The brightness levels are decent, reaching up to 480 nits, ensuring good visibility even under direct sunlight. Additionally, the display offers wide viewing angles, allowing for comfortable viewing from different perspectives.

The Realme 9i features a 90Hz refresh rate, which results in smoother scrolling and enhanced responsiveness during gaming and general usage. This higher refresh rate contributes to a more fluid user experience. However, it's worth mentioning that the Realme 9i does not support HDR or wide color gamut, which could have further improved the visual experience.

The display does not have any notch design, and the bezels are relatively slim, offering an immersive feel while consuming content. The absence of an always-on display feature might be a drawback for some users. However, the Realme 9i does include a blue light filter and adaptive brightness, which help reduce eye strain and optimize brightness levels based on ambient lighting conditions.

Overall, the Realme 9i's display provides a satisfactory viewing experience with its decent color reproduction, good brightness levels, and smooth scrolling thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate. While it may not offer advanced features like HDR or wide color gamut, it serves as a reliable and visually pleasing display for everyday use.

Performance

The Realme 9i boasts a powerful performance thanks to its Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G chipset. This octa-core processor, consisting of 4x2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold and 4x1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver cores, ensures smooth multitasking and app loading speeds. The CPU benchmarks and synthetic benchmarks indicate that the Realme 9i performs admirably in terms of processor efficiency. It delivers a lag-free user experience, allowing users to switch between apps seamlessly.

When it comes to gaming, the Realme 9i showcases its gaming capabilities with its Adreno 610 GPU. The GPU benchmarks and gaming benchmarks show that it can handle most popular mobile games with ease. The graphics scores and performance metrics highlight the impressive gaming experience that this device offers. Whether it's graphically demanding games or intensive graphics rendering, the Realme 9i delivers a smooth and immersive gaming performance.

Furthermore, the Realme 9i excels in system optimization and thermal management. It efficiently utilizes its resources, ensuring that the device remains responsive and performs optimally even during prolonged usage. The benchmark tests and scores reinforce the device's ability to handle demanding tasks while maintaining excellent thermal control.

Overall, the Realme 9i offers a commendable performance that caters to both multitasking and gaming needs. Its chipset performance, GPU benchmarks, and gaming capabilities make it a reliable choice for users who prioritize smooth user experiences and lag-free performance. Whether you're a casual user or an avid gamer, the Realme 9i is equipped to deliver an enjoyable and efficient performance.

Software and User Interface

The Realme 9i runs on the Android 11 operating system, which can be upgraded to Android 13 with Realme UI 4. This gives users access to the latest features and security updates. Realme UI 4 provides a customized user interface, offering a unique and user-friendly experience. The software on the Realme 9i is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, making it suitable for both novice and experienced users.

Additionally, the Realme 9i comes with various pre-installed apps that provide useful functionality right out of the box. However, some users may find certain apps to be unnecessary or "bloatware" that takes up storage space. Fortunately, Android allows users to uninstall or disable these apps if desired, providing a more personalized experience.

The interface of the Realme 9i is clean and straightforward, ensuring that users can easily access their desired features and settings. Realme UI 4 enhances the overall user experience by offering smooth animations, customizable themes, and a variety of customization options. Users can personalize their device by changing the app icons, fonts, and system colors to suit their preferences.

Overall, the software on the Realme 9i offers a user-friendly experience with a customizable interface. The Android operating system, coupled with Realme UI 4, provides a seamless and intuitive user experience, allowing users to enjoy the full potential of their device without any hassle.

Camera

The Realme 9i boasts an impressive camera setup that allows users to capture stunning photos and videos. The main camera features a 50-megapixel lens with a wide aperture of f/1.8, which enables it to capture detailed and vibrant images. The focal length of 26mm ensures that subjects are captured accurately without any distortion. The camera also has a 2-megapixel macro lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor, perfect for close-up shots and creating beautiful bokeh effects. In terms of image quality, the Realme 9i performs exceptionally well, delivering sharp images with natural colors and good dynamic range. The camera excels in daylight photography, producing clear and well-exposed shots. Indoor and outdoor photography is also impressive, with the camera effectively handling different lighting conditions. In low-light situations, the Realme 9i performs admirably, thanks to its low-light sensitivity and advanced noise reduction capabilities. The device also includes a dedicated night mode, which further enhances low-light performance and brings out more details in night photography. Additionally, the camera offers various features such as portrait mode, HDR, panorama mode, pro mode, and AI scene recognition, allowing users to experiment and capture professional-looking shots. When it comes to video recording, the Realme 9i supports 4K video recording and offers video stabilization for smoother footage. Slow-motion video and time-lapse modes are also available, providing creative options for capturing unique moments. Overall, the camera of the Realme 9i is a standout feature, delivering impressive image and video quality across various shooting scenarios.

Battery Life

The Realme 9i is equipped with a powerful Li-Po 5000 mAh battery that offers impressive battery life. This sizable battery capacity ensures that you can go through your day without worrying about running out of power. The device also features fast charging capabilities, with a 33W wired charger that can charge the battery to 100% in just 70 minutes. This is particularly useful when you need a quick top-up before heading out. The battery optimization features of the Realme 9i, coupled with its power-efficient hardware, contribute to a longer screen-on time and standby time. You can expect the battery to last through extended usage periods, allowing you to enjoy your favorite apps, games, and multimedia content for longer durations. With its impressive battery performance and efficient charging technology, the Realme 9i ensures that you have a reliable and long-lasting battery backup, making it an ideal choice for users who are always on the go.

Connectivity and Networking

The Realme 9i offers a wide range of connectivity options, making it a versatile device for staying connected. It supports dual SIM functionality, allowing users to easily switch between two different phone numbers. In terms of network compatibility, the Realme 9i supports GSM, HSPA, and LTE technologies. This means that users can enjoy fast data speeds and reliable connectivity when browsing the internet or streaming media.

When it comes to wireless connectivity, the Realme 9i offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, allowing users to connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. This ensures a stable and fast internet connection, especially when paired with the appropriate Wi-Fi standards. Bluetooth 5.0 is also supported, enabling users to connect their devices wirelessly and transfer data seamlessly.

For navigation purposes, the Realme 9i features GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BDS positioning systems. This ensures accurate location tracking and easy navigation using popular apps like Google Maps. Additionally, the device also supports NFC, which allows for convenient contactless payments and easy pairing with compatible devices.

In terms of physical connectivity, the Realme 9i comes with a USB Type-C 2.0 port, which offers fast data transfer speeds and easy charging. However, it does not support wireless charging, so users will need to rely on traditional charging methods.

Overall, the Realme 9i provides a comprehensive range of connectivity options, including dual SIM capability, LTE network compatibility, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and GPS. This ensures that users can stay connected and enjoy fast data speeds, reliable wireless connections, and convenient navigation features.

Additional Features

• Standout Features: The Realme 9i offers several notable features that make it an attractive option in its price range. With a large 6.6-inch IPS LCD display and a high refresh rate of 90Hz, users can expect smooth and immersive visuals. The device also comes with stereo speakers, providing an enhanced audio experience.


• Water and Dust Resistance: Unfortunately, the Realme 9i does not come with any official water or dust resistance ratings. Users should exercise caution to avoid exposing the device to water or dust, as it may cause damage.


• Wireless Charging: The Realme 9i does not support wireless charging. Users will need to rely on the included 33W wired charger to charge the device's 5000mAh battery.


• Sensors: The Realme 9i is equipped with a range of sensors, including a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for quick and secure unlocking. Other sensors include an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and compass.


• Additional Sensors: While the Realme 9i does not feature any advanced or additional sensors such as a gyroscope or environmental sensors, it covers the essential sensors needed for everyday use.

Comparison with Other Related Phones

The Realme 9i is a mid-range smartphone that offers a range of features at an affordable price point. When comparing it to other related devices in the market, we can see how it stacks up against its competitors.

In terms of specifications, the Realme 9i stands out with its 6.6-inch IPS LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate, which provides smooth and fluid visuals. This puts it in direct competition with devices like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 and the Samsung Galaxy A32. The Realme 9i also boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G chipset, which ensures solid performance for everyday tasks.

When it comes to camera capabilities, the Realme 9i impresses with its triple camera setup, featuring a 50MP main camera, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. This allows for versatile photography options and puts it on par with devices like the Vivo Y33s and the Oppo A95. The 16MP front-facing camera is also capable of capturing detailed selfies, which is comparable to devices like the Motorola Moto G Power (2022) and the Nokia G20.

One standout feature of the Realme 9i is its stereo speakers, which provide an immersive audio experience. This is a unique feature in its price range and gives it an edge over devices like the Lenovo K13 Note and the Honor 9A. Additionally, the Realme 9i comes with a large 5000mAh battery and supports 33W fast charging, ensuring long-lasting battery life and quick recharging.

In terms of pricing, the Realme 9i is competitively positioned, offering good value for money compared to its competitors. With a price range of around €138.90 to €157.99, it falls in line with devices like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 and the Samsung Galaxy A32.

Overall, the Realme 9i offers a compelling package with its impressive display, solid performance, versatile camera capabilities, and unique stereo speakers. It competes well with other devices in its price range and provides a strong value proposition for consumers looking for a mid-range smartphone.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Realme 9i is an affordable mid-range smartphone that offers impressive features. With its sleek design and vibrant 6.6-inch IPS LCD display, it provides an immersive viewing experience. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G chipset ensures smooth performance, and the option of 4GB or 6GB RAM caters to different user needs.

The camera setup, including a 50MP main camera and 16MP front camera, captures detailed and vibrant photos. The stereo speakers deliver an enjoyable audio experience, and the 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging ensures long-lasting usage.

Overall, the Realme 9i is a great choice for those looking for a budget-friendly smartphone with decent performance and impressive features. Potential buyers can expect a reliable device that offers a good balance between price and performance.