Smart Android And Trik-Commenting on Andorid indeed never endless, because smart devices this one is often updated every certain amount of time. So that the market can always be garapnya menerinya with pleasure. And it is not denied if this device has become the lifestyle of each society. To not wonder if the 6th business information and many are turning to mobail smartphone. With Android which thoroughly dominated the mobile industry, choosing the best Android smartphone is almost identical to choose the best smartphone, period. But while Android phones have few real opponents on other platforms, internal competition is intense.
Introduction
The biggest mistake anyone could make is to think of the Realme 2 as a sequel to the Realme 1. It's not. Despite what the model name implies, the Realme 2 is more of an alter ego came to be than a successor to the popular Realme 1.
Oppo has hit the jackpot with the Realme 1 in India - a powerful smartphone with cool design and features, which is priced unbelievably low at INR 8,990. And now it's time for the trendy addition to the affordable series - the Realme 2.
The slogan chosen for the Realme 2 PR campaign is A Notch Above, rather obvious, isn't it? Indeed, the notched screen is the trendiest of trends today and makers are racing to launch phones with notches. We have our doubts about these aesthetics, but there is the Realme 1 if you are not into them notches.
Realme 1 and Realme 2
The camera on the back got a trendy upgrade as well - there is now a secondary shooter on the back to relay some helpful depth information for high-res portrait shots. Finally, a huge battery lies beneath all that diamond beauty - a 4,230 mAh unit.
A few cuts had to be made, of course, to keep the price the same. The screen is now of lower 720p resolution, and there is a less powerful chipset - the Snapdragon 450 - but the combination of the two should allow a similar performance to the Realme 1 with its Helio P60 and 1080p screen.
Oppo Realme 2 Specs
- Body: Plastic body; 165.5 x 75.6 x 8.2mm; 168 grams
- Screen: 6.2-inch, 19:9, HD+, IPS LCD
- Rear Camera: Primary 13MP, f/2.2 lens; Secondary 2MP - serving as depth sensor; LED flash; 1080p@30fps video recording
- Front Camera: 8MP, f/2.2; 1080p@30fps video recording
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 - octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU, Adreno 506 GPU
- Memory: 3/4GB RAM, 32/64GB, dedicated microSD slot for up to 256GB expansion
- OS: Android 8.1 Oreo; ColorOS 5.1 on top
- Battery: 4,230mAh
- Connectivity: Dual SIM (4G), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/GLONASS, Wi-Fi b/g/n, microUSB 2.0
- Misc: rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
It was only three months ago that we reviewed the Realme 1 and found it to be worthy of every single penny (or rupee in this case). It offered unmatched bang for buck ratio and on top of that - it was beautiful.
Today, the Realme 2 arrives as an equally intriguing product, as it brings some of the hottest trends on the market on a downright bargain price - a notched screen, a dual-camera, and a massive battery. And it doesn't skimp on the fingerprint reader. But will it live to the Realme 1 glory? That's what we'll explore on the following pages.
Unboxing the Realme 2
The Realme 2 retail bundle is the same as the Realme 1's - a microUSB cable, a 10W charger, and a soft transparent case.
Oppo isn't providing a headset, but the Realme 2 has a 3.5mm audio port so you can use your favorite pair of headphones.
Design
The diamond-like geometric pattern might have failed to catch on back in 2015 with the Oppo R1x, but today it's finally the head-turner it was designed to be. The Realme 1 is available in three colors, and the Diamond Black is the one with the cool effect. But the Realme 2 fully embraces the glamorous shapes and is all-in with Diamond Red, Diamond Blue and Diamond Black options.
Realme 2 in Diamond Black and Diamond Red
The Realme 2 is as plastic as the Realme 1. Oppo's PR is neatly masking this behind the nanoscale composite description for the material. We are not denying them the achievement - the back is stunning, unique and memorable, but it's still scratch-prone plastic. So, without robbing Oppo of their efforts - the Realme 2 has a back that is both premium and cheap at the same time. How about that?!
The frame was also made of plastic, but still rather nicely looking. Its curvy shape though isn't helping the grip - the Realme 2 is as slippery as it looks. And with the fact that the materials are very scratch and fingerprint-prone, it's thoughtful of Oppo to bundle a transparent yet grippy case with the phone.
While we are still talking about that shiny back, let's mention the two new additions here - the secondary 2MP camera for depth sensing and the fingerprint sensor. The latter is always-on and works flawlessly. We're glad to see its comeback as we missed it on the Realme 1.
Moving on to the front we are greeted by one of the season's favorite features - the notched screen. It's 6.2" in diagonal - 0.2" larger than the Realme 1's - but of lower 720p resolution. The top and bottom bezels have shrunk since the Realme 1 (notch excluded), and that's what made possible to fit a bigger screen in the same body.
Realme 1 and Realme 2
The notch houses all the necessities, as expected. The earpiece sits at the center, flanked by the 8MP selfies cam and a couple of sensors. The Realme 2 omits a notification LED if you were wondering.
There is nothing at the chin - the Realme 2 relies solely on onscreen navigation for its Android OS. You can opt for virtual keys, a gesture bar, or full-screen gesture navigation. More on that later.
As we mentioned the Realme 2 is as big as the Realme 1 even though it brings a bigger screen. The Realme 2 spreads at 156.2 x 75.6 x 8.2 mm and weighs 168g - a hair thicker and 13g heavier than the Realme 1, but let's not forget it has a much larger battery inside.
The Realme 2 has a single speaker at the bottom, next to the oldschool microUSB port. The speaker resides in a so-called all-in-one chamber made to highlight the mid-tones distinctive to the Indian music - or at least, that's what PR claims. There is also a 3.5mm audio port, a dying feature, unfortunately.
Realme 2
A cool feature of the Realme 2 is its tri-card slot. The thing easily accommodates two nano-SIMs and a microSD card - you don't need to choose or between two of these three.
The Realme 2 is as cool-looking as the Realme 1. The diamond-pattern is a unique shade even the most premium phones of the flagship breed don't have, and it alone can be the decision maker. But the Realme 2 also has a trendy notched screen, a dual-camera, and a fingerprint sensor on the back in addition to the stunning looks - all that at an unbelievably low price.
Display
Realme 2 has one of its coolest features at the front, and that is the notched screen with thinned bezels. It's 6.20" in diagonal and has a resolution of 720 x 1,520 pixels or 271ppi - not the ideal sharpness, but still quite usable. These specs make for a trendy 19:9 screen aspect ratio.
Oppo hasn't specified the type of glass used on the screen, so we'd advise keeping the factory-applied screen protector just to be on the safe side.
The Realme 2 display has a maximum brightness of 420 nits - not the brightest around, but we guess it's fine for the class. The black levels turned out quite deep, though, so the Realme 2 screen scored an excellent contrast ratio of 1437:1.
For those following our tests closely - the lower brightness we could achieve on the Realme 2 is 2.5 nits, which is dim enough for comfortable use in the dark.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.286 | 411 | 1437 | |
| 0.35 | 423 | 1209 | |
| 0.314 | 461 | 1468 | |
| 0.385 | 488 | 1268 | |
| 0.228 | 446 | 1956 | |
| 0.277 | 420 | 1516 | |
| 0.288 | 510 | 1771 | |
| 0.378 | 503 | 1331 | |
| 0.353 | 477 | 1351 | |
| 0.288 | 429 | 1490 | |
| 0 | 326 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 485 | ∞ | |
The sunlight contrast number is far from ideal for the Realme 2 screen, but it still means the display is still perfectly usable outside when the brightness is set to maximum.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone X
5.013 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
4.531 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Xiaomi Mi 8
4.086 - Meizu 15
4.082 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4.052 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - vivo NEX S
4.012 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - LG G7 ThinQ (outdoor)
3.978 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Oppo Find X
3.954 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
3.901 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3.865 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3.834 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Nokia 8 Sirocco
3.745 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Huawei P20
3.683 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Nokia 7 plus
3.479 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Motorola Moto G6
3.448 - Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
3.445 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
3.419 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.397 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
3.393 - LG G7 ThinQ
3.39 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo F7
3.333 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Xiaomi Mi 5
3.24 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - BlackBerry KEY2
3.212 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Oppo R11s
3.153 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - HTC U11 Life
3.108 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
3.087 - HTC U12+
3.085 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
3.077 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
3.061 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3.059 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Oppo Realme 2
3.006 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - LG Q6
2.987 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Huawei P20 Lite
2.952 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Oppo Realme 1
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
2.867 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Nokia 3.1
2.837 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Honor 10 (Vivid)
2.757 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Huawei Honor 7X
2.734 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Xiaomi Mi A2
2.696 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Oppo F5
2.653 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)
2.616 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Huawei P Smart
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - HTC U11+
2.556 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (Y1)
2.556 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - BlackBerry Motion
2.494 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto)
2.417 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Vivo V7
2.404 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - Razer Phone
2.328 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Sony Xperia Z2
1.944 - Meizu m3
1.923
1.892
1.892
1.873
1.759
1.758
1.68
1.675
1.659
1.605
1.563
1.545
1.473
1.351
1.311
1.3
1.291
1.221
1.215
The color rendering is average - the screen offers mostly accurate colors and we measured an average DeltaE of 6.1. The representation of the white color is way colder than it should be (DeltaE of 11).
If you opt for the Warm color saturation from Settings, the blue tinge is suppressed and the average DeltaE drops to 4.5 - an excellent result for the class.
Battery life
The Realme 2 is powered by a large 4,230 mAh battery - 25% larger than the one inside the Realme 1. It supports regular 5V/2A charging, which restores about 22% of the battery in 30 minutes and 30% in 40 minutes. Not exactly fast, but as fast as you can expect in this price segment.
The Realme 2 has the energy-efficient Snapdragon 450 chip, and it easily aced our battery test with a 121-hour Endurance rating. It did a great job in all tested scenarios - video playback, calls, web browsing and had an outstanding stand-by performance.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Realme 2 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern, so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Loudspeaker
The Realme 2 has a single bottom-firing speaker at its disposal, just like the Realme 1. Stereo might be out of the question, but the speaker can still put on a good show, even in the budget segment. Just as promised, the speaker is indeed tuned to focus on the mid-tones, but no matter the kind of music you are playing, it indeed sounds very good.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 67.0 | 69.3 | 76.1 | Good | |
| 66.1 | 68.4 | 82.1 | Good | |
| 70.7 | 70.4 | 78.0 | Very Good | |
| 68.5 | 71.7 | 80.3 | Very Good | |
| 64.8 | 70.5 | 89.9 | Very Good | |
| 66.4 | 71.6 | 87.2 | Very Good | |
| 68.0 | 73.8 | 84.8 | Very Good | |
| 70.6 | 74.0 | 86.1 | Excellent | |
| 81.1 | 75.7 | 83.7 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The Realme 2 delivered perfectly accurate output in the first part of our audio test - the one where we hook it to an external amplifier - even though its loudness was about average and lower than it was on the Realme 1.
Headphones sent the loudness in the below average category, while also introducing an average amount of stereo crosstalk. This is certainly not the best performing smartphone out there, but for its price range it's more than adequate.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.02, -0.05 | -93.4 | 92.8 | 0.0021 | 0.0085 | -89.7 | |
| +0.18, -0.14 | -82.6 | 87.2 | 0.0042 | 0.189 | -58.1 | |
| +0.06, -0.03 | -89.0 | 86.6 | 0.0052 | 0.019 | -87.3 | |
| +0.06, -0.03 | -90.5 | 87.1 | 0.0054 | 0.028 | -77.3 | |
| +0.02, -0.06 | -90.4 | 90.4 | 0.0016 | 0.014 | -93.4 | |
| +0.00, -0.08 | -93.1 | 92.9 | 0.0022 | 0.046 | -58.4 | |
| +0.07, -0.03 | -89.7 | 89.9 | 0.0060 | 0.201 | -91.7 | |
| +0.22, -0.21 | -91.6 | 91.0 | 0.016 | 0.305 | -56.2 | |
| +0.01, -0.10 | -92.5 | 92.7 | 0.0019 | 0.0077 | -91.2 | |
| +0.50, -0.20 | -91.4 | 91.8 | 0.0079 | 0.402 | -51.5 |
Realme 2 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Color OS 5.1 and Android 8.1 Oreo
The Realme 2 runs on a heavily-modified Android 8.1 Oreo core, with Color OS 5.1 on top. The Chinese OEM hasn't really extended any effort to customize the UI to differentiate the Realme sub-brand. Instead, Oppo fans will find a familiar sight and should feel right at home.
The v.5.1 of the Color OS launcher offers enhanced AI engine with real-time translation, faster Face Unlock, new navigation gestures, better gallery, split-screen multi-tasking. There are also new app shortcuts (long tap), minor changes in the UI design and strengthened security. There is also an improved gaming mode.
ColorOS customizations run deep, as usual, making it far off from the standard Google-developed mobile experience. The Realme 2 has all Google services pre-installed, so you are ready to start your complete Android experience right out of the box.
The so-called AI builds on-device user behavior models for faster app startups and better resource management. It also uses this behavior to show relevant information on the left-most homescreen pane - calendar appointments, quick shortcuts, weather, world clock, package tracking, flight info, among others. You can configure those, or just leave them to the "AI".
The user interface is very familiar. There's no app drawer on the default launcher. Instead, every app you install appears onto the homescreen.
Lock and home screens
The fingerprint sensor is always-on, and it's fast and accurate. You can also set up face unlock in addition to fingerprint security - it's equally fast as the Realme 2 wakes up the moment you pick it up.
The face recognition is indeed blazing fast, faster than on the iPhone X. It relies on 120 recognition points and supposedly can't be fooled by a picture. Surely, this implementation is not as secure as Apple's Face ID, but it's there, and it's user-friendly.
Face recognition settings
The Theme Store features whole themes and just wallpapers, sorted into categories (including free and paid ones). Themes change the icon pack, the lockscreen wallpaper, and even the system font.
Themes
The notification shade features notifications, quick toggles, and a brightness scrubber. The task switcher reminds of Apple's, though it has an End All button. And split screen is available for all compatible apps.
Notifications • Toggles • Task Switcher • Split screen • Split screen • Split screen
The Full-Screen Gesture model is available for the Realme 2. When enabled, Full-Screen Gesture navigation positions three small lines at the bottom of the UI. Swiping up from the middle one acts like a home button but if you stop the gestures mid-way - you'll summon the task switcher (like on the iPhone X). Swiping on the left or right ones acts as Back. You can change one of those to open the recent apps manager if you like.
You can hide those lines since they are only visual aids. And if you don't like these controls, there is a standard Android navigation bar to fall back to as well.
Navigation settings
Clone apps and file safe functions are on board, as well as real-time translation thanks to an improved voice assistant.
There is a Phone Manager quite similar to what Huawei and Xiaomi have on their phones under the same name. It handles memory cleaner functions, app permissions and encryption, and virus scan, among other things.
Oppo provides multimedia apps of all sorts - Gallery, Music, Video, and even FM radio.
Phone Manager • Gallery • Videos • Files • FM radio
An improved Game Space allows you to handpick which notifications to pass through when you are playing with friends. There are also different performance modes and an option to lock the brightness only for certain games.
Game Space
Performance and benchmarks
The Realme 2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chip. It's somewhat of a reworked Snapdragon 625 and comes to replace the Snapdragon 435. The 450's processor has eight 1.8GHz Cortex-A53, while the GPU in charge of graphics is Adreno 506. The Realme 2 comes with either 3 or 4 gigs of RAM depending on the storage model you buy.
The Snapdragon 450 is a considerable step down from the Helio P60 in the Realme 1 regarding performance, and this is one of the major differences between the two devices. That's the reason the Realme 2 can't be considered as a sequel but as an alternative.
The lower screen resolution is the other reason, but it should also be the equalizer of the performance - the low-end GPU should be able to deliver the same punch on this 720p screen as the Mali-G72 MP3 GPU on the Realme 1's 1080p display.
But no Cortex-A53 can match the A73 processor in the Realme 1. The Helio P60 has 4x A73 and 4x A53 - one of the best offers you can get in the budget and mid-range classes. While the A53 are still very capable processor cores, the downgrade of the processor in the Realme 2 is still a big letdown.
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi A2
1617 - Oppo Realme 1
1511 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
1327 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
881 - Xiaomi Mi A1
877 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
874 - Oppo Realme 2
790 - vivo V7+
767 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
766
Even when working together, the A53 cores are still no match for those high-end A73 ones.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Oppo Realme 1
5741 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
4696 - Xiaomi Mi A2
4625 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
4388 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
4309 - Xiaomi Mi A1
4292 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
4018 - vivo V7+
3912 - Oppo Realme 2
3881
As we suspected the lower screen resolution helped the Adreno 506 GPU achieve a performance close to what the Realme 1 was offering. It's not exactly on par, but not that far behind either.
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi A2
21 - Oppo Realme 1
20 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
18 - vivo V7+
17 - Oppo Realme 2
16 - Xiaomi Mi A1
9.7 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
9.4 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
9.4
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi A2
8.6 - Oppo Realme 1
7.5 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
6.8 - vivo V7+
6.6 - Oppo Realme 2
6.3 - Xiaomi Mi A1
3.5 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
3.4 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
3.4
AnTuTu is the universal benchmark when comparing phones and the Realme 2 isn't doing great there. The score is mediocre, and probably fine for the class, but it's exactly half of the Realme 1's number.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Oppo Realme 1
138524 - Xiaomi Mi A2
130927 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
107737 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
77964 - Oppo Realme 2
75434
It's not like the Realme 2 isn't packing some nice power punch. It does a very good job of handling Android, Color OS, and all the opened apps. The games do run smoothly and mostly hiccup-free due to the lower screen resolution, too. And the Realme 2 isn't warming or stuttering due to overheating.
It's just that the Realme 1 set the bar high and the second one isn't even close to it. And that's a bit hard to swallow.
A dual-camera on the cheap
The Realme 2 comes with a 13MP+2MP camera combo on its back. Only the 13MP one can be used on its own, while the 2MP module is used for depth detection (read: portrait shots with defocused backgrounds).
The primary sensor sits behind f/2.2 lens, while the secondary 2MP is behind f/2.4. Phase-detection autofocus, and a LED flash complete the camera specs.
The camera app UI is lifted from the Oppo software branches, without any changes or special re-branding. It recently got the so-called AI-boost, which is a fancy name for scene recognition. You'll see a small icon when a scene is successfully recognized, and the software will tweak all settings accordingly. Food, snow, pets (dogs and cats), sunsets, grass, among other scenes, are caught mostly correctly.
The interface of the camera app has borrowed a lot from the iOS app, of course. Most settings are on the left (or top, depending on the orientation), while different modes are selected on the right next to the shutter key.
The app offers two trendy modes - 2x telephoto zoom and blurred background. Those have dedicated shortcuts on the viewfinder, but as you can imagine, the 2x zoom is purely digital.
Unfortunately, there is no Expert mode available, but maybe Oppo will add this with a software update later on.
Camera app
Image quality
The 13MP photos we snapped with the Realme 2 impress with nothing and pretty much match the Realme 1's camera quality. The images have enough detail and nice color rendition, and the contrast is very good. But they suffer from every issue typical to a cheap camera with darker lenses - higher noise levels, softness around the corners, over-sharpening and a low dynamic range.
Realme 2 13MP camera samples
The 2x zoom is purely digital, there is no telephoto lens on the Realme 2. But Oppo still opted for a toggle on the viewfinder, so here is what you'll get if you use it.
Realme 2 zoomed 13MP samples
The HDR mode works nice on the Realme 1. You also get auto mode, which does a good job of jumping in, when the conditions call for it. HDR processing is not too extreme and generally helps rescue some details in shadows and highlights. You should be good just leaving HDR on auto.
HDR off • HDR on
The low-light images we took with the Realme 2 are nothing to phone home about. Exposure comes out quite dark, they lack detail and are often blurry, and everything is washed out. You can see what's on the pictures, but there are some samples that won't do even for quick sharing on social networks.
Realme 2 13MP low-light samples
Portrait mode
The Realme 2 needs to justify its second camera somehow, and that's where portraits come into play. The Realme 1 also had a portrait mode, but the Realme 2 should offer more accurate subject separation and blur thanks to the depth info from the second snapper.
Indeed, it does a pretty good job separating the person from the background, with the usual caveat that hairstyles better have a clear outline.
Realme 2 13MP portrait samples
Selfies
Oppo has a reputation of a Selfie Master but that's mostly limited to the F-series of devices. The Realme 2, just like the first one, shares no such aspirations, with its rather modest 8MP, f/2.2 selfie camera. It's a fixed-focus lens, there is no dedicated flash or anything else fancy of the sorts.
Still, the 8MP selfie cam does a decent enough job. Despite the unimpressive dynamic range, there is really not much to complain about. There is more than enough detail, the colors are nice, and the images are sharp enough.
Realme 2 8MP selfies
The selfie cam also offers the simulated bokeh, just like many other Oppo selfie snappers.
Realme 2 8MP portrait selfies
There is a beauty mode, complete with an automatic "AI" setting, to play around with as well. And a pretty extensive animated sticker collection.
Beautification and stickers
Video recording
The Snapdragon 450 chipset means that the Realme 2 is limited to 1080p video capture with mono audio. There is no 1080p at 60fps mode; EIS is not present either. The latter is controlled by the stabilization toggle on the very clean camera UI.
The 1080p video we shot with the Realme 2 have enough detail, though we've seen a lot better. Colors come off a bit warmer than they should have been and the dynamic range could use some improvement. Still, the 20Mb/s, or so AVC/AAC, MP4 videos are perfectly usable. Nothing to rave about, but usable.
You can also download the 1080p@30fps (10s, 26MB) video sample taken straight off the Realme 2.
The Competition
The Realme 2 was made in India and for India. China will get it under the Oppo A3s model on a different price at that, while we are yet to see if Oppo would release in on other markets as well.
But it's definitely a phone worth getting, especially if priced as low as on the Indian market. It has every trendy feature right now - a notched screen and a dual-camera, while builds on those with a large battery and stunning design.
The only potential issue the Realme 2 could face is the existence of the Realme 1. The series pioneer has a higher-res screen and more powerful hardware and might be considered the better phone by the notch opposition. And that's fine, as we mentioned before - the Realme 2 is not a successor, but more like an alternative option.
The Redmi 5 by Xiaomi is an excellent match for the Realme 2, priced exactly the same in India. It lacks the notch in the screen, the portrait shots, and the large battery, but makes up for that with an aluminium back and the more popular MIUI.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite has a higher-res notched display but similar chipset, battery, and camera experience. The A2 Lite is made of metal and is part of Android One series, which means vanilla Android and regular updates. But it costs around 14,500 INR in India, far from the Realme's 9,000 INR.
The Honor 9N has the looks to impress, the 1080p screen features a prominent notch, and the camera experience is mostly the same though you can snap 16MP selfies. The Kirin 659 fails to impress at this resolution though, the battery is smaller, and Honor isn't known for its regular updates.
Oppo Realme 1 • Xiaomi Redmi 5 • Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro) • Huawei Honor 9N (9i)
The Verdict
There isn't a better-looking or more jam-packed with features phone 9,000 INR can buy in India right now. We can't speak for other markets, but if you are shopping for the best bang for your money in India - look no further. The Realme 2 is what you should get. Unless you don't fancy the notch - then kindly refer to the Realme 2 next of kin and grab the Realme 1.
Pros
- Stunning design
- A notched screen with thin bezels
- Extraordinary battery life
- Snappy gaming performance
- Fingerprint scanner, among other goodies as 3.5mm port, FM radio
- A dual-camera with native portrait shots and good image quality
- Low-price
Cons
- Plastic, prone to scratches and fingerprints
- Low-res screen
- Omits a second mic for noise-cancelling in calls
- Unimpressive processor performance
- Uninspiring selfies, mono audio in videos
- Slow to charge
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