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 Realme U1 has just launched in India, hot on the Realme 2 Pro heels, and promises better selfies and even faster performance. The salient design is here to stay, as is the large screen with a dewdrop notch.
Realme might be young, but it has already tried to reinvent itself a couple of times. The Realme 1 broke ground in India last May and its bang for the buck has been unbeaten ever since. The Realme 2 added a notch and trimmed the screen bezels at the expense of performance, while the Realme 2 Pro improved the notch and brought back the speed. Then came the cheapest yet Realme C1, and now we have the U1 touted as first of many selfie masters.
Well, Realme is launching phones faster than any other startup we've seen so far, and yet it seems to be working quite well for the maker. So, color us intrigued with this new Realme U1. Let's see where it fits within the rich Realme portfolio.
It we have to describe the U1 in Realme terms, it's the Realme 2 Pro with a better selfie camera and a little bit faster chip, though it has switched back to the Realme 2 main camera with the darker aperture. Everything else is Realme 2 Pro through and through.
Realme U1 Specs
- Body: Multi-layer plastic back, polycarbonate frame, Gorilla Glass 3 front;
- Screen: 6.3-inch, 19.5:9, FHD+, IPS LCD
- Rear Camera: Primary 13MP, f/2.2 lens; Secondary 2MP depth sensor; LED flash; 1080@30fps video recording, digitally stabilized 1080p@30fps
- Front Camera: 25MP, f/2.0; 1080p@30fps video recording
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio P70 with AI, octa-core CPU (4xA73 @2.1GHz + 4xA53 @2.0GHz), Mali-G72 MP3 GPU
- Memory: 3/4GB RAM, 32/64GB, dedicated microSD slot for up to 256GB expansion
- OS: Android 8.1 Oreo; ColorOS 5.2 on top
- Battery: 3,500mAh, 10W charging
- Connectivity: Dual SIM (4G), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/GLONASS, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, FM radio, microUSB 2.0
- Misc: Rear-mounted always-on fingerprint scanner
The Realme U1 has a lot to offer, but the most enticing thing of all should be once again the price. The U1 will launch in India at INR 11,999 - that's INR 2,000 cheaper than the Realme 2 Pro and yet it's equally powerful and capable.
So, let's check the new retail box and take it from there.
Unboxing the Realme U1
Realme likes to brag with the refreshed box design and the new dark carton sure looks attractive. There is a new stylized Realme logo at the sides.
Inside the box you'll find the Realme U1 itself, packed with a 10W charger and a microUSB cable. The paper compartment contains a transparent silicone case, while the phone comes with a factory-applied screen protector.
And for a budget phone, we'd say that's plenty.
Design
Realme has improved a lot on its phones over the past six months, but one thing has always remained a constant - the design. It's your typical slab of plastic, but the maker did spice those with unique paintjobs. And the Realme U1 does not break the pattern.
Realme U1 vs Realme 2 Pro
The Realme U1 is absolutely identical to the Realme 2 Pro and the fact that the 2 Pro cases fit pretty well confirms it. It has the same 6.3" 1080p display with a dewdrop-like notch at the top and the whole thing is covered by a mostly flat piece of Gorilla Glass 3 with a subtle 2.5D finish around the edge.
Realme U1 vs Realme 2 Pro
The curvy and trendy notch has the most notable upgrade - the high-res 25MP selfie camera. A couple of sensors are well hidden around, too. The earpiece is etched between the frame and the front glass.
Realme U1, just like the 2 Pro, has impressively thin bezels and chin. It relies solely on virtual navigation - there are no hardware keys of any kind at the front.
The frame is all plastic and is curved towards the sides. It has a pleasant matt finish, which contrary to our expectations didn't improve the grip at all. The frame felt slippery all the time, but once we started using the U1 with the supplied case - those issues disappeared.
The back of the Realme U1 is where the fun is. Realme offers three stunning color options for the U1 - Fiery Gold, Ambitious Black, and Brave Blue. All these paintjobs are done of uniform colors, but the plexiglass (a fancy way to say plastic) has some extra layer to refract light in certain way so it can form the so-called light pillars. Long story short - the U1 back looks pretty dazzling and we appreciate that the company tries to come up with new hues for each phone.
The dual-camera on the back is humping just a little bit, so the U1 wobble is rather insignificant. The setup is not the same on the Realme 2 Pro, though, but as on the Realme 2. Which means 13MP main cam with f/2.2 lens in contrast with the 16MP f/1.7 on the Pro. We are yet to see how it performs though, but thanks to the 2MP depth sensor it can do portrait shots.
The fingerprint scanner is also at the back, always-on as usual. You can save up to 5 fingerprints and the recognition will be still as blazing-fast and accurate as usual.
Realme U1
The Realme U1 has all necessities on its sides. The dated microUSB, the loudspeaker and the audio port are all at the bottom. The tri-slot is on the left and it can take two nano-SIM and one microSD cards.
The Realme U1 is as large as the Realme 2 Pro 157 x 74 x 8 mm and weighs around the same at 168g. Well, if are to be precise, the U1 is a hair thinner and 6g lighter, but who'd notice, right?
So, the Realme U1 in Fiery Gold is a beauty, no two words about it. And it's as slippery as it looks - although it's made of plastic, there is nothing really to boost the grip and we strongly recommend using the silicone case Realme is bundling with the phone. Or if available, buy the special one we got with our review unit.
And now, about that elephant on the room - does the U1 feel cheap? Well, if you compare it to a Galaxy, Mate, or an iPhone - probably. It's lighter, plasticy, and you can tell that with your eyes blindfolded. But if you have your expectations in check, the build quality is quite okay.
Yes, the U1 isn't a brilliant execution, but it's not a bad one either. The U1 is more shatterproof than the phones we've mentioned, and it doesn't feel cheap when you consider it only costs around USD $170 (INR 12,000). On the contrary, it looks and feels twice as better as one would expect. And that's a win by our books.
Display
The Realme U1 packs the same 6.3" IPS LCD notched screen we saw on the Realme 2 Pro. It has a trendy dewdrop-like cutout for the selfie camera and a 1080p (1,080 x 2,340) resolution resulting into decently sharp 409ppi density.
The Realme 2 Pro used the Oppo F9 screen - they are both BBK owned after all, so sharing assets is expected. And the U1 also comes with the same panel, which is great news.
The 6.3" display offers very deep blacks and high brightness at 520 nits, resulting in the excellent contrast ratio of 1800:1 - similar to Oppo F9's and Realme 2 Pro's.
The minimum brightness level of 3.3 nits is quite nice to have too, meaning you can comfortably use it in complete darkness.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.283 | 518 | 1830 | |
| 0.29 | 526 | 1814 | |
| 0.306 | 537 | 1755 | |
| 0.35 | 423 | 1209 | |
| 0.286 | 411 | 1437 | |
| 0.401 | 532 | 1327 | |
| 0.277 | 420 | 1516 | |
| 0.385 | 488 | 1268 | |
| 0.351 | 551 | 1570 | |
| 0.228 | 446 | 1956 | |
| 0.314 | 481 | 1532 | |
| 0.346 | 427 | 1234 | |
The Realme U1 did average in our sunlight legibility test, which in real-world terms means the handset remains usable outdoors at the expense of contrast and washed out colors..
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone XS
5.171 - Apple iPhone X
5.013 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
4.965 - 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 - Apple iPhone XS Max
4.516 - Sony Xperia XZ3
4.502 - 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 - Google Pixel 3
4.35 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - HTC One A9
4.274 - LG V40 ThinQ
4.256 - 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 - OnePlus 6T
4.138 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - vivo V11
4.113 - 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 - Apple iPhone 6
3.838 - Microsoft Lumia 950XL
3.837 - 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 - Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
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 Play
3.349 - 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 - Realme 2 Pro
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 - Honor 8X
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 - Oppo F9
3.069 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
3.061 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3.059 - Huawei Mate 20
3.052 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
3.051 - Motorola One (P30 Play)
3.026 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - 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 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
2.966 - Huawei P20 Lite
2.952 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Sony Xperia Z1
2.95 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Realme 1
2.932 - Razer Phone 2
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
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 (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
2.867 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
2.862 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Nokia 3.1
2.837 - Realme U1
2.815 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Nokia 7.1
2.804 - 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 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - 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 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Huawei P Smart
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - 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 4
2.424 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto)
2.417 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - Razer Phone
2.328 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Apple iPhone 4S
2.269 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - 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
The color rendering is average at best - the screen offers a reasonably accurate color reproduction and we measured an average DeltaE of 6.9 in the sRGB color space. The representation of the whites and the grays is way colder than it should be (around DeltaE of 12).
If you opt for the Warm screen color temperature 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 U1 is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery - the same capacity as the one within the Realme 2 Pro. It supports regular 5V/2A charging, which restores about 30% of a depleted battery in 30 minutes. Not exactly fast, but as fast as you can expect in this price segment.
The Realme U1 scored an excellent result in our battery test with a 93-hour Endurance rating. It did a great job in all tested scenarios - video playback, calls, web browsing and even stand-by performance.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Realme U1 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-gritty. 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.
Speaker
The Realme U1 has a single bottom-firing speaker at its disposal, just like all other Realme phones. And it can put on a good show, even in the budget segment. The speaker is tuned to focus on the mid-tones, but no matter the music genre you are playing, it sounds good and is nicely loud at that.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 68.6 | 73.4 | 72.4 | Good | |
| 68.7 | 72.7 | 78.3 | Very Good | |
| 67.1 | 72.9 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 64.8 | 70.5 | 89.9 | Very Good | |
| 66.4 | 71.6 | 87.2 | Very Good | |
| 69.1 | 74.8 | 81.4 | Very Good | |
| 68.0 | 73.8 | 84.8 | Very Good | |
| 71.7 | 74.4 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 70.1 | 73.1 | 85.4 | Excellent | |
| 70.6 | 74.0 | 86.1 | Excellent | |
| 89.5 | 72.2 | 89.8 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The Realme U1 has great loudness when connected to an active external amplifier and it stayed just above average when we hooked up our standard testing headset. Both great achievements for a smartphone at that price point.
The clarity of its output was great in the first testing case, but sadly the headphnones caused quite a lot of damage. An above average hike in stereo crosstalk, some intermodulation distortion, and a somewhat shakier frequency response add up to decidedly mediocre showing as far as accuracy is concerned.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.06, -0.06 | -92.8 | 92.8 | 0.0011 | 0.0074 | -93.3 | |
| +0.35, -0.33 | -91.4 | 91.8 | 0.0097 | 0.587 | -51.3 | |
| +0.05, -0.03 | -93.3 | 93.1 | 0.0019 | 0.0073 | -92.7 | |
| +0.33, -0.33 | -92.9 | 92.5 | 0.010 | 0.370 | -51.7 | |
| +0.04, |
Realme U1 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Realme U1 with Color OS 5.2
The Realme U1 runs on ColorOS 5.2, based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The Chinese maker hasn't really extended any effort to customize the UI to differentiate the India-targeted Realme sub-brand. Instead, Oppo fans will find a familiar sight and should feel right at home.
The launcher benefits from a so-called AI engine with real-time translation, fast Face Unlock, navigation gestures, and split-screen multi-tasking. Introduced with v5.0 were also new app shortcuts (long tap), new security features including safe, and better gaming mode.
ColorOS customizations run deep, as usual, making it far off from the standard Google-developed mobile experience. The Realme U1 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 U1wakes 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 works well and it's user-friendly.
Face recognition settings
Oddly, our Realme U1 came without a Theme Store, but if you switch the region to India - one should pop on the homescreen.
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 U1. When enabled, Full-Screen Gesture navigation positions three small lines at the bottom of the UI. Swiping up from the middle one acts as 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 scanning, among other things.
Oppo provides multimedia apps of all sorts - Gallery, Music, Video, and even an 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 games and you don't want to be interrupted. There are also different performance modes and an option to lock the brightness only for certain games.
Game Space
Performance and benchmarks
The Realme U1 is the first phone to use the new Helio P70 chipset, but if you'd expected some major performance bump over the Helio P60 or Snapdragon 660, you'd be disappointed. The chip features the same octa-core processor from the P60, but the clock of the big cores has been raised by 100MHz. Which means the P70 CPU has 4xA73 cores at 2.3GHz (up from 2.2GHz) and 4xA53 cores running at 2.0GHz.
The GPU hasn't changed since the P60, too. It's still the tri-core Mali-G72 MP3, but its clock speed has also been raised by 100MHz and now it ticks at 900MHz.
The Helio P70 retains the P60 AI core and algorithms but promises improved image processing. It also has an FM radio chip inside, in case you were wondering about the differences.
Finally, the P70 chipset promises a steady 60fps in games thanks to gaming optimizations by Realme.
The Helio P70 processor easily aces GeekBench for this price bracket. Its CPU has the highest clock for the A73 cores, and the Realme U1 posted some excellent scores.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Realme U1
6004 - Oppo F7
5901 - Realme 1
5741 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
5673 - Honor 8X
5651 - Realme 2 Pro
5531 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
4933 - Xiaomi Mi A2
4625 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
4446 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
4388 - Sony Xperia XA2
4215 - Realme 2
3881
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Honor 8X
1618 - Xiaomi Mi A2
1617 - Realme U1
1567 - Oppo F7
1531 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
1524 - Realme 1
1511 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
1497 - Realme 2 Pro
1462 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
1342 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
881 - Sony Xperia XA2
865 - Realme 2
790
The higher speed of the Mali-G72 MP3 in the Helio P70 isn't always a factor when it comes to GPU benchmarks as it still scores the same as the Helio P60's Mali. Still, the GPU inside the Realme U1 is a great performer, bested only by the Adreno 512 of the Snapdragon 660.
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi A2
21 - Realme 1
20 - Realme U1
20 - Honor 8X
19 - Realme 2 Pro
18 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
18 - Oppo F7
18 - Realme 2
16 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
15 - Sony Xperia XA2
15 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
15 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
9.4
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi A2
8.6 - Realme 1
7.5 - Realme 2 Pro
7.2 - Realme U1
7.1 - Oppo F7
6.7 - Honor 8X
6.7 - Oppo F9 (F9 Pro)
6.5 - Realme 2
6.3 - Sony Xperia XA2
6 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
5.9 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
5.7 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
3.4
Over at the compound AnTuTu test the Realme U1 shows some real muscle and scores better than all its competitors.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Realme U1
144436 - Oppo F7
139414 - Realme 1
138524 - Honor 8X
137276 - Realme 2 Pro
132958 - Xiaomi Mi A2
130927 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
123883 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
115605 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
77964 - Realme 2
75434
The Realme U1 is the most powerful Realme phone so far. The difference between the Helio P60 in Realme 1 and the Helio P70 chip in Realme U1 can't be felt or seen in real life as it's mostly insignificant. But as far as benchmark scores are concerned, the minor gap is there and translates into smooth gaming performance in real life.
We didn't notice any particular areas of the Realme U1 body heating up even when running those benchmarks for longer durations and there was no throttling at all.
Overall, the U1 offers class-leading performance and nobody should be experiencing hiccups of any kind whatever the tasks at hand. And it's the phone you should get if gaming is your thing and you are on a budget.
A dual-camera borrowed from Realme 2
The Realme U1 lifts its main camera from the Realme 2 - it's a 13MP+2MP camera combo. 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. This is a downgrade from the Realme 2 Pro's 16MP f/1.7 main snapper for sure.
The camera app UI is borrowed 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.
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. And you swipe between modes, of course.
Camera app
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.
Luckily, the Expert mode is available. Its shutter speed control offers fine adjustment and it's good mostly for very low-light shooting - it starts at 1s and increments at full stops to a maximum of 16s. Manual focus and ISO adjustments are present as well.
Image quality
Before we begin, we have to mention that we weren't that lucky with our local weather. Winter is coming around here, so it won't get better any time soon, and that will put some phones into a bit of disadvantage, including the Realme U1. And we will try to account for that in our judgements.
The 13MP photos we snapped with the Realme U1 are far from impressive and pretty much match the Realme 2's camera quality. The images have enough detail for the class and accurate color rendition, while the contrast is 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 U1 13MP camera samples
The 2x zoom is purely digital, there is no telephoto lens on the Realme U1. But the maker still opted for a toggle on the viewfinder, so here is what you'll get if you use it.
Realme U1 13MP zoomed samples
The HDR mode works nice on the Realme U1. 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 • HDR off • HDR on
The low-light images we took with the Realme U1 are nothing to discuss really. 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 U1 13MP low-light samples
And once you're done examining the real-life samples you can have a look at our Photo compare tool for some studio shots. We've pre-selected the Realme 2 Pro and the Realme 2. You can, by all means, pick any other set of phones to compare once you're there.
Realme U1 against the Realme 2 Pro and Realme 2 in our Photo compare tool
Portrait mode
The Realme U1 needs to justify its second camera somehow, and that's where portraits come into play. The camera does a pretty good job separating the person from the background, with the usual caveat that hairstyles better have a clear outline.
Realme U1 13MP portrait samples
Portrait Lightning effects are available, if those are your thing.
Realme U1 13MP portraits with effects
Selfies
Oppo has a reputation of a Selfie Master but that's mostly limited to the F-series of devices. And now Realme U1 is the first among the Realme series to shares such aspirations as well and make those F models run for their money. The U1 has a 25MP Sony IMX576 sensor with f/2.0 lens. It's a fixed-focus lens; there is no dedicated flash, but you can use the so-called screen flash.
And the 25MP selfie cam does an excellent job. Despite the unimpressive dynamic range (there is HDR for that though), there is not much to complain about. There is more than enough detail, the colors are nice, and the images are sharp enough. Sure, you have a limited range for the focus and that's a bit less than an arm's length, but once you master this, you'll have no problems.
Realme U1 25MP selfies
And here are a couple of photos taken indoors, where light isn't as favorable. Those came out noisier but still quite usable.
Realme U1 25MP selfies
Finally, we snapper a few selfies in a dark room. The noise is everywhere, and the screen flash isn't helping.
Low-light selfie • Low-light selfie • Low-light selfie with screen flash
The selfie cam also offers the simulated bokeh, just like many other Oppo selfie snappers. Those are pretty good but are saved in 8MP.
Realme U1 8MP selfie portraits
There is a beauty mode, complete with an automatic "AI" setting, to play around with as well. And a pretty extensive animated sticker collection. All these modes spit the images in 8MP resolution.
Realme U1 8MP selfies with beauty effects
Video recording
The Helio P70 can do 4K videos, but for some reason the Realme U1 can't. There is no 1080p at 60fps mode; EIS is not present either.
The 1080p video are captured with stereo sound and have plenty of resolved detail - an improvement over the Realme 2. The dynamic range seems a bit higher - another improvement. The colors are accurate, and the noise is handled well. Overall, we are happy with the videos we got from the U1.
You can also download the 1080p@30fps (10s, 22MB) video sample taken straight off the Realme U1.
The last stop is, of course, our Video compare tool where you can compare the Realme U1's output against other phones we've tested. We've pre-selected the Realme 2 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro, but a different set of devices is only a few clicks away.
1080p: Realme U1 against the Realme 2 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro in our Video compare tool
The competition
The Realme U1 joins the company's already rich portfolio of budget smartphones. And we'd say Realme is doing a pretty fine job spicing this entry-level segment up, but we have one issue - it's a bit confusing.
The Realme phones are priced closely to one another and keeping up with their differences and upgrades is a tough job even for us, let alone the mainstream user. So, what about the Realme U1?
Realme 2 Pro • Realme 1 • Realme 2 • Realme C1
Well, the U1 focuses on selfies and that's probably where the U lineup will evolve in the future. But keeping the price low had to cost something and that's the mediocre rear camera. So, it's either selfies with the U1 or better photos and videos with the 2 Pro. That's pretty much the deal.
Then you can save a few more bucks by opting for the Realme 1 if gaming is all you need from your phone and you don't mind the mediocre cameras. Or you can go even cheaper with the Realme 2 or C1, but those two don't excel in anything.
Oppo F7 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro • Xiaomi Mi A2 (Mi 6X)
The Oppo F7 is a nice alternative to the Realme U1 with equally great selfie camera, a nice screen and as eye-catchy plastic shell. It has the Helio P60 to handle the gaming pressure and the battery life to do it for quite some time. The F7 has a bigger notch and lacks a depth sensor on the back, but it can do better low-light shots with the brighter f/1.8 aperture.
The Redmi Note 6 Pro is an excellent offer and its base model (4GB RAM + 64GB storage) costs as much as the Realme U1 with the same configuration. It has an even bigger notch on the screen and has less impressive performance but offers much better camera hardware and experience on both of its sides. And its back is covered in metal.
Or, if you can go for the Xiaomi Mi A2 (4+64) with Android One. It's a metal phone with similar performance but much better camera package and overall quality. It also has regular Android updates from Google but lacks an audio port and microSD expansion.
The Verdict
If you are a Realme fan and you have 1 or 2 Pro - there is no need to switch. But if you are in the market for a new smartphone and you are on the budget, the Realme U1 is one of the best offers you can buy in India today. It has an insane bang for buck ratio, as Realme likes to make them, and impresses with design, screen, performance, and selfies. If those are the things that matter to you - look no further.
And if you want something a little bit different, there might be no need to explore the competition - Realme has got you covered with its other offers.
Pros
- Eye-catchy design
- Great display with dewdrop-like notch
- Excellent performance for the class
- Dependable battery
- Versatile selfie camera with very good photo quality
- Cheap!
Cons
- Available in India only
- Made of plastic
- No 4K video capturing
- Barely usable for low-light photos
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