Realme 8 5G review

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Introduction

The Realme 8 5G is another one of the maker's odd sequels. It appears as if it's meant to be the successor to the Realme 7 5G, and yet it has a few downgrades. But there is a good reason for that - it aims to be the cheapest 5G phone in the world.

Realme 8 5G review

Besides its 5G claim, the Realme 8 5G is one very balanced entry-level smartphone. It offers a 90Hz 1080p LCD screen, a capable Dimensity 700 5G chip, there is a triple-camera on the back, a 5,000mAh battery with 18W charging, and all of these come wrapped in a beautiful body.

The Realme 8 5G is priced €179 for the early birds, while its official price tag is €199. That's indeed cheap, notably cheaper than the €279 Realme 7 5G. Obviously, some features had to go.

Realme 8 5G review

The Realme 8 5G has a 90Hz screen and Dimensity 700 with 64GB base storage, while the previous model had a 120Hz display and the Dimensity 800U chip with a bit more powerful GPU and 128GB base memory. The Realme 7 5G also had an additional 8MP ultrawide camera, water-sealed ports, and Gorilla Glass protection. Well, those things are gone, now.

Anyway, the 5G era is upon us and 5G phones will become desirable sooner rather than later, so we can understand Realme's early attack on the budget segment. It is the market that probably sells the most phones. And the Realme 8 5G, even with the cutbacks, seems like one balanced smartphone.

Realme 8 5G specs at a glance:

  • Body: 162.5x74.8x8.5mm, 185g; glass front, plastic frame, plastic back.
  • Display: 6.50" IPS LCD, 90Hz, 480 nits (typ), 600 nits, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 405ppi.
  • Chipset: MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
  • Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.1; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
  • OS/Software: Android 11, Realme UI 2.0.
  • Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, PDAF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
  • Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.1, 26mm (wide).
  • Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
  • Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 18W.
  • Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; 3.5mm jack.

We would have liked to keep at least the water-sealed ports and the Gorilla Glass, but no can do, obviously. Well, it is what it is, and at that price - we guess it's understandable. So, without further ado - let's unbox this thing.

Unboxing the Realme 8 5G

The Realme 8 5G comes in one of the maker's signature yellow boxes. Inside you'll find an 18W power adapter, a USB-C cable, and a soft transparent case.

Realme 8 5G review

The phone also has a factory pre-applied protective film, but we got rid of that fast - it's quite easy to get smudged up.

Design, build, handling

The Realme 8 5G looks like many of the recent Realme budget phones - it has an all-screen flat font, a thin plastic frame, and a dazzling curved back with this subtle radiant light effect.

Realme 8 5G review

Realme finally decided on dropping the Dare to Leap insignia and we cannot be happier. It was one unnecessary large and flashy logo, which was getting in the way of the good looks, at least in our opinion.

One thing that's also gone on the Realme 8 5G is the water seals around the ports - there is no ingress protection whatsoever on this new phone, at least according to the official specs. And while the Realme 7 5G had a Gorilla Glass shielding the screen, the 8 5G glass is not advertised as Corning-made.

Realme 8 5G review

So, the front is a home of the 6.5" IPS LCD 1080p screen. It has the usual rounded edges and features a punch-hole for the 16MP selfie camera. The black dot isn't the tiniest we've seen, but we hope the selfie camera will be worth the sacrificed pixels.

Realme 8 5G review

The bottom bezel is rather thick but perfectly acceptable for this segment. The top bezel houses the earpiece grille.

The rear panel is made of plastic, though it looks a lot like glass thanks to the multi-layered design, which creates the radiant light effect. We have the Supersonic Blue model here, looking really good, and while the glossy back gets all sorts of smudges, they aren't as visible as they would have been on the black version.

Realme 8 5G review

The camera glass is unusually large and jutting out a lot, even if it contains one proper camera - the 48MP primary shooter. There is a pair of 2MP snappers - one macro and one depth sensor, and the fourth dot is an almost invisible AI logo. A LED flash is also present - it's a single piece even if its size may suggest otherwise.

Realme 8 5G review

The frame is made of plastic, it is mostly flat and has a cool matte finish making it grippy enough. There is nothing on the top part of the frame, while the bottom contains the 3.5mm jack, the mouthpiece, the USB-C port, and the loudspeaker.

Realme 8 5G review

The left side of the Realme 8 5G houses the tri-card slot and the volume rocker. Yes, you get Dual SIM functionality plus a microSD card.

Realme 8 5G review

The right part has the lone power key, also doubling as a fingerprint scanner. If you are troubled by its occasional triggering, you may want to change its activation from Touch to Press, and all of your issues will be gone in a flash.

Realme 8 5G review

The Realme 8 5G measures 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.5 mm - that makes it a hair thinner than the Realme 7 5G. It weighs 185 grams, 10g lighter than the previous model.

The Realme 8 5G is easy to handle, and its frame provides enough grip so it can be used without cases. The glossy back is a massive fingerprint magnet though the bright blue version is hiding that rather well. It's a reasonably sized smartphone, fits well in hand and pockets, and our only complaint is for the lack of any sort of splash resistance.

Display

The Realme 8 5G employs a large 6.5 IPS LCD display with a punch hole around the top left corner to make room for the selfie camera. The resolution is extended 1080p - 2,400 x 1,080 pixels - making for a 405ppi density.

There is no information on the screen glass maker. The phone shipped with a thin protective film, but we peeled that off as it was always smudgy and impossible to clean.

Realme 8 5G review

The panel supports a 90Hz refresh rate, which may feel a bit of a letdown as the Realme 7 5G screen was capable of 120Hz. There is no HDR10 support.

You can choose between 60Hz, 90Hz and Auto refresh rate options. The 90Hz and Auto settings work in similar ways - the UI is drawn at 90fps, as well as all compatible apps. It reverts automatically to 60Hz when a static image is shown or when watching local or streaming video. Due to the budget chipset, you probably won't be able to enjoy many games with framerates north of 60fps.

Realme is promising 480 nits of typical brightness and 600 nits of maximum (outdoor) brightness for the screen. We did our brightness measurements, and the Realme 8 5G shows some good numbers for this type of panel. Using the brightness scrubber, we captured a maximum brightness of 472 nits. When the screen relies on Adaptive Brightness, it can be as bright as 580 nits - in the ballpark of what Realme has promised.

The nice brightness combined with the deep enough black level resulted in an excellent 1413:1 contrast ratio.

Finally, the minimum brightness we were able to achieve with white color was 2.5 nits.

Display test 100% brightness
Black,cd/m2 White,cd/m2 Contrast ratio
Realme 8 5G 0.334 472 1413:1
Realme 8 5G (Max Auto) 0.408 577 1414:1
Realme 8 0 458
Realme 8 (Max Auto) 0 657
Realme 7 5G 0.376 484 1287:1
Realme 7 5G (Max Auto) 0.667 571 856:1
Realme 7 0.31 457 1474:1
Realme 7 (Max Auto) 0.374 526 1406:1
Realme 8 Pro 0 454
Realme 8 Pro (Max Auto) 0 627
OnePlus Nord N10 5G 0.304 440 1447:1
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 0 475
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 (Max Auto) 0 682
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 0 457
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro (Max Auto) 0 725
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G 0 395
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G (Max Auto) 0 570

The Realme 8 5G screen supports DCI-P3 colors and it is fairly accurate to that color space (deltaE of 4.7). There is a noticeable blue tinge though - the blue hues are a bit oversaturated, while the white and grays are bluish.

The phone supports Widevine L1 and Amazon Prime had no issues streaming in 1080p. Netflix thinks the phone has the basic L3 support and streams in SD only. We guess it's an issue with Netflix's app and hopefully it would be fixed eventually.

Battery life

The Realme 8 5G is powered by a large 5,000 mAh battery. The phone supports 18W fast charging.

The Realme 8 5G scored an excellent result in our battery test with a 118-hour Endurance rating. It did a great job across all test scenarios - video playback, calls, web browsing, and demonstrated long-lasting standby performance. Well, honestly...we expected a bit more from the video playback, considering the maker promised 16 hours of video playback, but still.

Realme 8 5G review

All test results shown are achieved under the highest screen refresh rate mode. You can adjust the endurance rating formula manually so it matches better your own usage in our all-time battery test results chart where you can also find all phones we've tested.

Charging speed

The Realme 8 5G ships with an 18W charger (5V/2A, 9V/2A), which isn't as fast as the 30W adapters of the Realme 7 5G and Realme 8. But the Realme 8 5G is a cheaper phone, so this is yet another place where the cost-cutting process was at play.

Realme 8 5G review

So, the provided 18W adapter takes the Realme 8 5G's battery from 0% to 29% in 30 minutes. It's not terrible, but not that fast either.

30min charging test (from 0%)

  • Realme 7 Pro
    94%
  • Realme 8 Pro
    88%
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
    65%
  • Realme 7
    58%
  • Realme 7 5G
    57%
  • Realme 8
    56%
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
    50%
  • Realme 8 5G
    29%
  • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
    27%
  • Poco M3
    25%

A full charge requires 2 hours and 20 minutes, far from fast even for a 5,000mAh battery.

Time to full charge (from 0%)

  • Realme 7 Pro
    0:37h
  • Realme 8 Pro
    0:38h
  • Realme 7
    1:05h
  • Realme 7 5G
    1:06h
  • Realme 8
    1:09h
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
    1:13h
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
    1:21h
  • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
    2:01h
  • Realme 8 5G
    2:20h
  • Poco M3
    2:30h

Loudspeaker

The Realme 8 Pro 5G packs one bottom-firing speaker, and it scored a Good score in our loudness test.

The audio quality is average, though. It has well-presented mid-tones, but it lacks in the low and high notes. Its output sounds is shallower than, say, the Realme 8 Pro.

Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.

Android 11 and Realme UI 2.0

The Realme 8 5G runs on Android 11 with the latest Realme UI 2.0. The second version of Realme's launcher offers richer customization options, a couple of extra Dark Mode styles, refined floating and mini windows, and enhanced security.

Realme 8 5G review

The phone supports fingerprint unlock, and the side-mounted sensor works flawlessly - it's fast and with high accuracy. You can also set up face unlock for an even speedier unlock - though this is not as secure.

The launcher has no-nonsense homescreens, a simplistic and now cleaner notification/toggles area, and an easy-to-use task switcher. An App drawer is available, too, and it is as clutter-free as one could hope for. You can opt out of the app drawer if that's your thing.

Realme UI 2.0 - Realme 8 5G review Realme UI 2.0 - Realme 8 5G review Realme UI 2.0 - Realme 8 5G review Realme UI 2.0 - Realme 8 5G review Realme UI 2.0 - Realme 8 5G review Realme UI 2.0 - Realme 8 5G review
Realme UI 2.0

Realme UI supports different icon packs, so if you are not happy with the default one, you can opt for material style, pebbles, or you can even fully customize them by your liking. Thanks to Realme UI 2.0, you can also change the system colors, the fingerprint scanner animation, the notification drawer icons, even the system font.

There is a Theme Store, too, so you can spice things up even more.

Customization options - Realme 8 5G review Customization options - Realme 8 5G review Customization options - Realme 8 5G review Customization options - Realme 8 5G review Customization options - Realme 8 5G review Customization options - Realme 8 5G review
Customization options

Dark Mode is available, too, and it's been enhanced with Realme UI 2.0 with support for three different dark styles - black, dark gray or light gray. It can be manual or scheduled. You can also opt to force it on third-party apps, though this doesn't always end well.

Dark Mode - Realme 8 5G review Dark Mode - Realme 8 5G review Dark Mode - Realme 8 5G review Dark Mode - Realme 8 5G review
Dark Mode

There are many powerful tools within the settings menu if you want full control over your Android OS. Or you can leave everything as is and enjoy a hassle-free Android experience optimized by Realme's AI algorithms and machine learning.

Settings - Realme 8 5G review Settings - Realme 8 5G review Settings - Realme 8 5G review Settings - Realme 8 5G review Settings - Realme 8 5G review Settings - Realme 8 5G review
Settings

You can also minimize an app to a mini-windows or a floating window from within the Task Manager. If an app is compatible, you can do either of these or use the familiar Split Screen.

Task Manager - Realme 8 5G review Mini app - Realme 8 5G review Floating window - Realme 8 5G review Split screen - Realme 8 5G review
Task Manager • Mini app • Floating window • Split screen

Similar to the recent Galaxies, the Realme UI offers a Smart Sidebar on the edge of the screen - you can customize the actions and app shortcuts that appear there.

Smart Sidebar - Realme 8 5G review Smart Sidebar - Realme 8 5G review Smart Sidebar - Realme 8 5G review
Smart Sidebar

The multimedia apps such as Photos, Music, and Videos - are provided by Realme. There is also a redesigned File Manager and even a Phone Manager app. This completes the non-Google app list.

Photos - Realme 8 5G review Music - Realme 8 5G review Videos - Realme 8 5G review Phone Manager - Realme 8 5G review File Manager - Realme 8 5G review
Photos • Music • Videos • Phone Manager • File Manager

We are fond of the Realme UI, and we like the new direction. The interface is snappy, feels great wjen working with 90fps, clutter-free and easy to use. Yet, it retains plenty of powerful tools should you choose to dig deeper and use them.

Performance and benchmarks

The Realme 8 5G is one, if not the cheapest 5G smartphone you can get today. It relies on MediaTek's most affordable 5G-enabled chip - the Dimensity 700.

The Dimensity 700 5G chip offers a good octa-core processor with 2x 2.2GHz Cortex-A76 and 6x 2.0GHz Cortex-A55. The GPU is Mali-G57 MC2, and, of course, there is a 5G modem.

That's a pretty good SoC, considering Qualcomm's cheapest 5G alternative - the Snapdragon 480 5G with its inferior octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU and dated PowerVR GE8320 GPU. In fact, Dimensity 700 is more like the higher-tier Snapdragon 690 5G (with similar CPU and GPU power) found in a bit more expensive phones..

Finally, the Realme 8 5G is available in four variants, all containing LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.1 storage - 4GB RAM + 64GB, 4GB RAM + 128GB, 6GB RAM + 128GB, and 8GB RAM + 128GB (ours).

Now, it's benchmarking time!

Realme 8 5G review

Well, the Geekbench tests show promising CPU scores. The performance of the Dimensity 700 processor is in line with its competitors - Realme 7 5G and its Dimensity 800U and the OnePlus Nord N10 5G's Snapdragon 690. The Snapdragon 750 within the Galaxy A42 is a bit faster, though.

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

  • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
    1910
  • OnePlus Nord N10 5G
    1848
  • Realme 7 5G
    1794
  • Realme 8 5G
    1784
  • Realme 8
    1690
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
    1599
  • Realme 7i
    1318

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

  • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
    643
  • OnePlus Nord N10 5G
    608
  • Realme 7 5G
    598
  • Realme 8 5G
    569
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
    534
  • Realme 8
    533
  • Realme 7i
    312

The graphics scores aren't something impressive, but it's a budget phone, so we can't really expect much. The Realme 8 5G has a 1080p screen, and you can clearly see the superiority of the Galaxy A42 and its 720p display.

The older Realme 7 5G runs on Dimensity 800U chip, which has the same CPU as the Realme 8 5G's Dimensity 700 SoC but packs a tri-core Mali-G57 vs. dual-core on G57 on this newer model. That's right, the Realme 7 5G is more powerful than its sequel, but this won't be the first time the maker has done this thing, will it?

Anyway, the Realme 8 5G GPU is slightly inferior to the Realme 7 5G's, but it is as powerful as the Adreno 619L GPU inside the Nord N10.

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
    56
  • Realme 7 5G
    31
  • Realme 8
    29
  • Realme 7i
    25
  • OnePlus Nord N10 5G
    23
  • Realme 8 5G
    22
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
    15

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

  • Realme 8
    20
  • Realme 7 5G
    20
  • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
    19
  • Realme 8 5G
    15
  • OnePlus Nord N10 5G
    14
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
    9.3
  • Realme 7i
    7

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
    33
  • Realme 8
    18
  • Realme 7 5G
    17
  • Realme 8 5G
    13
  • Realme 7i
    13
  • OnePlus Nord N10 5G
    13
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
    7.9

Finally, AnTuTu says the Realme 8 5G overall performance is on par with the Realme 8's, a bit faster than Nord N10, and marginally slower than the Realme 7

5G.

AnTuTu 8

Higher is better

  • Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
    324686
  • Realme 7 5G
    318535
  • Realme 8 5G
    302059
  • Realme 8
    298328
  • OnePlus Nord N10 5G
    279579
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
    218788
  • Realme 7i
    172933

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

  • Realme 8 5G
    361505
  • Realme 8
    357488

The Realme 8 5G offers more than acceptable speeds across the board. The processor is adequately powerful for demanding tasks, while the GPU handled games very well. We tried playing a few of the most popular 3D titles and the Game Space service automatically chose the best settings and/or resolution and made every game feel smooth, yet looking great. So, even if the dual-core Mali-G57 may seem feeble on paper, it gets the job done surprisingly well.

Game Space - Realme 8 5G review Game Space - Realme 8 5G review Game Space - Realme 8 5G review
Game Space

The Realme 8 5G got an excellent stability score on the 3D Mark Wild Life Stress test - 98.8%, meaning it doesn't get hot; in fact - it won't even become warm and absolutely never throttles.

Everything feels smooth on the Realme 8 5G, and we experienced no hiccups while reviewing it. The UI runs with 90fps, but we guess there won't be (m)any games that will be able to run with 90fps with that GPU. Still, being stutter-free at that price is usually a miracle, so good job, Realme!

Three cameras on the back, one at the front

The Realme 8 5G offers a triple-camera on the back, but it's the most basic one. There is a 48MP primary snapper, followed by a pair of 2MP shooters - one for macro photography and another monochrome one for depth info. Unlike the Realme 7 5G, the 8 5G has no ultrawide camera.

A single-LED flash is also around.

Realme 8 5G review

The Realme 8 5G's primary camera utilizes a 48MP Samsung ISOCELL Plus S5KGM1 1/2" sensor with Tetracell filter and 0.8µm pixels. The sensor is coupled with f/1.8 lens and supports PDAF. Night Mode is available on this camera.

The macro camera is 2MP with f/2.4 aperture, 1.75µm pixels, but lacks autofocus.

Finally, there is a 2MP depth sensor.

The selfie camera uses a 16MP Samsung ISOCELL S5K3P9 1/3.1" sensor with 1.0µm pixels. This one has f/21 lens, and the focus is fixed.

The camera app is the familiar Oppo/Realme one with a few tweaks for the latest version. There are fewer menus - most of the modes are now on the main rolodex, which is good. The Macro camera is still in the More section, though.

Realme 8 5G review

The app offers AI Scene Enhancement (also known as Chroma Boost or Dazzle Color) - it's like an advanced HDR mode, which may stack several images to offers even further improvements in the dynamic range, but the most prominent "improvement" is the higher color saturation.

In the Expert mode you get to tweak exposure (ISO in the 100-6400 range and shutter speed in the 1/8000s-32s range, white balance (by light temperature, but no presets), manual focus (in arbitrary 0 to 1 units with 0 being close focus and 1 being infinity) and exposure compensation (-2EV to +2EV in 1/6EV increments).

Camera app - Realme 8 5G review Camera app - Realme 8 5G review Camera app - Realme 8 5G review Camera app - Realme 8 5G review Camera app - Realme 8 5G review Camera app - Realme 8 5G review
Camera app

Photo quality

The main camera saves 12MP by default and those are pretty good for this entry-level class. The resolved detail is enough even if it isn't spectacular, and the processing tries its best with the foliage. The colors are accurate, the noise levels are nicely low, and the dynamic range is wide but not over the top.

Some of the images look a bit over-sharpened, but we are nitpicking here, really. We couldn't hope for better daylight photos within that price bracket.

Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 103, 1/3300s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 105, 1/2660s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 101, 1/2994s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 104, 1/4348s - Realme 8 5G review
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Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/3012s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 106, 1/1712s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 101, 1/2994s - Realme 8 5G review
Main camera, 12MP

Using the AI option usually boosts the color saturation, especially when Blue Sky or Greenery are detected. If unnaturally saturated colors are your thing, then by all means - do use this feature.

Main camera with AI, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 105, 1/3300s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera with AI, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 105, 1/2817s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera with AI, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/2994s - Realme 8 5G review
Main camera with AI, 12MP

There is a 2X zoom toggle, but it's neither optical nor lossless zoom. It's a pure digital zoom done by cropping and upscaling the center of the standard 12MP output. These look okay on the phone's screen and when downscaled for social networks - image quality is satisfactory.

Main camera 2x zoom, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 109, 1/3546s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera 2x zoom, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 106, 1/2817s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera 2x zoom, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 104, 1/3300s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera 2x zoom, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 104, 1/3546s - Realme 8 5G review
Main camera 2x zoom, 12MP

There is also a 48MP shooting mode, but you'd be better off without it. First, it takes a couple of seconds to complete, and each photo is about 20MB in size. And then, you'll find out the images are merely upscaled from the 12MP output and then extensively sharpened.

Main camera, 48MP - f/1.8, ISO 104, 1/3300s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 48MP - f/1.8, ISO 107, 1/2660s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 48MP - f/1.8, ISO 103, 1/3300s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 48MP - f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/2994s - Realme 8 5G review
Main camera, 48MP

There is a 2MP monochrome camera on the back of the Realme 8 5G that's used as a depth sensor - meaning it is utilized during portrait mode. And the main camera takes some really good for this class portraits, sharp and contrasty, with commendable dynamic and nice blur. The separation isn't stellar, but it's more than acceptable.

Portraits, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 105, 1/749s - Realme 8 5G review Portraits, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 596, 1/50s - Realme 8 5G review Portraits, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/224s - Realme 8 5G review Portraits, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 100, 1/116s - Realme 8 5G review
Portraits, 12MP

The 2MP macro camera shoots good photos, that is if you get the distance right as the focus is fixed at about 4-5cm. If you do, and your hand isn't shaky, you'd get sharp, contrasty and colorful macro shots. The detail isn't impressive, but they will surely do for your Instagram or Facebook. But don't aim higher than that.

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Macro camera, 2MP

The 16MP selfie camera snaps outstanding photos - they are sharp and rich in detail, with excellent contrast, accurate colors and impressive dynamic range (Auto HDR was enabled). We'd suggest taking a couple of shots each time though, as occasionally the camera shake gets in the way and the photos may come out blurry.

Selfies, 16MP - f/2.1, ISO 100, 1/230s - Realme 8 5G review Selfies, 16MP - f/2.1, ISO 100, 1/126s - Realme 8 5G review Selfies, 16MP - f/2.1, ISO 114, 1/100s - Realme 8 5G review Selfies, 16MP - f/2.1, ISO 371, 1/33s - Realme 8 5G review
Selfies, 16MP

You can do selfie portraits, too, but here the detail is halved, and the subject separation is far from ideal. They do exhibit the same great colors and contrast, as well as the good dynamic range.

Portrait selfies, 16MP - f/2.1, ISO 102, 1/118s - Realme 8 5G review Portrait selfies, 16MP - f/2.1, ISO 115, 1/100s - Realme 8 5G review Portrait selfies, 16MP - f/2.1, ISO 342, 1/33s - Realme 8 5G review Portrait selfies, 16MP - f/2.1, ISO 101, 1/236s - Realme 8 5G review
Portrait selfies, 16MP

The main camera shoots good low-light photos, especially considering this budget class. The detail is slightly above average as the noise reduction eats some away, but the contrast is good, and the colors are preserved very well. The balanced exposure and the dynamic range deserve a praise, once again considering the price bracket.

Depending on the available light some photos may look smudgy because of the harsh noise reduction, but that's more of an exception rather than a rule.

Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 2460, 1/33s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 6400, 1/17s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 3393, 1/20s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 3604, 1/17s - Realme 8 5G review
Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 4017, 1/17s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 3201, 1/17s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 6121, 1/17s - Realme 8 5G review Main camera, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 3671, 1/17s - Realme 8 5G review
Main camera, 12MP

The Night Mode yields a bit more detail but the benefits vary from shot to shot. You can count on it to restore the clipped highlights but it rarely reveals more detail in the shadows. It also improves the color saturation a bit.

Night Mode, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 774, 1/6s - Realme 8 5G review Night Mode, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 3047, 1/5s - Realme 8 5G review Night Mode, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 1704, 1/6s - Realme 8 5G review Night Mode, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 2014, 1/6s - Realme 8 5G review
Night Mode, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 2078, 1/5s - Realme 8 5G review Night Mode, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 1905, 1/6s - Realme 8 5G review Night Mode, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 3409, 1/6s - Realme 8 5G review Night Mode, 12MP - f/1.8, ISO 2019, 1/6s - Realme 8 5G review
Night Mode, 12MP

And here are photos of our usual posters taken with the Realme 8 5G. Here's how it stacks up against the competition. Feel free to browse around and pit it against other phones from our extensive database.

Photo Compare Tool Photo Compare Tool Photo Compare Tool
Realme 8 5G against the Realme 7 5G and the OnePlus Nord N10 5G in our Photo compare tool

Video recording

The Realme 8 5G captures videos up to 1080@30fps with its main camera. There is no 4K mode, 60fps shooting is not available either.

The video bitrate is 14Mbps, while audio is recorded in stereo at 128kbps bitrate. There is always-on electronic stabilization.

The footage from the main camera has great colors, contrast and the dynamic range is rather good. The level of detail is also very good for 1080p footage. The video also has an always-on EIS.

And here is the Realme 8 5G in our video comparison database.

Video Compare Tool Video Compare Tool Video Compare Tool
1080p: Realme 8 5G against the Readmi Note 9 and the Galaxy A32 in our Video compare tool

The competition

We do like Realme's idea for an affordable 5G smartphone, and we have to say - the Realme 8 5G did turn out pretty good. Currently, it is the cheapest 5G-capable phone and yet it manages to offer other premium goodies such as a 90Hz screen, a high-res 48MP camera, and a large 5,000mAh battery.

But the Realme 8 5G is not the only phone born out of the same thought.

Realme 8 5G review

Xiaomi's Redmi Note 9T costs about the same as the Realme 8 5G and is a good match specs-wise. The Redmi has pretty much the same screen, though its refresh rate is limited to 60Hz. It makes up for this omission by having the Dimensity 800U chip with faster GPU and 4K video capturing on its 48MP snapper.

Then there is the Galaxy A32 5G. Just like the Redmi, this one also has a pretty standard 60Hz display. But for the extra €30, you'd get an 8MP ultrawide shooter, a 5MP macro cam and 4K video capture on the main 48MP snapper. Oh, and the GPU is faster, too, as it has an additional core.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G matches the 90Hz display but has faster graphics thanks to the Snapdragon 690 5G chip and it brags with stereo speakers. It also has a higher resolution 64MP main camera with 4K video recording and offers an 8MP ultrawide shooter in addition to the duo of 2MP snappers. This Nord also has doubled based storage, but of course all these goodies will cost you at least €50 on top of the Realme's price.

Motorola's Moto G50 is yet another 5G-enabled smartphone via the Snapdragon 480 5G chip. The phone has a 720p 90Hz screen and a triple-camera that's a match to the Realme 8 5G. The Moto G50 has water-repellent coating - the only thing that the Realme 8 5G cannot match or beat. The Moto G50 is about €40 more expensive, and we are not sure if water-proofing is worth the extra money and the inferior screen.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T Samsung Galaxy A32 OnePlus Nord N10 5G Motorola Moto G50
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T • Samsung Galaxy A32 • OnePlus Nord N10 5G • Motorola Moto G50

Realme's own 7 5G model is worth checking out. It's price has fallen down to €220 across various retailers and for this extra €20 (on top of the official €199 price), you'd be getting a 120Hz, more powerful graphics, 4K video capturing, an ultrawide camera, water-sealed ports, and faster charging. Indeed, this phone is worth considering before getting the cheaper Realme 8 5G.

Finally, if you are not into 5G yet, you may want to consider the regular Realme 8 sold on the same price as the 5G. This one packs a Super AMOLED screen, faster hardware, a better 64MP main camera with 4K, adds an ultrawide camera, and supports 30W fast charging. You lose 5G and 90Hz refresh rate. Decisions, decisions...

The Redmi Note 10 (same price) is also worth mentioning - has IP53 certification and packs a Super AMOLED screen, 4K capturing, an ultrawide camera, stereo speakers, and faster charging. You lose 5G connectivity and 90Hz refresh. It's a tradeoff we can live with.

Realme 7 5G Realme 8 Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
Realme 7 5G • Realme 8 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10

The verdict

The Realme 8 5G's early bird price is €179, but it will climb up to €199 once the promotion ends. If you get one at the special price, it will make a perfect sense - you probably won't be able to find a better offer. And we do recommend getting it while this deal lasts.

Realme 8 5G review

But once the price settles at €199, it becomes tougher to recommend the Realme 8 5G right away. There are other phones priced closely to the Realme 8 5G, like the better-equipped Realme 7 5G, so we'd advice for exploring all possibilities and pick the one that's right for you. And if that turns out to be the Realme 8 5G, you won't be disappointed for sure.

Pros

  • Sharp 1080p screen, 90Hz, bright enough, small notch.
  • Good battery life.
  • Stable gaming performance.
  • The main camera takes great photos day and night.
  • Clean and responsive UI.
  • 5G, 3.5mm jack, NFC, microSD.

Cons

  • No splash protection.
  • No stereo speakers.
  • Slow charging speed.
  • No 4K video recording.

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