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Introduction
Realme already has a sprawling Realme 8 lineup going and continues to expand on it further with the new Realme 8s 5G.
Let's put it into context real quick. On the one hand, Realme has its vanilla and Realme 8 Pro in sort of the "higher-end" of the family, rocking Super AMOLED panels and slightly more-advanced camera setups. Though, still relatively modest chipsets. We can put the Realme 8i into the same general category, though it is arguably geared more towards budget gamers with its 120Hz IPS display. What all of these devices above have in common is LTE connectivity, or rather the lack of 5G support. To sort of address that, Realme introduced the Realme 8 5G.
Adding 5G into the mix without breaking the price point too badly, however, meant sacrificing on a few other hardware aspects of the device, essentially making for a "lesser" device in most aspects other than 5G. While 5G support is still quite expensive, hardware prices have been coming down rather rapidly. Enter the new Realme 8s 5G - a device that comes in at roughly the same price as the Realme 8 5G but offers extra hardware value for money.
Realme 8s 5G specs at a glance:
- Body: 162.5x74.8x8.8mm, 191g; Plastic frame and back, glass front.
- Display: 6.50" IPS LCD, 90Hz, 600 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 405ppi.
- Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
- Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.1; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11, Realme UI 2.0.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 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), 1/3.0", 1.0µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 33W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); 3.5mm jack.
Mind you, you are still not getting quite as fancy of a display as the Realme 8 or Realme 8 Pro, but compared to the older Realme 8 5G, you do still get a brighter 90Hz IPS panel, advertised at 600 nits. Another upgrade is the Dimensity 810 5G chipset - a relatively minor step-up from the Dimensity 700 5G, but still a nice bump up in CPU speed and a batter 6nm manufacturing process. The Realme 8s 5G also swaps the primary camera for a higher-res 64MP unit and includes gyro-EIS support. Base storage is now bumped up to 128GB. And last but not least, the 5,000 mAh battery can now charge at up to 33W in the Realme 8s 5G.
That about covers the upgrades the Realme 8s 5G offers over the Realme 8 5G, and the list is actually quite impressive, in our opinion. As far as we currently know, the Realme 8s 5G will only be selling in India. Of course, pricing for it will vary, and Flipkart already has some kickbacks. Then again, deals for the older Realme 8 5G could easily tip the value proposition calculation one way or the other.
Regardless, on paper, the Realme 8s 5G appears to offer a nice, little, all-around upgrade here and there to the Realme 8 5G. Join us on the following pages as we attempt to see whether all of the changes work together nicely and make for a better all-around phone.
Unboxing
Let's start with unboxing first, though. Realme has its own ongoing style in this department. A bright yellow, two-piece box with plenty of structural integrity and hardness to keep everything nice and secure. There is a plastic cradle on the inside to hold the actual phone in place too. No complaints there.
You get a relatively decent accessory package, by modern standards, which includes a rather chunky wall charger that can output up to 33W of power, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable and last, but not least, a pretty decent, transparent TPU case, so you can start using the Realme 8s 5G worry-free right away.
Design
Realme has a pretty consistent look going within its Realme 8 line. Well, with some minor styling variation, that is. To keep things fresh, as it were. We are happy to see that Realme didn't opt for a too "on the nose" and "over the top" look for the Realme 8s 5G, though. We wouldn't exactly appreciate a repeat of the "DARE TO LEAP" situation on the back of the vanilla Realme 8.
Instead, the Realme 8s 5G is rocking a rather dignified and subdued back panel design. It has a sort of frosted, smooth finish, as opposed to the glossier look of the older Realme 8 5G or the Realme 8i. The surface feels great to the touch, almost a bit silky and does not retain greasy stains or any other dirt in any obvious way.
Color options include Purple and Blue. Our review unit is the latter. Universe Blue, that is - a pretty dark tint, bordering on black.
Even though the camera island looks pretty plain, Realme has still managed to give it a bit of a recognizable, distinct style. One that includes four circular modules and a strip underneath that for an elongated single LED camera flash and some additional text to the side. The Realme 8s 5G does not deviate from the look, even if that means including a "fake" fourth camera on the back, just like the Realme 8 5G did.
Unlike it, however, the Realme 8s 5G has a colored island, matching its surroundings. A trait shared with the Realme 8i.
The overall silhouette of the Realme 8s 5G is quite familiar, including the sloping backside, into a slightly curvy middle frame and then a mostly flat front. The front is particularly familiar - the 6.5-inch IPS LCD is surrounded by pretty thick bezels on all sides but it does have rounded edges that make for a slightly trendier look.
The punch hole for the selfie camera is also on the bigger side and has that slightly distracting "cloudy" look near the edges.
Nothing out of the ordinary on a budget Realme, though.
Build quality
The Realme 8S 5G is rather unsurprisingly almost entirely constructed out of plastic. That includes the back panel, as well as the middle frame. But, this is not to say that the phone feels flimsy. Quite the opposite, there is little flex, and the overall construction is solid.
Tapping on the back does feel a bit hollow but perfectly acceptable, and we've felt way worse.
The front of the Realme 8s 5G is covered by some undisclosed protective glass, just like its siblings. The oleophobic coating is decent but not overly impressive.
There is no official ingress protection on the Realme 8s 5G.
Controls
There is nothing out of the ordinary regarding controls on the Realme 8s 5G either. You get a pretty standard overall layout - a clicky and responsive volume rocker on the left side and a SIM tray above that.
It is a versatile triple-slot design that can simultaneously take two Nano-SIM cards and a microSD, so you don't have to pick and choose.
There is just the fingerprint reader/power button combo on the opposite side of the frame. Realme 8 models with an AMOLED display get an under-display reader, whereas ones with an LCD, like the Realme 8s 5G, get a conventional, capacitive reader.
It is fast and consistent. No complaints there. The physical design, with its recessed area, is also ergonomic and easy to feel out.
The top side of the Realme 8s 5G just has a single microphone hole for the secondary noise-canceling mic. The earpiece is hidden away above the display on the front and doesn't really require any more space since there is, unfortunately, no stereo setup on the phone. Not even a hybrid one.
The bottom of the Realme 8s 5G houses the main microphone and the sole bottom-firing loudspeaker. Between the two - a USB 2.0, OTG-capable Type-C port. There is also a trusty old 3.5mm audio jack.
A pretty decent overall setup, if you ask us. One notable omission is a notification LED. Though, those have become incredibly rare as a whole.
Display
The Realme 8s 5G is equipped with a 6.5-inch IPS display. On paper, it looks very similar to the one in the Realme 8 5G, including its 1080 x 2400-pixel resolution (20:9), which works out to about 405 ppi of density. Also, the 90Hz refresh rate and advertised 600 nits of peak brightness. Initially, we thought that the two shared the same panel, though, upon closer inspection, that might not be the case.
In terms of brightness, the Realme 8s 5G managed a respectable 411 nits on the slider in our tests. Good, but also the lowest out of every other Realme 8 model we have tested thus far. With a bright light source present and max auto mode kicking in, we measured 530 nits. Again, quite respectable, but a bit lagging compared to its siblings.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 682 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 657 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 640 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 627 | ∞ | |
| 0.408 | 577 | 1414:1 | |
| 0.475 | 540 | 1137:1 | |
| 0.366 | 536 | 1464:1 | |
| 0.4 | 534 | 1335:1 | |
| 0.383 | 530 | 1384:1 | |
| 0.338 | 497 | 1470:1 | |
| 0.275 | 492 | 1789:1 | |
| 0.4 | 477 | 1193:1 | |
| 0 | 475 | ∞ | |
| 0.334 | 472 | 1413:1 | |
| 0.349 | 472 | 1352:1 | |
| 0 | 458 | ∞ | |
| 0.327 | 458 | 1401:1 | |
| 0 | 454 | ∞ | |
| 0.277 | 439 | 1585:1 | |
| 0 | 433 | ∞ | |
| 0.348 | 433 | 1244:1 | |
| 0.286 | 426 | 1490:1 | |
| 0.28 | 413 | 1475:1 | |
| 0.311 | 411 | 1322:1 | |
| 0.23 | 406 | 1765:1 | |
| 0.292 | 398 | 1363:1 | |
| 0 | 396 | 1494:1 | |
| 0.252 | 395 | 1567:1 | |
| 0.236 | 385 | 1631:1 | |
| 0.21 | 377 | 1795:1 | |
Even so, we found the Realme 8s 5G was usable, even if far from perfect outdoors on a sunny day.
The discrepancies in display performance continue on to color accuracy as well. The Realme 8s 5G has two color profiles available - the standard vivid one, which targets the DCI-P3 color space and a gentle one, which aims for sRGB. Neither managed particularly impressive color accuracy, though. Scoring worse than the Realme 8 5G, which further backs up the theory that the two phones use different panels. With the new Realme 8s 5G getting a slightly inferior one.
Both phones, however, did have the same overall "blue" hue out of the box, with oversaturated blues and a bluish tint in whites. You can use the provided color temperature slider and crank it all the way to "warm" to counteract a lot of that blue tint in vivid mode. This results in much better DCI-P3 accuracy, but still far from what would be considered "color-accurate". Just refrain from trying the same tactic on the gentle color mode since that simply oversaturates the reds immensely.
Widevine • HDR support • Netflix playback capabilities
Speaking of colors, the Realme 8s 5G still lacks any HDR support, just like its Realm 8 5G sibling. At least any previous issues we had with Widevine and content streaming seem to be officially fixed (an update on the older Realme 8 5G took care of that, as well), and the Realme 8s 5G reports the highest Widevine L1 support, which allows apps like Netflix to stream in 1080p, saturating its display resolution.
High refresh rate handling
The Realme 8s 5G has a 90Hz refresh rate and a trio of settings to control the display mode under Display settings: auto, 90Hz and 60Hz. One would, hence, instantly assume that the auto mode tries to do some clever switching to conserve battery, whereas the 90Hz and 60Hz modes are just straight-up fixed toggles.
High refresh rate modes and smooth scrolling
Unfortunately, that is not entirely true, and while we can't quite pinpoint what the differences are, auto and 90Hz are similar in their behavior. Both tend to run the UI of the phone and most apps, like browsers in 90Hz mode, and both run others, like YouTube in 60Hz mode, which is great to see for conserving battery. Auto mode, however, seems to run more apps in 60Hz mode overall, like the Phone or Messages apps, both of which the 90Hz mode ran in 90Hz. So, if you really want to get the most use out of the 90Hz refresh rate, the 90Hz mode seems to be the way to go, with no immediately apparent battery downsides. Realme needs to make this menu and its options a bit clearer.
Another rather interesting feature on the Realme 8s 5G, under the Realme Labs experimental menu, claims to improve scrolling smoothness. It's a rather vague claim, if we've ever seen one, and after playing a bit with it, we can't say that it makes a discernable difference over the improvement that 90Hz brings over 60Hz anyhow.
For all the available refresh rates and smooth scrolling options, however, we have to note that we were pretty underwhelmed by the pixel response time of the display on the Realme 8s 5G overall. It is pretty sluggish and exhibits plenty of smearing when scrolling, more so than its siblings, which again leads us to believe that some panel downgrading has taken place here.
Battery life
The Realme 8s 5G is rocking a 5,000 mAh battery, just like its siblings, including the Realme 8 5G. Also, like it, it has a very similar, specs-wise, 6.50inch, FullHD+, 90Hz IPS display. Two reasons to expect pretty similar battery endurance between the two. And indeed, looking at our video and web on-screen tests, we see similarly impressive numbers, with the Realme 8s 5G lagging behind just a bit.
However, one notable difference between the Realme 8 5G and the newer Realme 8s 5G is the new Dimensity 810 5G chipset in the latter. It is made on a theoretically more efficient 6nm process, which seems to shine through with excellent 3G call test numbers. Though, it is worth noting that the older Realme 8 5G and its Dimensity 700 chipset still managed better standby times.
Tabulating all of the numbers, however, works out in favor of the new Realme 8s 5G, which has nothing short of excellent, all-around battery endurance.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage patterns check out our all-time battery test results chart where you can also find all phones we've tested.
Charging speed
The Realme 8s 5G advertises charging at up to 33W - a nice little upgrade over the 18W on the Realme 8 5G and theoretically even faster than the 30W Dart Charge on the vanilla Realme 8.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- Realme 8 Pro
88% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
65% - Realme 8
56% - Realme 8s 5G
50% - Poco X3 Pro
50% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
33% - Poco M3 Pro 5G
33% - Realme 8i
30% - Samsung Galaxy A02s
30% - Realme 8 5G
29% - Xiaomi Redmi 10
26% - Poco M3
25% - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
23% - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
23% - Samsung Galaxy A12
20%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- Realme 8 Pro
0:38h - Poco X3 Pro
1:08h - Realme 8
1:09h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1:13h - Realme 8s 5G
1:14h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
2:00h - Poco M3 Pro 5G
2:00h - Xiaomi Redmi 10
2:13h - Realme 8 5G
2:20h - Realme 8i
2:21h - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
2:24h - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
2:29h - Poco M3
2:30h - Samsung Galaxy A02s
2:36h - Samsung Galaxy A12
3:03h
In practice, however, the Realme 8s falls just short of its performance while still clocking in an admirable 50% charge in 30 minutes, with a full top-up taking right around an hour and 15 minutes.
Exactly what charging tech Realme is using on the Realme 8s 5G seems to be a bit of a mystery, though. Thankfully, the 33W charger is included in the box, but you might just have to hold on to it and not lose it. It is rated for either 5V@2A - a USB standard or the ambiguous 5V-11V@3A. The latter suggests both variable voltage and a fixed amperage.
3A is also a rather odd number. While it does appear in the v1 USB Power Delivery spec - the one that still allows for the USB Type-A to Type-C cable that the Realme 8s 5G is using, the voltage for the 3A profile does not match (12V). The newer PD standards are much more flexible but require a Type-C to Type-C cable, which is not the case here.
In any case, the system works well enough. Though not as good as Xiaomi's competing 33W charging tech, as seen on the Redmi Note 10. Plus, the USB-A to USB-C cable appears to be standard and not proprietary, which is great to see.
Speaker
The Realme 8s 5G has a single, bottom-firing speaker at its disposal. The entire Realme 8 family generally has the same setup.
Performance is pretty comparable across the lineup as well. The Realme 8s 5s managed to earn a "good" loudness rating in our tests. The quality is decent but not overly impressive. It has well-presented mid-tones, but it lacks in the low and high notes.
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 8s 5G runs on Android 11, with Realme UI 2.0 on top - a combo common across the Realme 8 family. 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.
On the surface, Realme UI 2.0 looks quite clean. The lock screen and desktop are straightforward. The task switcher is very AOSP as well. There is an optional Google Feed panel, and you can also choose whether you want an app drawer or not.
Lock screen • Home screen • Google Feed • Task switcher • Notification shade • Quick toggles
That simplicity, however, is just skin deep, and there is an astonishing amount of customization available in Realme UI 2.0. Before we get to all of those positive aspects of the OS, we just have to take a second to complain about the insane amount of preloaded apps and notification ads and bloat on our review unit.
We get that subsidizing hardware through software-level deals is a common and often user-beneficial practice, but we think Realme might be going overboard. A non-exhaustive list of apps, preloaded on our Realme 8s 5G includes HeyFun, Realme Community, Realme Store, Soloop, FinShell Pay, Hot Apps, realme Link, Facebook, Amazon, Amazon Video, Amazon Music, Dailyhunt, Josh, Linkedin, Booking.com, Moj. Thankfully, nothing that can't be easily uninstalled.
Preloaded apps and bloat
Back to customizing Realme UI 2.0. Most of the options are neatly organized within the Personalisations menu. There is full-featured icon customization, not just limited to packs. You can also tweak system colors and fonts. You can even adjust the look of the quick toggles.
Personalisations menu
The more "general" or behavioral-related settings have their own top-level settings menu. It includes the optional home screen settings, where you can decide if you want an app drawer or not or use a simple mode, with no app drawer and bigger icons.
More customization • Even more settings • Home screen mode • Home screen gestures
Some of the gesture settings are also housed within this menu. Not all of them, though. There are a few other settings menus that also pertain to various customization for Realme UI 2.0. That is actually one of our main complaints with it - the need for better organization. The groundwork is already there with menus like Personalisations. Now Realme just needs to simplify and reorganize things better. Granted, we did spot a few things swapped around since the last type we checked Realme UI 2.0, so there appears to be some progress.
Settings menu
For instance, there is a separate Notifications and status bar menu that could easily be placed in a more logical spot, alongside other settings. Organizational concerns aside, the number of small tweaks on offer is impressive. You can basically dial both the behavior and look just the way you like them.
Notifications and status bar settings
Continuing on with the tour, there is also a whole other Convenience tools menu. It is also filled to the brim with options. Navigation is fully adjustable, as expected - traditional buttons in both popular arrangements and a full set of gesture navigation.
Convenience tools • Navigation options
And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gestures. Realme UI 2.0 has support for basically every swipe and motion-based shortcut you can think of. Both with the screen on and off. Plus, in-depth customizability for said gestures.
Gesture settings
Speaking of navigation, Realme also recently added and Assistive Ball feature. It is highly customizable too and can either be operated with gestures or taps. Then there is also a Quick Return Bubble, which is specifically designed to quickly jump back into an open game.
Quick Return Bubble • Assistive Ball
Screenshots and Screen recording also have an extensive set of options to adjust.
Screenshots and screen recording
Realme UI 2.0 has quite advanced multi-tasking options too. There is the standard split-screen for supported apps. It can either be triggered by the task manager or via a gesture. Beyond that, Realme UI 2.0 also has two different floating window options. One is bigger than the other, but otherwise pretty similar.
Split-screen and floating windows
There is yet another convenience feature bake into Realme UI 2.0 - Smart Sidebar. It is pretty self-explanatory. You can put shortcuts to both system functions, as well as apps and trigger them quickly.
Smart Sidebar
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
The multimedia apps such as Gallery, Music, and Videos - are provided by Realme. There is also a redesigned File Manager and even a Phone Manager app. We did notice ads inside the Files app, which is unfortunate to see.
Gallery • Albums • Videos • Phone manager • File Manager
Realme has a few additional apps of its own preloaded. Most of them are useful in one way or another. If not, easily uninstallable.
Interestingly enough, even with all of the first-party apps on here, the Realme 8s 5G uses Google's own Phone and Messages apps, which have been available on the app store for some time now. You also get a pretty full set of Google apps preloaded, as well. Not that we are complaining or anything.
Realme also has a game optimizer and launcher, called Game Space. It lets you apply performance profiles and resolution scaling on a per-app basis and also offers performance metrics, including an FPS readout. Neat idea, but it might need some extra work since its readings weren't consistent at times. Beyond that, there are also focus and do not disturb modes to toggle from Game Space and quick shortcuts to other features and apps.
Game Space
Overall, there is plenty to like about Realme UI 2.0. The interface is snappy, clutter-free and easy to use. Yet, it retains plenty of powerful tools should you choose to dig deeper and use them, and the level of optional customizability is truly impressive. We just wish Realme would ease up on the preloaded apps a bit in the future.
Performance and benchmarks
The Realme 8s 5G has the distinction of being the first phone to officially use the new MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G chipset. It is a rather interesting chip for a number of reasons. First up, it is the first in the Dimensity 800 family to be made on a more efficient 6nm N6 manufacturing process. Then there is the question of its CPU and GPU setup. The former is not particularly interesting. There are still eight CPU cores - four "big" Cortex-A76 ones that can clock up to 2.4GHz and four "LITTLE" Cortex-A55 ones that can run at up to 2.0GHz. That should technically make the Dimensity 810 5G faster than the Dimensity 800 in CPU tasks.
GPU is a different story, though. The Dimensity 810 5G is rather inexplicably running just a Mali-G57 MC2 setup, which means two cores, effectively putting it on par with the lowest-end Dimensity 700. While the Dimensity 720 and 800U both have three Mali-G57 cores, and the Dimensity 800 is rocking four of them. We aren't quite sure why MediaTek decided to leave the Dimensity 810 5G in a bit of a GPU-deficient state, all the while equipping it with 120Hz refresh rate support, hinting at aspirations to power mid-range or budget gaming phones. We'll just have to see how that works out for the Realme 8s 5G in the benchmarks.
On a more positive note, Realme has enabled the trendy dynamic RAM extension feature on the Realme 8s 5G. Our review unit is the higher-tier 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, which means that its "virtual" RAM capacity, after offloading some of the data to storage, should work out to around 13GB.
RAM expansion
Let's kick things off with some CPU-only tests and GeekBench. We can see that the Realme 8s 5G and the Dimensity 810 5G hold their own well, as expected.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
2997 - Xiaomi 11T
2834 - Realme X7 Max 5G
2614 - Poco X3 Pro
2574 - Poco X3 GT
2310 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
2196 - Oppo Reno6 5G
2131 - Realme 8i
1886 - Realme 8s 5G
1842 - Realme 7 5G
1794 - Realme 8 5G
1784 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
1783 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1780 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
1719 - Realme 8
1690 - Realme 8 Pro
1678 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
1673 - vivo V21 5G
1600 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1599 - Poco M3
1398 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
1314 - Xiaomi Redmi 10
1294 - Samsung Galaxy A12
1034 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
495
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
967 - Realme X7 Pro
756 - Xiaomi 11T
742 - Poco X3 Pro
735 - Oppo Reno6 5G
722 - Poco X3 GT
693 - Realme 8s 5G
616 - Realme 7 5G
598 - vivo V21 5G
574 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
572 - Realme 8 5G
569 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
569 - Realme 8 Pro
566 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
560 - Realme 8i
539 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
534 - Realme 8
533 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
522 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
505 - Xiaomi Redmi 10
361 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
352 - Poco M3
308 - Samsung Galaxy A12
169 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
131
In both multi-core and single-core scenarios, the Realme 8s 5G outpaces the older Realme 8 5G and its Dimensity 700 chipset. The Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro, with their MediaTek Helio G95 and Snapdragon 720G, respectively, are left in the dust as well.
In both tests, we can see the Realme 8s 5G score close to the Realme 7 5G and its Dimensity 800U chipset, which makes sense. The Dimensity 800, as found inside the Oppo Reno4 Z 5G, manages better multi-core scores but gets left in the dust in the single-threaded test.
AnTuTu introduces a more varied load in its tests, including GPU runs, and considers things like memory and storage. The realme 8s 5G holds up well here as well.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
605819 - Realme X7 Pro
510317 - Poco X3 GT
506800 - Poco X3 Pro
453223 - Oppo Reno6 5G
362450 - vivo V21 5G
336699 - Realme 8s 5G
329661 - Realme 7 5G
318535 - Realme 8 5G
302059 - Realme 8
298328 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
295562 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
295442 - Realme 8i
293507 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
290161 - Realme 8 Pro
286666 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
242155 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
226561 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
218788 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
180195 - Poco M3
177904 - Samsung Galaxy A12
107189 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
90811
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
680671 - Xiaomi 11T
590837 - Poco X3 GT
578505 - Oppo Reno6 5G
430765 - Realme 8s 5G
383409 - vivo V21 5G
365055 - Realme 8 5G
361505 - Realme 8
357488 - Realme 8i
308544 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
223188 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
222125 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
165779
Once again, we see it pulling total scores quite similar to those on Dimensity 800U phones - an admirable achievement.
But just how bad is the GPU situation, given that the Dimensity 810 just has two Mali-G57 cores at its disposal? Well, it's frankly, better than we expected.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
86 - Realme X7 Pro
80 - Xiaomi 11T
77 - Poco X3 Pro
75 - Poco X3 GT
74 - Realme 7 5G
35 - vivo V21 5G
34 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
34 - Realme 8
33 - Realme 8 Pro
28 - Realme 8s 5G
27 - Realme 8 5G
25 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
25 - Realme 8i
24 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
24 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
17 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
16 - Poco M3
13 - Samsung Galaxy A12
7.7 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
6.1
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
79 - Xiaomi 11T
72 - Poco X3 GT
68 - Poco X3 Pro
67 - Realme X7 Pro
60 - Realme 7 5G
31 - Realme 8 Pro
31 - vivo V21 5G
31 - Realme 8
29 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
29 - Realme 8s 5G
24 - Realme 8 5G
22 - Realme 8i
22 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
22 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
21 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
14 - Samsung Galaxy A12
13 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
12 - Poco M3
11
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
50 - Xiaomi 11T
47 - Realme X7 Pro
46 - Poco X3 Pro
45 - Poco X3 GT
44 - Realme 7 5G
20 - Realme 8
20 - vivo V21 5G
20 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
20 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
19 - Realme 8 Pro
18 - Realme 8s 5G
16 - Realme 8 5G
15 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
15 - Realme 8i
14 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
14 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
9.6 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
9.3 - Poco M3
7.2 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
3.4 - Samsung Galaxy A12
3.3
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
44 - Realme X7 Pro
40 - Xiaomi 11T
40 - Poco X3 GT
38
18
17
17
16
16
16
14
13
13
12
11
8.7
7.9
6.1
5.9
5
The Realme 8s 5G manages frame rates pretty close to those on its Realme 8 5G sibling. This is a result that definitely makes sense, given that the latter's Dimensity 700 chipset basically has the same GPU setup. Over in camp Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 720G and 732G, both rocking an Adreno 618, are pretty close in terms of power too.
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
31 - Xiaomi 11T
29 - Poco X3 GT
28 - Poco X3 Pro
27 - Realme 7 5G
11 - Realme 8 Pro
11 - Realme 8
11 - vivo V21 5G
11 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
11 - Realme 8s 5G
8.9 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
7.8 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
5.3 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
4.7 - Poco M3
4.1 - Samsung Galaxy A12
3.8 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
3.5
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
33 - Xiaomi 11T
30 - Poco X3 GT
29 - Poco X3 Pro
26 - Realme 7 5G
12 - Realme 8
12 - vivo V21 5G
12 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
12 - Realme 8 Pro
11 - Realme 8s 5G
9.7 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
8.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
5.6 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
5.4 - Samsung Galaxy A12
4.6 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
3.5 - Poco M3
2.8
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
20 - Xiaomi 11T
20 - Poco X3 GT
19 - Poco X3 Pro
18 - Realme 8
7.5 - vivo V21 5G
7.5 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
7.4 - Realme 7 5G
7.3 - Realme 8 Pro
7.2 - Realme 8s 5G
5.8 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
5.1 - Poco M3
4.2 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
3.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
3.1 - Samsung Galaxy A12
1.2 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
1.1
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
22 - Xiaomi 11T
21 - Poco X3 GT
20 - Poco X3 Pro
17 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
8.1 - Realme 7 5G
8 - vivo V21 5G
8 - Realme 8
7.7 - Realme 8 Pro
7 - Realme 8s 5G
6.2 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
5.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
3.7 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
3.4 - Poco M3
2.8 - Samsung Galaxy A12
1.5 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
1.2
Interestingly enough, our Dimensity 800 chipset, inside the Oppo Reno4 Z 5G, appears to consistently be posting fps numbers close to those of the vivo V21 5G and its Dimensity 800U. However, they have four and three Mali-G57 GPU cores, respectively. This, in conjunction with the respectable, if unimpressive Realme 8s 5G numbers, leads us to believe that having more Mali-G57 cores doesn't nearly scale up as linearly as their number would suggest.
3DMark SSE ES 3.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
6735 - Oppo Reno6 5G
3764 - vivo V21 5G
3331 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
3308 - Realme 7 5G
3163 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
2638 - Realme 8
2610 - Realme 8s 5G
2567 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
2391 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
2357 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1471 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
1399 - Poco M3
1175 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
438 - Samsung Galaxy A12
365
3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
5160 - Oppo Reno6 5G
3818 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
3180 - vivo V21 5G
3050 - Realme 7 5G
3028 - Realme 8
2639 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
2509 - Realme 8s 5G
2439 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
2260 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
2257 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
1424 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1372 - Poco M3
1106 - Samsung Galaxy A12
612 - Samsung Galaxy A02s
489
We're inclined to count that as a win for the Realme 8s 5G. Though, even if the Realme 8s 5G is holding up well better than we expected, knowing its GPU situation, it is still a fact that it is far from Dimensity 800 or 800U territory in GPU performance like its name suggests.
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Max 5G
4216 - Xiaomi 11T
4172 - Poco X3 GT
3991 - Realme X7 Pro
3938 - Poco X3 Pro
3401 - Oppo Reno6 5G
2024 - Oppo Reno4 Z 5G
1647 - vivo V21 5G
1605 - Realme 7 5G
1589 - Realme 8
1486 - Realme 8s 5G
1231 - Samsung Galaxy A32 5G
1185 - Realme Narzo 30 5G
1105 - Realme 8 5G
1104 - Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
1104 - Realme 8i
1102 - Realme 8 Pro
1051 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 2021
722 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
482 - Poco M3
368
You can expect a level of GPU power more akin to the Dimensity 700, the MediaTek Helio G95 or the Snapdragon 720G.
Even so, that doesn't make the Realme 8s 5G a total slouch when it comes to gaming. Far from it. Between the respectable, even if unimpressive RAW numbers its GPU can manage and features like dynamic resolution scaling, we got a pretty smooth experience from most titles. However, no games we tried managed to run above 60fps, according to the built-in fps meter.
Just don't expect any miracles in this department. There are other devices much better suited for getting a great gaming experience on a budget.
As for the overall fluidity and real-life performance on the Realme 8s 5G, we have zero complaints regarding the chipset. We never felt strapped for power, and the Dimensity 810 5G has more than enough "oomph" to chew through any daily task, as well as light gaming. It also does so while delivering excellent and modern connectivity, including dual-standby 5G with extensive band support and excellent battery life.
Triple-cam setup with an upgraded main cam
The camera setup is one of the areas the Realme 8s 5G improves over the older Realme 5G. You are still getting one camera less than other Realme 8 phones, likely as a cost-saving measure to enable the inclusion of 5G at a lower price point. That is still the situation. However, the main camera on the back of the Realme 8s 5G has changed for the better, which is a 64MP Quad-Bayer unit, instead of a 48MP one.
Snooping around in some config files revealed many camera modules supported by the ROM on our Realme 8s 5G review unit. Many of the entries are clearly redundant and likely in place to enable easy porting of the same ROM to different devices. Plus, there could, very well, be several hardware alternatives for some of the camera modules-a pretty common practice.
Anyway, the new 64MP camera appears to be an OmniVision ov64b unit. That's a 1/2" sensor with 0.7micron individual pixels. Though it is a Quad-Bayer module and hence meant to bin four of those pixels together to result in a 16MP photo. The particular OmniVision sensor is fairly popular, particularly with "value" devices and can also be found in the Realme GT Master Edition, Poco X3 GT, Oppo Reno 6, Redmi Note 10S and Note 10 Pro in China, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, to name a few. Also, apparently, the vanilla Realme 8 uses the same sensor, so we can expect consistent performance between the two devices.
Supported camera modules
Beyond the 64MP main camera, the Realme 8s 5G also has two 2MP, f/2.4 supplementary cameras - one for depth data and the other a dedicated, fixed-focus macro. According to config data, these either come courtesy of OmniVision or GalaxyCore. Potentially, interchangeably. We can't imagine that would make a major difference, though.
The camera app UI on the Realme 8s 5G is a largely familiar affair. The overall layout is fairly simple, with few menus - most of the modes are now on the main rolodex, which is good. It 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.
Camera UI
The settings menu is straightforward as well.
Camera settings
Since the Realme 8s 5G lacks an ultrawide camera, the awkward resolution controls we struggled with on the original Realme 8 are not an issue here. You just get one straight video resolution control and a menu to select between h.264 and h.265.
Video recording mode
There is a fairly in-depth Expert mode available for photos.
Expert photo 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).
Photo quality - daylight
Let's kick things off with the main camera in its default 16MP mode. These shots come out looking solid all-round. There is plenty of detail, and the dynamic range is decent, even if unimpressive.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP main camera samples
While you can notice traces of sharpening, it is done tastefully, without going overboard. Colors generally look true to life without being oversaturated or too dull. It is worth noting that the weather was far from perfect, making conditions that extra bit harder for the Realme 8s 5G, as well. The camera holds up pretty well, especially for a budget device.
All of these stills were captured using the default camera settings on the Realme 8s 5G, which means HDR was set to Auto, without any other enhancements enabled. Realme also offers an AI Scene Enhancement toggle (previously known as Chroma Boost and Dazzle Color) within the camera app. It usually adds to the HDR look of a photo, giving colors a bit more "pop". This can be beneficial, depending on the scene.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP main camera samples, AI Scene Detection ON
When the AI detects those and properly kicks in, the effects on certain elements like grass and the sky are obvious. We definitely enjoy the livelier look in most cases, but there are some things to look out for with Ai Scene Enhancement.
One of the "scenes" the AI can trigger is text detection. Once that happens, the camera app tries its best to find the "edges" of whatever you are trying to "scan", presuming by default that this is what you are trying to do. You have to be mindful of this behavior since once a cropping rectangle appears in the frame, the resulting shot will only include only its contents, which can ruin shots by accident.
You can capture stills in the full 64MP resolution of the main camera, as well. You don't stand to gain much extra detail over 16MP stills, though.
Realme 8s 5G: 64MP main camera samples
This comes with all the usual caveats, like occasional fringing, especially in finer details and five to six times larger file sizes than 16MP stills.
AI Scene Detection is available in 64MP mode too, but in our experience, it just made shots softer, so you might want to steer clear of it.
Here's how the Realme 8s 5G stacks up against other cameras in our extensive photo comparison database. We are including 16MP and 64MP samples.
Realme 8s 5G against the Realme 8 5G and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G in our Photo compare tool
64MP: Realme 8s 5G against the Realme 8 and the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite in our Photo compare tool
There is no dedicated telephoto on the Realme 8. However, the camera app does offer digital zoom up to an ambitious 20x, with toggles for 2x and 5x in the UI. At 2x zoom, shots look surprisingly good. Expectedly, things are a bit softer overall, but other than that, we hardly noticed any extra noise. Processing and color look good and consistent with regular stills, which is expected, seeing how both come from the same camera.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP 2x zoom main camera samples
Quality rapidly does down as you zoom any higher. Though, to be fair, some of these shots could still be considered "usable", depending on the context.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP zoom main camera samples: 5x • 10x • 20x • 5x • 10x • 20x • 5x • 10x • 20x
The Realme 8s 5G can capture Portraits with its main camera and with additional depth info lifted from the 2MP depth camera. These photos come out looking quite pleasing overall. Subjects look sharp, and the background blur effect is pretty convincing. Since it is digitally generated, you can adjust its intensity.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP portrait samples
The portraits are not perfect, though. Subject detection and separation are decent but do make the occasional mistake. Especially around ears, with a busy background and at higher levels of background blur. Hardly a deal-breaker, but still worth mentioning.
The 2MP macro camera has its focus fixed at around 4cm, and shooting a sharp picture is a nearly impossible task. Even if you manage to get the distance right and keep your hand steady, the 2MP images would be soft, noisy.
Realme 8s 5G: 2MP macro camera samples
On the plus side, colors don't look bad, and you can still use these macros for reading things like small text, which is something.
Selfie camera quality
The Realme 8s 5G has a 16MP, f/2.1 selfie camera. If config files are to be believed, once again, it uses a Samsung ISOCELL S5K3P9SP sensor, which, according to Samsung's product page, is a "tetrapixel" sensor with an RGB Bayer pattern, WDR and PDAF. This should mean that, by default, it is expected to bin pixels and shoot at 4MP. Then again, these advanced features could be on some different sensor, part of Samsung's ISOCELL 3P9 lineup, since we know, for a fact, that the selfie on the Realme 8s 5G doesn't have autofocus. It also captures 16MP photos. However, we can't be sure whether those are binned down to 4MP first and then upscaled back.
In any case, selfies from the Realme 8s 5G are overall solid, though their quality can vary quite a bit depending on lighting and settings. Outside, depending on the lightning, the background can get blown out - a lot less of an issue with controlled indoor lighting.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP selfie camera samples
Realme also has pretty high levels of beautification enabled on selfies by default. These tend to make the entire frame, including the subject and the background, softer than necessary. Keeping filters off, however, can result in a detailed and pretty sharp selfie. We have very few complaints about those.
Selfie portraits also look solid. The detail is plenty, and even though the focus is fixed, the focus plane is nice and wide and hence quite forgiving.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP selfie portrait samples
Subject detection and separation are very good, though not perfect. The occasional stray hair, glasses or a busier background do trip up the algorithm. The blur effect itself looks great.
Low-light image quality
The Realme 8s 5G holds up surprisingly well in low-light conditions. The standard 16MP shots have plenty of detail, even though noise is also well corrected and suppressed. You can still see some fine grain and softer spots where the algorithm did its job, but neither is too aggressive. There is naturally some additional sharpening applied to restore details, and it is also very well done without going overboard.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP main camera low-light samples
Of course, this is still a budget camera, and we are not holding it to the same standards as a flagship one. Even so, you can get very decent low-light shots from it, even without fiddling with settings and modes. If you have Ai Scene Detection on, it recognizes low-light conditions and automatically enables a "Night" scene. Though with AI turned off, shots still seem to have a similar overall look, including HDR stacking to balance shadows and highlights.
There is a dedicated Night mode beyond that, as well. It is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it consistently and noticeably boosts shadows and contains light sources and highlights better, resulting in more details in those areas.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP main camera Night mode samples
On the other hand, it is far from the speediest Night mode we have encountered, and it can sometimes result in softer areas in the frame than just shooting in auto.
For the sake of thoroughness, we shot in 64MP mode, as well. These shots tend to be a bit softer than their 16MP counterparts without really offering additional detail.
Realme 8s 5G: 64MP main camera low-light samples
Zoomed 2x low-light shots are quite decent and retain most of the qualities of 1x shots, just with some extra softness.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP 2x main camera low-light samples
Low-light selfies look good, as well, with plenty of detail and a reasonable amount of noise. We would have liked a bit more sharpness, but then again, that might make the selfies look overprocessed.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP selfie camera low-light samples
The Realme 8s 5G has a screen flash feature that is on by default and does a decent job of illuminating your face to allow the camera to capture its texture and detail a bit better. You can see this general difference in complexion when looking at Night mode selfies, which tend to balance and mix the background and foreground a lot better, but generally leave behind softer, more processed skin.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP selfie camera Night mode samples
Selfie portraits in low-light are decent, but again, nothing to phone home about.
Realme 8s 5G: 16MP selfie camera portrait low-light samples
Video recording
The Realme 8s 5G can only record up to 1080p video. You get to choose whether you want the more compatible h.264 or save some space at the cost of higher compression with h.265 (HEVC). Personally, we would go with the former since 1080p videos aren't that storage-intensive, to begin with. You get a standard AVC video stream at just over 17 Mpbs - decent, even if unimpressive. Alongside that - stereo AAC at 48 kHz. Frame rates aren't exactly locked at 30fps, but they stick pretty close to that target, which is good enough.
In terms of quality, the main cam does alright but leaves a bit to be desired. Detail is on the lower-end, even for 1080p, and there is quite a bit of noise. Granted, the lighting conditions were less than favorable, which should be taken into account, as well.
Zoomed 2x videos generally retain the characteristics of 1x ones, with a bit more softness. These are usable in a pinch.
So far, nothing really sets the Realme 8s 5G apart from its Realme 8 5G predecessor. But we do arrive at the topic of stabilization, which is now a thing on the Realme 8s 5G. It has gyro-based EIS that works on both the main and selfie cameras.
Realme calls the feature "Super steady", just like on some of its other devices. Unlike some of those, however, there is just one EIS level on the Realme 8s 5G, no Max setting in sight. Super steady does a decent-enough job smoothing out bigger jitters and shakes but also introduces some nasty focus hunting. This is an issue we've seen on other devices before too.
As we said, the selfie camera can also capture 1080p@30fps video. EIS is available for these videos as well and with rather impressive results. If you can live with the cropped frame, we definitely recommend using stabilization for selfie videos.
In terms of quality, selfie videos actually look quite impressive. Detail is great, and since there is no focus here, there isn't any possibility to introduce that nasty focus hunting.
Low-light video capture is merely OK and not impressive in any way.
Last but not least, we added frame grabs from the Realme 8s 5G into our extensive video compare database for your pixel-peeping pleasure.
Realme 8s 5G against the Realme 8 5G and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G in our Video compare tool
The competition
The Realme 8s 5G comes in at right around $260 or a bit over EUR 220. Though, to be more precise, official availability seems to currently be limited to the Indian market, selling at about INR 19,600.
We can't really say whether the Realme 8s 5G will be available on other markets going forward, but for the time being, this is the market context it exists in.
Another potentially important context to consider is 5G connectivity. It is no secret that adding 5G to a phone still costs quite a bit and that doing so on a budget phone without breaking the bank generally means settling for downgraded specs in other aspects. All of this isn't to say that there aren't great alternatives to the Realme 8s 5G at its price point. You do still need to decide for yourself whether 5G is a priority or you would rather go 4G and get an otherwise cheaper or well-rounded phone.
Let's start with 5G options first. Now that the Realme 8s 5G is a thing, the older Realme 8 5G could be a very viable option, at least for a time. It basically comes with the same display and battery capacity, among other things. A similar-enough chipset, as well as a camera setup. To be clear, though, the Realme 8s 5G is an all-around better package, so the Realme 8 5G will only make sense at a good discount.
Realme 8 5G • Xiaomi Poco M3 Pro 5G • Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G • Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
Over at camp Xiaomi, the Poco M3 Pro 5G is a very viable option. That means the Redmi Note 10 5G is as well, since it is essentially the same device, just with a slightly different exterior and non-POCO UI elements. But, it does tend to cost a bit more as well. Currently, going for INR 14,500 (under EUR 200), the Poco offers similar specs to the older Realme 8 5G, including things like a 90Hz, 6.5-inch LCD, MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset, 48MP main camera and a 5,000 mAh battery.
In the same vein, the Redmi Note 9T could be a viable option at the right price. So could the Mi 10T Lite 5G. In fact, you even get a 120Hz, HDR10 display with that one, a 64MP main camera and a Snapdragon 750G chipset.
Samsung has a pretty good 5G option due to its strong Galaxy A lineup. The A22 5G has a 90Hz display, a Dimensity 700 chipset, a 48MP main camera and a 5,000 mAh battery. The main draw in this case for buyers will likely be Samsung's One UI, though.
Like we said, if you are willing to forgo 5G, there are other compelling devices to consider. Xiaomi, in particular, has plenty of options. The Poco X3 Pro remains sort of an anomaly in the budget space, rocking a potent Snapdragon 860 chipset. It is a great choice for budget gaming, with its 120Hz, HDR10 IPS display and nice and beefy 5,160 mAh battery.
Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro • Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro • Samsung Galaxy A32
The Redmi Note 10 Pro adds value in other areas, notably with the inclusion of a superior AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10 display. Also, a 108MP main camera. If you would rather save a few bucks instead, the Redmi 10 could be an excellent choice, with its 90Hz IPS display, MediaTek G88 chipset, 50MP main camera and 5,000 mAh battery. All three of these devices, by the way, with additional features like stereo speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, FM radios and NFC.
The Samsung Galaxy A32 also stands out as an excellent option, particularly if you want the One UI experience. Its highlights include a 90Hz Super AMOLED panel, an Helio G80 chipset, a 64MP main camera and a big 5,000 mAh battery.
The verdict
The Realme 8 5G was already a solid device at a very competitive price. The Realme 8s 5G successfully boosted the value proposition even further. You get a newer and better MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G chipset, a higher-res 64MP main camera, complete with EIS and faster 33W charging for the 5,000 mAh battery, which delivers excellent battery life. All of this, essentially without inflating the price tag.
To be clear, it's far from a perfect device. Depending on your priorities, some features, notably absent on the Realme 8s 5G, that you might be able to get elsewhere include ingress protection, stereo speakers, 4K video capture. An all-around better display might also be on the table.
But, nitpicking aside, the Realme 8 5G remains an easy recommendation, particularly if you are in the market for a budget 5G-capable handset. It does not disappoint.
Pros
- Solid and strong plastic body, with nice finish and in-hand feel.
- Great battery life.
- The Dimensity 810 5G offers solid all-round performance, though its GPU is weaker than what the model number suggests.
- The main camera takes great photos day and night.
- Decent video stabilization.
- Clean and responsive UI.
- 5G, 3.5mm jack, dedicated microSD slot.
Cons
- No ingress protection.
- No stereo speakers.
- Still decent, but slightly-downgraded display, compared to the Realme 8 5G. Slow pixel response time.
- No 4K video recording.
- No NFC.
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