The Realme X2 is priced similar to the Realme XT (Review). But it has a more powerful processor, faster charging, and a higher-resolution front-facing camera. On paper it looks like an improvement. But the most attractive feature is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor, which is meant for gaming enthusiasts. This processor is claimed to offer better graphics performance than Snapdragon 730. Even better than Snapdragon 710 and Snapdragon 712 in performance. Realme X2 is the first smartphone in its segment to come with this processor. This has been possible thanks to Realme’s aggressive pricing.
If you are one of those people who is looking for a great smartphone under Rs 20,000, then you will have the same question: Is Realme X2 worth buying? Let’s find out…
realme design x2
The design of the Realme X2 is very similar to the Realme XT and not the Realme X2 Pro. If both phones are kept together, it is very difficult to tell the difference between them. If you choose the Pearl Green variant, then it is very different. Because this color variant has so far only arrived for Realme X2. The colored trim has a glossy frame, while the other color variants come with a matte finish. The build quality and finish is excellent. The phone does not slide too much.
The screen is huge. In such a situation, it is not an easy task to always use the phone with one hand. The button position is good. At the same time, the position of the ports is the same as the old Realme phone. The speaker, USB Type-C port, and headphone jack are at the bottom. Reality X2 has microSD card support. Other than this, there are two nano sim slots.
We also have the 6.4-inch Full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) display that comes with the smartphone in Realme XT. It is a Super AMOLED panel and has an in-display fingerprint sensor. There’s Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for screen protection. Realme has given the same glass at the rear. Realme X2’s camera layout is similar to Realme XT’s. Which is very exciting. But the cover provided in the retail box makes up for this shortcoming.
The content of the box is the same. You’ll get a SIM eject tool, a USB Type-C cable, a cover, and a fast charger. This Realme phone supports VOOC Flash Charge 4.0. That is, a fast charge of 30 watts. If seen, this is the same Warp Charge 30T charger that comes with the new OnePlus 7T series phones. In fact, when we used Realme’s charger on our OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition, the phone identified it as a warp charger.
Realme X2 price, specifications and software
The most attractive feature of Realme X2 is the processor. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor which we have seen in phones like Samsung Galaxy A80 and Oppo Reno 2. The cost of both phones is over Rs 30,000. In such a situation, keeping the price of the phone below Rs 20,000 is an achievement for the company.
Three variants of the Realme X2 have been launched in India: 4GB RAM with 64GB storage (Rs 16,999), 6GB RAM with 128GB storage (Rs 17,999) and 8GB RAM with 128GB storage. (Rs 19,999). All variants use LPDDR4X RAM. Connectivity features include dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5, three satellite navigation systems, and common sensors.
Realme X2 comes with ColorOS 6.1. The review unit had the October 2019 security patch. The company is expected to give an update soon. We’ve also come across software features on the Realme X2 Pro. You’ll get the Google Digital Wellbeing feature, system-wide dark mode, and plenty of gestures and shortcuts. Many apps are pre-installed. Of these, only third-party ones can be removed. We have told you about these features in detail in the Realme X2 Pro, Realme 5 Pro and Realme XT review.
Realme X2 performance and battery life
We have received the 8 GB model of the Realme X2 for review. As expected, Android performed very well. The on-screen fingerprint sensor makes authentication extremely fast. You’ll find a few different animation styles for the fingerprint position indicator. Facial recognition works well too, and you’ll be able to use it even in low light. There’s no notification LED, but you can find useful information like the time and alerts via the always-on display.
We did not find any complaints about the heating of the phone. Despite using the camera outdoors for a long time, the back of the phone did not get hot. Realme X2 gave solid gaming performance. We played games with powerful graphics like PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9: Legends, and Arena of Valor to test. It worked great and the phone didn’t get too hot. The phone also scored well in the benchmark test.
Realme X2 performance is also good in terms of audio quality. It has a single speaker. But it comes with Dolby Atmos enhancements. This gives a boost to the mid and low frequencies. Watching videos on the big screen is just another fun. This is due to the striking colors, excellent viewing angles and satisfying brightness.
Despite heavy use, the Realme X2 managed to last almost a day on a full charge. Its battery is 4,000 mAh. This phone did not do very well in the HD video loop test. In the test, Realme X2 died in 13 hours and 11 minutes.
The loading speed was commendable. We were able to charge the Realme X2 from zero to 60 percent in just half an hour. It took an hour to charge the phone to 95 percent. This is made possible by the VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 feature and the 30W charger provided in the retail box.
Realme X2 cameras
In Reality X2 you will get a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Its aperture is F/2.0. The camera takes normal selfies in its native resolution. But in portrait mode, the pixel unites and goes to 8 megapixels.
Using the front camera in good lighting conditions, we found image quality to be excellent. There was no shortage of details. Colors are accurate and exposure is generally balanced. Even when shooting in contrasting lighting conditions, we found HDR to work well. Our face and bottom were well exposed. Selfie in low light came of very average quality. Noise was clearly visible in the images and details were missing.
On Realme X2, it is possible to use the Nightscape mode from the selfie camera. Corrects exposure in dimly lit areas. But work is needed beyond this. The screen flash is bright and effective at illuminating faces.
With Realme X2, you will be able to shoot 1080 pixel selfie videos. Details were captured correctly in good light. The colors came natural. The videos came out stabilized. But there was a slight distortion due to electronic stabilization. You can’t turn it off. There’s a new Bokeh mode for selfie videos. This works fine even if there are two faces in the frame. It shows you the background blur effect in real time. Selfie videos aren’t the best shot in low light. But artificial lightning has satisfactory video records.
In this, the rear camera setup is the same as Realme XT. You’ll get a 64-megapixel main camera, with an F/1.8 aperture. Other than this, there is also an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The camera app also has the same features as we have on the Realme X2 Pro. You will also be able to record videos with the wide-angle camera. There is also an ‘Ultra Steady’ shooting mode. You can also set the blur level during portrait and video shooting.
Realme has talked about offering the ‘Super Nightscape Portrait’ shooting mode which will be available via a software update in the future. As the name suggests, this feature will allow you to use Nightscape mode in portrait shots. I hope the feature will be interesting.
The 64-megapixel main camera takes 16-megapixel photos by default. Image quality was excellent during testing. The edges of the objects came out sharp and perfectly defined. There was no shortage of detail and HDR did a decent job. There was some noise at the edge of each frame. But it only appears when zooming. Autofocus occasionally struggled with close-up objects. But this was not the case every time.
We were also pleased with the results in Portrait mode. The depth camera detected the edges well. There was no shortage of sharpness and detail in our subject’s face. The macro camera is useful. But details don’t always turn out great. Apart from this, you will need adequate lighting to take good shots. The wide-angle camera also came in handy. Barrel distortion was not overly visible. Details and colors are good. But it cannot be compared with the performance of the main camera. In low light the sensor is not very useful. The details were very weak. The exposure was poor, even when it came to a night landscape.
We found the 1080p video quality at 20 frames per second from the main camera to be the best. Electronic stabilization worked well. There was no glare on the video recording output while playing back in daylight. You will also be able to record 4K videos with Realme X2. But no stabilization. ‘Ultra Steady’ mode showed us extremely smooth video in the viewfinder, but there was noticeable shake in recorded video. In low light conditions, there was a graininess in the dark areas.
Verdict
Realme X2 really carries on the success of Realme XT. This is another great all-rounder smartphone under Rs 20,000. As of today, buying it instead of Realme XT or Realme X (Review) is a better decision. Because by spending a little more money, you get the Realme X2 Pro software and also the hardware upgrade. Realme X2 has dewdrop notch. If this design does not suit you, you can go for the Realme X which comes with a notchless design and has a pop-up selfie camera.
Video quality could be slightly better in low light. There is no FM radio, which was part of the Realme XT. Other than this, you get a good display, great battery life, fast charging, capable cameras, and solid gaming performance. Even if you are not a fan of gaming, Realme X2 is the best Realme phone under Rs 20,000.<!–
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