Realme X2 Pro review: The ‘fast and smooth’ phone for most people 

Realme X2 Pro is a lot like OnePlus 7T, at least as far as its spec sheet is concerned. Its all-round design would remind you of OnePlus 7T as well. But it’s way more affordable and that’s its main USP. Realme has launched Realme X2 Pro in India in two configurations. While base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB stor costs Rs 29,999, top-end Realme X2 Pro with 12GB RAM and 256GB stor will be available for Rs 33,999 – that's Rs 4,000 cheaper than OnePlus 7T’s base model. 

So, what does that kind of money get you? 

• A glass and metal body 
• Large 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with 90Hz refresh rate and optical in-display fingerprint scanner
• Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 855+ processor 
• 64MP qu rear cameras 
• Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos 
• 50W SuperVOOC fast charging with compliant fast charger and proprietary cable in box 

Clearly, Realme X2 Pro is Realme’s most ambitious smartphone ever and while it doesn’t mention it in its marketing material, I'll just go ahe and say it – Realme X2 Pro is ‘fast and smooth’ phone for most people. While it’s certainly t perfect, Realme X2 Pro is Realme’s best smartphone to date and a step in right direction. We review. 

Design and build quality 

Realme X2 Pro is a very familiar Realme phone and yet it’s different. It’s a big step up from Realme XT in every sense of word. It swaps Realme XT’s glitzy light-bending paintjob for something smarter and more sophisticated – and a lot more refined. Even though phone would remind you of OnePlus 7T, I like what Realme has mand to pull off here. You can tell Realme has come of . Realme XT was just a trailer. Realme X2 Pro is what you really came for. And let’s just say, it was all worth wait. 

It’s two pieces of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 joined by adized aluminum. glossy back and matte frame may seem a bit out of place – so does Realme logo – but those are mir niggles in a phone that screams premium from every ok and corner. It’s just a very well-me phone. And one that’s a pleasure to hold. It’s t slim (8.7mm) or light (199 gram) or anything, but it just works. phone feels so good in hands, like a high-end Samsung Galaxy S10 or an iPhone 11, chances are you won’t even tice after a day or two. 

Realme X2 Pro isn’t a small phone so you really got to appreciate Realme’s button placement choices. Realme has kept power button and volume rocker on jacent sides which is a nice touch. It really helps that all buttons are well placed and offer excellent tactile feedback. only quibble I have with Realme X2 Pro’s design is that camera module sticks out a little too much. This makes phone wobble when placed back facing down. 

Display 

Realme X2 Pro has a 6.5-inch 1080p+ Super AMOLED “90Hz display” with a waterdrop-style tch – identical to OnePlus 7T. Realme X2 Pro is in fact most affordable phone in India to pack such high-end display credentials.   

On any given day, screen of Realme X2 Pro gets plenty bright and viewing angles are quite good too. Colours are nice and punchy - even unrealistically so, at times. overall tone edges slightly towards colder side but you can always change that from settings as per your preference.  

As for that high refresh rate, that’s an experience that needs to be felt in person. It’s difficult to put into words but I'll still try. Scree refresh rate is essentially how fast screen can refresh and lo an im. This is set to 60Hz in most phones. In case of Realme X2 Pro, which has a 90Hz display, screen is capable of rendering ims 90 times per second. This should oretically entail in a more fluid motion – over a standard 60Hz display phone – while scrolling. Animations would tend to be faster too.  

In layman’s terms, a phone with a 90Hz display paired with right hardware, will be faster and smoor than a phone with a conventional 60Hz display. Realme X2 Pro is, as a result, fast and smooth too. t as much as OnePlus 7T, but it gets very close. Realme also gives you an option to tone things down to 60Hz as a measure to save battery life when required. 

re are a couple of more things to te about Realme X2 Pro’s display -  

• Realme X2 Pro is only phone in its category that’s certified for viewing HDR10+ content. phone also ships with Widevine L1 support out-of--box. At time of writing this review, while latter works across OTT platforms, former doesn’t for some reason but hopefully a software update should fix that soon. 
• optical in-display fingerprint scanner that sits at bottom of screen is fast and accurate. 

Performance and battery life 

t only is Realme X2 Pro most affordable phone in India to come with a 90Hz display, it is also most powerful. phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor paired with up to 12GB RAM and up to 256GB. With its higher-end model, Realme is undercutting OnePlus 7T as well – that one maxes out at 8GB RAM and 256GB stor.   

In a nutshell, we’ve established that Realme X2 Pro is an insanely powerful phone. On paper, at least. Let me cut chase and say it upfront, it’s an insanely powerful phone in real world us as well – even with Oppo’s ColorOS slapped on to it. It’s fast and smooth, is what it is. At basics and at hard grinding tasks – and at graphics intensive gaming. Realme X2 Pro is truly a phone for all seasons. 

It’s long lasting too, which is impressive considering 90Hz and all that power is supposed to take a toll on battery life. Realme X2 Pro packs a 4,000mAh battery and is easily a one-working-day phone for even most demanding users. Toning things down, especially that refresh rate, should get you even more. In our battery loop test, phone lasted for 13 hours which isn’t b at all, considering that this was done at 90Hz. 

or big highlight of Realme X2 Pro is that it supports Oppo’s 50W SuperVOOC fast charging which is “fastest” charging tech seen inside any commercially available phone in India. thing tops phone in just 30 minutes which is frankly ridiculous but it’s also a little concerning because it also heats up phone quite a bit so I am t sure how that would bode for battery’s longevity. Good thing is that Realme X2 Pro supports USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge 4.0+ so you’ll be able to use any third-party 18W fast charger to top it. 

Quick pointers on Realme X2 Pro as an everyday phone - 

• Realme X2 Pro comes in 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB configurations. That's LPDDR4X RAM and UFS3.0 stor. This ensures phone literally flies in everyday use. Plus, it’s future proof. Realme X2 Pro does t support expandable stor.
• Software inside is Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6.1 which is a little disappointing since phone’s coming almost two months after Google rolled out Android 10. Be that as it may, I like direction in which Oppo’s ColorOS is going lately. It’s a lot cleaner and more efficient – you can live with it w, and even enjoy it on occasions. It really helps that Oppo has been able to well optimize it with hardware, so all and all it’s a cohesive experience. If anything, Oppo seems to be moving closer to stock Android with every new iteration, at least as far as aestics are concerned – so that’s nice. Realme India CEO Mhav Sheth has previously confirmed that Realme phones will get a custom version of Android 10-based ColorOS 7 that will be close to stock Android soon, so that’s something to look forward too. 
• Realme X2 Pro has dual stereo speakers with support for both Dolby Atmos and High-Res audio. se are best sounding speakers on a phone at this price point.
• Phone calls me with Realme X2 Pro are of excellent quality across board and I did t encounter any odd call drops beyond usual on my review unit. dual SIM phone supports dual 4G VoLTE.

Cameras 

Realme X2 Pro comes with four rear cameras – a 64MP main camera, a 13MP telephoto camera for 2x optical, 5x hybrid and up to 20x digital zoom, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 115-degree field-of-view, and a 2MP portrait camera. On front, Realme X2 Pro has a 16MP camera. In or words, phone is fully loed when it comes to cameras too. 

Im quality is quite good across board – but t best.  

64MP main camera (that uses pixel binning to produce 16MP photos by default) can capture good-looking photos in ideal lighting with lots of detail and good dynamic range. I like Realme’s colour science here. It’s a lot more toned down and natural – results are pleasing to eyes. Those looking for ded punch – in colours as well as dynamic range – have Realme’s Chroma boost at ir disposal that mostly works as vertised. Realme X2 Pro’s main camera can also capture good photos in tricky light – and brighter, more detailed photos in low light courtesy Realme’s Nightscape. But surely, re’s room for improvement.  

For me, real star of show is 13MP telephoto camera though that lifts many-a-tricks from Oppo’s Re phones. Plus, it can also shoot macros. all-round quality is good in all kinds of lighting scenarios. 

8MP ultrawide camera offers a wider perspective but needs ideal lighting for best results.  

Portrait shots are a hit and miss.  

Realme has significantly upped its video capturing game with Realme X2 Pro. In dition to shooting 4K and 1080p videos at both 30 and 60 fps, this one can also shoot portrait videos and videos using ultrawide camera. results are one of best, in this price segment.  

16MP front camera of Realme X2 Pro shoots great natural-looking selfies with good detail in all lighting conditions. front camera also supports Realme’s Nightscape, that helps in low light. Portraits again are a hit and miss. 

Should you buy Realme X2 Pro? 

Realme X2 Pro is t only Realme’s best smartphone to date, it’s also hands down a solid contender for best value flagship of 2019. Realme X2 Pro is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to buy a holds barred flagship killer phone at around Rs 30,000. 

Surely Redmi K20 Pro is a compelling phone at an even lower price, while OnePlus 7T ds its own weight at a slightly higher price, but Realme X2 Pro stacked in middle, offers best of both worlds.   

(Photos by Saurabh Singh)

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