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

The Realme X2 Pro is a lot like the OnePlus 7T, at least as far as its spec sheet is concerned. Its all-round design would remind you of the OnePlus 7T as well. But it’s way more affordable and that’s its main USP. Realme has launched the Realme X2 Pro in India in two configurations. While the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage costs Rs 29,999, the top-end Realme X2 Pro with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage will be available for Rs 33,999 – that's Rs 4,000 cheaper than the 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 quad rear cameras 
• Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos 
• 50W SuperVOOC fast charging with compliant fast charger and proprietary cable in the box 

Clearly, the 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 ahead and say it – the Realme X2 Pro is the ‘fast and smooth’ phone for most people. While it’s certainly not perfect, the Realme X2 Pro is Realme’s best smartphone to date and a step in the right direction. We review. 

Design and build quality 

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

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

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

Display 

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

On any given day, the screen of the Realme X2 Pro gets plenty bright and viewing angles are quite good too. Colours are nice and punchy - even unrealistically so, at times. The overall tone edges slightly towards the colder side but you can always change that from the 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 the screen can refresh and load an image. This is set to 60Hz in most phones. In the case of the Realme X2 Pro, which has a 90Hz display, the screen is capable of rendering images 90 times per second. This should theoretically 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 the right hardware, will be faster and smoother than a phone with a conventional 60Hz display. The Realme X2 Pro is, as a result, fast and smooth too. Not as much as the 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. 

There are a couple of more things to note about the Realme X2 Pro’s display -  

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

Performance and battery life 

Not only is the Realme X2 Pro the most affordable phone in India to come with a 90Hz display, it is also the most powerful. The 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 the OnePlus 7T as well – that one maxes out at 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.   

In a nutshell, we’ve established that the Realme X2 Pro is an insanely powerful phone. On paper, at least. Let me cut the chase and say it upfront, it’s an insanely powerful phone in real world usage 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. The 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. The Realme X2 Pro packs a 4,000mAh battery and is easily a one-working-day phone for even the most demanding users. Toning things down, especially that refresh rate, should get you even more. In our battery loop test, the phone lasted for 13 hours which isn’t bad at all, considering that this was done at 90Hz. 

The other big highlight of the Realme X2 Pro is that it supports Oppo’s 50W SuperVOOC fast charging which is the “fastest” charging tech seen inside any commercially available phone in India. The thing tops the phone in just 30 minutes which is frankly ridiculous but it’s also a little concerning because it also heats up the phone quite a bit so I am not sure how that would bode for the battery’s longevity. Good thing is that the 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 - 

• The Realme X2 Pro comes in 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB configurations. That's LPDDR4X RAM and UFS3.0 storage. This ensures the phone literally flies in everyday use. Plus, it’s future proof. The Realme X2 Pro does not support expandable storage.
• Software inside is Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6.1 which is a little disappointing since the phone’s coming almost two months after Google rolled out Android 10. Be that as it may, I like the direction in which Oppo’s ColorOS is going lately. It’s a lot cleaner and more efficient – you can live with it now, and even enjoy it on occasions. It really helps that Oppo has been able to well optimize it with the 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 aesthetics are concerned – so that’s nice. Realme India CEO Madhav 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. 
• The Realme X2 Pro has dual stereo speakers with support for both Dolby Atmos and High-Res audio. These are the best sounding speakers on a phone at this price point.
• Phone calls made with the Realme X2 Pro are of excellent quality across the board and I did not encounter any odd call drops beyond the usual on my review unit. The dual SIM phone supports dual 4G VoLTE.

Cameras 

The 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 the front, the Realme X2 Pro has a 16MP camera. In other words, the phone is fully loaded when it comes to cameras too. 

Image quality is quite good across the board – but not the best.  

The 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 – the results are pleasing to the eyes. Those looking for added punch – in colours as well as dynamic range – have Realme’s Chroma boost at their disposal that mostly works as advertised. The 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, there’s room for improvement.  

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

The 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 the Realme X2 Pro. In addition to shooting 4K and 1080p videos at both 30 and 60 fps, this one can also shoot portrait videos and videos using the ultrawide camera. The results are one of the best, in this price segment.  

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

Should you buy the Realme X2 Pro? 

The Realme X2 Pro is not only Realme’s best smartphone to date, it’s also hands down a solid contender for the best value flagship of 2019. The Realme X2 Pro is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to buy a no holds barred flagship killer phone at around Rs 30,000. 

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

(Photos by Saurabh Singh)

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