It’s been a year since the announcement of the realme 8 series, so everyone was anticipating the arrival of the successor to realme’s number series. What we didn’t expect was that this time, realme was introducing a Pro+ variant as well.
What does the realme 9 Pro+ bring to the series and do we really need another addition to an otherwise already efficient lineup?
First, let’s look at the differences between the realme 9 Pro and the Pro+. The realme 9 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, while the Pro+ has a MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G processor, both supporting 5G. For the display, the 9 Pro has a 6.6-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the 9 Pro+ has a slightly smaller 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display and a 90Hz refresh rate.
As for the battery, you get a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging on the Pro model, while the Pro+ has a 4500mAh battery that supports 60W fast charging. The Pro+ boasts of a flagship level 50MP Sony IMX766 with OIS, while the Pro has a 64MP triple camera setup. Both are available in either Aurora Green or Sunrise Blue color. As for the price, the realme 9 Pro (8GB+128GB) is available for P16,990, while the realme 9 Pro+ (8GB+256GB) retails for P23,990.
By its name alone, you know that the realme 9 Pro+ is where the company is putting its best foot forward, making it the top-spec variant of the latest iteration of its flagship series.
This is also the first time that the series is breaking the P20K price point, meaning it is now going head-to-head with the top mid-rangers from other brands. I guess being the No. 1 smartphone brand will give you that confidence.
Now, I love the realme 8 Pro and I’ve honestly used it even more than my iPhone most of last year, and I’ve never had any problems with it. It was also a very easy recommendation to friends who were asking for a phone within its price range. With the realme 9 Pro+ asking more, does it also deliver on that price difference?
Starting with the design, I think realme played it safe while trying to come up with a colorway to make it standout, thus the color-changing Sunrise Blue variant. Called Photochromism Design, this Light Shift effect makes the back cover shift from blue to red under direct sunlight exposure, giving the smartphone a premium, modern look. The Aurora Green, which I have, however, is an odd color choice and I would have paid to get a yellow one instead.
Realme also might have ditched that large text branding on the back, but the glitter effect and vertical reflections are just as garish for me. I went to the mall just to check out all the recently released smartphones, and it would have been better if they stayed with the matte sandblasted-like finish of the previous series.
I do like the build quality though, with the front protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, the glass back and plastic frame. Measuring 160.2 x 73.3 x 8mm, and weighing just around 182g it feels comfortable in the hand.
Moving on to the display, that 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 1080 x 2400 resolution is sharp with accurate colors. It is an AMOLED screen so you can expect a visual treat. You can further choose between vivid and natural display, or opt for pro mode that lets you select from either cinematic or brilliant for the widest color gamut and faithful color reproduction.
The realme 9 Pro+ also packs a pair of stereo speakers which is always good to see—or rather hear—at this price point, and they do sound very good as well. Since I got a free Netflix subscription from my Smart Signature Plan, I’ve been watching movies and TV series on this phone for the past week, and I have to say I’m quite satisfied with the quality and I didn’t even have to look for my earphones.
And so we come to the main course of the realme 9Pro+: the flagship cameras—flagship because it is the same one on the Oppo Find X3 Pro.
The realme 9 Pro+ triple camera setup is composed of a Sony IMX766 50MP OIS main, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro. For selfies, there’s the 16MP front camera.
I have to say, it definitely lives up to the hype. Even if you are not a pro, it’s so easy to take awesome photos. Just find a subject, frame it, tap focus, and press the shutter and you’ll get photos with lots of detail, nice colors, and sharpness, especially during daytime. If you are like me and prefer high contrast and saturation, you’ll love the 9 Pro+’s cameras.
Modes include the usual photo, video, night, portrait, pro, pano, ultra macro, film, slo-mo, timelapse, as well as dual-view video, text, starry mode, tilt-shift and the new street photography 2.0. This improved long exposure mode has four different settings (Neon Trail, Light Trail Portrait, Rush Hour, and Light Painting), as well as a new creative filter called ‘90s Pop. These photography features will help you take professional-grade photos and stretch your artistic prowess when it comes to capturing moments. It will make you want to take a lot of traffic and street photos.
Zoom is still usable up to 5x although it maxes out at 20x if you really need it. Switch to 50MP mode if you want to capture more details and overall a high-quality photo. The ultrawide camera works well enough for taking wider scenes and you get a similar quality as the main sensor, with very little distortion.
Another mode I had fun using is portrait mode. Now that live events are back, this is very useful for taking photos of celebrities and guests. The subject-background separation is on point and you can even adjust the blur to your preference.
Realme made a fine choice using the 50MP Sony IMX766 OIS main camera because now, even lowlight and night mode photos have improved. Low-light shots using Night mode come out brighter and with better details. Because of this, I now bring a mini tripod with me everywhere, just in case I find a good spot for those Starry mode photos.
Checking out the front cam, its 16MP front shooter works best under natural lighting, as the skin tone tends to come out a bit cooler. You won’t, however, need other apps as all the beautification adjustments and filters are here.
If you are into creating videos, the realme 9 Pro+ can shoot up to 4K at 30fps videos, and the quality is good enough for your social-media postings and you can edit everything using the preinstalled SoLoop editor. The 2MP macro sensor is just there to pad the spec sheet and not really deserving of much discussion.
The MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G in the Realme 9 Pro+ does an excellent job when it comes to day-to-day performance. I didn’t experience any disappointing slowdowns, or apps suddenly hanging up and closing. I even installed a few games and let my nephew try Genshin Impact and he said it was able to handle all of them smoothly.
Last, the 60W Super DART fast charging can charge the phone in just over 45 minutes, but I really didn’t need to look for the charger as the 4500mAh battery lasted me an entire day of moderate usage.
Final word: The realme 9 Pro+ sets a new standard for mid-range smartphone cameras. It also earns the ‘Plus’ moniker for having an outstanding display, stereo speakers, fast charging and overall dependable performance—all of which you get at a still very competitive price. The name may be quite a mouthful, but it also means you’ll have a lot of good things to say about this smartphone.
Image credits: Ed Uy