The Realme XT is this brand's first 64MP-camera phone

Realme has stealthily introduced its new XT device even as Redmi got ready to launch its Note 8 series in China. The Pro variant of the latter has something important in common with the former: both feature the new 64MP camera module from Samsung. The OPPO sub-brand has released some review units to the media in an attempt to gain a pole position in terms of devices with this new attribute. However, in terms of actual product launches, Redmi has it beat.

The Note 8 Pro completes a quad-cam arrangment on its rear panel with an 8MP ultra-wide lens, in addition to 2 2MP sensors: one for depth-sensing and one for macros. The phone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G90T, as projected from earlier leaks. It has a 6.53-inch FHD LCD front panel, in which a fingerprint sensor and a minimal chin is found. By contrast, its new Realme competition's specs are not so much a variation on the X's configuration as they are on those of the 5 Pro.

The Note 8 Pro has a 4500mAh battery, with 18-watt fast-charging. This feature is also present in the vanilla Note 8's 4000mAh battery. This is a phone in which the 64MP camera is replaced by a 48MP one. However, it retains the other 3 cameras as in the Pro variant. It is powered by the Snapdragon 665 SoC (as projected), and has a 6.3-inch screen of the same quality of the Pro, but without the in-built fingerprint sensor.

The Note 8 starts at only 999 yuan (about US$140) for a 4GB RAM base model. However, this rises to 1399 yuan (US$195) for the top-end 6GB version with 128GB of internal storage. The Note 8 Pro, on the other hand, costs the same for its least powerful 6GB/64GB variant. Alternatively, a jump to 8GB/128GB goes for 1799 yuan ($250). To date, Realme has not specified how the XT may be priced.