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Magyarrealme 10 Smartphone Review: Snazzy and light mid-range phone
Possible competitors in comparison
rating | date | model | weight | drive | size | resolution | price from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79.2 % | 01/2023 | Realme 10 Helio G99, Mali-G57 MP2 | 178 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.40" | 2400x1080 | |
| 81.9 % | 12/2022 | Motorola Moto G72 Helio G99, Mali-G57 MP2 | 166 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2400x1080 | |
| 80.3 % | 10/2022 | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G SD 695 5G, Adreno 619 | 197 g | 64 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2408x1080 | |
| 80.8 % | 07/2022 | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G SD 695 5G, Adreno 619 | 195 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.59" | 2412x1080 | |
| 78.8 % | 04/2022 | Realme 9i SD 680, Adreno 610 | 190 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.60" | 2412x1080 |
Case and features: Light, glittery, and edgy
The realme 10 looks chic. The back is shiny with a pearl effect plus a color gradient from silver to dark blue or, in another color variant, from apricot to light blue. Additionally, there is a matte, angular frame and two large camera eyes at the back although the actual lenses themselves are quite small when you look closely.
Thanks to rounded edges, the phone feels good in the hand and, with a 6.4-inch screen, is a bit more compact and lighter than many rivals. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5.
We got the phone with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of mass storage, which is a good configuration. NFC is on board, unlike the predecessor realme 9. The USB-C port unfortunately only transfers data in the rather slow USB 2.0 standard.
The microSD reader is in addition to the two SIM slots, so you can use the dual-SIM function and a microSD card at the same time. The card reader is on the usual level of other smartphones in our tests with the Angelbird V60 reference SD card, but it cannot even come close to using the card's full capabilities.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G (Angelbird V60) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Realme 10 (Angelbird V60) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (Angelbird V60) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (10.9 - 77, n=98, last 2 years) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication, software, and operation: Unclear update situation
For our Wi-Fi test, we connected the realme 10 to our reference Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 router and measured the data rates. We observed relatively stable transfer rates overall for a WiFi 5 device. However, the deltas between comparison devices were quite small.
In the last generation, realme offered separate, dedicated 5G version of the mid-range device. This time too, the base realme 10 only supports LTE networks as the fastest mobile option. Although there are a few additional supported frequencies, it is still far from being enough for global usability. The reception quality of the phone was good during our tests, but it clearly lagged behind other high-end phones.
Android 12 with realme UI 3.0 on top is used as the operating system. At the time of testing, the security patches were from November 2022 and thus are reasonably up to date. It is difficult to ascertain for how long the realme 10 will be supplied with updates, though it was announced that Android 13 will be released soon. Quite a few additional apps come preinstalled on the smartphone, so you will have to clean up a bit at first if you want a clean system.
The smartphone can be operated quite smoothly, also thanks to the 90 Hz screen. The fingerprint sensor is integrated into the standby button on the right. It recognizes fingers very reliably once learnt and unlocks the phone after minimal waiting time. Biometric unlocking via face recognition is also possible, but it is only two-dimensional and thus not as secure.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Realme 10 | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Realme 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
Cameras: Less flexible than other mid-range phones
There are two camera lenses at the back. However, you can only actually use one of them i.e., the 50 MP main camera, for photos. It usually combines four pixels each into one via pixel binning and thus creates a 12.5 MP image with higher light sensitivity. The second camera only collects depth information to support blurring in portrait shots and has a very low resolution.
This camera configuration is not really up to date anymore, since the comparison devices at least also offer a macro camera and partly even a wide-angle lens for more flexibility.
Is the picture quality good, though? The sensor of the main camera comes from Samsung and takes decent pictures that could have better brightness. A bit more detail would have been nice, and the dynamic range leaves a lot to be desired in high contrasts, which means that brighter areas are outshone while darker areas lack detail.
Videos can be recorded at a maximum resolution of 1080p and at 30 fps, but the similarly priced Motorola Moto G72 offers 60 fps recording. The video quality is sufficient for home use in good lighting, the exposure adjustment reacts quickly and quite accurately, but the autofocus keeps visibly jumping from time to time to find the right focus.
A 16 MP selfie camera is located in a punch hole on the smartphone's front. It could brighten dark areas a bit better, but the pictures are quite usable for social media as long as you do not enlarge them too much.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Hauptkamera BlumeHauptkamera UmgebungHauptkamera Low Light
Display: PWM, but with low response times
At 6.4 inches, the OLED screen of the realme 10 is a bit smaller than in many competing phones so the phone feels a bit handier. Nevertheless, it offers a class-standard resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, 90 Hz refresh rate, and also shows a good brightness of 553 cd/m² on average. However, the Motorola Moto G72 shows that screens with HDR-capable 980 cd/m² brightness are also possible in this price range.
The realme 10's screen brightness is generally sufficient for outdoor use, but you may find yourselves having to retreat into the shade in direct sunlight as otherwise screen reflections overlay the picture.
At a very low brightness, the screen flickers with a frequency of 409 Hz, which is probably due to PWM for dimming. The frequency is quite high, but sensitive people should test the screen before buying it. The response times are very short, which should please gamers.
In display tests with CalMAN, we see a slight blue cast and significant deviations from the target color space in red hues.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 553 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.23 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.6 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.2% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.24
| Realme 10 AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.40 | Motorola Moto G72 P-OLED, 2400x1080, 6.60 | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G PLS, 2408x1080, 6.60 | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G IPS, 2412x1080, 6.59 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | -52% | -2100% | -1850% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 1 ? | 1.5 ? -50% | 18 ? -1700% | 27 ? -2600% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 1 ? | 1.5 ? -50% | 26 ? -2500% | 12 ? -1100% |
| PWM Frequency | 409 | 180 -56% | ||
| Screen | 32% | -29% | -18% | |
| Brightness middle | 553 | 992 79% | 447 -19% | 590 7% |
| Brightness | 553 | 980 77% | 428 -23% | 561 1% |
| Brightness Distribution | 91 | 92 1% | 86 -5% | 92 1% |
| Black Level * | 0.31 | 0.38 | ||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.23 | 4.56 -8% | 5.54 -31% | 5.15 -22% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 10.83 | 7.96 27% | 10.04 7% | 10.35 4% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.6 | 3.1 14% | 7.3 -103% | 7.1 -97% |
| Gamma | 2.24 98% | 2.233 99% | 2.03 108% | 2.143 103% |
| CCT | 7171 91% | 7098 92% | 8853 73% | 8540 76% |
| Contrast | 1442 | 1553 | ||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -10% /
4% | -1065% /
-547% | -934% /
-476% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 1 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 1 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 409 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 409 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 409 Hz is relatively high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. However, there are reports that some users are still sensitive to PWM at 500 Hz and above, so be aware. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Measurement series with fixed zoom level and different brightness settings
Performance, emissions and battery life: The realme 10 lasts long
At the heart of the realme 10 smartphone is the MediaTek Helio G99, an SoC with suitable mid-range performance that can keep up with the competition. You should not expect a huge performance potential, but the power is sufficient for smooth navigation through the system and everyday apps. Even those who like to play games will be able to run most games without problems, but expectations should be tempered with respect to very high frame rates.
The UFS memory transfers data quickly, so loading times are kept very short.
We measured a maximum temperature of 43.6 °C under longer load, which is clearly noticeable but not problematic. Surface temperatures may differ when the phone is used in high ambient temperature.
The small mono speaker audibly struggles to create a clear sound stage and usually sounds a bit muffled. Even realme's advertising gimmick that the volume can be increased to 200% instead of 100% does not change that. At least, the speaker sounds a bit clearer at maximum sound pressure level but then becomes very treble-heavy. All in all, the realme 10's internal speaker is definitely not suited for audiophiles.
That being said, there is still the option of connecting headphones via a 3.5 mm port or Bluetooth. This works without any problems and numerous codecs are available for wireless transmission, including for hi-fi sound viz. SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX TWS+, aptX Adaptive, LDAC, and LHDC.
The 5,000 mAh battery enables a run time of just over 16 hours in our standard WLAN test. That is a good rate, although it is also clearly surpassed by some comparison devices. However, the battery capacity should be sufficient for two working days with moderate use. The phone can be charged at 33 W, which means it can be fully charged in 1:30 hours at the most.
| GFXBench | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.6 - 123, n=226, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (12 - 44, n=14) | |
| Realme 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2.3 - 229, n=226, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Realme 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (14 - 18, n=14) | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2.8 - 119, n=226, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (8.3 - 28, n=14) | |
| Realme 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 94, n=226, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Realme 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (5.4 - 6.5, n=14) | |
| Realme 10 | Motorola Moto G72 | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | Average 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -1% | -24% | -26% | -14% | 53% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 881 | 868.5 -1% | 485.1 -45% | 509.21 -42% | 708 ? -20% | 1508 ? 71% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 530.1 | 497.5 -6% | 487.4 -8% | 482.15 -9% | 517 ? -2% | 1118 ? 111% |
| Random Read 4KB | 200.5 | 231.4 15% | 188.2 -6% | 179.02 -11% | 188 ? -6% | 247 ? 23% |
| Random Write 4KB | 257.7 | 230.2 -11% | 163.1 -37% | 147.46 -43% | 182.5 ? -29% | 272 ? 6% |
Temperature
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.5 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43.6 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.3 °C / 74 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
| 3DMark - Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Realme 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
Loudspeaker
Realme 10 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 38.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.2% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 53% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 40% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 70% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 23% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 50% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 42% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 69% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life
| Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Realme 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (424 - 2844, n=228, last 2 years) | |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: Lots of memory, but no camera star
One thing is clear: The realme 10 will not win the prize for the best camera equipment in the mid-range. After all, it lacks a macro and/or wide-angle lens, and the main camera takes usable pictures overall but nothing more. The competition offers much better setups with more cameras and partly even optical image stabilization.
Apart from that, the realme 10 offers a good overall package: Lots of storage, good run times, fast charging, NFC, a dedicated microSD card reader, and fast Wi-Fi 5. The 90 Hz OLED screen can convince with decent brightness, there are many Bluetooth audio codecs supported, and a full-fledged fingerprint sensor is also available.
The onboard speaker sound is less convincing, but the realme 10 is a bit more handy and lighter than the comparison devices. It also looks very good with its dazzling back and angular design.
If you are looking for a light and pretty 4G phone with NFC and do not need a top camera, you will find a convincing overall package in the realme 10.
The Motorola Moto G72 is a strong competitor, since it offers more cameras and an even brighter OLED screen optionally. The Samsung Galaxy A23 5G even supports 5G and an optical image stabilizer for the camera.
Price and availability
Due to a patent dispute, the realme 10 is only available from a few retailers online at the time of testing. At amazon.de, you currently pay about €300 for the phone.
Realme 10
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01/20/2023 v7
Florian Schmitt
Pricecompare
