realme Narzo 50i Prime review - Smartphone with a large battery for very little money
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
74.8 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2022 | Realme Narzo 50i Prime T7225 (T612), Mali-G52 MP1 | 182 g | 32 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
75.9 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2022 | Realme C31 T7225 (T612), Mali-G52 MP1 | 197 g | 32 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
77.1 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2021 | Motorola Moto E40 Tangula T700, Mali-G52 MP2 | 198 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
76.6 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2022 | Xiaomi Redmi 10C SD 680, Adreno 610 | 190 g | 64 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.71" | 1650x720 |
Case and features - Lightweight phone with little storage space
The realme Narzo 50i Prime is a new addition to the realme portfolio of very affordable entry-level phones under 150 Euros. In terms of features, it is strongly reminiscent of the realme C31 and is also very similar in price: at the time of testing, you can get the Narzo phone at amazon.de for just under 120 Euros.
Realme has come up with a fresh design for the Narzo 50i Prime: the corners are well rounded but look much more angular than for example in the realme C31. The camera module visually takes up more space on the back, as is currently the trend for other phones. Dark Blue and Mint Green are available as color variants. With its slightly grooved structure on the back, the phone looks quite high-end.
The chassis is sturdy and only creaks quietly when twisted. The phone also copes well with pressure on the screen. With 182 grams, realme has also built a quite light phone.
Although realme has installed very fast UFS storage, it only has 32 GB, and a larger version is not available in Europe. The storage can be expanded via a microSD slot, which is available in addition to the 2 SIM slots. In the tests with our reference microSD Angelbird V60, the phone is on par with similarly priced phones in terms of transfer rates from or to the card.
SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Xiaomi Redmi 10C (Angelbird V60) | |
Average of class Smartphone (7.7 - 77, n=79, last 2 years) | |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime (Angelbird V60) | |
Realme C31 (Angelbird V60) | |
Motorola Moto E40 (Angelbird V60) |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication, software and operation - Limited software
Unfortunately, only WiFi 4 is on board, which is not quite uncommon in this price range, but realme has already shown that more is possible here with the C31. The Narzo phone only achieves very slow transfer rates and sometimes makes the user wait longer for downloads.
Users also have to cut back on a large number of LTE frequencies: there are only the most necessary ones for Europe here, but you should plan when traveling abroad if you want to use the mobile Internet locally. The reception is mediocre in random samples during our test and not on the level of high-end phones. Unfortunately, the Narzo 50i Prime does not feature NFC, but Xiaomi Redmi 10C from the comparison devices has it.
The Narzo Phone is still based on Android 11 with the in-house realme UI above it, albeit in the "R Edition". This is an important difference for some users because some features like Game Mode or Split Screen are not available here. It is a pity that the manufacturer does not take better care of its software, because the security patches on our Narzo 50i Prime are from May 2022 at the time of testing and are thus quite old. Nothing is known about the length of the update cycle longevity, either.
The Narzo 50i Prime is operated via a 60 Hz touchscreen. It is also precise in the corners but does not feel quite as immediate in operation as higher-quality screens. The phone does not feature a fingerprint sensor, but Face Unlock can be used via the front-facing camera. This is a software solution that works reasonably reliably in good light. However, it is not that secure since pictures of the owner could also lead to unlocking.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Motorola Moto E40 | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Motorola Moto E40 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
Realme C31 | |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
Realme C31 | |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime |
Cameras - Only one lens at the back
A single camera has become unusual even for entry-level phones, but the Narzo 50i Prime only has one lens on the back. On the other hand, the low-resolution macro and depth-of-field cameras of the comparison devices often do not add much value, so a single camera is at least honest.
The fairly unknown SmartSens SmartPixel SC800CS is used as the main camera's sensor. The resolution of 8 megapixels is not particularly high and the light sensitivity is also limited with an aperture of f/2.0. Nevertheless, the camera even does a bit better in low-light scenarios than, for example, the Motorola Moto E40 with a pixel binning camera. Although brightened areas are interspersed with pixel artifacts and the sharpness is low in detail, brightening in dark areas is still quite decent.
In normal daylight, the sharpness leaves much to be desired and larger areas show a clear graininess. The camera is sufficient for snapshots, but you should not expect more. Videos can generally only be recorded at 30 fps, the highest resolution is Full HD. The autofocus sometimes needs a second to think, but the brightness adjustment works quite well.
A 5-megapixel selfie camera is also found on the front, which takes quite appealing pictures in good light.
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.
Main cameraMain cameraLow Light

Display - Little brightness on the realme phone
A 720p resolution is common in this price range, but the IPS screen of the realme Narzo 50i Prime clearly falls behind in terms of brightness: with an average of only 354 cd/m², it is reminiscent of smartphone displays from 5 years ago.
The comparison devices are all better here, also in terms of the uniformity of illumination and partly the color reproduction. In our tests with the spectrophotometer and the software CalMAN, the Narzo Phone shows a visible blue cast.
At least the display does not have PWM flickering, but the screen's response times are quite slow.
|
Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 365 cd/m²
Contrast: 811:1 (Black: 0.45 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.58 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9
ΔE Greyscale 5.2 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
93.7% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.28
Realme Narzo 50i Prime IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Realme C31 IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Motorola Moto E40 IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Xiaomi Redmi 10C IPS, 1650x720, 6.7" | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Response Times | -81% | -49% | -4% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 34 ? | 62 ? -82% | 44 ? -29% | 33 ? 3% |
Response Time Black / White * | 19 ? | 34 ? -79% | 32 ? -68% | 21 ? -11% |
PWM Frequency | ||||
Screen | 10% | 17% | 39% | |
Brightness middle | 365 | 413 13% | 452 24% | 511 40% |
Brightness | 354 | 394 11% | 431 22% | 478 35% |
Brightness Distribution | 83 | 91 10% | 90 8% | 84 1% |
Black Level * | 0.45 | 0.4 11% | 0.46 -2% | 0.42 7% |
Contrast | 811 | 1033 27% | 983 21% | 1217 50% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.58 | 4.89 -7% | 4.15 9% | 1.51 67% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.81 | 8.35 5% | 6.47 27% | 2.53 71% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.2 | 4.9 6% | 4 23% | 2.9 44% |
Gamma | 2.28 96% | 2.395 92% | 2.157 102% | 2.266 97% |
CCT | 7929 82% | 7598 86% | 7557 86% | 6443 101% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -36% /
-9% | -16% /
4% | 18% /
31% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
19 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9.5 ms rise | |
↘ 9.5 ms fall | ||
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 38 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
34 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 19 ms rise | |
↘ 15 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 43 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8627 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
Performance, emissions and battery life - Good runtimes
The Unisoc Tiger T612 as SoC supplies typical performance rates for the class. The entry-level SoC cannot keep up with the comparison devices in terms of graphics performance. Solid system performance is achieved in everyday use as long as not too much is demanded from the smartphone.
The fast memory should also contribute a lot to the system's relatively smooth operation: the fact that UFS memory is installed is not yet a matter of course in this class. The memory controller cannot quite keep up, but the Narzo 50i Prime offers fast data transfer rates for its money.
Under load, the SoC produces a lot of waste heat, which is also noticeable in the case, where the temperatures sometimes rise to almost 45 °C. This is clearly noticeable and can also become unpleasant in very warm ambient temperatures.
The small mono speaker reaches a passable volume and offers a sound that is quite pleasing. However, it sometimes seems as if a limiter catches too loud sounds with a minimal delay to prevent distortions. This creates a somewhat unnatural sound as if the singer swallows the sounds at the last moment. aptX HD is supported as a Bluetooth codec, but the more modern aptX variants, for example specifically for TWS earphones, are not. A 3.5 mm output for headphones is available.
The Narzo 50i Prime does not come with a charger, and the maximum charging power is 10 watts. Thus, it takes quite a long time until the 5,000 mAh battery is full again, which can be 3 hours. With 15:21 hours in our WLAN test with the screen brightness set, the smartphone does well for its price range and even lasts for 2 days away from the power outlet.
GFXBench | |
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime | |
Realme C31 | |
Motorola Moto E40 | |
Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
Average Unisoc T7225 (T612) (4.7 - 10, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (5.5 - 166, n=201, last 2 years) | |
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime | |
Realme C31 | |
Motorola Moto E40 | |
Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
Average Unisoc T7225 (T612) (5.3 - 5.6, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (3.4 - 321, n=201, last 2 years) | |
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime | |
Realme C31 | |
Motorola Moto E40 | |
Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
Average Unisoc T7225 (T612) (3 - 6.4, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 144, n=202, last 2 years) | |
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime | |
Realme C31 | |
Motorola Moto E40 | |
Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
Average Unisoc T7225 (T612) (1.9 - 2, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (1.2 - 129, n=201, last 2 years) |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime | Realme C31 | Motorola Moto E40 | Xiaomi Redmi 10C | Average 32 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AndroBench 3-5 | -53% | -69% | 8% | -26% | 146% | |
Sequential Read 256KB | 658.2 | 478.8 -27% | 265 -60% | 927.7 41% | 569 ? -14% | 1932 ? 194% |
Sequential Write 256KB | 445.6 | 131.9 -70% | 156.3 -65% | 510.2 14% | 289 ? -35% | 1546 ? 247% |
Random Read 4KB | 161.8 | 89 -45% | 56 -65% | 120.2 -26% | 125.4 ? -22% | 281 ? 74% |
Random Write 4KB | 189.8 | 61.5 -68% | 30.7 -84% | 195.2 3% | 125.7 ? -34% | 320 ? 69% |
Temperature
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.1 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44.7 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.7 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
Realme Narzo 50i Prime audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 31% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.8% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 65% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 28% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 80% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 16% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Xiaomi Redmi 10C audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 32% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.1% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 51% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 40% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 69% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery life
Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
Average of class Smartphone (476 - 3244, n=200, last 2 years) | |
Motorola Moto E40 | |
Realme C31 | |
Realme Narzo 50i Prime | |
Xiaomi Redmi 10C |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Ascetic equipment at a low price
The realme Narzo 50i Prime has an unusual appearance and pleases with its somewhat edgier design. The fact that it only has a single camera is not that tragic in its price range; the additional camera lenses are usually hardly useful in the competition. The camera sensor in the Narzo smartphone offers reasonably good illumination in dark environments but leaves a lot to be desired in terms of detail sharpness.
The screen is quite dim and the WLAN is slow. The equipment without NFC is also rather mediocre. We are more convinced by the battery life and the fast memory. However, the low-priced phone does not come with a charger.
The realme Narzo 50i Prime is a very inexpensive smartphone, but you have to lower your expectations. The fast memory and the chic chassis could still make it interesting for casual users.
If you want NFC for mobile payment services, a brighter screen, and more storage, you can buy the Xiaomi Redmi 10C.
Price and availability
The realme Narzo 50i Prime is available from the manufacturer https://buy.realme.com/eu/goods/226for 139.99 euros. However, it is also sometimes cheaper for just under 120 Euros during promotional periods.
The smartphone is also available at amazon.de available.
Realme Narzo 50i Prime
- 07/27/2022 v7 (old)
Florian Schmitt