5G network connectivity in Indonesia is going to be implemented soon. Welcoming this, a number of smartphone manufacturers have now presented a number of 5G phones that support the network. The prices also vary, some are expensive and some are quite affordable.

Realme as one of the popular smartphone brands in Indonesia has also announced its 5G smartphone, namely the Realme 8 5G. Yup, Realme Indonesia has introduced a new smartphone that uses the latest 5G generation processor which is priced at a fairly affordable price. Realme 8 5G launched with the slogan "5G. Fast Speed ​​to Infinity" comes with the latest chipset from MediaTek, namely Dimensity 700 5G.

Not only relying on 5G network connectivity capabilities, Realme 8 5G also has various advantages that are really worthy of being released as a smartphone for playing mobile games. This time the author had the opportunity to review Realme 8 5G which was officially released in Indonesia last month. What are the advantages of this smartphone? After using it for two weeks, here’s what the author have to say about the phone.

Unboxing

The experience of unboxing Realme 8 5G is almost the same as Realme 8 that was released earlier. Where the color of the box is yellow with the "5G" logo under the number "8". Affirming that this smartphone from Realme already supports the latest connectivity. In addition, there is also an "NFC" logo which indicates that this smartphone also has the NFC (Near Field Communication) feature.

In the box there are several items that are still the same as before. When the box is opened, you will get 1 unit of Realme 8 5G smartphone, 18W Quick Charger, USB Type-C cable, Soft body protective case, and manual.

Comfortable Handheld Design

The design of Realme 8 5G is similar to its sibling, namely Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro. The difference is the color of the back cover and camera configuration. If the Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro have a four-camera configuration, then the Realme 8 5G only has a three-camera configuration with flash lights together in one frame.

Realme 8 5G is also one of Realme’s thinnest smartphones. Because it has a thickness of 8.5 mm and is super light with a weight of only 185 grams. So, the Realme 8 5G is very comfortable and fits in one hand.

The back of Realme 8 5G is inspired by Fast and Furious because it uses the Dynamic Speed ​​Light design concept using a high-gloss indium coating material. With a design like this, the author feels that Realme 8 5G feels very luxurious when the default case is not used.

On the right side, there is a fingerprint scanner as well as the power button. With a capacitive recognition system, with just one press, this smartphone will immediately open and also provide more security. While on the left, you will find volume buttons and a sim card slot that supports two nano sim card slots and a MicroSD storage.

While at the bottom, there is a speaker grill on the right side, a USB Type-C port in the middle, a microphone, and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the left side.

The Realme 8 5G that the author reviewed has a memory configuration of 8 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM. If the ROM capacity feels less spacious, users can also add additional MicroSD memory up to 1 TB capacity which is located in the SIM card slot.

Stunning Display

Turning to the screen, Realme 8 5G has a 6.5-inch screen with a 20:9 ratio. With fairly thin bezels on all four sides so the body doesn't feel too big. The resolution is full HD + with an IPS panel and has a 90Hz refresh rate. There is also a small punch hole camera embedded in the upper left corner. The IPS screen has a resolution of 2400 × 1080 FHD + and is capable of producing up to 600 nits of brightness, 16.7 million colors, and a density of up to 405 ppi.

Because one of the most highlighted features of this smartphone is the screen. Realme 8 5G has an Ultra Smooth display with a refresh rate of 90Hz and a maximum sampling rate of 180Hz. This 90Hz display delivers a seamless visual experience with every movement on the screen. This Realme 8G 5G screen also supports Widevine L1 certificate on Netflix. So that you can play Netflix videos with the best resolution quality.

Having a screen that supports 90Hz refresh rate means it’s better for playing fast paced action games or FPS. When the author tested playing PUBG Mobile, Tencent's game was able to run smoothly with high frame-rates per second (fps) (above 30 fps). Unfortunately, Realme did not explain whether the Realme 8 5G screen has been coated with Corning Gorilla Glass protection or not.

Camera Beyond Expectation

When Realme 8 5G was released, many people were skeptical of the camera quality offered. The reason is, the camera specifications that have been carried have been "trimmed" compared to the Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro series.

Realme 8 5G actually comes with a triple rear camera configuration -- if it looks like there are four, one is just an "AI" logo. The main sensor itself has a resolution of 48 MP f / 1.8 with a 6P lens. While the other two sensors are secondary sensors, each in black and white (to improve the quality of portrait photos) and macro (with a focus distance of 4 cm).

Even so, it turns out that the main camera that only has a resolution of 48 MP can produce image quality that exceeds expectations. Not the greatest in resolution, but the quality of the photo is okay.

After taking photos of several objects, the 48 MP main camera of the Realme 8 5G is able to accurately reproduce colors so it looks very Instagram-able. This is because of the help of AI specially developed by Realme. Moreover, this camera has also used the ISOCELL GM1 sensor which has been able to reduce noise and improve image capture details.

For the front camera, Realme 8 5G has one front camera with a resolution of 16 MP f/2. Again, the front camera of this smartphone is also good enough for taking pictures in various conditions.

Here are some of the photos taken using the Realme 8 5G:

Realme 8 5G is quite reliable for video recording. Because this smartphone is capable of recording videos up to 1080p 30fps. Excitingly, Realme has also embedded a software-based stabilization feature or EIS. As a result, recording with this smartphone feels quite stable even if you only use your hand.

Here are some of the videos taken using the Realme 8 5G:

Great Gaming Performance

MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G processor is the latest processor available. Moreover, this processor is also combined with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of ROM, so many are curious about its performance. After testing it in several uses, the performance of the MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G processor on the Realme 8 5G is already very capable of running various popular Android games today, such as Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and even Genshin Impact.

In League of Legends: Wild Rift, the author gets Ultra graphics settings and 60 fps. With these graphic settings, the author did not find any problems. Even when there is a war, the author does not feel a decrease in frame rates.

For PUBG Mobile, the author gets HD graphics settings with High framerates. For Smooth graphics settings, the author gets an Ultra frame rate. With these settings, again the author did not feel any disturbance during the game on the Realme 8 5G.

As for the other popular game Sausage Man, it turns out that the Realme 8 5G can also provide excellent performance. The author got Extreme graphics settings, Battle Resolution on High, and High frame rates! As a result, this battle royale game runs very smoothly without any problems.

Next is Genshin Impact, where Realme 8 5G can run MiHoYo's game with the "Lowest" graphics setting so that it can be played stable. When it is raised to the "Low" setting, you can still play it but you will feel a drop in frame rates and a little lag when fighting. Even when the author ran the PPSSPP emulator on the Realme 8 5G, some of the emulator's popular games, such as Granturismo and GTA: Vice City Stories ran very smoothly.

Also Read >> 10 Gaming Smartphones for Playing Mobile Esports Game

Game Space Feature

Although it is not labeled a "gaming smartphone", Realme has also installed a cool feature called Game Space for the Realme 8 5G. This feature allows to increase the performance to "Pro Gamer" mode. This feature also provides network acceleration subscription services to provide the best performance when playing mobile games. There is also a notification and incoming calls block feature, so it doesn't interfere when you're busy playing.

Here's a test video of playing games on the Realme 8 5G:

Benchmark

When the author did some testing using AnTuTu Benchmark, GeekBench, and 3DMark the results were quite interesting. The Realme 8 5G got a score of 360834 in the first test, while in the second test, this smartphone got a score of 358011.

The test result from Geekbench is quite interesting, where for Single Core, this smartphone got a score of 571, while for Multicore it got a score of 1775. While on 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme it got a score of 2343 and for 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test Loop it got a score of 1108. 

Testing on throttled CPU for 15 minutes, Realme 8 5G only got a maximum score of 171,643GIPS and a minimum of 129,762GIPS. Where there is a decrease in performance at the last minute so that it only gets a maximum performance of 78% in 15 minutes.

With this score, this gaming smartphone is actually good enough to run various social media applications, to various other mobile games well and smoothly.

Long Battery Life

Although the body of Realme 8 5G is thin, it has a big battery capacity at 5,000 mAh. For intensive daily use, the battery can last up to a full day, and often more. Of course, it will last longer if you take advantage of some additional features, such as the Quick Freeze App or various power saving modes.

If this smartphone can last for a day with 4G, it shouldn't be too far off when it runs on 5G. The smartphone supports 18 watts of fast charging, via the USB-C port. Charging from 5% capacity to full takes about two hours less.

Verdict

Broadly speaking, there are four superior features that are displayed on the rear box of the Realme 8 5G, including; MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G processor, 90 Hz Ultra Smooth display, Smart 5G Power Competitiveness, and 48 MP Nightscape Camera. But it turns out that this smartphone offers more than the four mainstay features. One of them is the Game Space feature which is very useful for gamers to maximize performance when playing mobile games and eliminate all annoying incoming notifications.

Design-wise, Realme 8 5G is similar to its siblings which were released earlier. The trimming of some features is indeed something that deserves attention when Realme embeds 5G connectivity support on the cellphone. In fact, the skeptical assessment of the trimming that occurred on this cellphone was beyond expectations. The results of the main camera which is only 48 MP actually produces image captures that are very pleasing to the eye.

In addition, the performance of the MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G processor combined with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM makes this smartphone very reliable in various conditions. Starting from playing games, editing videos with applications, social media, and so on.

Its thin and light body also doesn't make Realme 8 5G have a short battery life. Because this smartphone actually has a 5,000 mAh battery so it is very capable of being used all day long. Moreover, there is a fairly fast 18 Watt charging capability with a charging time of approximately 2 hours.

Realme 8 5G comes with only one variant of 8 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM and is priced at IDR 3,199,000. Are you interested in getting this smartphone? Stay tuned for more information about games and don’t forget to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can buy in-game cash for Mobile Legends, Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile, and other games on Dunia Games.

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