Oppo Realme 2 Pro smartphone - advantages and disadvantages

Not so long ago, Oppo released the popular Realme 1 and Realme 2 models, and now the new product of the fall of 2018 is Realme 2 Pro. It is not entirely clear why this model remained with the number 2, and did not receive the number 3, because it is very different from its predecessor.

What is the difference between Realme 2 Pro and Realme 2

The new Pro model differs from the classic "two" in almost all respects. Only the rear panel design hasn't changed much. The panels differ in colors and patterns, which were used in Realme 2. The front panels look different. The Pro's notch is much smaller, which looks better, and you can display much more information at the top of the screen. And the display itself, although close in size, is much better in quality than the new model. Resolution 1080 x 2280 vs 720 x 1520 pixels.

The Pro's performance is also much better. The Snapdragon 450 cannot keep up with the new Snapdragon 660. The new model has more memory and a better camera, and not only in megapixels, but also in terms of the real quality of images.

The only thing the Pro loses in is its autonomy. For some reason, the battery capacity has decreased from 4,230 mAh to 3,500 mAh, while the processor power has increased.

But still, we can state that the new Realme 2 Pro model has left Realme 2 far behind, especially in performance and screen quality.

Let's consider in all details the new product, compare with competitors in order to understand which model of smartphone is better to buy.

Equipment

The phone is packed in a red and white cardboard box with a large number 2 and a small Pro lettering under it. It says Realme at the bottom. In addition to the smartphone, the box contains:

• charger 10 W;
• micro USB cable;
• clear case;
• instruction.

Appearance

The smartphone has an interesting front panel design. The cutout in the screen for the front is very small, and the smartphone looks much better than models with huge monobrows. On this "droplet" was able to accommodate not only the camera, but also the proximity sensor, which is almost invisible.

The manufacturer used traditional materials - plastic and metal. The ends are made of metal, the back panel is plastic, but the plastic is such that it is very similar to glass. Looks good, especially in blue. And the manufacturer also assures that this material is especially durable and heat-resistant. In any case, this plastic, though also easily soiled, is not as slippery as glass, and the device does not slip out of hands.

The bezels around the screen are very thin. The smartphone can be safely called frameless. The screen is covered with Gorilla Glass 3 protective glass.

On the back panel, there is a rear camera on top, and a fingerprint scanner below. At the bottom is the Realme logo. At the bottom there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a micro USB port and one speaker.

Dimensions of the device 156.7 x 74 x 8.5 mm, weight 174 g.

The phone is available in four color options:

• the black;
• blue;
• red;
• blue.

Specifications

We list the main technical characteristics of the Oppo Realme 2 Pro

Screen

Like many other low-cost smartphones, Oppo Realme 2 Pro is equipped with an IPS LCD screen. It has good characteristics - a diagonal of 6.3 inches, a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels, an aspect ratio of 19.5: 9. The display has excellent brightness (530 cd / sq. M) and contrast (1755: 1). This allows you to see everything in the sun without any problems. It's also comfortable to look at the display in the dark. The color rendition of the screen is good.

Considering that the model is not top-end, the screen leaves a very good impression. At least it is significantly better than the competitor Xiaomi Mi A2.

operating system

The new smartphone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with the original ColorOS 5.2 shell. There is nothing particularly new in this shell, so Oppo users will find a familiar user-friendly interface. It supports gesture navigation, quick face unlocking, displaying multiple tasks on one screen. Also, starting from version 5.0, new application shortcuts, new security features, including an improved safe game mode, are used.

Oppo in its shell has greatly changed the standard android interface, but all the pre-installed Google services remained in place. Installed applications appear by default not in the launcher, but on the desktop.

The fingerprint scanner is fast and accurate. Face unlock also works fast, faster than on the iPhone X. Recognition occurs at 120 points on the face, the algorithm is quite reliable. But Apple's security is certainly ahead. In any case, a photograph cannot be used instead of a face. This unlocking is quick and convenient.

The task switcher is very similar to the Apple one. There is a phone manager (Phone Manager), similar to the application of the same name in smartphones Huawei and Xiaomi. With it, you can, for example, clear memory, apply encryption and scan your smartphone for viruses.

There are different multimedia applications: gallery, music, video. Unfortunately, there is no radio.

Performance

The phone uses Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 660 chipset and Adreno 512 graphics chip. The Snapdragon 660 is a nimble processor that delivers good performance. It is also suitable for active games. The nominal frequency of the Snapdragon 660 is 2.2 GHz, but in Realme its frequency is reduced to 1.96 GHz and this is badly reflected in the results in the tests. But in real operation it is not very noticeable. Anyway, this is a big step up from the Snapdragon 450 on the Realme 2. Everything opens, starts up, plays smoothly and without brakes. It turned out to be a modern, productive smartphone, perfect for both games and viewing videos and photos.

A plus is the variety of options for memory configurations:

• 4 GB / 64 GB;
• 6 GB / 64 GB;
• 8 GB / 128 GB.

Another plus is the ability to install additional memory with a capacity of up to 256 GB, and an SD flash drive is installed in a separate slot, and not instead of a second SIM card.

In synthetic tests, Realme 2 Pro is inferior to many smartphones on Snapdragon 660, but overall the result is still good:

• AnTuTu 7 - 132 958;
• GeekBench (one core) - 1,462;
• GeekBench (all cores) - 5,531;
• GFX 3.1 - 12.

Autonomy

The smartphone has a 3500 mAh lithium-ion battery. The autonomy of the device is good. It allows you to watch videos continuously for 11 hours and work on the Internet for 13 hours. With economical use, the battery can last for four days. Unfortunately, fast charging is not supported and a regular 10 watt charger is included. For half an hour, he charges the device by about a third.

Cameras

Recently, the best manufacturers have been installing good cameras on their budget smartphones. Let's see if the Realme 2 Pro quality cameras will be included in the rating. The camera review will complete the sample photo.

Main camera

The main camera is dual - 16 megapixels with a Sony IMX398 sensor plus 2 megapixels. The main sensor has f / 1.7 optics with a wide aperture, which allows you to take good pictures in low light conditions. An additional camera is designed to determine the depth of the frame and blur the background.

The autofocus is based on phase technology and works well. There is a LED flash. It claims a 2x zoom, but it's not optical, it's digital. Therefore, naturally, when using it, the quality of the images immediately drops.

The camera app interface borrows a lot from the corresponding iOS app. Most of the settings are on the left (or top, depending on orientation), while various modes are selected on the right, next to the shutter key.

In expert mode, it is possible to manually set the shutter speed. This helps improve performance in very low light conditions. Focus and ISO settings are also manually set in this mode.

In daylight, the shots have excellent contrast, good sharpness, detail, rich and accurate colors. There is little noise, you can only notice them in the area of ​​uniform color, while Realme 2 had noise everywhere.

HDR (High Dynamic Range) works well on the Realme 2 Pro. HDR processing isn't too extreme and tends to help bring out some of the shadow and highlights details. Portrait mode works great, with precise borders for blurring the background.

During the day, great photos are obtained, but this will not surprise anyone in 2019. How does the camera take pictures at night? Everything is fine here too. Moreover, it is one of the best night-time cameras for devices in this price segment. Good detail, little noise. The photos are much better than the low-light conditions of the Realme 2.

The video is recorded at a maximum resolution of 4K and a frequency of 30 frames per second. In 4K, the quality is average - the detail is good, while the dynamic range is not very good. But the color rendition and contrast are very good. The video looks a little better at 1080P due to digital stabilization, which doesn't work in 4K. Colors are good, but detail and dynamic range are mediocre.

Selfie camera

The front camera, like the main one, 16 megapixels with an f / 2.0 lens also did not disappoint. Good detail, sharpness, pleasant natural colors. There is a bokeh simulation mode that works quite well. There is a beauty mode as well as a fairly extensive collection of animated stickers.

Sample photos

Wireless interfaces

The phone confidently picks up the cellular signal. GPS navigation works well. There is Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, Dual Sim. 4G networks are supported on all frequencies common in our country. NFC is missing, of course, and this is a minus.

Sound

The Realme 2 Pro has only one speaker, so there is no stereo. But the speaker itself is not bad. Sounds loud and pretty good, although the sound lacks depth. The sound in the headphones is average, nothing special. The fact that there is a 3.5 mm jack pleases.

Comparison with other popular models

How to choose the right smartphone model for you? The selection criteria are different for everyone, but still we will try to objectively compare the appearance, characteristics and prices - all that make up the popularity of the models.

Comparison with Oppo F9

The closest characteristics and functionality of Oppo F9... It has better cameras and fast charging. The rest is practically the same. What matters here is how much a smartphone costs. The average price for the Oppo F9 is almost twice the price of the Realme 2 Pro.So, for the price, Realme wins a lot, but otherwise not much inferior.

Comparison with Xiaomi Mi A2

The main competitor of the new model is Xiaomi Mi A2. At a similar cost, the devices have very similar characteristics. Both models are powered by the new Snapdragon 660 chipset and have comparable cameras. But Realme 2 Pro has advantages: a more modern bezel-less design, a better screen and the ability to expand memory. The Mi A2 can only counter this with the strength of the Xiaomi brand, which has received great popularity and good reviews. Which smartphone is better - it's up to you to decide.

Comparison with ZTE Nubia V18

Realme 2 Pro and Nubia v18 screens similar in size and characteristics. The Nubia has a fairly stylish glass and metal body, but there is a bezel on top that houses the camera and sensors. Realme has no bezel on top, but the network has a small notch in the screen. The latter design is more trendy, but not everyone likes the neckline, although it is very small here. Otherwise, the Realme 2 Pro is a little ahead of the Nubia V18 everywhere, except for autonomy. Here Nubia is ahead with a 4000mAh battery versus a 3500mAh battery.

Bottom line: the pros and cons of the Oppo Realme 2 Pro

• large bezel-less screen with a small cutout;
• high performance;
• good autonomy;
• great cameras;
• additional memory expansion slot;
• quick unlocking with a face;
• low price.

• no NFC;
• no fast charging;
• no radio;
• no stereo speakers.

The Oppo Realme 2 Pro smartphone has just started to hit the market. It is still impossible to say where it is profitable to buy the device. But we can already predict that the phone will be a great success. The result is a modern, productive device with a large screen and good cameras at a very attractive price.