What Realme has succeeded in the last couple of years is give mid-range phones a respectable spec sheet. The message: Inexpensive need not mean you need make a lot of compromises. In fact, this is one company that has pushed the likes of Nokia phones to its edge while making Xiaomi as well as Samsung launch more and more phones.

Recently we had the Realme 8 5G, which obviously is the 5G version and is slightly different from the brand’s other two offerings — Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro, which come with Helio G95 and Snapdragon 720G processors respectively. This is also the place where we can say that the pricing of the 5G handset is less than the other two.

First, you don’t have to buy a 5G handset at the moment, something which we have mentioned in many articles. Yet, Realme is betting big on the technology, which the telecom department is somehow not focussing enough on. Nonetheless, if buying a phone is a must on your list while budget is around 14K, the 5G variant is not bad at all. Compared to brands like OnePlus, Realme is offering more support to 5G bands, which, at the moment, means nothing in India. But in way of future-proofing, it’s not a bad decision.

Second, the processor running the show — MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G — is efficient when it comes to power management as well as offering a decent experience with gaming. Also, hardware-based imaging accelerators help capture better low-light shots. Be it tap-tap games or some bang-bang titles, it’s a satisfactory experience.

And that brings us to the camera where we come away with mixed feelings. The main 48MP camera is quite good, offering some excellent night shots at this pricing. In fact, it punches above its weight. Sadly, the experience ends there because I definitely want an ultra-wide camera instead of the B&W and macro snappers that are available on the device, which are practically of no use. Video recording is restricted to 1080p.

But an upside is the 6.5-inch IPS LCD, which is of good quality and supports FHD+. Further, the hole punch is on the left corner, which helps while viewing multimedia content as well as gaming. There is 90Hz refresh rate, which helps in giving a smooth experience on budget phones. The colours are just about punchy and frankly, I have no complains because of the pricing of the phone.

There is not much to talk about the 5000mAh battery, which helps to keep the weight of the phone far below 200g, easily lasting a day. Agreed that the camera could have been better had there been an ultra-wide shooter besides a clutter-free software experience but there is good build quality and the pricing is spot on. Realme 8 5G is a good way to tell consumers that a technology called 5G is on the way… at some point. And the other message is here’s a phone that won’t burn a hole in your pocket while turning in a decent performance.

The camera set-up would have been better with an ultra-wide lens. The Telegraph

At a glance

Device: Realme 8 5G
Price: Rs 13,999 for 64GB+4GB, Rs 14,999 for 128GB+4GB and Rs 16,999 for 128GB+6GB

High points

• Good build quality
• Night photos come out well
• Support for a number of 5G bands (sadly, we don’t know when 5G will come to India)

Muffled notes

• Ultra-wide camera missing