Oppo RealMe 1 Pros and Cons: Review After 1 Month of Use

Oppo launched its RealMe 1 in India last month, targeting Xiaomi’s low-end Redmi devices. And guess what, the handset has already defeated Redmi Note 5 and Honor 9 Lite. If you missed those comparisons, you can check them here and here respectively. The RealMe 1 does come with decent specifications and has become one of the best choices for those having budget under ₹9,000.

I have been using this handset as my daily driver for past 25 days and am ready to share my experience with you. In this article, I am going to list the RealMe 1 Pros and Cons. Before we start, have a look on its specifications.

Oppo RealMe 1 Specifications and Features

Display	6 inch IPS LCD Full HD+, 1080x2160px, 18:9 Aspect Ratio
SoC & GPU	Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P60 | Mali-G72 MP3
OS & RAM	Android 8.1 (ColorOS 5.0) | 3GB, 4GB or 6GB
Storage	32GB, 64GB or 128GB | Expandable up to 256GB via MicroSD
Rear Camera	13MP, f/2.2, PDAF, LED Flash
Front Camera	8MP (f/2.2)
Battery	Li-lon 3,410 mAh

Oppo RealMe 1 Pros

1. Design and Build Quality: In this price segment, RealMe 1 is the only handset that comes with a body made entirely with glass. It looks beautiful, especially those crystal design on its rear.

2. Display: This is also one of the first handsets to come with full HD+ display in this particular segment. To compare, other smartphones including Honor 7C in this segment just have 720p display.

3. Camera: For this price, it has the best camera. Whether we talk about daylight or lowlight situation, the handset does produce satisfactory photos. Though I am not satisfied with its HDR performance, it is still better than Redmi Note 5 and Honor 9 Lite. The performance of selfie camera is also commendable, thanks to its AI algorithm.

4. Performance: The RealMe 1 comes with octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 processor which has scored noticeable score on the benchmark. Its performance real-time performance has also satisfied me. For this price, it is way better than others. It doesn’t lag during heavy gaming.

5. Face Unlock: In this range, this is one of the first handsets to come with facial unlock feature however, it works smoothly only in daylight or normal lighting condition. It’s not good during lowlight.

6. Battery: It has a 3,410 mAh battery which is sufficient if you use the device normally or moderately. It easily lasts a day during normal usage and 14-15 hours during moderate usage. During heavy usage, it stay up for around 5 hours.

7. Dual Band Wi-Fi: This is also one of the first low-end handsets to come with dual band wi-fi support. It means, you can connect to 2.4GHz as well as 5GHz networks.

8. Dedicated Card Slot: Nowadays, smartphones come with hybrid microSD slot which means you cannot use two SIM cards and MicroSD at once. The RealMe 1 comes with dedicated MicroSD slot which means you can use two SIM cards and a MicroSD at once.

Oppo RealMe 1 Cons.

1. Poor UI Experience: The handset runs on Android Oreo-based Color OS which is not that smooth. The biggest drawback of its UI is the notification shade that cannot be deleted by swiping right or left. You will need to click on “delete” which appears when you swipe left the notifications.

2. No Fingerprint Sensor: This is probably the biggest drawback of RealMe 1. It doesn’t have fingerprint sensor. To compare, most of the handsets in this range come with fingerprint sensor.

3. No Fast Charging: The handset takes more than 2 hours to completely charge the battery if it is not drained. If the battery is drained, it takes more than 2 and a half hour.

Our Verdict

For this price, the Oppo RealMe 1 is definitely a good choice for those having budget under ₹10,000. It costs ₹8,990 and comes with decent features. The handset is preferred for its bigger display, design, camera and performance. Additionally, the dual band Wi-Fi support and dedicated MicroSD card give this handset an edge over several handsets in this range. Though it lacks fingerprint sensor but I guess this drawback can be ignored.