Oppo RealMe 2 Review: Rising from its Predecessor’s Shadow

RealMe is now operating independently. The company recently separated itself from Oppo. After splitting up, the company has launched the RealMe 2 – the successor of RealMe 1 which was launched last year. During the launch event, the company claimed to have addressed the needs of its users and then implemented the features accordingly.

The company, indeed, has added those features that were missing on the RealMe 1. For example, the company now has added a fingerprint sensor and a notch. Plus, the newcomer comes with dual rear camera setup. So, will this handset rise from its predecessor’s shadow? Let’s find out.

Oppo RealMe 2 Specifications and Features

Display	6.2-inch HD+ IPS LCD, 720x1520px, 19:9 Aspect Ratio, ~271ppi Pixel Density, Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3
SoC & GPU	Octa-Core Snapdragon 450 | Adreno 506
OS & RAM	Android 8.1 Oreo with Color OS 5.1 | 3GB or 4GB
Storage	32GB or 64GB | Expandable up to 256GB (Dedicated Slot)
Rear Camera	Dual 13MP (f/2.2, AF) + 2MP (f/2.4, Depth Sensor)
Front Camera	8MP (f/2.2)
Battery	Li-lon 4,230 mAh

Design & Build Quality

The company has primarily focused over the design. The handset looks really beautiful. It will be available in three color options – Diamond Black, Diamond Blue, and Diamond Red. Much like the RealMe 1, the RealMe 2 has a diamond-shaped design on its rear panel. RealMe calls it “Diamond Cutting Design” which shines and reflects. The rear panel includes horizontal placement of cameras and a fingerprint sensor placed right in the center.

Coming at the front, the handset carries a notch and thin chin. It has minimal bezels, making it look beautiful. The handset doesn’t feel big in hands though you will need to use a case it is extremely slippery. Overall, the handset has got a beautiful design and looks premium.

Display, OS, and UI

The RealMe 2 comes with a bigger display which is ideal for those who love to watch videos or play games. It has 88.80% screen-to-body ratio with the thin chin. The company has also tried very hard to keep the bezels minimal. Anyway, talking about the quality, the display looks sharp and vibrant. It is bright enough to be operated under direct sunlight. Plus, it is protected by Corning’s third generation Gorilla Glass.

Coming to the OS and UI, the handset runs on Android 8.1 Oreo-based Color OS 5.1. The UI is quite simple and easy to operate.

Performance and Gaming

The company has equipped Qualcomm’s low-end Snapdragon 450 chipset. This processor is very common in a low-end smartphone. The handset comes in two variants: 3GB RAM with 32GB ROM and 4GB RAM with 64GB ROM. For graphics, the smartphone has Qualcomm’s Adreno 506 graphics processing unit.

As it has a low-end processor, the handset can handle normal application including games, social media and other multimedia apps with an ease. But yes, you can’t do intense gaming on this device. This smartphone is not for heavy games like PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 8 or Gangster Vegas: the Mafia Game.

Camera

The smartphone now comes with dual rear camera setup but it seems that this is just another strategy to increase sales. During our initial test, the handset has produced good photos during artificial and daylight. But during lowlight, the performance of its camera is disappointing. However, bokeh mode works nicely.

Talking about the front facing camera, it is an 8 megapixels sensor which supports AI beautification. Its beautification mode is so extreme that we suggest you not to use it. Anyway, we will talk more about the camera in our detailed review.

Battery

This is probably the best thing about this phone. It has a massive 4,230 mAh battery which will easily last 2 days during normal usage. It’s really convenient as you don’t need to charge it too often.

Our Verdict

The RealMe 2 looks a promising smartphone. We have liked three things: Good Looks, A Bigger Battery and A Fingerprint Sensor. The physical design of this smartphone is better than its predecessor. Plus it comes with fingerprint sensor which was missing previously. One more thing, the handset comes with dual rear camera setup however, it’s not impressive. Still, for this price, I think the phone is good.

But wait, we are not giving up here. We are going to put this handset against several other smartphones available in this price segment. So, stay tuned to Gadget2Buy.